Dharma Lab DL Ep 25: Flourishing is Contagious
Feb 17, 2026
They discuss how inner states ripple outward to shape classrooms, workplaces, and measurable outcomes like student test scores. Stories include encounters with the Dalai Lama and a hotel worker whose kindness changed a workplace. Research on teacher training, neuroscience of emotional contagion, and simple daily habits to intentionally spread flourishing are featured.
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Dalai Lama Transforms An NIH Ward
- Richard J. Davidson recounts escorting the Dalai Lama through an NIH hospital corridor where he stopped, held, and comforted terminally ill patients.
- The entourage, including top scientists, left visibly moved with tears, illustrating contagious compassion.
A Personal Teaching In A Brief Encounter
- Cortland Dahl describes meeting the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala and receiving a long, personal teaching during a short break.
- The Dalai Lama also retrieved a favorite book to gift, showing deep, spontaneous generosity.
Cleaner Transforms Toxic Workplace With Practice
- Cortland recounts a hotel cleaner who used loving-kindness practices to transform her reaction to a tyrannical boss.
- Her inner shift led coworkers to notice a surprising behavioral change and improved team dynamics.
