Unlocking True Happiness

Tenzin and Eden spoke of a number of different resources in this episode which are listed below:Eden's website: https://www.deborahedentull.com/And the video of her home after the hurricane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH32y0ooVYQ&ab_channel=DeborahEdenTullThe GoFundMe page to help her after the disaster:https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-eden-and-mark-rebuild-after-heleneThe Othering and Belonging Institute: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/

Back by popular demand, Deborah Eden Tull joins Tenzin for a timely conversation about how to hold space and stay present in deeply challenging times. Recorded at the beginning of the renewed conflict between Israel and Hamas, this episode shares deep insight on how we can navigate polarization and difficulty with compassion and engagement with our shared humanity.

We're often led to believe that our highly-structured, thinking-oriented sides are what make us human, that "hard work" is of value above all else, and that play is simply something that young children do. However, research shows that play has incredible power is developing social bonds, fostering creativity, sparking joy and even helping to make positive changes to our epigenetics. In this episode, Tenzin explores the many types of play, the positives benefits, and how we can bring a sense of play to our own spiritual practice to make it more joyful.

No matter how mindful we are of our thoughts, speech and actions, being human means that we can sometimes act unwisely or hurt someone's feelings. Whether these mistakes are unintentional or not, they can lead to rifts in our relationships; and ultimately damage both our own contentment, as well as the cohesion of our community. In this episode, Tenzin shares the power of apologizing as a roadmap for forgiveness, healing and reconciliation; and then leads a reflection on the impact of both giving and receiving a wholehearted apology.

Nina Simons is the co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Bioneers, and leads its Everywoman's Leadership program. Bioneers is a nonprofit that uses media, convening, and connecting to lift up visionary and practical solutions for many of our most pressing social and ecological challenges, revealing aregenerative and equitable future that's within our reach today.  Nina is a social entrepreneur who is passionate about reinventing leadership, restoring the feminine, andco-creating a healthy, peaceful,and equitable world for all.  She speaks and teaches internationally at schools, conferences, and festivals, and co-facilitates transformative workshops and retreats for women that share practices for regenerative leadership through reclaiming wholeness and relational mindfulnessHer book Nature, Culture and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership offers inspiration for anyone who aspires to grow into or inhabit their own unique form of leadership with resilience and joy. The book draws on Simons' own personal learning and extensive experience with women's leadership development... to reconnect and defend people, nature and the land, both practically and spiritually.

Nina Simons is the co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Bioneers, and leads its Everywoman's Leadership program. Bioneers is a nonprofit that uses media, convening, and connecting to lift up visionary and practical solutions for many of our most pressing social and ecological challenges, revealing aregenerative and equitable future that's within our reach today.  Nina is a social entrepreneur who is passionate about reinventing leadership, restoring the feminine, andco-creating a healthy, peaceful,and equitable world for all.  She speaks and teaches internationally at schools, conferences, and festivals, and co-facilitates transformative workshops and retreats for women that share practices for regenerative leadership through reclaiming wholeness and relational mindfulnessHer book Nature, Culture and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership offers inspiration for anyone who aspires to grow into or inhabit their own unique form of leadership with resilience and joy. The book draws on Simons' own personal learning and extensive experience with women's leadership development... to reconnect and defend people, nature and the land, both practically and spiritually.

In this episode, Tenzin explores the many gifts that gratitude can bring to our lives, helping to offset our natural negativity bias and bring more richness to our experiences and our relationships. She then shares some simple ideas on how we can cultivate our own practice of gratitude with an experiential meditation.

Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown by Deborah Eden Tull is a resonant call to explore the darkness in life, in nature, and in consciousness—including difficult emotions like uncertainty, grief, fear, and xenophobia—through teachings, embodied meditations, and mindful inquiry that provide us with a powerful path to healing.Darkness is deeply misunderstood in today's world; yet it offers powerful medicine, serenity, strength, healing, and regeneration. All insight, vision, creativity, and revelation arise from darkness. It is through learning to stay present and meet the dark with curiosity rather than judgment that we connect to an unwavering light within. Welcoming darkness with curiosity, rather than fear or judgment, enables us to access our innate capacity for compassion and collective healing.Dharma teacher, shamanic practitioner, and deep ecologist Deborah Eden Tull addresses the spiritual, ecological, psychological, and interpersonal ramifications of our bias towards light.Tull explores the medicine of darkness for personal and collective healing, through topics such as:• Befriending the Night: The Radiant Teachings of Darkness• Honoring Our Pain for Our World• Seeing in the Dark: The Quiet Power of Receptivity• Dreams, Possibility, and Moral Imagination• Releasing Fear—Embracing EmergenceTull shows us how the labeling of darkness as “negative” becomes a collective excuse to justify avoiding everything that makes us uncomfortable: racism, spiritual bypass, environmental destruction. We can only find the radical path to wholeness by learning to embrace the interplayof both darkness and light.About the AuthorZen meditation and mindfulness teacher, author, activist, and sustainability educator. Eden teaches the integration of compassionate awareness into every aspect of our lives. She spent seven years training as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has been teaching dharma for 19 years. Eden has also been living in, and teaching about, sustainable communities for over 25 years.Her teaching style is grounded in compassionate awareness, experiential learning, inquiry, and an unwavering commitment to personal transformation. She teaches engaged awareness practice, which emphasizes the connection between personal awakening and global engagement. Eden draws upon teachings from the natural world and an embodied understanding of animism.She is author of “Relational Mindfulness: A Handbook for Deepening Our Connection with Our Self, Each Other, and Our Planet” (Wisdom 2018) and “The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide for the Sustainable Food Revolution.” Her work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Tricycle, Yogi Times, GOOP, Shambhala Times, and The Ecologist. She also teaches The Work That Reconnects, a program created by Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy, and teaches for UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center. Eden offers retreats, online courses, and consultations internationally.Readers can connect with Deborah Eden Tull on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads.To learn more, go to DeborahEdenTull.com.

Sara is a contributing author to the book The Neuroscience of Learning and Development: Enhancing Creativity, Compassion, Critical Thinking and Peace in Education, and writes for Deepak Chopra's Center for Wellbeing website. Sara's new book, A Case for Compassion: What Happens When We Prioritize People and the Planet, is available now.

Dr. Joey Weber, who was raised in a Buddhist community in northern England, noticed that the focus in popular mindfulness programs was on the attentional training, and not as much emphasis was given to the “non-judgmental” aspect of mindfulness. He was so intrigued by this that he completed a PhD program devoted to the study of equanimity, the non-judgmental stance of mindfulness. His book, Mindfulness is Not Enough: Unlocking Compassion with Equanimity, is based on his research, and he also developed a six-week training program called Equanimity-based Compassionate Action.Join us for our conversation with Dr. Weber, as we delve into the meaning of equanimity, what this quality can bring to our lives, and how it can inspire our own compassionate action.

The Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron says, in relation to contemplative practice, “We are being encouraged to remain open to the present groundless moment, to a direct, unarmored participation with our experience… How many of us feel ready to interrupt our habitual patterns, our almost instinctual ways of getting comfortable?” Many of us find the experience of groundlessness to be profoundly uncomfortable, and in the last few years we've experienced this feeling to an accelerated degree, with the changes brought about by the pandemic, the global financial crisis, political unrest, and so on. How do we remain open and view groundlessness as a gift, see the potential inherent in it, and embrace it? Join Tenzin Chogkyi and Mathew Divaris to explore the theme of groundlessness and how to bring it into the spiritual path.

Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown by Deborah Eden Tull is a resonant call to explore the darkness in life, in nature, and in consciousness—including difficult emotions like uncertainty, grief, fear, and xenophobia—through teachings, embodied meditations, and mindful inquiry that provide us with a powerful path to healing.Darkness is deeply misunderstood in today's world; yet it offers powerful medicine, serenity, strength, healing, and regeneration. All insight, vision, creativity, and revelation arise from darkness. It is through learning to stay present and meet the dark with curiosity rather than judgment that we connect to an unwavering light within. Welcoming darkness with curiosity, rather than fear or judgment, enables us to access our innate capacity for compassion and collective healing.Dharma teacher, shamanic practitioner, and deep ecologist Deborah Eden Tull addresses the spiritual, ecological, psychological, and interpersonal ramifications of our bias towards light.Tull explores the medicine of darkness for personal and collective healing, through topics such as:• Befriending the Night: The Radiant Teachings of Darkness• Honoring Our Pain for Our World• Seeing in the Dark: The Quiet Power of Receptivity• Dreams, Possibility, and Moral Imagination• Releasing Fear—Embracing EmergenceTull shows us how the labeling of darkness as “negative” becomes a collective excuse to justify avoiding everything that makes us uncomfortable: racism, spiritual bypass, environmental destruction.  We can only find the radical path to wholeness by learning to embrace the interplayof both darkness and light.About the AuthorZen meditation and mindfulness teacher, author, activist, and sustainability educator. Eden teaches the integration of compassionate awareness into every aspect of our lives. She spent seven years training as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has been teaching dharma for 19 years. Eden has also been living in, and teaching about, sustainable communities for over 25 years.Her teaching style is grounded in compassionate awareness, experiential learning, inquiry, and an unwavering commitment to personal transformation. She teaches engaged awareness practice, which emphasizes the connection between personal awakening and global engagement. Eden draws upon teachings from the natural world and an embodied understanding of animism.She is author of “Relational Mindfulness: A Handbook for Deepening Our Connection with Our Self, Each Other, and Our Planet” (Wisdom 2018) and “The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide for the Sustainable Food Revolution.” Her work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Tricycle, Yogi Times, GOOP, Shambhala Times, and The Ecologist. She also teaches The Work That Reconnects, a program created by Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy, and teaches for UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center. Eden offers retreats, online courses, and consultations internationally.Readers can connect with Deborah Eden Tull on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to DeborahEdenTull.com. 

This is the episode that was aired on KSQD.org.  Checkout the full, 90 minute conversation in the next post.Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown by Deborah Eden Tull is a resonant call to explore the darkness in life, in nature, and in consciousness—including difficult emotions like uncertainty, grief, fear, and xenophobia—through teachings, embodied meditations, and mindful inquiry that provide us with a powerful path to healing.Darkness is deeply misunderstood in today's world; yet it offers powerful medicine, serenity, strength, healing, and regeneration. All insight, vision, creativity, and revelation arise from darkness. It is through learning to stay present and meet the dark with curiosity rather than judgment that we connect to an unwavering light within. Welcoming darkness with curiosity, rather than fear or judgment, enables us to access our innate capacity for compassion and collective healing.Dharma teacher, shamanic practitioner, and deep ecologist Deborah Eden Tull addresses the spiritual, ecological, psychological, and interpersonal ramifications of our bias towards light.Tull explores the medicine of darkness for personal and collective healing, through topics such as:• Befriending the Night: The Radiant Teachings of Darkness• Honoring Our Pain for Our World• Seeing in the Dark: The Quiet Power of Receptivity• Dreams, Possibility, and Moral Imagination• Releasing Fear—Embracing EmergenceTull shows us how the labeling of darkness as “negative” becomes a collective excuse to justify avoiding everything that makes us uncomfortable: racism, spiritual bypass, environmental destruction.  We can only find the radical path to wholeness by learning to embrace the interplayof both darkness and light.About the AuthorZen meditation and mindfulness teacher, author, activist, and sustainability educator. Eden teaches the integration of compassionate awareness into every aspect of our lives. She spent seven years training as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has been teaching dharma for 19 years. Eden has also been living in, and teaching about, sustainable communities for over 25 years.Her teaching style is grounded in compassionate awareness, experiential learning, inquiry, and an unwavering commitment to personal transformation. She teaches engaged awareness practice, which emphasizes the connection between personal awakening and global engagement. Eden draws upon teachings from the natural world and an embodied understanding of animism.She is author of “Relational Mindfulness: A Handbook for Deepening Our Connection with Our Self, Each Other, and Our Planet” (Wisdom 2018) and “The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide for the Sustainable Food Revolution.” Her work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Tricycle, Yogi Times, GOOP, Shambhala Times, and The Ecologist. She also teaches The Work That Reconnects, a program created by Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy, and teaches for UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center. Eden offers retreats, online courses, and consultations internationally.Readers can connect with Deborah Eden Tull on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to DeborahEdenTull.com.

