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From the Blog

Writings on Well-Being Dr. Rick Hanson

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Questions About Mental Health

"What methods can you recommend to help boost memory?" "How can I overcome decision fatigue?" "Do people with a history of recurrent depression have as much capacity for positive change as those who haven’t? How would you describe the balance between accepting “what...

Friday Favorite

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself...

I spoke at Augsburg College in Minneapolis Oct. 16, 2014 on Hardwiring Happiness, which was recorded and broadcast on MPR. In this presentation I offer tips on how to overcome the “negativity bias” which helped ancient animals survive, but can pose obstacles to a happy life.

The Healing Power of the Mind

I had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Ask Dr. Nandi Show on The Healing Power of the Mind. I hope you enjoy it! When viewing, please enter password: nandi Healing Power of the Mind - 364 from Ask Dr. Nandi on Vimeo.

Giving is Good

Giving - known as “dana” in Pali, the language in which the teachings of the Buddha were first written down – is the first of the ten “paramis” or perfections of a Bodhisattva, a highly Awakened person who postpones his or her ultimate enlightenment to bring all...

Questions About Neuroscience

"Why is it important to know about the Responsive and Reactive settings of the brain?" "Is the “fight or flight” response the functional part of the primitive/reptile brain or the emotional brain?" "Is there any evidence that just reading the words which describe an...

You might like this talk from the San Rafael Meditation group discussing the types of meditation.

Here is the latest talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It’s titled Right Livelihood Through the Lens of the Hindrances. More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found at https://rickhanson.net/teaching/meditation-group.

The Fourth Noble Truth – The Noble Truth of the Eightfold Path

These are the elements of the Eightfold Path: Right View Right Resolve Right Action Right Speech Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration Please see the article on “The Noble Eightfold Path” here - //rickhanson.net/articles/buddhist-wisdom/....

Helping Yourself Speak Your Truth

Continuing the discussion on Inhibition Profiles, let's look at some methods to help you speak your truth. Normal as they are, these inhibitions limit your autonomy, and consequently, your intimacy. Their regulation is excessive and thus unskillful. And they harm...

The Third Noble Truth – The Noble Truth of the End of Suffering

The Third Noble Truth comes directly from the Second one: The end of suffering comes with the end of clinging. As Achaan Chah said, "If you let go a little, you'll have a little happiness. If you let go a lot, you'll have a lot of happiness. If you let go completely ....

Here is the latest talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It’s titled Appreciating Your Good Intentions. More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found at https://rickhanson.net/teaching/meditation-group.

The Second Noble Truth – The Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering

The Second Noble Truth describes the principal cause of suffering. It is clinging. . . to anything at all. The bad news is that we suffer. The good news is that there is a prime cause - clinging - that we can address. There are lots of words that get at different...

Friday Favorite

                          Artist: Breier

Here is the latest talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It’s titled A Peaceful Heart. More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found at https://rickhanson.net/teaching/meditation-group.

Here is the latest talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It’s titled The Three Refuges of Peace, Contentment, and Love. More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found at https://rickhanson.net/teaching/meditation-group.

Neuro-Bhavana

Last April I taught Neuro-Bhavana: The Mindful Cultivation of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom in Our Brains and Our Lives at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, based on my book Hardwiring Happiness. The workshop was recorded and edited into 11 videos, which you can...

The First Noble Truth – The Noble Truth of Suffering

The Four Noble Truths are the most fundamental teaching of the Buddha. Deceptively simple, they actually provide a profound explanation of human unhappiness, both gross and subtle, and how to attain increasingly positive states of mind, from stress relief in daily...

Friday Favorite

I hope you enjoy this very heart-warming and inspirational story about never giving up.

Do Freely

Do Freely

There’s a way to relate to the endless To Do list that’s freer and less burdened. When we “do freely” we refresh in having a sense of choice.

Inhibition Profiles

The inhibition profile of a particular person can be quite nuanced. For example, in terms of attachment theory, a person raised by a “dismissing” parent could worry about asking too much of others, and someone with an “inconsistent” parent –alternately intrusive and...