ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am incredibly grateful to my dissertation committee advisor Dr Annie McKee This study would not have been possible without your compassion, ideas, and constant guidance through the entire PennCLO doctoral program Thank you for believing in me and for devoting countless hours to supervise me at every step of this dissertation It was a great honor and a fortune to have Dr Elizabeth Mackenzie as a member of my dissertation committee Thank you for recommending excellent books and insightful scholarly articles that increased my understanding of the phenomenon of happiness Your detailed feedback and ideas helped me during the participant interviews that shaped this dissertation to its present form I am immensely thankful to Dr Kandi Wiens for her sincere support and encouragement through this dissertation journey and being a member of my dissertation committee Thank you to your remarkable promptness in guiding me in this research Your detailed feedback and fantastic dissertation served as a guide to structuring all five chapters of this study I would like to express gratitude for Karen Kassel Hoffman from Williams Town Communications for doing fantastic work in editing this thesis And finally, I am indebted to all 20 sadhus who joyfully took part in this research Your knowledge and experience about the phenomenon of happiness were beyond my imagination This dissertation would not have been possible without your willingness and openness to share the truth of happiness iii