Sangha of Auspicious Companions

The World’s Greatest Business Case for Compassion

Intelligence and capability are not enough.There must be the joy of doing something beautiful. — Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy (Dr. V)

~~~~ Good News of the Day: It’s called one of the greatest stories in medicine, but it’s more than that. Its approach has impressed the world’s top design-thinkers, and yet, it’s more than a paragon of innovation. For the last 17 years every MBA student at Harvard has studied a business case on it, but it’s more, even, than a model social enterprise. This is the story of Dr. V — a retired surgeon with crippled fingers who dreamed of ending curable blindness, and the 11-bed eye clinic he founded, called Aravind. In 35 years this world class organization has seen over 32 million patients. Treating the majority for free it’s still remained stunningly profitable. “Infinite Vision” is a new book that tells an amazing story about the human spirit, and what becomes possible when we train our minds, tune our hearts, and integrate sound business principles with a mindset rooted in compassion. An important and inspiring read.
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~~~~ Be The Change: Check out an excerpt from Infinite Vision and the exciting early reviews from Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, World Religions expert Huston Smith, Acumen Fund’s Jacqueline Novogratz, and others. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169EF0C:C3009629A010612C87C5B9FFAF5D922BB4B847859706E37D&

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Quote of the Week | Get Curious

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The World’s Greatest Business Case for Compassion

Intelligence and capability are not enough.There must be the joy of doing something beautiful. — Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy (Dr. V)

~~~~ Good News of the Day: It’s called one of the greatest stories in medicine, but it’s more than that. Its approach has impressed the world’s top design-thinkers, and yet, it’s more than a paragon of innovation. For the last 17 years every MBA student at Harvard has studied a business case on it, but it’s more, even, than a model social enterprise. This is the story of Dr. V — a retired surgeon with crippled fingers who dreamed of ending curable blindness, and the 11-bed eye clinic he founded, called Aravind. In 35 years this world class organization has seen over 32 million patients. Treating the majority for free it’s still remained stunningly profitable. “Infinite Vision” is a new book that tells an amazing story about the human spirit, and what becomes possible when we train our minds, tune our hearts, and integrate sound business principles with a mindset rooted in compassion. An important and inspiring read.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169EE1A:C3009629A010612C89CFDC0B9BAD7DE5B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Check out an excerpt from Infinite Vision and the exciting early reviews from Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, World Religions expert Huston Smith, Acumen Fund’s Jacqueline Novogratz, and others. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169EE1B:C3009629A010612C89CFDC0B9BAD7DE5B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection** http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169EE1C:C3009629A010612C89CFDC0B9BAD7DE5B4B847859706E37D&

Year of Dancing with Life – Week 9

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Week 9: Opening to the Dukkha of Others To receive Phillip’s weekly teaching, click here: http://www.lifebalanceinstitute.com/ dharmawisdom/dancing-with-life/ teaching/opening-dukkha-others May your study of this material deepen your meditation practice and inspire your dance with life. If you are interested in studying Dancing with Life in more depth, sign up to receive your on-line study guide and other supplemental materials.

