Aging and Joy: Why Some Grow Happier with Time

A Journey to the West L45

This episode is a meditation on impermanence, memory, and the subtle ways in which spiritual teachings are preserved and transmitted. Through the lens of a Dharma journey in the Rocky Mountains, the speaker reflects on the unpredictability of life, the longing for connection across languages and cultures, and the privilege of receiving teachings that might otherwise have been lost. The narrative moves between personal gratitude, the joy and suffering of aging, and the universal challenge of bringing wisdom to places where it is rare. At its heart, the talk explores what it means to be a good teacher, the responsibilities of a practitioner, and the quiet, enduring power of kindness and refuge.