(Eckhart Tolle) Life doesn’t stay comfortable for long. Expecting it to do so creates a lot of frustration. In this talk, Eckhart Tolle explains why challenges are built into life and how they can become a doorway to deeper awareness.
π Find new meaning and purpose after personal crisis
π Currently navigating a period of intense difficulty?
Through six hours of carefully curated teachings and practices [that seem very Buddhist even though Tolle does not claim they are] with Eckhart, discover the unique potential for spiritual growth that presents itself during the dark night [of the soul].
Thich Nhat Hanh – A Journey into the Heart of Buddhism | SLICE WHO
(SLICE Who?) Oct. 27, 2025: In this rare and intimate interview, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thai) shares his vision of Buddhism as a living practice of freedom.
Speaking softly yet profoundly, he explains how meditation, awareness, and compassion can transform suffering into peace.
Documentary: Interview Thich Nhat Hanh. Production: Productions Campagne Premiere. ABOUT: Curious about everything, an expert in nothing?
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For two days I lived closely with the Laotian Theravada Buddhist monks of Luang Prabang—following them at dawn barefoot through the city streets, sharing mindfully silent meals, listening to their chants and prayers, and trying to understand what being truly happy means for those who have chosen a life of very little yet full of meaning.
I spoke with the novices (samaneras), meditated in the temple, and met Obee, a young monk (bhikkhu) who speaks English and has chosen to open up to the world to share, with simplicity and kindness, the essence of the Buddha’s Theravada Teachings (Dhamma).
This isn’t just a spiritual reportage. It’s a journey into another way of living, where every gesture is a choice and every moment of silence is rich with meaning.
π Thanks to all the monks of Luang Prabang for welcoming us, to Brother Obee for words that linger, and to Oliviero Rusconi who, with discretion and heart, opened every door and allowed us to hear these rare, delicate, and wonderful stories.
✨ Subscribe to the channel and travel with us in search of the “formula for happiness” around the world. π² Follow on Instagram: progettohappiness. π For collaborations: info@progettohappiness.com. ✪ Members first on Sept. 12, 2025. SPONSOR ☞ Click this link to try NordVPN: nordvpn.com/progettohappiness. Enjoy the video ♥︎
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• AUTHOR and HOST: Giuseppe Bertuccio D'Angelo
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• EDITING: Gianmarco Garimberti, Sara Pollone
• SOUND DESIGN and MIX: Lorenzo Sattin
• SOUND DESIGN: Riccardo De Cillis
• TRANSLATIONS: Fabrizio Chia
• Multilingual dubbing: youdubstudio.com. TRANSCRIPT:
Follow along using the transcript.
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(Project Happiness) In the mystical heart of China, in the legendary Shaolin Buddhist Monastery, the Shaolin kung fu warrior monks train. Shaolin kung fu is a martial art that has become a profound philosophy of life over the centuries, intertwining physical strength, spiritual wisdom, and mental acuity. Under the guidance of the great Shifu [Master] Shi Miao and his top student @Sachka.w, we explores how Shaolin kung fu transforms every aspect of existence, emphasizing strength, inner peace, and wisdom. Observe the daily rituals, challenges, and sacrifices that define the path of a Shaolin warrior. Enjoy watching. π
This is Shifu's website to train with him: shimiaohai.com π Follow adventures on Instagram.
⚡️PROJECT HAPPINESS TEAM⚡️
PHOTOGRAPHY and EDITING: Nicola Guaita • EDITING: Gianmarco Garimberti • SOUND DESIGN and MIX: Lorenzo Sattin • SOUND DESIGN: Riccardo De Cillis • ITALIAN VOICEOVER: Gabriele Donolato and Alessandro Fattori • TRANSLATIONS and AI: Fabrizio Chia.
Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom is an Audible audiobook (unabridged) by Dr. Rick Hanson, PhD. He is the author and narrator and has 4.7 out of 5 stars with 1,984 ratings.
Change your brain, change your life with this essential classic from New York Times bestselling author Dr. Hanson—now celebrating 15 years in print with more than 500,000 copies sold.
Great teachers like the Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, and Gandhi were all born with brains built essentially like anyone else’s—and then they changed their brains in ways that changed the world.
Neuroscience now reveals how the flow of thoughts actually sculpts the brain. More and more, we are learning that it’s possible to strengthen positive brain states. By combining breakthroughs in science with insights from thousands of years of mindfulness (sati) practice, we too can shape our own “Buddha’s Brain” for greater happiness, love, and wisdom.
