Project Happiness
What makes you happy? When you get up in the morning, do you ask “How can I make others happy?” And what is happiness, anyway?
In March, 25 high school students from the US, India and Nigeria converged in Dharamsala, India. These pioneers of Project Happiness had studied the Dalai Lama’s book Ethics for the New Millennium for a full school term, exchanging ideas via blogs, email and video. Now they would have the opportunity to speak directly with the author of their textbook – asking questions about lasting happiness and its role in their lives.
In a 90-minute interview, these students participated in a moving and powerful experience that changed the lives of each.
| In this photo you see students and teachers from participating schools with the Dalai Lama
At center left (with the red hair!) is Randy Taran, founder and executive producer of Project Happiness. |
This summer the teachers and students will complete the first version of the Project Happiness curriculum. A centerpiece of the project is the video segments made by participating schools and students. The curriculum will be shared with schools and teachers around the world, and the project will be expanded by each school that participates in the future.
| The photo at left shows John Sorensen (producer for the Project Happiness documentary), Tenzin Dawa (student), and Yeshi Khando (teacher and local coordinator for Project Happiness) at Upper Tibetan Children’s Village school in Dharamsala
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You can view student videos and the trailer for the documentary film at the Project Happiness Website.
The US students also documented their travels online in a daily blog from India entitled Passages from India.
"I believe that the purpose of our life is to seek Happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So I think the very motion of our life is towards happiness." — The Dalai Lama
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