Logo

    Joseph Goldstein On: How Not To Try Too Hard in Meditation, Why You Shouldn't "Waste Your Suffering," and the Value Of Seeing How Ridiculous You Are

    The maestro joins the conversation for a discussion on meditation and life, exploring the Eightfold Path and topics like mindfulness, wholesome vs unwholesome states of mind and the importance of humor.

    enMay 17, 2023
    1
    What are the three buckets of the Eightfold Path?
    Who co-founded the Insight Meditation Society?
    How does mindfulness aid in daily life practice?
    What is the significance of recognizing thought patterns?
    What are the last defilements to be uprooted?

    • The Eightfold Path in Buddhism - A Recipe for Living a Fulfilling LifeThe Eightfold Path includes daily activities and formal meditation, emphasizing mindfulness, right effort, right concentration, and having a sense of humor about your own mind. Understanding its steps enlarges our sense of dharma practice.

      The Eightfold Path is a pivotal Buddhist list that is a recipe for living a good life. It includes activities and experiences in daily life as well as formal meditation. It encompasses three buckets, and the final bucket includes right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Joseph Goldstein, one of the most respected meditation teachers in the world, co-founded the Insight Meditation Society. Mindfulness prevents unhealthy states of mind from arising and should also be applied to overlooked areas of practice such as seeing. The Eightfold Path emphasizes the importance of having a sense of humor about your own mind and how it encompasses daily life and formal meditation. Understanding the eight steps in their entirety enlarges our sense of what dharma practice is about.

    • Cultivating Energy and Wisdom in the Eightfold PathThe Eightfold Path involves finding a balance of energy through mindfulness and concentration, letting go of unskillful states, and cultivating liberating wisdom. Pay attention to the quality of effort and energy while practicing meditation.

      The Eightfold Path includes cultivating wholesome mind states, developing wisdom, and practicing effort, mindfulness, and concentration. Right effort involves finding a balance of energy within ourselves, continually monitoring the quality of our effort, and letting go of unskillful states while cultivating skillful ones. This quality of energy can be applied to our activities in the world, and the entirety of the eightfold path supports the inquiry of what we are learning from being aware. As meditators, we must pay attention to the quality of our effort and energy to ensure we are not too tense or too loose. Tuning the strings of our inner being, we can cultivate a liberating wisdom.

    • The Art of Self-Monitoring in Practicing Mindfulness.Practicing mindfulness involves paying attention to our effort, preventing unwholesome states, and maintaining the wholesome states that have already arisen. Using the four great endeavors and acknowledging impermanence can help guide the process.

      Learning to monitor our own practice can be helpful, especially for experienced practitioners. We can become our own teachers by paying attention to our effort and balancing it. The practice involves preventing unwholesome states and investigating their arising, such as judgment, desire, or anger. The four great endeavors can guide us: preventing the arising of unwholesome states, abandoning the existing unwholesome states, developing the wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and maintaining the wholesome states that have already arisen. Different words resonate with different people. Instead of 'let it go,' 'let it be' acknowledges the truth of impermanence and allows things to arise and pass away without interference.

    • The Importance of Mindfulness in Preventing Unwholesome StatesBy being mindful of our senses, particularly vision, we can recognize and investigate the judgments that arise from our thoughts, prevent them from occurring retroactively, and abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen.

      Being mindful of our senses, particularly our vision, can help prevent unwholesome states from arising in our minds. By recognizing the judgments that arose from his thoughts, Joseph Goldstein was able to investigate their cause, take action, and prevent them from occurring retroactively. Mindfulness can prevent us from being reactive to what we're seeing and allow us to have a sense of humor about our own minds, which is an effective way to not be so caught by it. The second great endeavor in meditation practice is to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, which is a major part of our practice in the world.

    • Strengthening Mindfulness and Investigating Suffering to Abandon Unwholesome StatesMindfulness helps to stay present and abandon negative thoughts. Investigating the cause of suffering can lead to understanding the second noble truth. The last defilement to be uprooted is Mana.