Buddha’s Brain draws on evidence-based neuroscience to show how to stimulate our brain for more fulfilling relationships, a deeper spiritual life, and a greater sense of inner confidence and self-worth.
Using guided meditations and mindfulness exercises, readers learn how to activate the brain states of calm, joy, and compassion instead of worry, sorrow, and anger. Most importantly, they will foster positive psychological growth that will literally change the way we live our day-to-day life.
This book provides an essential intersection of psychology, neurology, and contemplative practice, and is filled with practical tools and skills that anyone can use every day to tap into the unused potential of the brain and rewire it over time for greater well-being.
PLEASE NOTE: Purchase of this title is accompanied by a PDF in the Audible Library along with the audio. More: Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdomby Dr. Rick Hanson, PhD, and Daniel J. Siegel, MD, with foreword by Dr. Richard Mendius, MD and contributor Jack Kornfield for preface (Brilliance Audio)
T*ts McGee (Erin Micklow) was on the scene, reporting on and showing what is was like in a very fake influencer sort of way so that everyone could needlessly eat their hearts out. Now that she's been banned from Punk Rock Bowling and lost her business, let her hair down and been shunned by the scene, what can she do but conspicuous consumption and more TikTok videos? On the bright side she's vegan and she does yoga.
Cali Vibes (calivibesfest.com) is a two-day music festival that takes place at Marina Green Park in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California. The seaside venue opens at 12:00 pm (noon) on both days. All ages are welcome, but 21+ for the Beach Club. Children 5 and under are FREE (when accompanied by a ticketed adult and excludes the Beach Club, which is strictly 21+). Show takes place rain or shine. Lineup, set times, festival hours, and venue are all subject to change [because of anicca].*
We're taking over this bitch BEACH by arranging ourselves all around, in the sand and on the green, in sereneBuddhist meditation until reggae rappers and on the stage make us get up and shake our assumptions from our heads, like the one that says "meditation" is just for caves, closets, and church basements.
There is a way of being in life -- off the mat and into the world.
The top of the mountain is a great place, but it's not the only place. One comes down and shares what was gained -- insight, loving kindness, compassion, joy-in-others'-joy, equanimity (unbiased looking on) -- for the benefit of all humanity (our fellow humans who have not yet attained) and divinity (the devas all around us).
Since sitting zazen is strenuous on the bum, we may have group yoga and yogic massage available, if people are not too distracted from putting CBD in their pipes and who knows what else.
Our goal is to get Cypress Hill to join us next to The Vibes Stage at 3:00 pm before they go on at 4:00 pm, which is when we join them so we can rap-rock out to "Ain't Going Out Like That" (from Black Sunday).
Aww, yeah, Man, this is the party to go to
Why these four meditative practices? These are called the "Divine Abidings" in Buddhism or Brahma Viharas ("Supreme Abodes"). Why at a rap, rock, reggae show at the beach? Why not? Where better to get "high" (elevated, ecstatic, enlightened) than among spiritually-minded Angelenos and friends of all races and walks of life? Will everyone come to an ashram or temple, or does the spirit house need to come to them sometimes? [Send complaints marked care of Ashley Wells in comments section.]
Now that sex is mostly illegal, maybe cybernauts will have to go inward
*No ins/outs with the exception of Beach Club pass holders and Hotel and Passes Package holders. There is no festival parking on site, except for the Beach Club [so what, are y'all gonna pay extra for the Beach Club, or what?] and limited parking in accessibility/ADA. Check website later on the Getting Here page for more details about parking near the venue, or use public transport. *Subject to change, everything is subject to change.
Tan Geoff tells this story about the first noble truth: "He showed me the brightness of the world."
That's how my teacher, Ajahn Fuang, once characterized his gratitude to his teacher, Ajahn Lee [Dhammadaro, student of Ajahn Mun]. His words took me by surprise.
I had only recently come to study with him, still fresh from a school where I had learned that serious Buddhists took a negative, pessimistic view of the world.
Yet, here was a monk who had given his life over to the practice of the Buddha's Teachings speaking of the world's brightness.
Of course, by "brightness" he wasn't referring to the joys of the food, arts, travel, sports, family life, or any of the other sections of the Sunday paper.
He was talking about a better and deeper happiness that comes from within us. As I came to know him, I gained a sense of how deeply happy he was.
