Sangha of Auspicious Companions

May 13, 2012

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An 18 Year Old’s Ode to the Ordinary

“The ordinary…is the part of our world where beauty is interlaced in each detail…It’s the part of our world that can knock our socks off…but so many of us walk by everyday, never knowing, never caring…But some see…” This lovely 7-minute video on the blessing of vision — both metaphorically and explicitly — was filmed by Dietrich Ludwig, an eighteen year old on a budget of $25, using only a digital SLR and an iPhone. { read more }

Be The Change

Quick! Look at an ordinary thing right in front of you — whatever it happens to be — and find the beauty in the detail.

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May 12, 2012

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Gleaning for the Greater Good

“An old-fashioned concept — gleaning for the greater good by harvesting unwanted or leftover produce from farms or family gardens — is making a comeback during these continued lean economic times. In cities, rural communities, and suburbs across the country, volunteer pickers join forces to collect bags and boxes of fruits and vegetables that find their way to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries, as well as senior centers, low-income homes, and school lunch programs. Where some may see excess, others see opportunity — the chance to make a difference, feed the hungry, and avoid waste. It’s a win-win-win all round.” This article shares more about how it all works. { read more }

Be The Change

Consider what collective resources are around you, and see how you can leverage them for the greater good.

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Mother Trees Connect the Forest

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May 11, 2012

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Small-town Doctor, Big-time Hero

Rushville, Illinois is a small town where sunflowers wave in the wind. One of its claims to fame is Dr. Russell Dohner. A man who has been looking after his neighbors for 55 years, charging them about what we pay for a fancy cup of coffee: five bucks a visit. “In a mercenary world,” a waiting patient told me, “this place is an oasis.” Dohner will go anywhere, at any time, to help those in need, often arriving before emergency crews. He once saved a small boy from smothering to death in a corncrib, once climbed down into a coal mine to help rescue four men. The only times he’s ever closed his clinic was when he broke his back, and when he had a heart attack. More about this beloved doctor, who at 85 still continues to heal his community. { read more }

Be The Change

With Dr. Dohner as inspiration, make a special effort today to reach out to someone in your neighborhood with a caring gesture.

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THE DISCIPLINE OF LIGHTENING UP

Discipline is important. When we sit down to meditate, we are encouraged to stick with the technique and be faithful to the instruction, but within that container of discipline, why do we have to be so harsh? Do we meditate because we “should”?

How we regard what arises in meditation is training for how we regard whatever arises in the rest of our lives. So the challenge is how to develop compassion right along with clear seeing, how to train in lightening up and cheering up rather than becoming more guilt-ridden and miserable.

May 10, 2012

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15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

“We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering — and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy — we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go.” Dana Sauvic, a student of the arts, economics and spirituality reflects on 15 commonplace impediments to joy that we often unwittingly carry around with us, and urges us to release them. { read more }

Be The Change

What can you give up in your own life that is keeping you from joy? Try removing it just for today.

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May 9, 2012

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How to Stop Labels from Becoming Judgments

“A yoga teacher of mine was describing a class he held for girls struggling with anorexia. He asked them to stand hip-width and was shocked when all of them were standing with their feet as wide as the yoga mat. Their physical bodies were much thinner than what their mental perceptions told them. It isn’t something that just afflicts these girls — all of us fall prey to believing labels that define our self-image. The problem isn’t in the labels themselves, but in how conscious we are of them. Labels are just a mental shorthand for leveraging past experience, and preparing us for what lies in store. But when I am unconscious of these labels, I start believing them to be the full truth, when in reality they merely reflect my own conditioning. Then, instead of giving me a head start on gaining more information, labels collapse my experience and actually limit my opportunities to grow.” On the neurobiology of labeling: { read more }

Be The Change

Today, observe your own tendency to label your experiences and even other people.

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In just a few days my new book Emotional Chaos to Clarity will be available in bookstores. I want to share with you why I wrote the book and ask for your support in spreading the word about it.

Emotional Chaos to Clarity is the culmination of the various wisdom practices I have taught over the past 17 years. The inspiration to write this book came from my students, who have repeatedly asked me to create a map of my teachings to guide them in living the dharma in daily life. Emotional Chaos to Clarity begins with an explanation of why intention and mindfulness are essential if you want to have a greater sense of well-being in your life. It then leads you through a series of empowering practices that help you cultivate clarity. Next, the book shows how these practices can support you in developing skillful behaviors, including learning to make wise decisions and navigate change successfully. The last section of the book contains practices for uprooting the causes of chaos in your life.

At the end of each chapter, I offer a self-assessment exercise or supplemental practice to assist you in applying the teachings more specifically to your life. Naturally, Emotional Chaos to Clarity incorporates stories and examples from the lives of many of my students, as well as my own. I did not hold back: I write about how to live with difficulty and darkness in your life, how to work with compulsions, how to stop doing violence to yourself, and much more. It is truly a handbook for wise living. Many of you have heard me speak about the importance of the imaginative possible in personal transformation — it is my hope that this book will lead you to experience your own moment of the imaginative possible.

As you know, traditional book publishers are struggling to compete in the new world of electronic and social networking media, so bringing Emotional Chaos to Clarity to the attention of people who might benefit from reading it is a challenge. Also, I’m a very private person and have shied away from participating in social media. Therefore, I need your help in letting people know about this practical guide to well-being. If you’re willing to lend a hand, there are a series of things you can do, beginning with deciding for yourself if the book is worthy of your effort. If you find that it is, then please help by doing any of the following:

• Visit the Emotional Chaos to Clarity Facebook page and “Like” it.

• Recommend or blog about the book in other social media you use frequently. And if you know of a social media site where it would be appropriate to draw attention to Emotional Chaos to Clarity, please let Kathryn Arnold, the creative director at the Life Balance Institute, know about it.

• Email those friends you think might find the book valuable. (I receive a number of such emails myself and find them useful.)

• Go to Amazon and write a review.

• Finally, mention the book when you visit bookstores in your area.

Thank you considering my request, and I hope you enjoy the book.

Phillip Moffitt

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, May 19, I will be leading a daylong retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center based on Emotional Chaos to Clarity. The proceeds for the day will benefit Spirit Rock. Find out more on the Spirit Rock Web site.

VISIT the Emotional Chaos to Clarity Web site to access these additional resources:

Emotional Chaos to Clarity Study Guide for Book Groups

Emotional Chaos to Clarity 52 Weekly Teachings

A schedule of my book teaching tour. I will be teaching in these cities — Chicago, Denver, New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver,
Washington, D.C. — and more.

Copyright (C) 2012 Life Balance Institute. All rights reserved.