#295 How To Be Grateful When Everything Sucks | DaRa Williams

In the face of the seemingly unremitting horrors of 2020, is it possible-- or wise-- to generate gratitude? My guest today argues: yes. DaRa Williams is a longtime practitioner and teacher of meditation. She is one of the guiding teachers at the Insight Meditation Society. She’s also had a clinical mental health private practice in Manhattan for many years. DaRa Williams says, only semi-facetiously, that she believes gratitude can be considered the fifth Brahma Vihara. As you know, we’ve just wrapped up our special Election Sanity series here on the podcast, where we explored the ancient Buddhist list called the Four Brahma Viharas: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Speaking of Election Sanity, we’re also running a special meditation challenge on the Ten Percent Happier app. Technically, it started yesterday, but it’s not too late to join. It’s only a week long, and it will help you stay engaged in this bananas election season without losing your mind. Download the Ten Percent Happier app today to get started. But back to gratitude, let’s dive in now with DaRa Williams.

Where to find Dara Williams online: 

• Dharmaseed: https://dharmaseed.org/teacher/611/ 
• IMS: https://www.dharma.org/teacher/dara-williams/ 

Additional Resources:

• Ten Percent Happier Live: https://tenpercent.com/live
• Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.tenpercent.com/coronavirussanityguide
• Free App access for Frontline Workers: https://tenpercent.com/care