In the United States, the Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated 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, a private talk and meditation originally shared with the Train a Happy Mind community during last year’s Thanksgiving is revisited. In that talk, the speaker grapples openly with these issues, exploring how the holiday can still be meaningful. They reflect on how the deeper spirit of Thanksgiving—generosity and gratitude—can be used as a way to expand compassion and awareness to include all beings across the planet.

Sensitive topics are discussed throughout, and listeners are invited to share their reactions and comments with the Train a Happy Mind community at trainahappymind.org or on social media, where the community can be found under the same name.

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

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