What is the role of joy on the spiritual path? The bodhisattva path and the path of compassion require us to have an awareness of the suffering of beings – are joy and compassion contradictory? Or can joy be used to sustain our spiritual path and practice? Join us for an exploration of the theme of joy on the spiritual path with Tenzin Chogkyi, who will draw from sources as diverse as 8th Century Indian master Shantideva, research psychologist Jonathan Haidt, and poet Ross Gay.

Our emotions bring us our greatest joys and our deepest sorrows. We wouldn't survive without them, and yet they can also cause us to harm others and ourselves. What is the purpose of emotions, and how can we cultivate more emotional balance? Join us for this conversation with well-known emotions researcher and educator, Dr. Eve Ekman, as we explore these questions. We will also discuss the role of contemplative practice, how our emotions are influenced by our position in the social hierarchy, and Dr. Ekman's "go-to" emotional regulation strategies.

She also talks about an upcoming event "Let's Talk About It: Finding common threads through conversation" to be held at the MAH on Saturday, July 23, 2022 from 2:00 to 6:00 pm, which will be based on these principles and provide the opportunity for members of the public to have conversations with people representing misunderstood identities.Find out more here.

In these uncertain times, our roles as individuals in the sweeping events washing over the world stage can feel deeply unclear, sometimes frightening and frequently overwhelming.  It is tempting to respond to these often painful situations by vacillating between anger and complacency. Buddhist teachings can offer insight into accepting “what is” while developing the capacity for equanimity and the courage for wise action.  Join Ven Tenzin Chogkyi and Mathew Divaris in a lively conversation originally aired on KSQD Santa Cruz where we navigate the nuances of accepting where we are, while cultivating a wish for positive transformation and avoiding the traps of striving and complacency.

The concept of Right Speech (or "Skillful Speech") is core to many Buddhist teachings about how to live an ethical life and avoid causing harm. In our hyperconnected world, our ability to communicate beyond face-to-face has increased exponentially, and navigating our own speech (and written words) is important because of the wide-ranging ramifications that our words can have on others, as well as on our own minds. In this talk and meditation, Ven Tenzin takes us through the practical advice given in the traditional teachings so that we can exercise our communication with skill and compassion.

This is borrowed from the Reflections on Buddhism show with Ven Tenzin Chogkyi that airs monthly at KSQD.org.  Find past episodes at UnlockingTrueHappiness.org.

We're raised to believe that our perceptions of the world around us has an objective quality, but both Buddhism and modern neuroscience agree that our perceptions can frequently be distorted, and these distortions can cause great suffering. This "naive realism” — the belief that the world exists in the way it appears to us — is so innate to many of us, yet our beliefs, past experiences and emotional states can dramatically alter how we perceive experiences. In this informative session, Ven Tenzin discusses the many ways that our minds can play tricks on us, particularly when it comes to the impact of experiences that we perceive as negative, and shares a simple practice that can help balance and enrich our minds by reinforcing the impact of positive experiences.