      To abandon unwholesome states, mindfulness is the first strategy but sometimes we need to strengthen it. Mindfulness helps to be more present and abandon negative thoughts. Another strategy is to use suffering as a mindfulness bell to investigate the causes of it. Don't waste your suffering by drowning in it. Investigate the cause of suffering which leads to understanding the second noble truth. Buddha highlighted 10 different defilements or unwholesome states, which are uprooted at different stages of enlightenment. Mana in poly, m a n a is one of the last defilements to be uprooted.

    • Overcoming the Hindrance of Comparing Oneself with Others in Meditation.Comparing ourselves with others is a common obstacle in meditation, but mindfulness and recognizing it as impersonal can help us unhook from this hindrance. We can also find alternatives such as cultivating loving kindness or investigating the cause of suffering.

      The habit of comparing oneself with others is a hindrance in meditation. It is a deeply conditioned pattern called 'manna' which can only be uprooted through final enlightenment. Being mindful and recognizing it as impersonal helps to unhook oneself from this hindrance. There are five other options mentioned to support in abandoning unwholesome states which have already arisen, including cultivating loving kindness, finding an antidote for unwholesome states like fear or envy, to focus on something else, looking directly at unwholesome states, or suppressing them. Investigating and recognizing the cause of suffering is important and unhooking oneself from comparing with others can lead to a more diligent and positive state of being.

    • The Power of Renunciation and Mindfulness in Daily LifePracticing small acts of renunciation and mindfulness can lead to a more peaceful and fulfilling life, and even small renunciations, such as saying no to unnecessary desires, can be energizing.

      Renunciation is a powerful antidote to overcome greed and desire. Simple acts like saying no to unnecessary desires, conserves our energy and helps us attain a sense of victory over our minds. Even small renunciations like skipping a cup of tea can be energizing. Renunciation need not be a big act, but can be practiced in small ways every day. Mindfulness is all about being present and paying attention to our thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. Practicing empathetic joy or sympathetic joy can quickly help us overcome struggles and help us appreciate the good things in others. Mindfulness and renunciation can be easily applied by anyone, and it can help us lead a more peaceful and fulfilling life.

    • Understanding Mindfulness and MetacognitionPracticing mindfulness involves recognizing and being aware of our experiences without any judgement or dislike, and without the filter of unwholesome mind states like greed, aversion, or delusions, to truly be in the present moment.

      Mindfulness is more than just living in the present moment. It involves metacognition, which is being aware of our experiences, but without the filter of an unwholesome mind state. Recognition of our emotions is necessary, but it should not be accompanied by greed, aversion or delusions. Mindfulness leads to an experiential feeling of being in the present moment, but it is important to note that mere recognition does not count as mindfulness. It is the recognition of our experiences without any sort of judgement or dislike that creates a truly mindful experience. Black Lab consciousness may seem to be in the present but does not count as being mindful.

    • Embracing Mindfulness for a Fulfilling LifeMindfulness helps us recognize subtle thoughts and emotions by being present in the moment. It allows us to refine our understanding of experiences, leading to a more peaceful and fulfilling life.

      Mindfulness is being in the present moment and recognizing what's present, free of greed, aversion, and delusion. Acceptance without fear or aversion shows impermanence, leading to a change in the relationship towards the fear. A way to be mindful is by periodically asking the question, what's the attitude in my mind? It settles us back into true mindfulness and helps to identify subtle wants and aversions that were previously unnoticed. Mindfulness allows us to be aware without being caught up in our thoughts and emotions, giving us the power to not be owned by them. By developing mindfulness, we can refine our understanding of our own experiences, leading to a more peaceful and fulfilling life.

    • How to Practice Mindfulness with EaseAsking if a thought is useful, practicing relaxation and recognizing common thought patterns can help develop mindfulness without judgment. Avoid using the term concentration and focus on steadiness instead.

