Sangha of Auspicious Companions

An Amazon Tour Guide’s Inspiring Story

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. — Confucius

~~~~ Good News of the Day: Nearly 21 years ago, Patty Webster landed her dream job as an adventure tour guide in the Peruvian Amazon. But as she shared the area’s beauty and culture with tourists, she realized there was a darker side to the rainforest paradise. “I saw how poor they were and realized that people were dying because they didn’t have medical care,” Webster said. She started sharing her supplies with the locals and soon began waking up to find people waiting outside her mosquito net to ask her for medicine. At one point, Webster — who had no medical training — gave someone stitches, following instructions from a book. “It was kind of scary,” she recalled. “If they’re depending on me for their health care … we’re all going to die.” That’s when she decided to stay and do something more. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169B9FB:C3009629A010612C33B668BEE2EF60C7B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: The next time you’re visiting a new place, look for an opportunity to do an act of service there.

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Smile Newsletter: The Japanese Man, Frank, and Michael

Nov 6, 2011 “What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” –Buddha “I received my smile cards last week and was itching to use them! I decided to go to a sandwich shope and ordered my meal and then added $5 to buy a gift card. When my order was placed I gave the gift card back to the cashier with a smile card and asked her to do me a favor and give it with the $5 meal card to whoever she wanted to, someone next in line or coming later in the day. I have no idea who got the gift card but the cashier gave me most heartfelt smile and said “how cool is that”! I was happy to see that the smile chain had already started! I love it!” –anonymous [ share your story >> ] You can also contribute comments on each story! Dining with Mr. Yepp, a Smiling Face in the Cafeteria >> Setting up an Apartment for a Girl in Need >> The Japanese Man, Frank, and Michael >> More Stories >> “Simplicity in a busy day, a child who seems alone, and elderly man and/or woman whose eyes meet mine and I want to say hello. Kindness is so gentle, so free, so easy to pass along. I was raised with many of my mother’s friends around and they were always so kind, smiling and a gentle hug or words of praise. Back then, kindness for your neighbor was simply a part of life – uncomplicated and extended with love and gratitude. It truly is so easy to be kind. Just fill your heart with love, put a smile on your face and look people straight in the eyes. You may find that a smile and grateful “hello” comes your way!” –msn53 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, 979,865 cards have been shipped without any charge. The ‘Smiles’ newsletter is emailed to 85,161 subscribers with the intent of spreading more smiles in the world. You can unsubscribe anytime. get smile cards | donate | write to us

Of Forests and Men

Our lives are like islands in the sea, or like trees in the forest, which co-mingle their roots in the darkness underground. — William James

~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: To commemorate 2011 as the International Year of Forests, the United Nations appointed Yann Arthus-Bertrand to create a short video to raise consciousness about forests. Using stunning aerial photography and video footage, the producer (whose previous online movie was seen by 400 million people) has done it again. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169B970:C3009629A010612C40A9EAD6DBD28AC1B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Spend some time in nature today.

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Remembering Kindness 41 Years Later

Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change. Kindness that catches us by surprise brings out the best in our natures. — Bob Kerrey

~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: “I was a widow and an expectant mother in the same day. We had bought a new home and I had filled our two bedroom apartment with nursery items in anticipation of moving in. Now the house would be taken away. I knew I would have to go back to my parents’ home, at least until I delivered the baby. And the shock of my husband’s sudden death had made losing the baby a very real possibility. I moved back into my old bedroom. My twin bed, a crib and a dresser was all that could fit in the 8 x 10 foot bedroom. The rest of our furniture had to go into storage. I was able to pay for three months worth of storage and then I would have to sell all the new furniture we had bought.” A touching real-world story called ‘Remembering Kindness 41 Years Later.’ http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169B908:C3009629A010612C5705B91F69FEAEB5B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Unleash your own ‘underrated’ wave of change — do an unexpected act of kindness today.

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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Video of the Week: Plastic Debris Art

You’re receiving this newsletter because you are a KarmaTube subscriber. Having trouble reading this mail? View it in your browser. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Video of the Week Nov 04, 2011 Plastic Debris Art A commitment that began on their first date, Richard and Judith Lang have been collecting plastic debris from Kehoe Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore in California, for over ten years. They use these plastic articles to make beautiful works of art, not just as an exhibition of their talents, but to draw attention to the deeper concern of plastic pollution of the world’s oceans. Share: Related KarmaTube Videos The Sand Dancer Milky Way Time-Lapse Video Wows The Web 22 Years of Walking, 17 Years of Silence Farmin’ in the Hood About KarmaTube: KarmaTube is a collection of inspiring videos accompanied by simple actions every viewer can take. We invite you to get involved. Other CharityFocus Projects: DailyGood // Conversations // iJourney // HelpOthers MovedByLove // CF Sites // Karma Kitchen // More Thank you for helping us spread the good. This newsletter now reaches 38,306 subscribers.

The Essence of a Great Presentation

Success is ultimately about connection, not perfection. — Whitney Johnson

~~~~ Tip of the Day: “A few months ago when I had worked with Macy in the recording studio, I found the circumstances even more daunting. Nearly every time I began to play, my mind would start churning: ‘I’m not a professional musician. I’m going to make a lot of mistakes. The audience/album producer/recording engineer will think I’m lousy. I am lousy. I am going to let Macy down. Why did I think I could do this?’ I’ve come to realize that my mental stumbling started when the performances stopped being about providing a musical foundation for Ms. Robison and creating a good experience for the audience — and became about me. As soon as my focus shifted to ‘How am I doing?’ ‘Do I sound good?’ ‘Do they like me?’ nerves inevitably took over.” Business author and advisor Whitney Johnson shares about the art of presentations. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169B65A:C3009629A010612C4CBE04D379FC0253B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: “Perfection is a goal somewhere in the future, totality is an experience herenow. Totality is not a goal, it is a style of life.” An interesting reflection from Osho. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169B65B:C3009629A010612C4CBE04D379FC0253B4B847859706E37D&

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Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications

In the Pursuit of Happy

Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness. — Chuang Tzu

~~~~ Tip of the Day: “Happiness is defined as a sense of well being, a feeling of joy or delight, and a state of balance and contentment. However, it is easy to confuse intensity, pursuing pleasure, and thrill seeking with joy, delight and contentment. The qualities of happiness include having a sense of freedom to make choices; being loved and giving love; acting in kind and compassionate ways; and seeing life in a context greater than oneself and being connected to the ‘big picture’ and/or ‘greater good’ through purpose, meaning and service. True happiness seems to be more related to one’s state of mind than to your circumstances or the impact of transitory, external events. That is why you can impact your level of happiness by your thoughts, emotions, attention, awareness, and actions.” Dr. William B. Stewart, author of “Deep Medicine,” shares further. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169B4F1:C3009629A010612C7E400DB610C58249B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Make a conscious effort to impact your level of happiness by internal means: thoughts, emotions, attention, and awareness.

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Quote of the Week | Rejoicing Generates Good Will

Learn More | Books and Audio | The Pema Chödrön Foundation

Teachings by Pema Chödrön, taken from works published by Shambhala Publications. Photo by ©Andrea Roth. Forwarded from a friend? You can subscribe to this e-mail emailList, and be sure to include both your old and new addresses. If you no longer wish to receive the Heart Advice e-mails, click here. If you can’t see the images, click here.