In the United States, we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this week. It’s a time that brings up a variety of challenges for many people: family conflicts, political disagreements, concerns about overeating, and the painful historical roots of the holiday in colonial exploitation of Indigenous people. 

In this episode, we share a private talk and meditation Scott gave to the Train a Happy Mind community last Thanksgiving. In it, he grapples openly with these issues, while exploring how we can still make the holiday meaningful. 

How can we use the deeper spirit of Thanksgiving—generosity and gratitude—to expand compassion and awareness to include all beings across the planet? 

In this episode you'll learn:

How to Celebrate Thanksgiving In a New Way

How to Do the Buddhist Practice of Universalizing

What Are the Five Delusions in Buddhism

What Are the Antidotes to Buddhist Delusions

How To Stay Open Through Both Pleasure and Pain

Overview:

01:55 The Problematic Side of Thanksgiving

03:45 A Broader Kind of Gathering

08:02 Universalizing: How to Create a Mind of Sharing and Generosity

11:21 Starting the Meditation: Settling In

12:25 The Five Delusions

16:12 Stabilize the Mind

17:50 Love and Compassion

23:52 Universalizing Thanksgiving

If you’d like to practice with others and bring these ideas into your life, join our weekly meditation community with Scott.

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