Another Kind of Freedom

by Pema Chödrön

Beloved Buddhist teacher and best-selling author Pema Chödrön offers an inside look at the teachings that transformed her life.

In this commentary on The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation by Chögyam Trungpa, Pema reflects on the “crazy wisdom” that shaped her path.

“When I first encountered the Buddhist teachings in the early 1970s, there were not many teachers who taught in a voice that Western students could connect with in a personal way. It was amazing to read Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s book The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation. It didn’t feel like Buddhist philosophy at all. It felt like advice for everyday life and neurosis—particularly everyday neurosis, which there was plenty of,” says Pema Chödrön in the introduction to Another Kind of Freedom.

In this detailed commentary, Pema takes us section by section through one of the formative books that changed her life, sharing stories, insights, and personal reflections on what the teachings meant to her then and now. With her signature warmth, clarity, and humor, she brings Chögyam Trungpa’s teachings to life, making them accessible for modern readers navigating their own challenges.  

She explains how the practical wisdom of Buddhism can help
Face life’s messiness with courageEmbrace reality as it isLet go of fantasies of perfectionWork with our emotions rather than suppressing themExperience true freedom 
If you love Pema’s books, you’ll recognize familiar concepts presented in a fresh way. And if you’re new to Buddhism, Another Kind of Freedom offers a powerful introduction to Buddhist philosophy through the wisdom of two of the most influential teachers of the last century.   

Join Pema on this deeply personal journey—one that has inspired millions—as she shares heartfelt guidance on facing life’s challenges with open-hearted courage and discovering the beauty of being fully present, no matter how chaotic the world may be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Self Help, Buddhism

256 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

Ani Pema Chödrön (Deirdre Blomfield-Brown) is an American Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition, closely associated with the Kagyu school and the Shambhala lineage.

She attended Miss Porter's School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California. Pema has two children and three grandchildren.

While in her mid-thirties, she traveled to the French Alps and encountered Lama Chime Rinpoche, with whom she studied for several years. She became a novice nun in 1974 while studying with Lama Chime in London. His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa came to England at that time, and Ani Pema received her ordination from him.

Ani Pema first met her root guru, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. Lama Chime encouraged her to work with Trungpa, and it was with him that she ultimately made her most profound connection, studying with him from 1974 until his death in 1987. At the request of the Sixteenth Karmapa, she received the full bikshuni ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong.

Ani Pema served as the director of the Karma Dzong, in Boulder, CO, until moving in 1984 to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche gave her explicit instructions on establishing this monastery for western monks and nuns.

Ani Pema currently teaches in the United States and Canada and plans for an increased amount of time in solitary retreat under the guidance of Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.

Reviews

[John Stepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another book by Pema Chödrön that makes me think and grow. Her recent interview with Ezra Klein nudged me to pick this up and I’m glad I did.

[Julie]

While I gained helpful perspectives at first, I became increasingly unsettled by her writing a whole book about her guru without addressing the public stories of his abuse. (My internet deep dive led to more than drinking & philandering: thirteen-year-old's cannot give consent.). Seen through that lens, the glowy discussion of gurus became more cult-like as it went. Yes, we can potentially gain tidbits of wisdom from flawed humans, but we shouldn't avoid ugly stories, nuance or power dynamics. That sounds like the spiritual bypassing she often writes of.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after listening to Pema’s interview on Ezra Klein. The interview helped me during a tumultuous May as I was moving back to Providence, and it helped me after I did my 10 day Vipassana training. Pema practiced and describes a slightly different technique of meditation than the one I learned, and her Buddhism is Tibetan rather than Burmese, but most of the themes are the same. Work with reality exactly as it is. Work with your emotions and their energy exactly as they are. Stop looking for exits and sidetracks. Stay through the discomfort. Everything is workable.

“As the Japanese poet Ryokan says, "If you want to find the meaning, Stop chasing after so many things." If you want to find fundamental freedom, settle down with yourself just as you are. Become familiar with staying present without sidetracks. We can stay present with loneliness and desolation.”

