Training for happiness

This is a good although sometimes visually monotonous video of a lecture given by Matthieu Richard, a French biochemist turned Buddhist monk, talking about “training” the mind to be happy. I encourage you to take a look and give it a listen.

I place it here because I recently began meditation and have found that it is every bit as powerful as could be hoped for. Though I myself have never taken antidepressants, I’ve known people who have, and the results were never what you’d call balanced or even happy. I’m happy to report that a steady meditation practice has been bringing my sense of well-being, my sense of happiness, and my sense of equanimity higher and higher.

Richard talks about the science of meditation and how it affects brain activity (as shown by functional MRI imaging). It’s a good video for anyone remotely interested in meditation as a nonmedical means to look at depression, anger issues, and other emotional imbalances.