Sangha of Auspicious Companions

February 7, 2023

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Emotional Reappraisal: A Form of Creativity

“Everyday examples of creativity are plentiful: combining leftover food to make a tasty new dish, coming up with a new way to accomplish chores, mixing old outfits to create a new look. Another way you do this is when you practice whats called ’emotional reappraisal’ — viewing a situation through another lens to change your feelings. There is an element of creativity to this: You’re breaking away from your existing perspectives and assumptions and coming up with a new way of thinking.” In the following article Lily Zhu makes a case for creativity as a skill that can be strengthened, even if you consider yourself to be a conventional thinker. { read more }

Be The Change

If inspired to, practice implementing Emotional Reappraisal this week. Notice how/if it shifts your experience.

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Inspiring Links of the Week

February 6, 2023

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Waging Conflict Without Violence: Maria Stephan

“Can nonviolent civil resistance be successful even against the most militarily sophisticated and brutal regimes? My podcast guest this month, political scientist Maria Stephan, says unequivocally ‘yes.’ Co-Lead and Chief Organizer at The Horizons Project and the former Director of the Program on Nonviolent Action at the United States Institute of Peace, Maria is the co-author, with Erica Chenoweth, of the award-winning book, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. The result of two years of research — collecting and analyzing data on over 330 major, violent and nonviolent campaigns — the book makes the case for a surprising conclusion: nonviolent campaigns were actually twice as effective as violent ones in achieving their political goals.” Kern Beare is the founder of the Difficult Conversations Project. In his conversation with Maria Stephan, they delve how the tools and strategies of nonviolent action can be used to counter the authoritarian tendencies prevalent in our world today. { read more }

Be The Change

You can learn more about Kern Beare’s work through this in-depth interview, “Learning to Live Together Via Difficult Conversations.” { more }

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February 5, 2023

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Creatures that Don’t Conform

“In the woods near her home, Lucy Jones discovers the magic of slime molds and becomes entangled in their fluid, nonbinary way of being. Lying at the edge of our understanding, slime molds invite us into their mystery and remind us of the vast possibilities of life on Earth.” { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, check out this essay by Jones, “Pathways in the Urban Wild,” that describes her encounters with wildflowers in the city, and delves into the healing benefits of an attentive relationship with the natural world. { more }

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February 4, 2023

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The Science of a Meaningful Life: Top 10 Insights from 2022

“It’s hard to talk about individual well-being these days without talking about what’s going on in the world, whether that’s the mental health fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, political polarization, or global crises like climate change. All of us are affected by these problems, and that’s reflected in Greater Good’s 2022 selection of top scientific insights. But this research doesn’t just suggest how we might cope with bad situations. These studies also show us the power of connecting, working together, and being open to other perspectives–and the hope for a less gloomy future. The top insights also give us practical ideas of ways to grow, be kind, and find meaning in our everyday lives.” More from the team at Greater Good Science Center. { read more }

Be The Change

Which insights from this post give you the most encouragement? Share them with family and friends today.

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February 3, 2023

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Michael Singer: Living Untethered

“Michael A. Singer is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, and The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Lifes Perfection. His most recent book is Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament. In 1971, while pursuing his doctoral work in economics, he experienced a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a retreat center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, he has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, health care, and environmental protection. In this podcast, Michael joins Sounds Trues founder, Tami Simon, to speak about his latest book. Tami and Michael discuss the first question for the spiritual journey, Are you in there?; the three-ring circus of the outside world, the thoughts in your head, and the emotions that emanate from your heart, witness consciousness and the practice of ‘relax and release’; the art of transmutation; piercing the spiritual heart; and more.” { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, check out this passage, “The Anatomy of Falling,” by Singer. { more }

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The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

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February 2, 2023

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#heartivism: Gently Shaking the World

Today’s activism is often built around an either-or logic — my way or your way, where one way necessarily loses; in our attempts to build a bridge here, we often burn a bridge elsewhere. Heartivism, however, invites us to act from that deeper channel within us, where we are first united by our universality before we are differentiated by our particularities. A heartivist is someone who responds to the suffering of the world without needing an enemy, who unlocks the genius of nonviolence to uncover a “third way” between two “right” positions, who pushes the limits of compassion to design more infinite games that transcend the winner-loser dichotomy. Nipun Mehta’s talk at the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium at University of Pennsylvania draws on the wisdom of Gandhi, Rev. Howard Thurman and Dr. King. Read the transcript here. { read more }

Be The Change

Practice an act of Heartivism today. Do an act of service that benefits the giver as much as the receiver.

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February 1, 2023

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The Art of Budo

“In my lifelong spiritual quest, I have read hundreds of sutras; plowed through pages and pages of philosophical texts; grappled with koan collections; analyzed thousands of poems; searched through biographies; meditated for hours; and interacted with many teachers, good and bad. However, I have gained the most from the contemplation, appreciation, and inspiration of the “ink tracings” of the great masters.” John Budo shares more about the calligraphy and paintings of the martial arts masters in this piece. { read more }

Be The Change

Today, if so inspired, make an effort to practice “in little things.”

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