What Is Nirvana? | Robert Thurman

What Is Nirvana? | Robert Thurman

If you want to make change in a world filled with all sorts of horrors and obstacles, does it help or hurt to stay cheerful while you go about your business? Robert Thurman argues passionately in favor of cheerfulness, although he will admit to still being miserable in his own way. This is an expansive conversation that covers everything from: what is nirvana to the Buddhist Four Noble Truths to why the Buddha was a scientist.


Robert Thurman is a legend. As a young Harvard student, he got into an accident and lost the use of one of his eyes. He dropped out and went on a spiritual quest that brought him to India, where he became the first Westerner to be ordained as a monk by the Dalai Lama, with whom he remains close friends. Thurman later disrobed, got married, and had a bunch of kids, including the movie star Uma Thurman. He also became an academic. He was a Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University until December 2020 and is the President of the Tibet House U.S., a non-profit in New York City dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization. He and his wife, Nena, also run an affiliated center, called the Menla Retreat, which is north of New York City.


Bob just turned 80, but he is very busy. He has a new book called Wisdom is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life. He also writes a regular newsletter for Substack and hosts The Bob Thurman Podcast.


This is a wide-ranging interview with a fast-moving mind that talks about: bliss-void-indivisible, why we feel unsafe when we’re happy, and why Robert was happy to lose his eye. Robert also offers his frank reflections on the promise and limits of the dharma from someone who has been practicing and studying for sixty years. If you don’t understand every reference, try to let it wash over you because the net effect is pleasantly head-spinning.


Check out the Dalai Lama’s talk – “The Ultimate Source of Happiness,” which is free for everyone in the Ten Percent Happier app.

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NPR’s Rachel Martin On: Surviving The News, Making A Huge Career Pivot, And Hosting A Metaphysical Game Show

NPR’s Rachel Martin On: Surviving The News, Making A Huge Career Pivot, And Hosting A Metaphysical Game Show

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- The radio stalwart addresses life’s biggest questions. Rachel Martin is the co-creator and host of the podcast Wild Card, an interview game show about life's biggest questions. She invites notable guests to play a card game that lets them open up about the memories, insights, and beliefs that have shaped their lives. Martin spent six years as a host of Morning Edition, and was the founding host of NPR's award-winning morning news podcast Up First. She previously hosted Weekend Edition Sunday. She served as National Security Correspondent for NPR, where she covered both defense and intelligence issues, and also worked as a NPR foreign correspondent. Martin also previously served as NPR's religion correspondent.  In this episode we talk about: How to survive the news How to make a huge career pivot What it’s like to become an orphan as an adult Insomnia and meditation How to decide what matters in your life We play the game Wild Card! We talk about how good we are at being wrong And lastly, something light… mortality and the infinite universe. Related Episodes: 3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel Lingo How To Find Meaningful Work in a Rapidly Changing World | Bruce Feiler Why We Panic: A Journalist Investigates Anxiety, Fear, and How To Deal With It | Matt Gutman 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/rachel-martin

14 Aug 20241h 11min

The Gulf Between Your Internal Life And How The World Sees You | Anna Marie Tendler

The Gulf Between Your Internal Life And How The World Sees You | Anna Marie Tendler

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers --- Lessons learned from the psychiatric hospital We’ve got a fascinating and very personal discussion today about the often very painful gap between the way you feel on the inside and the way the world perceives you. We also cover the urgency and difficulty of sitting with your own discomfort.  Anna Marie Tendler is an artist and writer. She is also the author of a new memoir called ‘Men Have Called Her Crazy’.  In this episode we talk about: The circumstances of her checking into a psychiatric hospital in 2021 The difference between our interior emotions and our exterior selves The help she found through Dialectical Behavior Therapy – DBT We dive into a very specific theme of the book – and its title – the insidious ways in which men have impacted her life.  And lastly, how she found a way to sit with discomfort and pain, while showing up in the world authentically to herself. Related Episodes: #510. Me, a Love Story: How Being OK With Yourself Makes You Better at Everything | Sharon Salzberg The Science Of Speaking Up For Yourself | Elaine Lin Hering (Co-interviewed by Dan's wife Bianca!) 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/anna-marie-tendler

12 Aug 20241h 4min

Jeff Tweedy (From Wilco) On: Music As A Lifeline, Shame, Schadenfreude, And Freaking Out On Weed

Jeff Tweedy (From Wilco) On: Music As A Lifeline, Shame, Schadenfreude, And Freaking Out On Weed

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. Dan dweebs out with a dad rock icon. Jeff Tweedy is the lead singer and songwriter of the Grammy award winning rock band, Wilco. The band have put out 13 albums… and shortly after this interview was conducted, the band put out a new EP. Jeff has released two solo albums and has written three books, including his latest, which is called World Within A Song: Music That Changed My Life And Life That Changed My Music. This interview is part of an occasional series we do called Boldface, where we talk to well known people who are willing to go there. We’ve already dropped two Boldface episodes this week: the rapper and author Common and the actress, activist and author Goldie Hawn. 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/jeff-tweedy-813 Additional Resources: Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install

