His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be among guests featuring in the 10-year anniversary event for the UK-based charity Action for Happiness. The organization, which has chapters in Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Italy, is celebrating a decade of service on 28 July with an online event. Alongside the Dalai Lama, the patron of Action for Happiness, guests will include Action for Happiness co-founder Prof. Richard Layard and Andy Puddicombe, founder of the popular meditation app Headspace.

Participants will join the featured speakers on live-stream from 7pm BST on 28 July. The Dalai Lama’s talk for the event will be pre-recorded, but other speakers will be attending live. The occasion will be co-hosted by Sian Williams, a broadcaster for Britain’s Channel 5, and Dr. Mark Williamson, co-founder and CEO of Action for Happiness.

Those who register for the event will be able to apply to join a small private audience with the Dalai Lama earlier on the same day—at 4:30am BST. Some of those who are granted the private audience will be invited to ask a question during the conversation. Tickets are available free or by donation.

For Zoom registration: click here

Founded in 2010, Action for Happiness works to create a global coalition of people working to increase happiness and care for all. Key to their philosophy is turning individuals and societies away from self-driven motivations and toward greater concern for others. The organization draws from the world’s spiritual leaders as well as psychologists, educators, economists, and social entrepreneurs to develop and realize these goals.

Prof. Layard is a labor economist who has dedicated his life to reducing unemployment and inequality, drivers of unhappiness around the world. He is also a pioneer among economists in the field of happiness and has explored how improvements in mental health affect societies and economies. In 2018, he was a co-author of The Origins of Happiness: The Science of Well-Being over the Life Course (Princeton University Press).

Andy Puddicombe is a former Buddhist monk, author, and meditation and mindfulness teacher. He is best known for his app, Headspace, which was one of the earliest mindfulness apps created and still one of the most popular, having been downloaded more than 65 million times and maintaining over two million subscribers.

People anywhere can join Action for Happiness by signing a pledge to increase happiness and reduce unhappiness around them. New members are then provided with resources to enact the change they wish to see, including help with finding or forming local groups.

The Dalai Lama, who celebrated his 86th birthday on 6 July, has offered this message of support for the organization:

As human beings we all want to live a happy life and be part of a happy society. But in the modern world we do not give this high enough priority. Action for Happiness encourages each of us to live more compassionately and put the happiness of others at the centre of our lives. This is the path to lasting peace and happiness. I am very happy to have been invited to be the patron of this movement and I encourage everyone, whatever their background, to join us and make a personal commitment to helping create a happier world. (Action for Happiness)

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The Dalai Lama and friends: celebrating 10 years of Action for Happiness (Eventbright)
Action for Happiness

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