#442. Get Happier Without Losing Your Edge | Kamala Masters

Can you become happier, more balanced, and practice equanimity without losing your edge? 

Guest Kamala Masters was one of the teachers at Dan’s first ever meditation retreat. In this episode she dives into how to develop equanimity and shares her story of learning how to practice meditation during her everyday life while raising three children on her own. 

Kamala Masters has been meditating since the 1970s, first with Anagarika Munindra, who was Joseph Goldstein’s first teacher, and then with the Burmese master Sayadaw U Pandita with whom she twice temporarily ordained as a Buddhist nun. More recently, she’s been training with another Burmese master we’ve talked about here on the show, Sayadaw U Tejaniya. She is a Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society, and the co-founder of the Vipassana Metta Foundation, which developed the Maui Dhamma Sanctuary.

In this conversation we talk about: 

• What is equanimity?
• The most common misconception about equanimity
• The near and far enemies of equanimity 
• The power and limitations of setting intentions

Where to find Kamala Masters online: 

Website: Vipassana Metta on Maui

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Ajahn Sumedho
• Sila (ethical conduct)
• Anagarika Munindra
• Lovingkindness practice
• The Four Brahma Viharas
• Sharon Salzberg
• Dharma Seed
• Upcoming Retreats

Additional Resources:

• Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install