Sangha of Auspicious Companions

December 4, 2021

a project of ServiceSpace

The Power of Giving

“Fariba Safai and Ashley Smith were still students at CCA when they decided to do something radical. They decided to prepare a large batch of home made soup (from a favorite recipe of Faribas mother), to construct a cart able to wheel a very large stainless steel pot along a sidewalk, and to make their way to Union Square in San Francisco on Black Friday[the day after Thanksgiving and largest shopping day of the year] where they would offer free bowls of soup to any and all. Ehren Tool, a marine who served in Iraq, upon finishing his tour of duty, enrolled at UC Berkeley to study ceramics in the Art Department. There he learned to throw on the wheel and found himself engaged in a new mission: making and giving away thousands of handmade ceramic cups. Each was shaped like a tea bowl and sometimes accompanied by a letter. And each cup was impressed with military emblems and images such as bombs, rifles and gas masks. Tool refers to himself as a war awareness artist. What struck me most strongly about these three artists is that they were all giving their work away, no strings attached. In the context of the art world, art that shocks is standard fare. But the kind of shock one expects from “shocking art” is something disturbing, not something that takes you out of your expectations and leaves you feeling grateful. Here was a new kind of shock, the shock of service, of giving, of generosity.” What follows is a dialog with these intriguing artists. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, read an excerpt from Lewis Hyde’s book, “The Gift.”

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December 3, 2021

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Heart Light in Dark Times

“I’ve been reflecting on the environmental crisis, and as I do, I find myself in the darkness, as I imagine we all are to some degree. And that says something, something we shouldnt brush aside or try to make go away. This is a place for sharing truth — and the truth right now is darkness. I sometimes reflect on how I’ve been practicing meditation, morality, restraint, generosity, sharing, and simplicity for more than forty years with as much integrity as possible. I shouldn’t have to feel this bad, this hopeless, this guilty. Yet when I look at this crisis, I’m in the dark.” Ajahn Sucitto shares more in this thoughtful and timely exploration of darkness, loss, truth-telling, and the guiding light of the heart. { read more }

Be The Change

Take a moment to tune into the light of your heart today.

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The Well of Being

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December 2, 2021

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The Well of Being

The Well of Being is an exquisite ‘children’s book for adults,’ one that encompasses the journey of life from the Big Bang, to this very moment that we find (or lose) ourselves in. Jean-Pierre Weill spent three years writing and illustrating this book about himself– and perhaps everyone. Playful and profound in its approach to the human condition, Weill’s words and whimsical drawings reveal the multiple ways in which we create narratives about ourselves and the world, and then proceed to confine ourselves within them. Why live in the cramped quarters of anxious self-doubt and unsettled expectation when there is a way out? All it takes is remembering. Remembering that we are already possessed of that which we seek, and that within us lies the unstinting well… of being. Watch and be enchanted by this gorgeous animated version of Weill’s timeless book. { read more }

Be The Change

Join a special circle with Jean-Pierre Weill and family on Sunday December 12th! The circle will include a special reading of Weill’s brand new book, “Evolve,” and an interactive dialog around what it takes to live at the creative edge of one’s own evolution. More details and RSVP info here. { more }

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December 1, 2021

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The Nap Ministry: Rest as Resistance

“I think all of these things are working to get us back to our full selves and back to who we are: divine human beings. That’s one of the central ideas of the Nap Ministry: you are not a machine, you are a divine human being. If you knew your divinity, you would not be grinding. You would not allow for grind culture. You wouldn’t allow yourself to miss sleep. If you saw yourself deeply as who you are, you would see the divinity that I see in all people and what drives the work of Nap Ministry. [The Nap Ministry is] for all, but it’s a global movement from a Black lens.” In 2016 Tricia Hersey founded The Nap Ministry. It challenges our notions of laziness and reframes rest as resistance and a form of reparations. { read more }

Be The Change

Make rest a daily practice. Learn more about the Nap Ministry here. { more }

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November 30, 2021

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Transforming Trauma

“This is the timeless wisdom of the shamans, our planet’s oldest indigenous healers, and also of our great religious and spiritual traditions: suffering is the soil in which wisdom and compassion grow; it is the school from which we graduate, committed to healing others’ hurt. Recent scientific studies on post-traumatic growth yield similar conclusions.This is what I know after fifty years of clinical work with traumatized people and from wrestling with and learning from the ordinary challenges and heartbreaking losses of my own long life.” Dr. James Gordon shares more in this excerpt from his book, ‘Transforming Trauma: The Path to Hope and Healing.’ { read more }

Be The Change

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

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November 29, 2021

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The Golden Rule & The Transformation of Being

“The most ancient of principles that binds all religious and philosophical traditions together is what we have come to call ‘The Golden Rule.’ Simple in its statement, its actual practice seems at best fitful and, for many, difficult to impossible, from the level of our ordinary consciousness. To be able to practice the principle even with those we already love is not always easy. To practice it with others with whom such affection is absent is something else.” This article from Parabola magazine shares more. { read more }

Be The Change

Check out The Golden Rule Project here. { more }

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November 28, 2021

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Engraving Trust in the Heart

“The great way is not difficult
for those free of preferences.
Without attachment or aversion,
everything is transparent.”
So begins this lovely translation of Xin Xin Ming (Engraving Trust in the Heart) attributed to Seng Can, the Third Chinese Patriarch of Zen. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, check out this TED talk, “A World Where We Trust Strangers.” { more }

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November 27, 2021

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Radical Self-Care for Survivors of Suicide Loss

“What does self-care mean, and what does it involve? Simply put, it implies — physical, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual care. The very idea of survivors of suicide loss practicing self-care can seem radical. The stigma, shame, secrecy and silence that a survivor faces invisibilizes, erases and marginalizes any of their valid concerns. Equally relevant, most survivors themselves feel they are not entitled to any form of supporteither from themselves or from others. As someone who had just survived suicide loss, Cheryl Richardson’s The Art of Extreme Self-Care was a milestone in my path toward recovery and healing. ” Nandini Murali, author of “Left Behind: Surviving Suicide Loss,” shares more. { read more }

Be The Change

What does self-care mean to you and how does it manifest in your life? If so inspired, share the above article with someone who might benefit from it.

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