Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Year of Dancing with Life – Week 27

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Week 27: Starting Over To receive Phillip’s weekly teaching, click here: http://www.lifebalanceinstitute.com/ dharmawisdom/dancing-with-life/ teaching/starting-over 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.

Kindness Daily: Easter Kindness Amongst the HelpOthers Community

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Easter Kindness Amongst the HelpOthers Community April 9, 2012 – Posted by Smile Groups Some beautiful stories of Easter acts of kindness, as reported by Smile Group members of HelpOthers.org … trionafaye shared: "Made some Easter sugar cookies. Shared them with the staff at the nursing home for the great care they provide for my mother but to offer them a little treat, as they have worked the Easter holiday." wooka85257 shared:"made my 93 year old mother an Easter basket and set it on her walker to find in the morning. She was like a little kid… exclaiming over all the chocolates and the goodies inside. Happy, happy!" HappinessCountsT shared:"Helped my mom to set up my little sisters princess Easter basket. I also gave her old pink Easter basket cause she’s turning four years old on Tuesday" HappyDae shared:"Put a little Easter Basket of candy on the kitchen table with an "I love you" card for my sweet husband to find. He was so surprised…Big Smile!!" Jennypoo shared:"My son and I hid colorful plastic eggs filled with messages of kindness, stickers and a small chocolate around our local park." HappyDae shared:"Preparing Easter dinner for friends/family and all acquaintances who do not have family know from the past that our Welcome Mat is out and THEY are our family and invited to join us." Lindteggs shared:"My friend and I bought around 20 chocolate eggs from Waterstones and Thorntons and gave them out to strangers who looked like they needed cheering up. :)" Synergy shared:"Today I started my Easter preparation by giving little chocolate Easter bunnies to people, especially older ones. Our physical age is not important when it comes to having fun with our inner child." 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 The Wall Outside the Window, by Purvi Children Have The Best Hearts, by ljcrowefamily Thank you for your kindness!, by ieiblue Family Kindness Journal, by Yvonne Bystander No More, by Michelle 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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How to Attend A Conference As Yourself

To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don’t disturb your mind with seeking. — Nisargadatta Maharaj

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Good News of the Day:
“I often feel awkward when I go to a conference. Reluctant to sidle up to a stranger and introduce myself, I roam, like I did at college parties, self-conscious, seltzer water in hand, not fitting in. In the midst of a sea of people chatting away enthusiastically, I am uncomfortable and alone. But when my plane from New York landed in Austin, Texas for South By Southwest, the music, film, and interactive conference, I was excited. I was speaking on a panel and, since everyone told me SXSW is a blast, I had given myself an extra day to explore the conference. But it didn’t play out like I had hoped.” In this candid post, leadership expert Peter Bregman describes an unsettling conference experience that ultimately led him to valuable insights on what happens when we substitute our insidious dependence on external roles for the simplicity of — presence.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB29B:C3009629A010612C86101E3D571D8544B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Practice being fully present in new surroundings. [For those who couldn’t access yesterday’s DailyGood on “Building a Muscular Empathy”, click:
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB29C:C3009629A010612C86101E3D571D8544B4B847859706E37D&

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Smile Newsletter: A Simple Bowl to Drink From

Apr 8, 2012 “The best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi “I made time to thank all of my friends in my life. Although I didn’t mention their names explicitly, I declared why I love and respect them in a common email.” — Bluxless [ share your story >> ] You can also contribute comments on each story! The Gift Of Time To An Upset Student >> A Simple Bowl To Drink From >> A Table for Three >> More Stories >> “Knowing that we are all interdependent and interconnected,that all people desire to be safe and free, that we all desire appreciation and respect, and that we all deserve the best that we can give to one another. That is what motives my kindness.” — Hollysings 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, 1,020,869 cards have been shipped without any charge. The ‘Smiles’ newsletter is emailed to 89,370 subscribers with the intent of spreading more smiles in the world. You can unsubscribe anytime. get smile cards | donate | write to us

Building a ‘Muscular Empathy’

Everyone adds something to a situation by their actions and words. The very first things said or done, will quickly decide what happens next, positive or negative. Be patient and empathetic, and the direction usually goes positive. — Gary Rudz

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Inspiration of the Day:
“‘We judge others by their behavior. We judge ourselves by our intentions.’ In attempting to empathize, we’re actually missing the point if we are judging at all. Because then we are more concerned with being knowledgeable, being right — or even being good — than we are with actually feeling another person’s reality. But even moral imagination, operating creatively from a place of first putting myself in another’s shoes, while crucial, is only the beginning. To effect a lasting change in perception and understanding, I have to actually experience another’s reality as if it were my own. The good news is that scientific research increasingly shows that a part of the brain already does exactly that.” An insightful reflection on building a ‘muscular empathy.’
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB247:C3009629A010612C5F9976EECABDAB62B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Work on building your empathy muscles today: listen, feel, relate, and respond to someone’s needs.

