Sangha of Auspicious Companions

May 17, 2021

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David Hoffman: A Positive View

David Hoffman’s career in filmmaking goes back over 58 years. “I picked up a camera in 1964 and found that from behind the camera, I could ask questions and find out things I didn’t know about, or that scared me…By the time I was 25 I was getting opportunities to interview really big folks. And every chance I could come up with I focused on what “ordinary” people would say to me — people I began to call ordinary –extraordinary. I found that everyone had at least one great story to tell…

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Be The Change

When you can remember, as youre talking with someone, ask yourself, Is there something more this person would like to say? Hold that space in your listening and see where it leads.

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May 16, 2021

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Burned Pages Don’t Lie: A Genealogy Search

“A genealogy search can yield many things and go down many paths, but at its core, it is a story waiting to be told and a person to tell it.” Ten years ago, artist Pat Benincasa, received a unique mission, one that arrived in the form of a charred book of Italian love poems. It had belonged to her grandfather. “What was he doing with this book and why was it burned?” What follows is the story of Pat’s quest. { read more }

Be The Change

Join an intimate circle with Pat in conversation with journalist and genealogy researcher, Nathalie Zett next week: Family Stories, Timeless Connections. More details and RSVP info here. { more }

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May 15, 2021

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To Heal the Human Heart

The science of empathy is now one of the most celebrated subjects of psychological and neuro-psychological enquiry and it has the potential to transform human society in spectacular ways. For instance, if a human being’s central nervous system carries blueprints for empathy, and if the health and vitality of one’s empathy circuits depend on one’s environment from conception through adulthood, what does that mean about our moralistic judgments of good and evil, and of punishment and reward? This well-written piece on the latest findings on empathy and on its limitations offers some surprising and heartening answers. { read more }

Be The Change

The next time someone irritates you with something they said, try to understand where they may be coming from and how they may be feeling. Can you try to respond with compassion instead of anger?

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May 14, 2021

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Please Touch the Art

This compelling video tells the story of an artist, Andrew Myers, who is so moved by a blind man’s joy at “feeling” three dimensional art that he is inspired to create three dimensional portraits to be experienced by people who are blind or visually impaired. Why is touching artwork so taboo? According to the producers of the film, “Prior to the mid-1800s, tactile interaction was commonplace for visitors experiencing collections of art, but as museums of art evolved, rules forbidding touch became the norm.” In this film, Myers surprises George Wurtzel, a blind artisan working in wood, with a portrait. Wurtzel delights in sharing his portrait with his visually impaired students at Enchanted Hills Camp as he teaches them by example how to work as a blind artisan. Wurtzel’s philosophy that “your life is what you decide it will be” permeates the film. { read more }

Be The Change

Make some time today to listen to the extraordinary musical talents of young people from the Academy of Music for the Blind, who provided the music for this video. { more }

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May 13, 2021

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The Spell of the Sensuous

David Abram’s book, “The Spell of the Sensuous” draws on diverse sources, ranging from Balinese shamanism, and Apache storytelling, to his own experience as an accomplished sleight-of-hand of magician to surface the subtle and far-reaching influence of the natural environment on human cognition. Here is a selection of powerful excerpts from the book. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, learn about Abram’s work with the Alliance for Wild Ethics here. { more }

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May 12, 2021

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Tapping into the Wisdom of the Gut

“Even though Ive long held a holistic view of life, my scientific career has ultimately taken me full circle, from a reductionistic focus on the biology of brain-gut interactions required for succeeding in my career as a neuroscientist, back to the concept of the interconnectedness of the health of humans and of the environment, and the microbiome, with diet and the mind playing the key role in these connections. To understand its complexity and to identify a way out of our current crisis, this concept comes with a requirement for an ecological and systems view of food, health, and the environment. A conversation is constantly unfolding within us, influenced by our thoughts and emotions, our lifestyle, and the food we eat; the exchange between these factors occurs as a circular process in which the brain influences the gut microbial signals which then feeds back to the brain and body.” Emeran A. Mayer, scientist, physician and author of ‘The Mind-Gut Connection,’ shares more. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with Mayer. RSVP info and more details here. { more }

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May 11, 2021

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Learning from Navajo Nation’s Generosity in a Pandemic

“Last year, the Irish people raised nearly $2 million dollars for the Navajo and Hopi Nations so they could protect themselves from the pandemic. At the time, the infection rate in the Navajo community — 2,304 cases per 100,000 was the highest in the country. It was a show of thanks to Native Americans for a $170 gift sent by the Choctaw to the Irish people at the height of the potato famine in 1847. These last few weeks, as COVID set India aflame in a profound surge, Navajo Nation continued the cycle of generosity forward by gathering PPE to send to India via the Indian embassy in Washington, D.C. This may seem like a feel-good story about pandemic generosity. And it is. But there is another perspective…” This thoughtful NPR piece surfaces the urgent need for strong social safety nets, and for people in power to insist on global solidarity and health care equity. { read more }

Be The Change

Learn more about the Heal Initiative’s inspiring work in Navajo Nation here. { more }

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