Sangha of Auspicious Companions

This week, noteworthy change-makers from more than 15+ countries are gathering at the Gandhi Ashram in India to collectively hold deep questions at the intersection of social change and inner transformation. Some of them are influencers whose work has impacted billions, while some are invisible ladders whose “deepcast” efforts are vividly felt by the world — and all of whom find themselves exploring different social operating systems in response to today’s poly-crises.

With stories from luminaries, songs by renowned artists, and performances by children at the Gandhi Ashram, we hope to do our bit to elevate the collective field for the planet — and would love for you to share your blessings as well.

Vinoba Bhave, Gandhi’s successor in India, shared an almost prophetic quote many decades ago:

“To progress, society doesn’t need ‘leaders’ anymore. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have great men amidst us. I think great men will come and they will be vital for progress of humanity, but they will be so great that they will refuse to take up this position of leadership. […] When we will all see our role in society as servants, we will all light up the sky together like countless stars on a dark night. Don’t think of society as the sky on a full moon night. The moon’s harsh light blinds us to the true and humble work of the stars. But on a moonless night, the true servants shine forth, as though they are connected invisibly in this vast and infinite cosmos.”

January 13, 2024

a project of ServiceSpace

Extraordinary Ordinary People

Around the world, an army of unsung heroes are upon us. These are not saints, but very human individuals, who, bolstered by their engaged spirituality, have surfaced deep contributions to the fabric of their communities, fields, and the world at large. “A lot of the reporting on religion is often negative. It’s about abuse, it’s about corruption, it’s about the decline of a particular institutional religion,” notes Donald Miller, Professor of Religion at University of Southern California (USC). Yet through Miller’s work around the globe, he met remarkable, down to earth exemplars of humanity whose diverse faiths supported their service in the world, even in the sobering context of genocide, poverty, and human rights. “I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to try to document an alternative story about religion and the role of religion,” Miller states. And so the Spiritual Exemplars Project was born. Housed in USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC), with support from the John Templeton Foundation, a team of researchers, academics, journalists, and filmmakers collectively highlighted 104 humanitarians from 42 countries and diverse faith traditions in articles, podcasts, and visual stories. Their stories unveil the embodied practice and living spark of, in Miller’s words, “purpose-driven human beings whose vision is enlivened through their spiritual practice.” { read more }

Be The Change

Experiment with doing inner and out work in equal parts today.

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 154,002 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More