9 Aug 202441min

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

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

A personal program for working with election-induced anxiety. We’re dropping a special/experimental pod today, because we know a lot of you are freaking out about the election — so Dan’s going to talk through some strategies he is personally using to keep it together during this turbulent time.  Additional Resources:  Podcast episode with Bill Doherty (Braver Angels) Feedback form: let us know what you think! 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/dan-harris-election Additional Resources: Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install

9 Aug 202427min

A Candid Conversation With The Rapper Common On: Self-Worth, Fitness, Trauma, And The Evolution Of Vulnerability In Hip-Hop

A Candid Conversation With The Rapper Common On: Self-Worth, Fitness, Trauma, And The Evolution Of Vulnerability In Hip-Hop

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- This multi-hyphenate opens up about his four pillars of health and success Common is an Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Grammy Award–winning music artist. He is an actor and producer, and has appeared in numerous critically acclaimed films, as well as hit TV series. He is the author of One Day It’ll All Make Sense and Let Love Have the Last Word, which were both New York Times bestsellers. He was raised in Chicago and currently resides in Brooklyn. In this episode we talk about: Common’s relationship with self esteem growing up, and where he eventually found his own self worth. What it’s like dealing with rejection as an artist His book ‘And Then We Rise’ The four different wellness pillars in his book; food, the body, the mind, and the soul The positive impact that therapy has had on his life What his meditation practice looks like The evolution of vulnerability in hip hop The evolution of vulnerability in his life And his relationship with spirituality Related Episodes: Rewire How You Talk To Yourself | Ofosu Jones-Quartey #597. Mike D On: The Value of Failure, the Addictive Power of Adrenaline, and How a Beastie Boy Got Into Lovingkindness #311 Karamo: How To Actually Do Self-Love 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/common

7 Aug 202454min

Goldie Hawn On: “Brain Breaks,” Curiosity, And How To Make A Romantic Relationship Last For 30 Years

Goldie Hawn On: “Brain Breaks,” Curiosity, And How To Make A Romantic Relationship Last For 30 Years

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. Don’t be fooled by the bubbly public persona. Goldie Hawn is an Academy Award winning actress, producer, director, and best-selling author. She’s written two best-selling books, a memoir called A Lotus Grows in the Mud and then, more recently, 10 Mindful Minutes, which is for kids and parents. She is also the Founder of MindUP, a charity that equips children with mental fitness. In this episode we talk about: How she got interested in meditation — a story that, like Dan’s, involves panic attacks The power of curiosity  What she means when she talks about God What it means to take a “brain break” Why jealousy has never really been part of her repertoire And how to make a romantic relationship last. Related Episodes: How To Live A Happier Life | The Dalai Lama & Dr. Richard Davidson 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/goldie-hawn Additional Resources: Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install

5 Aug 20241h 3min

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

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

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- 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 and Jess Morey, both of whom have been heard on this podcast. Speaking of podcasts, Cara also co-hosts a podcast called Adventures in Meditating (For Parents), along with Jess Morey and Jon Roberts. Cara will also be a core teacher for a 14-week residential semester program for youth ages 18-32 this Fall in Marlboro VT. The program is called the Contemplative Semester, and there are many folks who will be teaching who have been in the TPH orbit, including Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jessica Morey, Kaira Jewel Lingo, and more. You can find more info at www.contemplativesemester.org Related Episodes: The Upside of Desire | Cara Lai  Can You Get Fit Without Self-Loathing? | 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://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/cara-lai-808

31 Juli 20241h 17min

How Turning Habits Into Rituals Can Help You At Home, At Work, And When You’re Anxious | Michael Norton

How Turning Habits Into Rituals Can Help You At Home, At Work, And When You’re Anxious | Michael Norton

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. A Harvard professor on how to elevate everyday activities in order to lift your mood, improve your relationships and rise to new challenges. Michael Norton is the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. He has studied human behavior as it relates to love and inequality, time and money, and happiness and grief. He is the author of The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions.  In this episode we talk about:  The difference between habits and rituals How rituals impact various spheres of life, including creativity, grief and politics - and how not all rituals are beneficial  how to transform your everyday activities into rituals and how they can inject meaning into your life and give a boost to your relationships How to introduce rituals into your workplace without falling back on cliché (like trust falls) Related Episodes: What Science Says About Money and Happiness | Elizabeth Dunn — Ten Percent Happier  How to Benefit From Religion, Even as a Nonbeliever | David DeSteno — Ten Percent Happier How to Change Your Habits | Katy Milkman — Ten Percent Happier    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/michael-norton/ Additional Resources: Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install

29 Juli 20241h 14min