Sangha of Auspicious Companions

June 15, 2023

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Curiosity: A Sponge for Terror

“And so I moved from hoping every morning to find myself waking up from a bad dream to realizing that this room and its contents were the only life I had. And this was the body I had to live it with. I started waking up ready to fully live this specific life and get acquainted with what was in many respects a new body every day. I started the day asking, what part of my body works today? What can I do with the part that works? That was thrilling to me: day planning on such a primitive level. As I settled into my new life and its particularities, curiosity replaced fear as my primary ground of being. I wanted to know every little detail about my world. This was because I was beginning to actually take refuge–from despair and hopelessness–in every aspect and feature of my existence.” Darlene Cohen shares more in this powerful essay, about sorrow, spaciousness, pain, and the power of curiosity. { read more }

Be The Change

Practice introducing spaciousness around your thoughts today — particularly any that are fear or anxiety-producing.

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June 14, 2023

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A Dialogue on Consciousness

Bernardo Kastrup is a scientist and philosopher, Swami Sarvapriyananda is a Hindu monk. In this wide-ranging conversation they dialog on Eastern and Western concepts of self and mind, a conversation, “worth watching simply for the extraordinary clarity with which both men articulate a deeply complex concept. But perhaps the most profound point is made by their evident mutual respect for one another. This is a touching exploration of a vital topic and feels particularly important, even nourishing, in the current context of persistent and divisive rhetoric across so many platforms of expression.” { read more }

Be The Change

If inspired, this week engage in dialog with someone whose life experience, background and beliefs differ significantly from your own. Notice what opens up in your own understanding and perception.

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June 13, 2023

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The Deep Cultural Work of Chatter

“The horror of the oral, of stories that lack the luster of the literary, stems in part from the link between old wives’ tales and gossip, or idle chatter. How could these trifles possibly be dignified with print? But gossip has value precisely because it creates opportunities for talking through the emotional entanglements of our social lives. Its participants jointly construct narratives from the stuff of everyday life, spicy plots charged with speculative glee. Gossip takes up a range of topics, among them scandal, which invites us to engage in talk about moral dilemmas and social conflicts. And, more important, it serves as a resource for those without access to other options for securing knowledge, operating as a licensed form of release that may not upend the order of things but still serves as an expressive outlet.” Folklorist Maria Tatar shares more about the surprising and subversive power of gossip in this excerpt from her book,”The Heroine with 1001 Faces.” { read more }

Be The Change

More about Tatar’s book in this interview by the Harvard Gazette. { more }

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Inspiring Links of the Week

June 12, 2023

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Advice from Teens on Social Media Use

“‘What advice would you give to young people who are new to social media?’ ‘Have you ever felt like you need to change your social media use…?’Teens and young adults from across the country answered these questions in a text survey in 2020. Their answers are eye-opening. ‘I would tell young people … the internet is far off from reality and the more time you spend on it, the more you forget what real life is actually like…,’ one person wrote. ‘Don’t let social media control your life or your self-esteem,’ another texted. The study, published in September, reveals a striking awareness about the potential harms social media can have on teenagers’ mental health, but also their persistent attempts to counter these harms.” More in this piece from NPR. { read more }

Be The Change

For more on this topic, check out, “Three Risks of Too Much Screen Time for Teens.” { more }

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June 11, 2023

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Notes on Complexity

Neil Theise is a diagnostic liver pathologist, adult stem cell researcher, complexity theorist, and practicing Zen Buddhist. His book, Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being is,”an electrifying introduction to complexity theory, the science of how complex systems behave, that explains the interconnectedness of all things.” Read on for five key insights from the book in Theise’s words. { read more }

Be The Change

For more, check out this talk by Theise, “We ARE the universe.” { more }

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June 10, 2023

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10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Ice

“1. Despite more than 150 years worth of study and experimentation, no one really knows why ice is slippery.” Amy Brady is Orion magazine’s executive director and the author of ‘Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating RinksA cool history of a hot commodity.’ She shares more in this engaging ten-point piece about a facet of modern life many of us take entirely for granted. { read more }

Be The Change

‘Ice has a memory.’ an Inuit poem reflects on scientific exploration of Greenland in this stunning piece. { more }

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June 9, 2023

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Saving Sea Turtles in the Solomon Islands

The Arnavons, a group of four of the Solomon Islands, are home to the largest nesting site of hawksbill turtles in the South Pacific. Around 1200 hawksbill turtles, named for their narrow heads and sharp beaks, lay eggs here every year. Unfortunately, despite their international protected status, people still hunt them for their flesh and beautiful shells, as well as harvesting their eggs for food. The Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area was established in 1995 to help protect the hawksbills as well as other marine life. Here Willie Atu of the Nature Conservancy describes efforts to save these exquisite creatures. { read more }

Be The Change

The Nature Conservancy has programs around the world to protect nature and protect life. Find out what you can do to help. { more }

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Saving Sea Turtles in the Solomon Islands

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June 8, 2023

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Kabul’s For Women, By Women, Pop Up Cafe

Savory smells waft out of the cloth-walled pop-up restaurant in Kabul. Banowan-e-Afghan is a dine-in restaurant for women, run by women, a rarity in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. While many restaurants have designated family areas where men can only enter if they’re accompanying female relatives, a whole restaurant dedicated to serving and employing women is rare. Many of the women who work here are widows, often the familys sole breadwinner. Two of the female employees prepare the food in their own kitchens and it is brought to the restaurant. If the restaurant does well, owner Samira Muhammadi plans to employ more disadvantaged women and pay better salaries. Ultimately, she wants to make the space larger and hopes to host exhibitions of women’s handicrafts where customers could buy clothes or jewelry directly from the women who made them. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, check out this selection of recent writing from Afghan women. { more }

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