Happiness Break: A Meditation for When Others Are Suffering

The Science of Happiness

PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Science, Social Sciences

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Witnessing the suffering of others can be deeply painful. In this guided meditation, Anushka Fernandopulle helps you cultivate both compassion and the ability to soothe yourself in the face of that pain.

How to Do This Practice:

Find somewhere peaceful, sit down and get comfortable. Once you’re ready, gently close or soften your eyes.
Start taking deep breaths and relax your body. Part by part, release tension in different areas of your body.
Think of someone or a group of people you know or have heard of who may be having a hard time. Bring to mind an image of them.
Connect with whatever it is they are struggling with. Mentally, make some wishes of compassion for them. For example, “May you be free from pain.” Or, “I am here with you.”
You can also use this practice to focus on your own pain. To do this, call to mind your struggles and give yourself the same compassion you gave others.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Happiness Break guide:

ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE is a meditation teacher who trained in Buddhist meditation for over 30 years. After studying Buddhism at Harvard, she spent four years in full-time meditation training in the U.S., India, and Sri Lanka.

Check out Anushka’s upcoming meditation retreats: https://www.anushkaf.org

Follow Anushka on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ytn3vvhz

Check out Anushka’s Dharma Talks: https://tinyurl.com/ydacvamn

Related Happiness Break episodes:

Fierce Self-Compassion Break: https://tinyurl.com/yk9yzh9u

Who Takes Care of You: https://tinyurl.com/5xmfkf73

A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6

How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc

Are You Remembering the Good Times: https://tinyurl.com/483bkk2h

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/2tcp2an9

Transcript

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0:00.0	How much awe and wonder do you experience in your life?
0:03.6	From the John Templeton Foundation, our sponsors at the Science of Happiness,
0:07.3	the Templeton Ideas Podcast, explores the most awe-inspiring ideas in our world
0:12.4	with the people who investigate them.
0:15.0	Host Tom Burnett sits down with inspiring thinkers like Alison Gopnik, David Brooks,
0:20.2	Tyler Cowens, and Gretchen Rubin
0:22.6	to discuss how their investigations have transformed their lives and how they may transform yours.
0:28.6	Learn more at templeton.org slash podcast.
0:36.6	Pain and suffering in life are inevitable.
0:38.3	We all go through hard times.
0:41.3	And difficult as that may be, sometimes it's even harder to watch someone we care about in pain.
0:47.3	I'm Dacker Keltner. Welcome to Happiness Break, where we take a short break to try a practice
0:52.3	designed to cultivate calm compassion
0:55.0	and ultimately more happiness. Today's practice is a tool for when you find yourself feeling
1:02.8	other people's pain and suffering and you're not sure what to do. The literature shows that when we do
1:09.5	practice compassion towards others, it has a snowball effect.
1:13.6	It increases our own happiness and self-esteem.
1:16.6	It also helps us feel more satisfied with our lives.
1:20.6	It's an opportunity to step out of our own worries and ruminations, which can actually make us more altruistic, less depressed, and less stressed.
1:29.3	Here to guide us is Anushka Fernanda Puli.
1:32.3	Anushka is a meditation teacher who's trained in Buddhist meditation for over 30 years.
1:38.3	So find somewhere peaceful and settle in.
	...

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