      Asking oneself whether a thought is useful or not can help the mind settle back into a more mindful state, reducing the grip that thoughts have on us. The basic understanding of mindfulness is being present without wanting, without aversion, and without identification. It is important to not worry too much about 'doing it right' as this could just lead to self-judgment and hinder progress. Relaxation is a key aspect of developing concentration and steadiness, and it is helpful to use the word 'steadiness' instead of 'concentration' to avoid the negative connotations that come with the latter. By recognizing and naming our common thought patterns, such as 'am I doing it right?', we can become more mindful and let go of them.

    • Developing Steadiness Through IntentionTo develop concentration, start with focusing on a fixed object like the breath. As your practice matures, shift to choiceless attention and use intention to stay steady, which is simpler than concentrate. Translations can impact your understanding.

      To develop concentration or steadiness, use the intention to be steady on either a fixed object or momentary changing objects. In the beginning, there is a lot of emphasis on using a primary object like the breath to strengthen the quality of steadiness. As the practice matures, it becomes choiceless where attention can be dropped to one primary thing like the breath and staying steady with whatever comes up. Finding the language that supports the meaning of the teachings is important as translations can have different connotations. These nuances in working with right concentration can be understood by creating the intention to be steady, which is softer and simpler than concentrate.

    • Developing Steadiness of Mind Through Meditation PracticeAspiring to develop steadiness of mind during meditation practice leads to deeper wisdom. Trust the process, let go of expectations and focus on each breath to strengthen the practice. Concentration is necessary for wisdom and an important part of the path.

      In meditation practice, instead of having a grasping or clinging wanting, aspire to develop greater steadiness of mind. Aspiration sets the direction but then let go of it and engage in the practice of being steady on each breath. Trust the process without expectations and understand that concentration is not the end goal but necessary for developing wisdom. There can be no wisdom without concentration, as steadiness of mind leads to deeper seeing. Aspiring to develop this steadiness strengthens the practice and leads to greater wisdom. Concentration is developed in the service of wisdom and is an important part of the path.

    • Understanding Buddhist Wisdom for Letting Go of PerfectionLetting go of the need for perfection and embracing the changing nature of things can help build a successful community. Gabrielle Union found her true self through this understanding, as seen in Even The Rich podcast.

      The wisdom in Buddhism involves understanding the changing nature of things, the unsatisfying and unreliable nature of things, and the selfless nature of phenomena which means there is no self behind experience to whom it's happening. It's a flow of changing phenomena, not something with substantial reality independent of the flow of changing phenomena. Understanding this can help one let go of the need for perfection and come together to build a community for real success. Even The Rich, a Wondery podcast, showcases how Gabrielle Union shook off her need for perfection and found her true self to create the life she always wanted.

    • Understanding Selflessness for Liberation and Overcoming SufferingLetting go of our identification with the self can lead to liberation from suffering and prevent us from being consumed by negative emotions like anger. Understanding that things are ungovernable can also help us relinquish control and find peace.

      The self is like a rainbow, an appearance arising out of certain conditions, changing conditions coming together. There is no substantial entity behind the conventional designation. Understanding selflessness helps us understand suffering and is a doorway to liberation. Anatta has two meanings, one focusing on suffering and the other on liberation. Things are ungovernable, following their own laws, which is a cause of duka or suffering, and not always in our control. Identifying with phenomena causes suffering even with painful or unpleasant things. Developing insight into selflessness helps us let go of identifying with anger, for example, as 'my anger' and prevents us from being owned by it.

    • The Importance of Practicing the Eightfold PathBy studying and exploring the eightfold path, we can detach from our experiences and become enlightened beings. Liberation is achievable if we continue to walk on the path and move towards freedom.

      The insight into selflessness can be tremendously liberating, as it helps us to detach from our experiences and see them as part of the passing show. To truly benefit from the eightfold path, we must not only understand its steps, but also put them into practice. Undertaking a development of practice where we study and explore the subtleties of each step can be a great way to do this. As long as people are walking the eightfold path, there will be enlightened beings in the world - this is a great inspiration. Liberation is inevitable if we keep walking on the path and continue to move in the right direction towards freedom.

