Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership --- You were taught that spiritual growth takes effort. Comedian and writer Pete Holmes thinks that might be exactly backwards — and he's got the mushroom trip, the divorce, and the Richard Rohr quotes to back it up. Pete Holmes is a comedian, actor, writer, and host of the long-running podcast *You Made It Weird*. He is the author of *Comedy Sex God*, a memoir about faith, comedy, and the search for meaning. In this conversation, Pete Holmes shares: - Why his evangelical upbringing collapsed — and what he found on the other side of that crisis - How the prodigal son story contains the entire Christian message (and it has nothing to do with guilt or punishment) - What "awareness" actually means as a word for God — and why it's not just a dodge - Why laughter, deep sleep, and meditation all point to the same experience - How the two-word mantra "yes, thank you" can dissolve a bad feeling almost instantly - Why affirmation addiction is actually a superpower in disguise This is a live conversation recorded in front of an audience — and one of the most joyful, wide-ranging spiritual discussions Dan has ever had on stage. --- Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ --- Timestamps: 0:00:00 Introduction 0:01:00 Pete's evangelical upbringing in Massachusetts 0:04:00 Divorce, faith crisis, and dabbling in atheism 0:06:00 Beautiful atheists and a surprise about morality 0:07:00 Mushrooms at Bonnaroo and seeing the witness behind experience 0:09:00 Joseph Campbell, mystics, and why literalism misses the point 0:11:00 How Pete re-reads Jesus as a mystic 0:12:00 The prodigal son: what Pete believes is the whole Christian message 0:16:00 What Pete means when he says "God" — awareness explained 0:18:00 What is awareness? The koan at the center of non-duality 0:22:00 Working with difficult emotions: the pedantic vs. tantric approach 0:23:00 Dan's take: seeing by dividing (vipassana) vs. Pete's approach 0:27:00 Compassion as a natural result of shared awareness 0:30:00 The "am I aware?" inquiry — and why you already have the answer 0:32:00 What actually produces lasting peace (hint: not achievements) 0:34:00 Affirmation addiction — what it is and why it's not all bad 0:36:00 Why our wounds are an excuse to love each other 0:40:00 Outlets, masks, and why Pete is a deeply happy person 0:43:00 Mask work, RuPaul, and the spiritual case for drag 0:46:00 How Pete actually lives all this in daily life (spoiler: imperfectly) 0:50:00 Mindfulness as remembering — the original translation of *sati* 0:51:00 The pathless path vs. progressive meditation (Rupert Spira) 0:54:00 Why laughter is a taste of enlightenment 0:58:00 Comedy as merging — why live laughter is shamanic 1:00:00 The "yes, thank you" mantra and how to use it --- #meditation #mindfulness #happiness ---