Episode Ep 970 July 2, 2025 1 hr 12 min

Buddhist Practices for Busyness, Overwhelm, and Burnout | Brother Chân Pháp Hữu

From 10% Happier with Dan Harris 10% Happier

The Zen monk who burned out. How he fixed it. And how you can, too.

Brother Chân Pháp Hữu began training at the age of 13 with the legendary Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh — who was an author, activist, and founder of the Plum Village tradition. Today Brother Pháp Hữu is the abbot of Plum Village's Upper Hamlet and the co-host of the Plum Village podcast The Way Out Is In. He also recently co-authored a book, called Being with Busyness: Zen Ways to Transform Overwhelm and Burnout.

In this episode we talk about:

Why humans today are busier and more overwhelmed than ever before
Why monastics aren't immune to burnout
How busyness is thrust upon us by the world, but it's also the result of us running from the shit we don't wanna face
Practical tools for addressing busyness and burnout
Why doing nothing is an art
The role of perspective—and how contemplating your own death can be a huge source of perspective
The practice of total relaxation
How to have healthy boundaries without armoring up
How to say no without pissing people off
How to protect ourselves in toxic environments
And much more