This conversation was originally posted 18 years ago. Asked how she became a Buddhist, Pema Chödrön has a startling answer ready: because she hated her husband. It is a story she tells in When Things Fall Apart, and it begins with something ordinary. She was outside their house in New Mexico, drinking a cup of tea, when her husband walked around the corner and told her he was having an affair and wanted a divorce. It turned out there had been several. She was around thirty-five, and until then had managed to be easygoing, warmhearted, inclined to look on the bright side. That was gone, replaced by enormous anger and, more disturbing to her, a terror of her own anger. Nothing touched it. No distraction worked, and every attempt only sharpened the groundlessness and fear. But something in her sensed this mattered and was not simply to be escaped. So she went looking, through therapies and disciplines, finding nothing that held. Then someone handed her an article by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who would become her teacher. Working with Negativity, now a chapter in The Myth of Freedom, argued that there is nothing wrong with negativity itself, that it is a powerful and creative energy capable of waking you up. The trouble is what he called negative negativity, the spin-off, the blaming of the other person or yourself. She has been trying to understand that article ever since. But it was the first thing that made sense: what she was feeling was a key to something rather than an obstacle to it. A year later she became a nun. Not to run away, she is careful to say, since plenty of people arrive at a monastery hoping to escape something. Her reason was the opposite. She wanted to dive all the way in. Want to go deeper with Pema Chödrön? Join Sounds True One for more teachings like this. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d