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
wonderful book the only criticism is that sometimes the quotation could have been longer to make more context

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some interesting things in here, but also some things that just didn't sit right for me.

While I find the choice of the word "infiltration" slightly odd, I particularly loved the advice to not separate yourself from the world and think of yourself as better. This is a huge problem right now and we could all spend a little more time trying to understand each other instead of congratulating ourselves on how much better we are than others. I've not read The Myth of Freedom, so a few things were lost on me but generally it seemed like she did a good job of creating insightful commentary on the work. I did occasionally wish the quotes were a bit longer or had a bit more context since I haven't read the original. That's partly on me though.

The part that just really didn't feel great to me was the section on teachers/gurus, especially considering Chögyam Trungpa's actions. It felt even weirder that she made no acknowledgement of the controversy around her teacher even though this seemed like the perfect place to do so. I don't know, maybe I just don't get vajrayana all that well, but the whole section on teachers just felt really icky to me.

[Melanie Briscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! I adore Pema Chodron! She is an amazing individual who has this profound way of simplifying and strengthening the message of helpful Buddhist principles for engaging with life exactly as it comes. This work is kind of a “cliff notes” on some key concepts she discussed in a compilation she produced in the 1970s called the Myth of Freedom. This book is like a new flowering of these ideas which she makes so accessible. I loved it! If you are at all interested in becoming a saner person, less batted around by your own ego and that ego you experience in others, and less captive of suffering, then I encourage you to read her works! This one might be a great place to start!

[Toy G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐
This is the first book I've read by this author. I like her style. Chapters are concise and ideas are explained in a beginner friendly manner. Good stuff.

[Mark Bourdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to note right away that this book is a companion to Chogyam Trungpa’s book, The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation, which I read almost 20 years ago. After reading Another Kind of Freedom, I am motivated to reread The Myth of Freedom and read Another Kind of Freedom alongside it.

[KJ Grow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this commentary on Trungpa's The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation in tandem with the newly released audiobook version of the original text, which I highly recommend. Together, the two books provide a kind of master class on the Buddhist path.

Trungpa's teachings, originally drawn from lectures given in the 1970s, still feel remarkably fresh and relevant. Chödrön complements them beautifully, offering additional context, personal anecdotes, and interpretation for contemporary readers. The concepts themselves are timeless, but Chödrön has a real gift for translating them for today's audience in a way that is warm, compassionate, funny, and profound.

I'd classify this as intermediate Chödrön. If you're coming to her work for the first time, you may want to start with When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion, or Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change. Readers already familiar with her work, however, will likely find this book to be very good medicine.

Because this book functions as a commentary on an already fairly sophisticated Trungpa text, I wouldn't recommend it as a first introduction to either author.

[Gabrielle Jarrett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've loved Pema's books for a very long time. They've been a seriously important part of my Buddhist path. Up until now, she has avoided discussing the allegations against Trungpa Rinpoche. Her Switzerland approach is not ideal, but acceptable when she did express compassion toward the victims of his sexual and physical abuse, substantially reported. I was curious about what she would write in Another Kind of Freedom, a commentary on Trungpa's first two books. I was sorely disappointed, actually angered, as she quoted his advice and comments, which I saw as a playbook for spiritual (and other) leaders - How to Seduce your Students, Followers, (and voters) with Impunity. Obviously, there are enough believers in America who already value such a playbook in their votes. Back to Pema.
I don't believe in neutrality on sexual and physical abuse, and not regarding Trungpa Rinpoche. Pema was there during those times. While not fond of Martin Luther, I quote: Here I stand.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Pema Chodron introduces her readers to the teachings of Trungpa Rinpoche on the subject of what meditation is and isn’t. She uses his books to teach us the benefits of meditation by interpreting his insights on subjects like the myth of freedom and the way of meditation.

This is not a book to speed read your way through it. It is a book to savor, to pause throughout and ruminate on what she’s teaching us.

My thanks to Edelweiss and Shambala for an eARC.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

really dense with information some of which was inspirational and some or which is far beyond me with regards to "the path to enlightenment"

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and insightful. It’s helped heal me with some of its perspectives.