Episode 07: Authentic Happiness
Episode 8 of M3CS’s Contemplative Science Podcast saw Doug Veenhof come on to the podcast to talk about his work with the Centre for Contemplative Research.
For the full podcast, check out the episode hee.
In this episode, we cover...
The differences between authentic happiness and hedonic pleasure.
His experience on long retreat, meditating up to 7 hours a day.
What you can do to in day-to-day life to escape the hedonic treadmill.
Doug Veenhof is a meditator and teacher at the Centre for Contemplative Research, Crestone, Colorado. Formerly a mountain guide and journalist, he is deeply invested in the potential of meditation and its intersections with neuroscience.
Here are some of the key insights from the conversation...
A consumerist Western society is depriving people of true happiness.
”Eudaimonia, which is genuine happiness, authentic happiness... is really something very different than hedonic pleasure. You could think of genuine happiness as something that you bring to the world rather than what the world gives to you. So it is really looking within for the sources of happiness, rather than looking without.”
The CCR are pioneering unique research in the world of meditation.
“The research is a very important part of the Centre for Contemplative Research. We are providing ideal conditions for long-term meditators to really explore the mind, and to develop the contemplative technology, and also to discover alternative approaches to authentic happiness.”
Our experience of hedonic pleasure is driven by our preconceptions.
“It’s not that we are anhedonic... that we are anti-pleasure by any means, because pleasure is very satisfying and important in people’s lives. But I think what is very important to realise is that the pleasure that we experience is never a quality of the stimulus, it is always something that we are bringing to the experience.”
The best place to find Doug Veenhof is here.
See you next week!