InnerNet Weekly: Letter to My Grandson

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Letter to My Grandson by Daniel Gottlieb [Listen to Audio!] Change is difficult for all of us. The older we get, the more change we face. All change involves loss, and whenever we lose something, we ache to have it back. Everything I have lost in my life — big things and little things — I’ve wanted back at first. So because we know that all change is loss and all loss is change, your mom and dad worried about how you would react when it was time to give your beloved pacifier — your "binky". Now that you’re four, you no longer have your binky; you have nothing to protect you from your anxiety. That’s why transitions are hard. Those transitional objects give us the illusion of security. When they are gone, we are left with the insecurity that’s been there all along. Sam, almost everything we become attached to we’ll eventually lose; our possessions, our loved ones, and even our youth and health. Yes, each loss is a blow. But it’s also an opportunity. There’s an old Sufi saying: "When the heart weeps for what it’s lost, the soul rejoices for what it’s gained." As much as anyone who loves you would like to rescue you from your pain and give the binky right back to you, that wouldn’t be a good idea. Each stage of growth involves loss. Without it, you can’t have the gain. So when you feel the pain of loss, please don’t grab at something to take away the pain. Just have faith that pain, like everything else, is transitional. Through it, you will learn about your ability to deal with adversity. You will learn about how you manage stress. You will feel pride. On the other side of pain, you will learn something about who you are. A friend of mine recently told me she had so many difficulties in her life that she felt like she was living in a nightmare and didn’t know what to do. I told her to find the bus station and wait for the bus! She looked at me like I was crazy. I explained that all emotions are temporary, and we can wait for them to pass as though we were waiting for a bus. We can wait with frustration, anger or feelings of victimhood, but that won’t make the bus come any faster. We could wait with patience and relaxation, but that wouldn’t make the bus come faster either! We just have to have faith that it’s coming. –Daniel Gottlieb, in Letters to Sam Share the Wisdom: Latest Community Insights Letter to My Grandson Nita wrote: Beautiful! As a mother of two teenagers who struggles everyday with wondering if I am being the best mother I can be, this was particularly useful. Thanks…. Edit Lak wrote: Ohh my goodness, as I read this the tears rolled down my face, As the truth of this passage is forever true.. If I only had a grandfather to teach me, If I only had a grandson to teach…. … susan schaller wrote: My housemate told me yesterday that she was talking to a healer about her pain from Lyme disease and Diabetes. She said the pain was so great she has had to learn how to disassociate from it in … Conrad wrote: Thanks for the opportunity to respond. What has helped me move beyond the apparent insecurity of change is realizing that everything constantly changes. Accepting "what is" is a … Thierry wrote: As adults, with yet a tendancy to resist change as regard to ourselves and others, we are able to see what’s implied in the psychological process of attachment. What does it actually&n… Share/Read Reflections >> Wednesday Meditation: Many years ago, a couple friends got together to sit in silence for an hour, and share personal aha-moments. That birthed this newsletter, and later became “Wednesdays”, which now ripple out to living rooms around the world. To join, RSVP online. Some Good News Learning Tranquility at Stanford If You Want to Be a Rebel, Be Kind Honesty Paid Off For Dave Video of the Week The Impact of a Caring Teacher Kindness Stories A Guide Dog for the Blind Kindness On A Budget A Tail Waggin Way Of A Blessing About Back in 1997, one person started sending this simple “meditation reminder” to a few friends. Soon after, “Wednesdays” started, CharityFocus blossomed, and the humble experiments of service took a life of its own. If you’d like to start a Wednesday style meditation gathering in your area, we’d be happy to help you get started. InnerNet Weekly is an email service that delivers a little bit of wisdom to 69,267 subscribers each week. We never spam nor do we host any advertising. Archives, from the last 10+ years, are freely available online. You can unsubscribe anytime, within seconds. A Gift Economy offering of CharityFocus.org (2008)

Kindness Daily: Kindness On A Budget

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Kindness On A Budget December 5, 2011 – Posted by Spoonerism It never ceases to amaze me how generous people who post on this site are. From those who are fortunate enough to be able to use some of their money to help others, people making things for others, or just giving up a moment of their time to someone in need.