    Was this summary helpful?

    Recent Episodes from Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

    Stop Arguing With Reality | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie

    Stop Arguing With Reality | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie

    Unraveling one of our main sources of unhappiness.

    About Sebene Selassie:

    Growing up, Sebene felt like a big weirdo. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in white neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., she was a tomboy Black girl who loved Monty Python and UB40. She never believed she belonged. Thirty years ago, she began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, Sebene is a teacher, author, and speaker who teaches that meditation can help us remember our inherent sense of belonging, that our individual freedom affects absolutely everyone and everything, and that our collective freedom depends on each and every one of us. Sebene is a three-time cancer survivor of Stage III and IV cancer.

    Check out Sebene’s Substack newsletter, Ancestors to Elements

    To find this meditation in the Happier app, you can search for “Hope in the Everyday.”



    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    The Hidden Secret To Smarter Decision-Making, Better Relationships, And Lower Stress | Matthew Brensilver, Vinny Ferraro, Kaira Jewel Lingo

    The Hidden Secret To Smarter Decision-Making, Better Relationships, And Lower Stress | Matthew Brensilver, Vinny Ferraro, Kaira Jewel Lingo

    The Buddhist case — and toolkit — for “don’t-know mind.”


    For this episode, Executive Producer DJ Cashmere interviewed a trio of brilliant Dharma teachers to get their advice about how to handle being wrong. This is the third in a series of 'correspondent' episodes, in which DJ identifies a pain point in his life and meditation practice, then goes out into the world to report on the best ways to address it.


    Kaira Jewel Lingo is a former nun in the Plum Village tradition started by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Vinny Ferraro teaches at the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock, and also in prisons. Matthew Brensilver teaches at many of the same retreat centers, and spent many years working in the field of addiction pharmacotherapy.



    *Matthew’s Dharma talk on Knowing And Not-Knowing


    ****

    Want to study and practice with today's guests? Please check out these Spirit Rock offerings:

    Matthew Brensilver, Buddhist Psychology Training (Begins in January)

    Vinny Ferraro: A Year to Live; Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully (Begins in January)

    Kaira Jewel Lingo: Healing Our Way Home (Oct. 20); Insight Meditation Retreat (April 9-16; opens Dec. 11)

    All 10% Happier listeners receive a discount code for our December Insight Retreat (Dec. 8-18) with the code TENPERCENT


    & if you'd like to study with these guests on the East Coast, check out these retreats at the Insight Meditation Society:

    Kaira Jewel Lingo, Strength to Love: Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King: Jr. (Jan 17 - Jan 20), and Return to Wholeness: Opening to Wisdom & Love (Mar 23 - Mar 29)

    Vinny Ferraro, Peace in Presence: A Four-Night Retreat for All (Jan 31 - Feb 4)


    Related Episodes:



    Also, the teachers’ sites:

    https://vinnyferraro.org/

    Vinny Ferraro's Course, A Year To Live

    https://www.kairajewel.com/

    https://www.matthewbrensilver.org/


    Feedback form: Let us know what you think!

    https://www.happierapp.com/contact



    Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter here

    Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

    Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

    Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes


    Full Shownotes: https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/dj-being-wrong-3

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    How To Move Into The Future With Optimism Instead Of Anxiety | Frederik Pferdt

    How To Move Into The Future With Optimism Instead Of Anxiety | Frederik Pferdt

    A Stanford innovation expert shares practical tips on future-proofing your mind.

    Frederik Pferdt was Google’s first Chief Innovation Evangelist, where founded Google’s Innovation Lab. He’s also taught classes on innovation and creativity at Stanford University for more than a decade. His new book is called What's Next Is Now: How to Live Future Ready.