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The Power of Self-Compassion

If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

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Good News of the Day:
Are you your own worst critic? It’s common to beat ourselves up for faults big and small. But according to psychologist and author Kristin Neff, that self-criticism comes at a price. For the last decade, Neff has been a pioneer in the study of “self-compassion,” the revolutionary idea that you can actually be kind to yourself, accept your own faults– and enjoy deep emotional benefits as a result. In this insightful interview she discusses the three core aspects of self-compassion, and shares how poignant experiences, including being the mother of a son diagnosed with autism, helped her better understand the vital importance of kindness towards oneself.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB20A:C3009629A010612C4E4A2A8FC83E1C22B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
This week, experiment with incorporating the three core components of self-compassion that Neff describes in your own life.

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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Dalai Lama Quote of the Week Those training in great love should forsake self-centeredness and engage in the Buddha’s practice, the root of which is compassion. You may be thinking, Love is indeed very profound, but I do not have the skill to practice it; I will focus my efforts on practices aimed at getting myself out of cyclic existence instead. On one hand, this is true, because you should choose a path of development appropriate to your ability. On the other hand, there is great advantage in attempting the highest degree of love you can. Even if you cannot actually implement the practices of love and compassion, merely hearing about them establishes powerful predispositions for future success. This can be amplified by planting prayer-wishes aspiring to altruism. Do not be discouraged; it is difficult to absorb such a profound perspective. Be courageous and think of your future potential. It is particularly important to do the best you can.(p.82) –from How to Expand Love: Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins How to Expand Love• Now at 4O% off!

Video of the Week: Mr. Happy Man

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 Apr 06, 2012 Mr. Happy Man For six hours each day, Bermuda’s Johnny Barnes stands at a busy traffic intersection telling all who pass that he loves them. His delight and sincerity are infectious, and the people of the island love him back. His service is a simple reminder of the power of happiness and loving-kindness to change any day for the better. Share: Related KarmaTube Videos Dance Like No One Is Watching Change for a Dollar I Will Be a Hummingbird How To Be Alone About KarmaTube: KarmaTube is a collection of inspiring videos accompanied by simple actions every viewer can take. We invite you to get involved. Other ServiceSpace Projects: DailyGood // Conversations // iJourney // HelpOthers MovedByLove // CF Sites // Karma Kitchen // More Thank you for helping us spread the good. This newsletter now reaches 42,426 subscribers.

Wisdom From Alice, Age 108

I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. — Anne Frank

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Good News of the Day:
At age 108, Holocaust survivor Alice Herz Sommer still practices piano for 3 hours every day. At age 104, she had a book written about her life: “A Garden Of Eden In Hell.” At age 83, she had cancer. Alice survived the concentration camps through her music, her optimism and her gratitude for the small things that came her way – a smile, a kind word, the sun. When asked about the secret of her longevity, Alice says: “I look where it is good.”
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AAFDA:C3009629A010612C744494726B54F8AEB4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Learn more about the incredible life of Alice Herz Sommer, the oldest living Holocaust survivor.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AAFDB:C3009629A010612C744494726B54F8AEB4B847859706E37D&

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Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Dharma Quote of the Week Meditation, when learned skillfully, can enable a return to awareness of the body, our sensations, and feelings. When we are not given specific guidance to ground our meditation within the body, however, meditation can easily perpetuate a disembodied spiritual practice. This is accentuated if our view of spirituality sees the body as some kind of problem to be transcended. Unfortunately, this view can prevail even within the Buddhist world, despite being counter to the essential principle of mindfulness and presence. When, however, we cultivate the capacity to remain present in our felt experience within the body, our relationship to ourselves changes. We can begin to feel more grounded in our life and more stable in our identity. Engaging in a disembodied spirituality is no solution to our life demands. It may be a way of experiencing states of mind that can be very seductive, even addictive. Seldom does it address the roots of our emotional problems. Transformation comes when we are willing and able to restore or develop a sound relationship to our body in a healthy way. With many Buddhist practices, such as Tantra, this is essential, for the body contains the vitality that is the heart of our innate creative potential. Embodiment therefore implies a full engagement in life with all of its trials and tribulations, rather than avoidance through disembodied spiritual flight. The value of meditation is that it can enable this engagement because it cultivates the capacity to be present and remain open, not grasping at or rejecting what arises. When meditation emphasizes presence rather than transcendence, this openness is a natural outcome.(p.143) –from The Wisdom of Imperfection: The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life by Rob Preece, published by Snow Lion Publications The Wisdom of Imperfection • Now at 5O% off! (Good until April 13th).