The Free Farm

Love all, serve all, feed all. — Neem Karoli Baba

~~~~ Good News of the Day: The Free Farm in San Francisco, run fully by volunteers, is dedicated to bringing fresh, local, organic produce for free to under-served communities in the San Francisco area. In 2009 alone, they gifted over 20,000 lbs of produce. A remarkable activist describes his experience in serving at the Free Farm. “We are not growing fruits and veggies. We are facilitating the growth of soil and community. The food is a by-product. We’re mostly giving back to Mother Earth, and in the process, enjoying the co-creation of noble friendship. This is the revelation I got when I met “Tree” (the founder of the Free Farm). From my perspective, this is Gandhi’s constructive program at its best, revamped for the 21st century. Gandhi used the spinning wheel as both physical embodiment and symbol for radical change. Today, the foundation for social justice is local and healthy food — our “spinning wheel” for the 21st century.”
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~~~~ Be The Change: Write a note of support / gratitude to “Tree” of the Free Farm for starting this amazing community project. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E908:C3009629A010612C1965FF8F12E86A17B4B847859706E37D&

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Smile Newsletter: Paid in Full with One Glass of Milk

Dec 4, 2011 “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” — Albert Einstein “I work with a lady from India. Sometimes, its hard for her to socialize with the others at work because of her strong accent. Last week, she was sitting all alone in the Living Room, while the others were involved in a Christmas activity. I asked her if she would like to join the others and she said no. I asked her why, she said “I can’t do what they are doing.” I told her sure you can. So I took her over – they were putting Christmas stickers on clothes pins. I gave her some clothes pins and stickers and we began doing what the others were doing. When she did just one, I gave her praise after praise. All she could do was smile. And the most amazing thing to me was what she said that melted my heart. She said, “Thank you dear. You make me feel like a little kid, in school again, God bless you.” At that point she took my hand and kissed it. I was over joyed!!! I left her to finish and when I walk ed away, I could feel the calmness all around me. I made a difference in her life that day.” — PassionateM3 [ share your story >> ] You can also contribute comments on each story! A Guide Dog for the Blind >> Pocket Money in Tanzania >> Paid In Full With One Glass of Milk >> More Stories >> “We are all connected and one act of kindness ripples across the world. I have always believed that we can all make a positive difference and change the world!”– TonyB What is a “smile card”? It’s a game of kindness — do something nice for someone and leave a card behind asking them to pay it forward. To date, 984,149 cards have been shipped without any charge. The ‘Smiles’ newsletter is emailed to 86,094 subscribers with the intent of spreading more smiles in the world. You can unsubscribe anytime. get smile cards | donate | write to us

Do Trees Talk to Each Other?

There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. — Minnie Aumonier

~~~~ Fact of the Day: Don’t trees only talk to each other in the movies? Professor Suzanne Simard of the University of British Columbia shares her latest research regarding forest ecosystems: amazingly, trees in a forest coexist in a synergistic web of interconnections, with the largest, oldest, “mother trees” serving as hubs. Because of the old trees linked into the network, the underground exchange of nutrients increases the survival of younger trees — becoming a fascinating, real-life model of forest resilience and regeneration. This short video shares the intriguing science behind forest inter-connectivity. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E8B7:C3009629A010612C00B8AA772B3E078EB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Given your own inter-connections, consider where you get your nourishment and resilience from — and thank one of the sources.

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Kindness Daily: A Tail Waggin Way Of A Blessing

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A Tail Waggin Way Of A Blessing December 3, 2011 – Posted by justinbieber Last week, I was out getting the mail and noticed a dog crossing the street that looked oddly familiar. I went near the dog to see if it had a tag or if I recognized it to see if I could find the owner. When I got close to the dog, I realized that that same dog was the dog that my neighbors had lost 4 years ago. A few months ago, these neighbors moved out of my neighborhood, but that wasnt going to stop me finding them! I remebered they moved to Minnesotta. I spent the rest of the day searching all of the people with their last name in the Minnesotta area. Finally when I was starting to give up hope, I called te last number. I couldnt’ believe it, it was them! I told them of how I found their dog that went missing 4 years ago..They thought it was to good to come true. They immediately flew down to Florida to re-unite with their dog, and were absolutly shocked. They told me God has answered their prayers. They offered me a fairly large reward, and even though I really needed the money. I said no. Seeing the happy faces of them with their dog was as rewarding as it could get.! Add/View Comment >> About Newsletter Kindness Daily is an email that delivers today’s featured story from HelpOthers.org. If you’d rather not receive this email, you can also unsubscribe. Similar Stories When A Rose Is A Rose Is- More Than A Rose., by singlestep Be Vocal In Times Of Beauty, by singlestep One Email Begets Another, by pinkie Few Bills Under A Paper Napkin, by Shephali A Tiny Gesture At A Local Fair, by learning2listen Helpful Links Smile Cards: do an act of kindness and leave a card behind to keep the chain going. Smile Decks: 52 cards with a kindness idea on each! Smile Groups: share your own stories, make friends, spread the good. Smile Ideas: loads of ideas that can support your drive of kindness. Unsubscribe If you’d rather not receive these stories by email, you can remove yourself with two easy clicks. Community

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