He may have been skeptical about human pretenses, but I'd never describe him as pessimistic or negative. "Realistic" would be closer to the truth.
Yet, for a long time I couldn't shake the sense of paradox I felt. How could the pessimism of translated Buddhist texts find embodiment in such a solidly happy person?
Only when I began to look directly at the early sutras did I realize that what I thought was paradox was actually irony.
Ironically, Buddhism, which gives such a positive view of a human being's potential for finding true happiness, could be branded in the West as "negative and pessimistic."
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.
There's a rumor that, "'Life is suffering' is Buddhism's first principle," the first noble truth, according to the Buddha. It's a rumor with good credentials. It is spread by well-intentioned and well-respected academics and Dharma teachers alike. But it is a rumor, nonetheless.
The truth about the Four Noble Truths is far more interesting.
The Buddha taught four ennobling (enlightening) truths — not one — about life:
There is suffering (disappointment, pain, stress)
There is a cause of suffering
There is an end of suffering
There is a path of practice that puts an end to suffering.
These truths, taken as a whole, are very optimistic. They're practical. It's a problem-solving approach — the way a doctor approaches an illness (pain), a mechanic a faltering engine. Identify the problem and look for its cause. Then put an end to the problem by eliminating its cause.
What's special about the Buddha's approach is that the problem he approaches is the whole of human (and deva) suffering. The solution he offers is something humans (and devas) can do for themselves.
Just as a physician with a surefire cure for measles is no longer afraid of measles, the Buddha isn't afraid of any aspect of suffering. Having experienced pleasure and happiness free of all conditions, he's intrepid.
He's not afraid to point out suffering and disappointment inherent in places where most of us would rather not see them — the conditioned pleasures we cling to.
He teaches beings not to deny suffering and disappointment, not to run away, but to stand still and face them, to examine them carefully. That way — by understanding them — we can discern a cause and put an end to it, a total end. How confident can one get? More
Ajahn Geoff (aka Geoffrey DeGraff, Thanissaro Bhikkhu), "Life Isn't Just Suffering," accesstoinsight.org; edited by Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly
Then the rich householder AnΔthapiαΉαΈika [the philanthropist Sudatta, the "Giver of Alms," "Supporter of the Needy"] went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. Seated there, the Buddha said to him:
“Ten pleasure seekers are found in the world. What are the ten?
We're here to have a good time, right Bri-Bri?
“One, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. One neither makes oneself happy nor pleased, neither shares it nor makes merit.
“Two, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. One makes oneself happy and pleased but neither shares it nor makes merit.
“Three, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. One makes oneself happy and pleased and shares it and makes merit.
“Four, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using means both legitimate and illegitimate, coercive and uncoercive. One neither makes oneself happy nor pleased, neither shares it nor makes merit.
“Five, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using means both legitimate and illegitimate, coercive and uncoercive. One makes oneself happy and pleased, but neither shares it nor makes merit.
“Six, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using means both legitimate and illegitimate, coercive and uncoercive. One makes oneself happy and pleased and shares it and makes merit.
“Seven, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. One neither makes oneself happy nor pleased, neither shares it nor makes merit.
“Eight, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. One makes oneself happy and pleased, but neither shares it nor makes merit.
“Nine, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. One makes oneself happy and pleased and shares it and makes merit. But one enjoys that wealth in bondage, infatuated, clinging, blind to the drawbacks, not understanding the escape.
See, Stewie? We're rich, we share, we get it...
“Ten, a pleasure seeker seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. One makes oneself happy and pleased and shares it and makes merit. And one enjoys that wealth without bondage, without infatuation, without clinging, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape.
The first
Why, you ask? Here's why.
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using illegitimate, coercive means, who neither makes oneself happy nor pleased, neither shares it nor makes merit. That person may be criticized on three grounds: One seeks for wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. This is the first ground for criticism. One does not make oneself happy nor pleased. This is the second ground for criticism. One neither shares it nor makes merit. This is the third ground for criticism. This pleasure seeker may be criticized on these three grounds.
The second
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using illegitimate, coercive means, who makes oneself happy and pleased, but who neither shares it nor makes merit. That person may be criticized on two grounds and praised on one. One seeks for wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. This is the first ground for criticism. One makes oneself happy and pleased. This is the one ground for praise. One neither shares it nor makes merit. This is the second ground for criticism. This pleasure seeker may be criticized on these two grounds and praised on this one.
