Sangha of Auspicious Companions

February 14, 2022

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Robert Lax: A Life Slowly Lived

“Robert Lax was an American writer and poet who developed a unique style of abstract poetry, described by Jack Kerouac as ‘one of the great original voices of our time’. He was also a contemplative who, outside of a formal monastic context, adopted a lifestyle based upon simplicity and prayer which was an inspiration to his many friends and visitors. Thomas Merton, his closest friend, immortalised him in his best-selling book, The Seven Storey Mountain. In the mid-1960s Lax abandoned his career in New York to live on the Greek islands of Kalymnos and Patmos, seeking ‘to put himself in a place where grace could flow’. In this article, Robert Hirschfield presents a central aspect of his spirituality — living slowly. { read more }

Be The Change

Step into the practice of slowness today. For more inspiration, check out this post on, “The Art of Slowing Down.” { more }

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February 13, 2022

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The Really Terrible Orchestra

“Some years ago, a group of frustrated people in Scotland decided that the pleasure of playing in an orchestra should not be limited to those who are good enough to do so, but should be available to the rankest of amateurs. So we founded the Really Terrible Orchestra, an inclusive orchestra for those who really want to play, but who cannot do so very well. Or cannot do so at all, in some cases. My own playing set the standard.” Beloved writer Alexander McCall Smith is a founding member of the ‘Really Terrible Orchestra.” He shares more about this delightful initiative and its unexpected success here. { read more }

Be The Change

Do something in the spirit of an enthusiastic amateur today – and every day.

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February 12, 2022

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The Power of Placebos

“Since the 1800s, the word placebo has been used to refer to a fake treatment, meaning one that does not contain any active, physical substance. Today, placebos play a crucial role in medical studies in which some participants are given the treatment containing the active ingredients of the medicine, and others are given a placebo. These types of studies help tell researchers which medicines are effective, and how effective they are. Surprisingly, however, in some areas of medicine, placebos themselves provide patients with clinical improvement.” { read more }

Be The Change

If the placebo effect has you intrigued, check out this list of 10 other phenomena that science can’t quite explain. { more }

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February 11, 2022

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Hargila: A Story of Love & Conservation

In an age of massive global extinctions, a remarkable wildlife biologist in Indias Northeast shows the life-saving impact of simple, direct local action. When Dr. Purnima Devi Barman decided to dedicate herself to the survival of the Hargila, Assam’s resident greater adjutant crane, the local population in Guwahati was a mere 20 nests. The scruffy, prehistoric bird was detested and routinely killed in Assam, which is home to most of the world’s endangered Hargila population. Her women’s conservation movement, called the Hargila Army, has grown that population to more than 200 nests. Dr. Barman’s work is beautifully captured by photographer Gerrit Vyn and videographer Andy Johnson of the Cornell University Ornithology Lab. The film reveals the awkward beauty of these birds, which may have evolved as far back as 15 million years ago, as well as their present peril. { read more }

Be The Change

What conservation need pulls at your heart that you can devote yourself to in your neighborhood or in the world? Begin now!

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February 10, 2022

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Trauma, the Body and 2021

“When Krista Tippett interviewed the psychiatrist and trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk for the first time, his book The Body Keeps the Score was about to be published. She described him then as “an innovator in treating the effects of overwhelming experiences on people and society.” She catches up with him in 2021 — as we are living through one vast overwhelming experience after the other. And The Body Keeps the Score is now one of the most widely read books in the pandemic world. His perspective is utterly unique and very practically helpful — on what’s been happening in our bodies and our brains, and how that relationship can become severed and restored.” { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, check out this article on ‘How to Hardwire Resilience into the Brain.’ { more }

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February 9, 2022

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The Gurukul System of Training: An Indigenous Pedagogy

“It all began with a simple yet deep dissatisfaction when I was 20. On the first day of my first job, I spurned the possibility of how my time would be spent. With a clear intuition that I did not want to engage in commercial work whose end was just financial transactions; an inward journey had unknowingly begun. The discomfort, which was actually a yearning for something more than the perceivable life around me, continued. This search led me to a Place and a Person which turned and churned my life around. I was all of 23 years of age, with barely any life experiences, but with a gut feeling of what I did not want from my life; when I serendipitously landed at a Gurukul (home of the master) in the midst of a jungle, in a beautiful valley in Maharashtra, India. I went there with an intention to train in classical Indian dance. Little did I know that the intent to train in an art form would churn a whirlwind of changes to my life.” Dancer Miti Desai shares more about her experiences in the Gurukul system of training. { read more }

Be The Change

Learn more about Miti’s journey and work in this interview. { more }

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February 8, 2022

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Alicia Doyle: Fighting Chance

“My boxing career doesn’t have the typical fairy tale ending. I quit after my first and only professional match. I never won a world title or a championship belt in the pros. The crescendo of my story doesn’t end with my arm raised victorious in the ring. My wins came after I left the roped-off square, when I had a chance to contemplate the lessons I learned in the fight game. These lessons, which transcended into epiphanies, are my greatest reward.” Alicia Doyle is an award-winning journalist who discovered boxing at age 28 in the late 1990s when she went on assignment at a boxing gym for at-risk youth called Kid Gloves. During her boxing career, Alicia won two Golden Gloves championship titles and earned three wins by knockout–and her pro debut at age 30 in the year 2000 was named The California Female Fight of the Year. What follows is an excerpt from her award-winning book,”Fighting Chance.” { read more }

Be The Change

Join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with Alicia Doyle! More details and RSVP info here. { more }

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