A huge crowd of more than 1,600 people turned out at Congregation B'nai Israel (CBI) in Boca Raton on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 13 to hear Dr. Deepak Chopra the prominent alternative medicine advocate and chairman of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, Calif. speak as part of the congregation's public, ticketed "CBI Talks Speaker Series."

Said Sharon Wagman, B'nai Israel executive director: "We were not surprised at all by the size of this crowd. Deepak Chopra is a cultural and societal icon. We are delighted that Dr. Chopra chose to share his experiences with not only our members, but with the community at-large."

Added Temple President Gary Weiner: "Congregation B'nai Israel was fortunate to host Dr. Deepak Chopra physician, author and pioneer of alternative medicine and human empowerment. Dr. Chopra shared practical ways to experience higher consciousness, transformation, happiness and healing with our B'nai Israel community."

Following the talk, Chopra signed copies of his new book, "The Future of God: A Practical Approach to Spirituality for Our Times." The book came out on Nov. 11.

Chopra talked about how they measure a "Happiness Formula" at his Center for Wellbeing as being equal to the brain's set-point for happiness plus one's conditions for living and voluntary choices.

Chopra explained that the brain's set-point whether we see situations as positive or negative makes up 50 percent of our ability to be happy. While this set-point is conditioned by our environment, parents and ancestry, we can change it through meditation and cognitive therapy.

Conditions of living include your financial status, relationship status and health status. These make up about 10 percent of the "Happiness Formula."

Making up the final 40 percent of the "Happiness Formula" are voluntary choices including intentional activities that lead to personal action and fulfillment, such as how do we make ourselves and others in our lives happy. Chopra explained that the fastest way to feel happy is to make someone else happy.

Ultimately, the conclusion is, that based on this theory, we have a lot of influence on our own ability to be happy.

In Boca Magazine, John Thomason wrote about the event: "It's been less than a year since Chopra's last South Florida appearance, but it didn't stop this event from achieving a capacity swell. [Chopra} was utterly captivating, holding our attention, touching our souls and flexing our mental muscles for the better part of two hours. Despite the density of the material, Chopra kept everything explicable, leavening his speech with epigrammatic humor, such as 'We spend money we don't have on things we don't need to impress people we don't like' and 'If you're constantly planning for the future, when it comes your way you won't be present for it.'"

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Chopra reveals 'Happiness Formula' at lecture