The third
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using illegitimate, coercive means, who makes oneself happy and pleased, who shares it and makes merit. This person may be criticized on one ground and praised on two. One seeks for wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. This is the one ground for criticism. One makes oneself happy and pleased. This is the first ground for praise. One shares it and makes merit. This is the second ground for praise. This pleasure seeker may be criticized on this one ground and praised on these two.
The fourth
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using means both legitimate and illegitimate, coercive and uncoercive, who neither makes oneself happy and pleased, neither shares it nor makes merit. This person may be praised on one ground and criticized on three. One seeks for wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. This is the one ground for praise. One seeks for wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. This is the first ground for criticism. One neither makes oneself happy nor pleased. This is the second ground for criticism. One neither shares it nor makes merit. This is the third ground for criticism. This pleasure seeker may be praised on this one ground and criticized on these three.
The fifth
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using means both legitimate and illegitimate, coercive and uncoercive, who makes oneself happy and pleased, but who neither shares it nor makes merit. That person may be praised on two grounds and criticized on two. One seeks for wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. This is the first ground for praise. One seeks for wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. This is the first ground for criticism. One makes oneself happy and pleased. This is the second ground for praise. One neither shares it nor makes merit. This is the second ground for criticism. This pleasure seeker may be praised on these two grounds and criticized on these two.
The sixth
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using means both legitimate and illegitimate, coercive and uncoercive, who makes oneself happy and pleased, shares it and makes merit. One may be praised on three grounds and criticized on one. One seeks for wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. This is the first ground for praise. One seeks for wealth using illegitimate, coercive means. This is the one ground for criticism. One makes oneself happy and pleased. This is the second ground for praise. One shares it and makes merit. This is the third ground for praise. This pleasure seeker may be praised on these three grounds and criticized on this one.
The seventh
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means, who neither makes oneself happy nor pleased, neither shares it nor makes merit. One may be praised on one ground and criticized on two. One seeks for wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. This is the one ground for praise. One neither makes oneself happy nor pleased. This is the first ground for criticism. One neither shares it nor makes merit. This is the second ground for criticism. This pleasure seeker may be praised on this one ground and criticized on these two.
The eighth
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means, who makes oneself happy and pleased, but who neither shares it nor makes merit. One may be praised on two grounds and criticized on one. One seeks for wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. This is the first ground for praise. One makes oneself happy and pleased. This is the second ground for praise. One neither shares it nor makes merit. This is the one ground for criticism. This pleasure seeker may be praised on these two grounds and criticized on this one.
The ninth
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means, who makes oneself happy and pleased, and who shares it and makes merit. But one enjoys that wealth in bondage, infatuated, clinging, blind to the drawbacks, and not understanding the escape. One may be praised on three grounds and criticized on one. One seeks for wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. This is the first ground for praise. One makes oneself happy and pleased. This is the second ground for praise. One shares it and makes merit. This is the third ground for praise. One enjoys that wealth in bondage, infatuated, clinging, blind to the drawbacks, and not understanding the escape. This is the one ground for criticism. This pleasure seeker may be praised on these three grounds and criticized on this one.
The tenth
“Now, consider the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means, who makes oneself happy and pleased, who shares it and makes merit. And one enjoys that wealth without bondage, without infatuation, without clinging, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape. One may be praised on four grounds. One seeks for wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means. This is the first ground for praise. One makes oneself happy and pleased. This is the second ground for praise. One shares it and makes merit. This is the third ground for praise. One enjoys that wealth without bondage, without infatuation, without clinging, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape. This is the fourth ground for praise. This pleasure seeker may be praised on these four grounds.
“These are the ten pleasure seekers found in the world. The pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means, who makes oneself happy and pleased, who shares it and makes merit, who uses that wealth without bondage, without infatuation, without clinging, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape is the foremost, best, chief, highest, and finest of the ten.
“From a cow comes milk, from milk come curds, from curds come butter, from butter comes ghee [clarified butter now almost always adulterated with lard], and from ghee comes cream of ghee [crΓ¨me de la crΓ¨me]. And the cream of ghee is said to be the best of these.
“In the same way, the pleasure seeker who seeks wealth using legitimate, uncoercive means, who makes oneself happy and pleased, who shares it and makes merit, who uses that wealth without bondage, without infatuation, without clinging, seeing the drawbacks, and understanding the escape is the foremost, best, chief, highest, and finest of the ten.”
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