10% Happier with Dan Harris A Buddhist Compass To Direct You Toward Happiness | Beth Upton
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Jul 16, 2025 
Beth Upton, a meditation teacher and former Buddhist nun who now leads the Sanditthika Meditation Community in Spain, delves into Buddhist psychology to explore happiness. She describes Kusala, or wholesome mind states, as the key to a fulfilling life and offers practical strategies to cultivate these positive qualities. Upton shares her transformative journey from nunhood, insights on advanced meditation practices, and the balance between wholesome and unwholesome states of mind, all aimed at enhancing well-being and mindfulness.
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Beth's Ordination Journey
- Beth Upton ordained as a Buddhist nun at age 25 after exploring different life paths and was impressed by the advanced meditation practices she encountered.
- She loved ordained life and sees it as some of the best years of her life, practicing under rigorous conditions in Burma.
Dharma Invites Personal Verification
- The Buddha's teaching invites investigation, not blind belief, encouraging practitioners to "come and see" if advanced meditation states are possible.
- Beth's scientific background led her to rigorously test the practices and confirm their possibility and benefits.
Cave Meditation Solo Retreats
- After five years as a nun, Beth left the monastery to practice independently in caves near Almeria, Spain.
- She sought solitude to deepen practice without institutional norms, living simply and transforming the caves into a meditation community.
