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 Dan has been enthusiastically evangelized about Burning Man for decades and has never gone. Today's guest is the person who might finally get him there — a filmmaker who has spent years thinking about why humans need myths, gurus, rituals, and each other, and what happens when we try to build a temporary utopia in the desert (or a fake ashram in Phoenix, or a global currency around a person nobody has ever met). Vikram Gandhi is a documentary filmmaker whose new HBO documentary The Man Will Burn (co-directed with Jehane Noujaim of The Vow) is one of the most nuanced looks at Burning Man ever made. He also directed the cult-favorite 2011 documentary Kumaré, in which he masqueraded as an Indian guru and, uh, developed a real following. His next project is about the mystery of Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. In this episode: – Dan's honest opening take on Burning Man Burners (they can be, and this is a technical term, annoying) – What Burning Man actually is — 80,000 people, a gift economy, a temporary city in the middle of nowhere – Larry Harvey burning the first wooden man on Baker Beach in the '80s (and the "10 principles like any self-respecting cult" joke) – Private jets, billionaires, and the great Burning Man contradiction – The garbage-bag-on-the-Native-American-reservation story ("this is the most American thing ever") – Kimbal Musk on the board — and what that whole feud was really about – Burning Man as a religion — the schism, the messiah, the whole shape of it – Why Vikram made Kumaré — growing up with a Hindu temple in his basement in New Jersey – The moment in a yoga studio when a woman said "I would follow you anywhere," and everything got real – The ethics debate: was it fair to the followers? – The unexpected finding: Kumaré was the best version of Vikram (and what that reveals about all of us) – Why Being There was the model – The new Satoshi Nakamoto documentary — and why Bitcoin is a belief system the same way religion is – Where Vikram, a career skeptic, actually lands on meaning and practice 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/ 0:00:00 Burning Man skepticism — and why some Burners are annoying 0:04:00 What Burning Man actually is 0:05:00 Larry Harvey burning the first man on Baker Beach 0:09:00 The anti-consumerist roots and the "10 principles" joke 0:10:00 Private jets, billionaires, and the great Burning Man contradiction 0:14:00 The Native American reservation and the garbage bags of shame 0:19:00 Kimbal Musk on the Burning Man board 0:25:00 Burning Man as religion — the schism, the messiah 0:27:00 Kumaré — the fake guru who developed a real following 0:31:00 The temple in Vikram's basement and the s'mores gelatin story 0:34:00 The moment the yoga student said "I would follow you anywhere" 0:41:00 The best version of Vikram is Kumaré (and what that reveals) 0:44:00 The Being There influence — being an empty vessel 0:49:00 The new Satoshi Nakamoto documentary 0:54:00 Where Vikram lands on meaning, belief, and the Buddha #10PercentHappier #VikramGandhi #burningman2025 This episode is brought to you by Jiyu. Jiyu is a Korean skincare brand known for its rejuvenation toner pads — a full Korean skincare routine packed into a single swipe. The Glow Up Bundle includes the toning polish pads plus the moisturizer. Use code HAPPIER at https://www.jiyuskin.com for an additional 20% off the already-discounted bundle, plus free shipping. This episode is brought to you by Tonal. Tonal is a smart, at-home strength training system that combines the convenience of a full gym with the guidance of a personal trainer. Real-time coaching cues help you dial in your form, and Tonal automatically sets and adjusts the weight for you as you get stronger. Get $200 off your Tonal purchase with the promo code HAPPIER at https://www.tonal.com. This episode is brought to you by Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone Sapphire combines Rosetta Stone's trusted immersion method with the latest in language learning to help you go from knowing phrases to speaking confidently about what you actually care about. Get 20% off your Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription, plus unlimited access to all 25 languages, at https://www.rosettastone.com/happier.