Finding Joy in the Face of Challenges

Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson are joined by James Baraz, a meditation teacher for over 40 years and cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, to explore how we can find still find joy during difficult times. We discuss how to balance a sense of equanimity with compassion for the suffering of the world, and how cultivating joy at an individual level can support healing at the collective level. About our Guest: James is the coauthor of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to True Happiness, and leads the popular online course of the same name. He is also the guiding teacher of One Earth Sangha, a website devoted to expressing a Buddhist response to climate change. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 1:45: Why joy is important in Buddhism 5:05: James’ journey to prioritizing joy 11:40: How to practice awakening joy without turning away from suffering 17:20: Putting yourself back together after cultivating awareness of suffering 24:10: The 10 Steps of Awakening Joy 28:45: How people can use emotionally positive states in contemplative practice 32:00: Positivity in relation to the climate crisis and other collective challenges 38:05: Equanimity, compassion, including both sides of the river 43:35: The great perfection 47:10: James’ realistic hope for the next 25 years  49:30: Recap Awakening Joy: Awakening Joy is an internationally recognized course designed to awaken joy through exciting themes and practices that incline the mind toward well-being and deeper insight. It's a 5-month course taught online by James, check it out and learn more here.  Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Sponsors: Find the new CBD+ performance gummies and the whole dosist health line-up today at dosisthealth.com. Use promo code BEINGWELL20 for 20% off your purchase.  Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!  Want to sleep better? Try the legendary Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices