Episode Details

Today we’re talking about what it takes to believe that you can be happy, even when you’re facing the most difficult circumstances. Our guest is Christina Moran, of El Paso, Texas, who shares her own journey of pursuing happiness after experiencing a series of very challenging events that made her feel like she had hit rock bottom. 

CHEAT SHEET

2:29 How Christina encountered Buddhism

7:30 The grief and postpartum depression she was experiencing at the time

10:13 The Buddhist book that turned things around for her

14:38 What changed in her first month of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

17:02 Her initial goals for herself

22:35 Survival vs. Happiness

29:48 What it took to reconnect to happiness

39:54 The role of the Buddhist community

41:46 Her favorite Buddhist quotes

43:51 Advice for anyone who feels like happiness isn’t an option for them

References mentioned:

•  Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death 
• “The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 149
• “To My Friends,” from the June 23, 2020, Seikyo Shimbun