Rick Hanson's Blog, page 77

Right Intention Pt. 2

Right Intention

This post is Part 2 in a series about on Wholesome Intentions, based on this full article by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

Introduction

Of course, the first question regarding intention is, for what?

All the great wisdom traditions of the world, and all the great moral philosophers, have grappled with this question. What should we want?

There are many ways to approach this question. Some try to answer it in terms of discerning the will or desires of their sense of a Divine influence, of...

Minimize Painful Experiences

Are you feeling unneeded pain?

The Practice:
Minimize painful experiences.

Why?

Painful experiences range from subtle discomfort to extreme anguish – and there is a place for them. Sorrow can open the heart, anger can highlight injustices, fear can alert you to real threats, and remorse can help you take the high road next time.

But is there really any shortage of suffering in this world? Look at the faces of others – including mine – or your own in the mirror, and see the marks of wearine...

The Awakening Factor of Samadhi

Here is a talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled, “The Awakening Factor of Samadhi”.

More information on the San Rafael Meditation group can be found here.

The post The Awakening Factor of Samadhi appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.

Stentors: The Tiny Giants

Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.

In this amazing video, a researcher at the University of California San Francisco, talks about  “Tiny Giants” that ink like squid and regenerate like Wolverine!

“Stentor” sounds like a dinosaur or a minor He-Man villain. But in fact the stentor is one of the strangest, most mysterious organisms on Earth, and it just might be swimming in a pond near you. It’s made up of a single cell so massive you can see it with th...

Ask Questions

What are you learning?

The Practice:
Ask questions.

Why?

My dad grew up on a ranch in North Dakota. He has a saying from his childhood – you may have heard it elsewhere – that’s: “You learn more by listening than by talking.”

Sure, we often gain by thinking out loud, including discovering our truth by speaking it. But on the whole, listening brings lots more valuable information than talking does.

Nonetheless, many people are not the greatest listeners. (You’ve probably noticed this already:...

Oneness Podcast

In this podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Rick Hanson, a psychologist and New York Times bestselling author. We spoke about how Western Buddhism, transcendental learning and gratitude for opportunity all play an important role in getting in touch with your faith and finding true purpose and happiness in life. Join us to hear more about Dr. Hanson’s own journey as well as his valuable insights into Buddhism and neuroscience.

The post Oneness Podcast appeared first on Dr. Rick Ha...

The Neurology of Intention

The Neurology of Intention

Our intentions arise in the brain, are represented in the brain, and are pursued in the brain. Where else?  Therefore, a basic understanding of how intentions work in the brain – and thus in your mind – is a very useful thing to have.

The Executive Functions

The brain is like a committee, with many parts or “members” working together – or at cross purposes! – and the frontal lobes are like the chair of that committee. Or, to use a different metaphor, if the psyche...

Alphabet of the Heart Podcast

Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.

This Podcast Series features Dr James R. Doty, Neurosurgeon and Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, and Dr James Kirby, Clinical Psychologist and Visiting Scholar at CCARE. Each episode features Dr Doty and Dr Kirby discussing a mnemonic Dr Doty created called, “The Alphabet of the Heart”, which he wrote about in his book, “Into the Magic Shop”.

Here...

Receive Faces

What do their faces say to you?

The Practice:
Receive faces.

Why?

As our ancestors evolved over millions of years in small bands, continually interacting and working with each other, it was vitally important to communicate in hundreds of ways each day. They shared information about external “carrots” and “sticks,” and about their internal experience (e.g., intentions, sexual interest, inclination toward aggression) through gestures, vocalizations – and facial expressions. Much as we develope...

True Happiness

Is there a particular type of mindset keeps us from finding true happiness ? For our ancestors to survive, they learned to find the bad in situations. In today’s modern age, the human mind is still programmed to latch onto the bad even though that mindset is unnecessary.

On this episode with Dr. Rick Hanson, a New York Times best-selling author, he explains the neuroscience behind true happiness, what it means, and how we can find it.

Key Takeaways:

We’ve got a brain that’s like Velcro for ba...