    In this episode we talk about:

    • Why we are so resistant to change
    • How to embrace the unknown
    • Why and how to develop compulsive curiosity
    • The value of experiments and why we shouldn’t fear failure
    • What it means to have expansive empathy, and why that can help you develop a future-ready mindset
    • And how to identify what he calls your Dimension X—your own unique capacities


    Related Episodes:

    Dua Lipa On: Radical Optimism, Falling On Stage, And “Writing Yourself Into A Good Idea”

    #516. Robin Roberts on the Skill of Optimism

    #274 The Case for Optimism | Dr. Jonathan Salk


    Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here

    Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

    Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

    Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes


    More from Frederik Pferdt:

    Book: What's Next Is Now: How to Live Future Ready

    NextLetter (newsletter signup): https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/#nextletter

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frederikgpferdt/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fgpferdt/?locale=en_US


    Full Shownotes: https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/frederik-pferdt-851


    Additional Resources:


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    How To Counteract Your Negativity Bias | Bonus Meditation with Kaira Jewel Lingo

    How To Counteract Your Negativity Bias | Bonus Meditation with Kaira Jewel Lingo

    Cultivating what’s good in us helps during times of both abundance and adversity. In fact, it’s when times are hard that we need it the most.

    About Kaira Jewel Lingo:

    At the age of twenty-five, Kaira Jewel Lingo entered a Buddhist monastery in the Plum Village tradition and spent fifteen years living as a nun under the guidance of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Now based in New York, she sees her work as a continuation of Engaged Buddhism as well as the work of her parents, inspired by their stories and her dad’s work with Martin Luther King Jr. on desegregating the South. The author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons on Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption, Kaira Jewel especially feels called to share mindfulness and meditation with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as activists, educators, youth, artists, and families.


    Recently on the podcast:

    Six Buddhist Practices To Stay Calm In A Tumultuous World | Kaira Jewel Lingo, Valerie Brown and Marisela Gomez


    To find this meditation in the Happier app, you can search for “Growing the Good.”

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Judd Apatow On: Panic Attacks, His Creative Process, And Why Comedians Are Often So Neurotic

    Judd Apatow On: Panic Attacks, His Creative Process, And Why Comedians Are Often So Neurotic

    Why the man behind “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” is a self-help junkie.

    Judd Apatow is one of the most prolific comedic minds in the industry. Recently, Apatow produced Peacock’s buddy comedy Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain and Universal’s romcom, Bros, starring and co-written by Billy Eichner. Apatow also directed, produced, and co-wrote with Pam Brady, the Netflix comedy The Bubble and produced and co-directed HBO Films’ Emmy®-winning documentary George Carlin’s American Dream with Michael Bonfiglio. His Netflix comedy special, Judd Apatow: The Return, released in 2017 and premiered to critical acclaim. Previous director credits include the Emmy®-award-winning documentary, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and The King of Staten Island. He produced Academy Award®-nominated The Big Sick and Bridesmaids, as well as Superbad, Pineapple Express and Anchorman. For television, he executive produced Crashing, Girls, and Freaks and Geeks. Off screen, Apatow authored Sicker in the Head, a follow-up to his New York Times best-seller Sick in the Head.


    In this episode we talk about:

    • The role of his parents’ bitter divorce in his life and work
    • The balance between creativity and ambition
    • Why so many comedians are so neurotic
    • His creative process, including some gems from the TV writer David Milch
    • His relationship to panic, and a hilarious story about freaking out on weed
    • The way he’s started to understand the different voices inside of him
    • His recent experiment with ayahuasca, and what he learned
    • And the role of comedy when it feels like the world is on fire


    Related Episodes:

    Bill Hader on Anxiety, Imposter Syndrome, and Leaning into Discomfort

    Duncan Trussell on: Being a Spiritual Omnivore, Whether Psychedelics Are a Bridge to the Divine, and How the Gates of Hell Are Locked From the Inside


    Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter here

    Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

    Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

    Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes


    Full Shownotes: http://www.happierapp.com/podcast/tph/judd-apatow


    Additional Resources:


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Resisting What You Don’t Want To Feel Just Makes It Worse. Here’s A Different Strategy. | Ofosu Jones-Quartey and Cara Lai

    Resisting What You Don’t Want To Feel Just Makes It Worse. Here’s A Different Strategy. | Ofosu Jones-Quartey and Cara Lai

    What you resist persists. Buddhist strategies for acceptance and equanimity.


    Ofosu Jones-Quartey, a meditation teacher, author, and musician hailing from the Washington DC area brings over 17 years of experience in sharing mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion practices with the world. Holding a bachelor’s degree from American University and certified by the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, Ofosu is a graduate of the Teleos Coaching Institute and is the male voice on the Balance meditation app, reaching over 10 million subscribers. 


    Ofosu leads meditation classes and retreats nationwide, having taught and led retreats at the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, The Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Brooklyn Zen Center, Cleveland Insight, Inward Bound Mindfulness and more.


    As an accomplished hip hop artist under the name “Born I,” Ofosu released the mindfulness-themed album “In This Moment” in 2021. His most recent album is “AMIDA”, a spiritual, Lo-Fi Hip Hop album exploring life, death and his Buddhist faith.


    Beyond music, Ofosu is an author. His self-published children’s book “You Are Enough” debuted in 2020 and his next work “Love Your Amazing Self” via Storey Publishing in 2022. Ofosu’s latest book: “Lyrical Dharma: Hip Hop as Mindfulness” will be released in 2025 via Parallax Press. You can pre-order the book here.


    Ofosu lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and four children.


    Cara Lai has worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker, and therapist before becoming a full time meditation teacher. She teaches teens and adults at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and Ten Percent Happier.


    To find out more about what Cara does, you can go to her website, www.caralai.org – where she’s got some online meditation classes, including one called Meditate Your Face Off. She also has a monthly class for parents, co-led by Ofosu Jones-Quartey.


    Speaking of podcasts, Cara also co-hosts a podcast called Adventures in Meditating (For Parents), along with Jess Morey and Jon Roberts.


    Cara lives in Vermont with her husband and their 2-year-old son.


    Related Episodes:

    The Upside of Desire | Cara Lai 

    Can You Get Fit Without Self-Loathing? | Cara Lai 

    Rewire How You Talk To Yourself | Ofosu Jones-Quartey

    What It’s Like To Do A Year-Long Silent Meditation Retreat—By Yourself | Cara Lai


    Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter here

    Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

    Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

    Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes


    Full Shownotes: https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/cara-ofosu-848


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    How To Feel Less Enraged And Hopeless When You Consume The News | Sharon McMahon

    How To Feel Less Enraged And Hopeless When You Consume The News | Sharon McMahon

    “America's Government Teacher” has smart tips for staying calm in turbulent times.

    After years of serving as a high school government and law teacher, Sharon McMahon took her passion for education to Instagram, where more than a million people (who affectionately call themselves “Governerds”) rely on her for non-partisan, fact-based information.

    Sharon is also the host of the award-winning podcast, Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, where, each week, she provides entertaining yet factual accounts of America’s most fascinating moments and people. In addition, she is the author of The Preamble, a Substack newsletter about politics and history. 


    In this episode we talk about:

    • How to avoid being ‘confidently wrong’ 
    • How we often get confused between our opinions and our identity—which makes it very hard to change our opinions
    • The importance of having a diverse media diet 
    • Tips for consuming the news without driving yourself nuts
    • How to have compassion for people who we completely disagree with
    • How history can be a balm for hopelessness—an antidote for when we’re tempted to conclude that things have never been worse
    • How everyday people have way more power than we think
    • And why hope is a choice.


    Related Episodes:

    Eight Things I’m Doing To Stay Sane During Election Season | Dan Harris

    #405. How You Help End Polarization and Inequality – and Get Happier, Too | Robert Putnam & Shaylyn Romney Garrett

    3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel Lingo


    Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here

    Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

    Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

    Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes


    Full Shownotes: https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/sharon-mcmahon-847


    Additional Resources:

    Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://app.tenpercent.com/link/download

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    How To Handle Boredom | Bonus Meditation with Joseph Goldstein

    How To Handle Boredom | Bonus Meditation with Joseph Goldstein

    Co-opt the feeling of boredom and use it as feedback, instead of just wanting it to go away.