In this episode, Ven Tenzin explores the Eight Worldly Concerns, a set of four dyads that correspond to many of the deeply held hopes and fears that drive the actions of all beings. As we engage with the spiritual path, or even the mundane decisions of the day-to-day, a clear understanding of these forms of attachment and aversion can serve as a way to become mindful of our motivations and bring clarity and skillfulness to our actions. In this way, we can ultimately become free from the suffering that these unconscious, habitual ways of engaging with the world can bring.

Capitalist consumer culture puts a huge emphasis on finding happiness in the external world. But, this hedonic happiness is shown, both in our experience and in the scientific experiments, to be fleeting. In this episode, Ven Tenzin speaks to a second, more durable type of happiness that is not nearly as predicated on external factors -- Eudaimonic happiness, which is derived from what we bring to the world.

In popular culture, courage is often portrayed as loud and showy, and patience as passivity and inaction. Yet, in Buddhist philosophy, courage is a hallmark of patience, of facing life's challenges with resilience and wise action. In this episode, Ven Tenzin speaks about the intrinsic link between patience and courage, and how we can build the courage to go outside of our own comfort zones and engage in meaningful action without losing our peace of mind.

Patience, or forbearance, is taught as one of the six perfections, the six main practices of a bodhisattva (a being who is dedicated to attaining full enlightenment for the sake of all living beings). In the well-known text, The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, the 8th Century Indian master Shantideva devotes the longest chapter to the practice of patience because of its importance. But what does this patience involve? Why is it so emphasized on the spiritual path? Join us for an exploration of the perfection of patience, which is needed so desperately now in our increasingly divisive age.

Mindfulness practice has become increasingly popular in recent years, and is being taught not only to Buddhist practitioners in meditation retreats but in every context, from maximum-security prisons to Silicon Valley boardrooms. But what did the Buddha teach about mindfulness, and why is this practice such a fundamental aspect of the path leading to awareness and awakening? The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, mindfulness of the body, the feelings, mind, and phenomena, was taught by the Buddha as a way to gain insight into the nature of reality. Join us for an exploration of this powerful foundational practice, and taste these insights for yourself!

Many of us are drawn to the practices of compassion and loving-kindness, but we still struggle with forgiveness of those who have hurt us. What's the difference between forgiveness and compassion? Why is forgiving so difficult? Does forgiving mean forgetting? Condoning the harmful action? Join us in this discussion of what forgiveness is, what it isn't, and how to begin the process of forgiveness.

Awe is that sense of wonder felt in the presence of something vast that transcends one's understanding of the world. People commonly experience it in nature but also in response to religion, art and music. But recent research shows a surprising fringe benefit to moments of awe. These studies show that inducing a sense of awe in people can promote altruistic, helpful and positive social behavior. Paul Piff, a psychologist who has designed some of these studies, says, “Our investigation indicates that awe, although often fleeting and hard to describe, serves a vital social function. By diminishing the emphasis on the individual self, awe may encourage people to forgo strict self-interest to improve the welfare of others.” The researchers said they believe that awe induces a feeling of being diminished in the presence of something greater than oneself. It is this reduced sense of self that sways focus away from an individual's need and toward the greater good. In this episode, Ven. Tenzin talks about the link between awe and altruism, and explores strategies we can use to enhance our experiences of awe, not only leading to these moments of wonder and transcendence, but motivating altruistic actions and behaviors that benefit others.

The Buddha famously taught the doctrine of selflessness. But what does this mean? Doesn't modern psychology urge us to have a healthy sense of self? What part of “me” am I trying to give up? And who am I, anyway? Everyone has a natural tendency to focus on “me” – my body, my feelings, and my thoughts. This focus has played a critical role in keeping each of us safe, alive and fed… and in developing our ego construct – the story we tell ourselves about who we are. But there comes a time when this prioritization of “me” and limited view of “who I think I am” actually gets in the way of our personal and spiritual growth. Join Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi as she shares empowering, practical steps to identify and let go of the limited ego so we can make space for something much more expansive, loving and profound.

