The Dalai Lama’sGuide to Happiness
Change the way you think about happiness
We’re a culture obsessed with happiness, except we’ve been going about it all wrong. Join us for a FREE 10-day course where one of the wisest humans on the planet teams up with a leading neuroscientist to share the proven steps you can take to be happier. In a paradigm-shifting collaboration, our host Dan Harris joins the Dalai Lama, world-renowned educator and researcher Richie Davidson, and ace meditation teacher Roshi Joan Halifax. Together, they'll guide you into the intersection of cutting-edge scientific research and ancient wisdom practices that have been proven to create happiness. You'll come away with tools you can use to start finding your way to happiness.
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Learn from the most
qualified people on the planet — for free
This groundbreaking 10-day course transports you to India for insightful conversations with the Dalai Lama, world-renowned educator and researcher Richie Davidson, and meditation teacher Roshi Joan Halifax. Learn directly from some of the most qualified people on the planet about how to train your mind to become happier — and then actually do it.
Nobel Peace
Prize recipient
Prize recipient
The Dalai Lama
Spiritual and temporal
leader of the Tibetan people
Recovering
news anchor
news anchor
Dan Harris
Relentless seeker of ways
to become a happier human
Foremost scholar on
human well-being
human well-being
Richard Davidson
Founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison and Healthy Minds Innovations
Master at distilling ancient wisdom
into practical tools
into practical tools
Roshi Joan Halifax
American Zen Buddhist
teacher, social activist, author
Happiness is a skill — learn how to be happier
This course teaches you how to develop that skill with ten sessions devoted to topics like altruism, empathy, and cultivating relationships.
Dive Right In
“The headline out of this extraordinary conversation between modern science and ancient Buddhism is that the brain and the mind are trainable. In other words, happiness is not some unalterable factory setting. It's actually a skill. And over the next ten sessions, we're going to teach you how to train this skill for yourself.”
Do what it actually takes to be happier
When you’re ready to break up with pseudoscience, self-help, and half-truths, we’ll be right here.
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Where ancient
wisdom meets
leading-edge
science
wisdom meets
leading-edge
science
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access the videos and meditations in the Dalai Lama's Guide to Happiness?
You can access the videos and meditations for free on the Happier app (all in one easy, convenient location) or on this website by clicking each individual session under "Dive Right In".
What is Happier?
Happier is an award-winning meditation app. The Happier app teaches fidgety skeptics (and everyone else) how to meditate, sharing practices developed over thousands of years and backed by science.
Where can I learn more from Happier?
For more information on building healthy habits, how to improve mental health, how to deal with stress, and more, check out our podcasts and our blogs on happiness, meditation, and mindfulness.
What is Healthy Minds Innovations?
Founded by world-renowned neuroscientist Richie Davidson, Healthy Minds Innovations (HMI) strives to create a kinder, wiser, more compassionate world by translating science into tools that cultivate and measure well-being. Its Healthy Minds Program app is available for free at TryHealthyMinds.org.
Who is Dan Harris?
Dan Harris is a best-selling author and former ABC News anchor and journalist. After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Dan found meditation and then wrote 10% Happier as a way to convince fellow skeptics to give the practice a shot. Dan grew up outside of Boston and currently lives with his wife Bianca, son Alexander, and three rescue cats in New York.
Who is Richie Davidson?
Richie is the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds & Healthy Minds Innovations and is the William James & Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought-after expert and speaker. Time Magazine named Richie one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006.
Who is Roshi Joan Halifax?
Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D. is a Buddhist teacher, Founder and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a social activist, author, scholar, and pioneer in the field of end of life care. She is Director of the Project on Being with Dying and also Founder of the Nomads Clinic in Nepal. Roshi Joan was the Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Library of Congress where she centered her work on the study of compassion. In this challenge, Roshi Joan shares her experience of contemplation, teaching, activism, and skill at distilling ancient wisdom into meaningful meditations.
Is The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness free?
Yes! The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness is and will always be freely offered through the Happier app. The Happier app offers a subscription to access an expansive suite of meditation courses, guided meditations, and podcasts, but a subscription is not necessary to access The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness.
Do I need to be a Buddhist to participate?
Of course not! Our host Dan Harris, is a skeptical atheist and the course breaks down His Holiness' teachings into ways we can all understand. At Happier we believe everyone can benefit from the ancient wisdom which has for centuries helped people lead happier lives—so we welcome all religions, all cultural and spiritual backgrounds, and all levels of experience with mindfulness and meditation.
I have a question about using the Happier app.
Our amazing support team will be happy to help. Just email them at challenge@meditatehappier.com.