Episode Summary
Stephanie Harrison reading from Śāntideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva and discussing the pursuit of happiness.
Christmastime in Australia is in mid-summer. The Northern hemisphere traditions of ugly sweaters, roasted meats and roaring fires really just don’t vibe there. We’ve even got a Christmas carol about Santa’s sleigh being pulled along by kangaroos, rather than reindeer. Many years ago, on a hot Christmas day, my family packed a picnic and headed for Tidbinbilla, the nature reserve about an hour’s drive away. When we arrived, we laid out all the food, hung up some wind chimes, and set up a table and chairs in the middle of a river. Sitting there, eating my mum’s plum pudding with the water flowing by waist-deep, with my family – I knew I was happy.
Of course, happiness is elusive. The stories and expectations we’ve internalised about the requirements to achieve happiness are mostly illusions. Stephanie Harrison is a champion for a wiser path to happiness, or as she calls it, The New Happy.
Stephanie reads two pages from ‘The Way of the Bodhisattva’ by Śāntideva. [reading begins at 12:40]
Hear us discuss:
- The reluctance to give back to others: “The path to experiencing fulfilment and well-being is the ways in which we relate to other people.” [16:15]
- The process of learning to serve. [20:06]
- Transcending ‘The Eye.’ [24:48]
- Is happiness always a spiritual practice?: “Spirituality is about helping us to be human.” [27:28]
- Self-care and self-renewal. [34:35]
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Resources:
Stephanie Harrison | LinkedIn | The New Happy
Śāntideva | The Way of the Bodhisattva
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