    About Joseph Goldstein:

    Joseph is one of the most respected meditation teachers in the world -- a key architect of the rise of mindfulness in our modern society -- with a sense of humor to boot. In the 1970's, he co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Since its founding, thousands of people from around the world have come to IMS to learn mindfulness from leaders in the field. Joseph has been a teacher there since its founding and continues as the resident guiding teacher.

    To find this meditation in the Happier app, you can search for “When Meditating Gets Boring.”

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    From “Impolitic With John Heilemann” | Dan Harris: Meditation, Mental Health, Six-Peckered Goats & The 2024 Election

    From “Impolitic With John Heilemann” | Dan Harris: Meditation, Mental Health, Six-Peckered Goats & The 2024 Election

    Last month, Dan appeared on Impolitic With John Heilemann — the two guys are old friends — to talk through Dan’s strategies for staying sane in the homestretch of this anxiety-fueled, agitation-inducing, existentially unnerving election; why failure is often more productive and profitable (mentally, emotionally, spiritually) than success; how to maintain a sense of calm, balance, and serenity while working harder than, in Dan’s phrase, a “six-peckered goat;” and the career earthquake that’s led to the big recent changes you’ve all heard about in the 10% Happier empire. Dan thought that the conversation was terrific, so he asked John if he could offer it to his followers—et voila, here it is! If this taste of John whets your appetite for more, please follow Impolitic With John Heilemann for a twice-weekly all-you-can-eat buffet of fresh, candid, no-holds-barred conversations with the people who shape our politics and culture. Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy, and namaste.



    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    What To Do When When Someone’s Pissed At You | Matthew Brensilver, Vinny Ferraro, Kaira Jewel Lingo

    What To Do When When Someone’s Pissed At You | Matthew Brensilver, Vinny Ferraro, Kaira Jewel Lingo

    How to handle other people's anger—and the anger that their anger might trigger in you.

    For this episode, Executive Producer DJ Cashmere interviewed a trio of brilliant Dharma teachers to get their advice about how to handle anger. This is the second in a series of 'correspondent' episodes, in which DJ identifies a pain point in his life and meditation practice, then goes out into the world to report on the best ways to address it.

    Kaira Jewel Lingo is a former nun in the Plum Village tradition started by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Vinny Ferraro teaches at the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock, and also in prisons. Matthew Brensilver teaches at many of the same retreat centers, and spent many years working in the field of addiction pharmacotherapy.


    Related Episodes:


    Also, the teachers’ sites:

    https://vinnyferraro.org/

    Vinny Ferraro's Course, A Year To Live

    https://www.kairajewel.com/

    https://www.matthewbrensilver.org/


    Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter here

    Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

    Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

    Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes


    Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/DJ-Anger-2


    Additional Resources:

    Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://my.happierapp.com/link/download


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Related Episodes

    The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness | Part 1

    The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness | Part 1

    Dan flies to Dharamsala, India to spend two weeks in the orbit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is the first installment of a five-part audio documentary series, something we’ve never done before now. Over the course of the episodes, we talk to His Holiness about practical strategies for thorny dilemmas, including: how to get along with difficult people; whether compassion can cut it in an often brutal world; why there is a self-interested case for not being a jerk; and how to create social connection in an era of disconnection. We also get rare insights from the Dalai Lama into everything from the mechanics of reincarnation to His Holiness’s own personal mediation practice. 


    In this first installment, Dan watches as a young activist directly challenges His Holiness: In a world plagued by climate change, terrorism, and other existential threats, is the Dalia Lama’s message of compassion practical — or even relevant? 


    Full Show Notes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dalai-lama-guide-538


    Other Resources Mentioned:


    Additional Resources:

    Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/JoinChallengePod

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Logo

    © 2024 Podcastworld. All rights reserved

    Company

    Pricing

    Stay up to date

    For any inquiries, please email us at hello@podcastworld.io