Resource:  https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2013/12/28/the-ancient-greeks-6-words-for-love-and-why-knowing-them-can-change-your-life

Venerable Tenzin mentions some books during this episode:The Overstory by Richard PowersFinding the Mother Tree by Suzanne SimardBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererBorn to Be Good by Dacher Keltner

This interview was recorded in front of a live Zoom audience as part of the Healing the Body, Healing the Mind Online Conference in partnership with Jamyang Buddhist Center's Science and Wisdom LIVE project.

Ven Tenzin mentioned a number of links during this episode, and they're here for your convenience.https://www.flare.com/identity/self-care-new-zealand-muslim-attack/https://www.healthline.com/health/when-self-care-becomes-community-care#Were-responsible-for-each-otherhttps://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/

Ven. Tenzin and Greg are co-teaching the Compassion Cultivation Training beginning June 30, click here for more information.

Ven Tenzin mentioned some web links during this episode, which are listed below.https://onbeing.org/programs/ross-gay-tending-joy-and-practicing-delight/ https://www.npr.org/2021/02/18/969032187/the-gratitude-chain-a-j-jacobs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aT0A28IW7E

Dr Ekman mentions an upcoming summit in the podcast.  If of interest, the link is below.Explore the Science, Wisdom, and Power of Emotionswith His Holiness the Dalai Lamaand over 30 Leading Scientists + World Renowned TeachersJoin this Special Free Global EventMay 2-5, 2021https://www.scienceandwisdomofemotions.com/

This episode explores self-compassion — what it is, what it's not and how it can make you happier. Put simply, self-compassion is simply treating yourself with the same kindness, concern, and support you'd show a good friend. So, why is it so difficult? What are some of the obstacles to self-compassion? Is there a way we can train ourselves in self-compassion? In this session, Ven. Tenzin discusses why it's so difficult to give ourselves the same kindness and compassion that we would a friend, and will also introduce us to a short self-compassion practice that we can take into our daily lives to increase our happiness and well-being.

Many of us feel that our social and political worlds are more divided than ever before, and are aware of the suffering this polarization causes. One of the key steps in contemplative compassion training is a recognition of our common humanity, that beneath all the superficial differences of religion, culture, race, ethnicity, political beliefs, etc., we all share the same basic human feelings and needs. In this episode, Ven. Tenzin introduces this topic and leads us through a brief guided practice.

Characteristics of Anger:Theme: Being thwarted in pursuit of goal that matters to youEffects: Anger controls, punishes and retaliatesDangerous effect: Anger calls forth more anger. It is difficult not to respond to anger with anger, especially when it appears unjustifiedWhy do people want to change anger?It is the dangerous emotion that can quickly hurt others, psychologically, and physicallyMany taught not to express anger -> guilt, shameFor some own anger can get out of control -> fearCommon Anger TriggersInterference and lack of efficacyDisrespectSomeone trying to hurt usAnother person's angerInjustice: both societal and personal (not being given credit for work)Disappointment in how a person has actedBetrayal, abandonment, rejectionBeing falsely accusedBreaking a cultural ruleAnger AntidotesPut yourself in the other person's shoesDon't take it personally!Is the other person mirroring your own unwanted qualities?Do you have a need that is not being met?Check your expectation!Check for an underlying emotion (fear, hurt, vulnerability)Is there an important message?Keep a healthy distance from triggering objects!Cultivating loving-kindness and compassion

Today's episode includes a couple of lists of qualities, which are jotted down here for your ease of reference.Qualities of a true friend, according to the Buddha.Is a help and supportIs the same in happiness and sorrowAdvises his friend for his welfareIs sympatheticVen Tenzin also mentions Jean Baker Miller's list of five phenomena of growth-enhancing relationships.Each person feels a great sense of zest (vitality).Each person feels more able to act, and does act.Each person has a more accurate picture of her/himself and the other person(s).Each person feels a greater sense of self-worth.Each person feels more connected to the other person(s) and greater motivation for connections with other people.