Written by Emily Hite.
One Christmas, my dad gave me and my siblings copies of the Dalai Lama‘s book The Art of Happiness – a quick read with a valuable missive. (“Be content with this book – you didn’t need other presents” was my takeaway.) I was reminded of this when reading about a recent visit – focused in large part on happiness – by His Holiness to Silicon Valley.
During his visit, which was co-sponsored by Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), the Dalai Lama gave a talk at Santa Clara University on business, ethics and compassion. As Stanford News reports from the event:
In his opening remarks, [James Doty, MD,] noted that stress, anxiety and depression are the greatest health care costs to businesses – he referred to an “epidemic of depression.” Companies do not pay enough attention to the well-being of its employees, he suggested.
“Is there a different approach?” asked Doty, referencing the effects of meditation and compassion on the brain. This type of research, he said, has stimulated a revolution in science. Being compassionate increases one’s health, well-being and longevity, he said.
The Dalai Lama talked about how to become a “happy person” and build a “happy community” where people spread love and compassion.
“Everyone has the right to be a happy person, but generally we have too much of an emphasis on material values,” he said.
To read the full article, click here.
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