Sangha of Auspicious Companions

January 22, 2018

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Between Medicine and Music

Robert Gupta has played the violin all his life, studying at Juilliard and joining the LA Philharmonic at 19, but he also holds a very special interest in neurobiology and mental health. Throughout his adult life, Robert has walked a bridge between medicine and music, but the journey to get there was a long one. In his TED Talk, Robert talks about the effects music has on the brain, telling stories about his interactions with the homeless and more. He even started a street symphony to offer the homeless, veterans with PTSD, and others musical support to help them heal — even if it’s just for a little bit.
{ read more }

Be The Change

How can you use music to bring light to somebody else’s life this week?
Share one way that music has helped you through a situation in your life.
What is one way you can show compassion for someone else this week?

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January 21, 2018

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A Doctor For Life: Ann Petru

Dr. Petru was just starting out as a young doctor when the AIDs epidemic began. She recalls, “As I started seeing a few kids with HIV, my boss and mentor in Infectious Disease at Children’s Oakland said, ‘I take care of the Department. I run the show. You figure out what to do for these kids.'” Petru couldn’t imagine not taking care of these kids, she told me. 35 years later, Co-Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Director of the Pediatric HIV AIDS Program, Infection Control Officer and head of the Ethics Committee at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, Dr. Petru is still working a 60 – 70 hour week and trying to raise money on her own time for the children’s HIV program. If it wouldn’t upset her to be called a saint, it’s what I’d call her.
{ read more }

Be The Change

Have you ever been in a spot where something difficult is asked of you and you felt moved to accept the challenge? Or if you passed it by, maybe there’s something similar on a smaller scale not far away you could say “yes” to.

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January 20, 2018

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Community-Led Initiatives that Are Protecting the Natural World

In 2008, Ecuador’s leadership rewrote its constitution to include the rights of nature, effectively awarding legal rights to the environment. Indigenous communities have recognized the rights of nature for thousands of years, but Ecuador was the first country to make it a constitutional right by awarding ecosystems legal rights to protect the environment and its people. It was a seminal moment for the fast-growing environmental movement. The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), based in Mercersburg Pennsylvania, has been at the forefront of the rights of nature movement since its inception. In 2006, the group worked with the Pennsylvania community of Tamaqua Borough to pass a rights of nature law to protect against toxic sludge being dumped on local farmland. The group has been involved in dozens of grassroots campaigns till date, including in Ecuador. { read more }

Be The Change

Do one small act in the coming week that acknowledges and respects the rights of a piece of nature where you live, such as collect trash from the roadside during one of your morning walks or leaving a strip of grass in your yard uncut.

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January 19, 2018

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The Myth of the Risk-Taker

What is the one common attribute that’s consistently found among wildly successful people? Money? High education? Lucky breaks? According to Adam Grant, a psychology professor, best-selling author, and researcher in the realm of originality, a love of learning is the key to finding success. It all starts with curiosity. To challenge what is already the norm. To go against the grain and put our energy toward invention and discovery, requires a fascination with the unknown. It requires trying again and again, until originality in a world full of conformity can be found. What about risk-taking? Should we also teeter on the edge of uncertainty and instability? Some interesting evidence suggests otherwise. Success and creativity don’t have to mean huge risks. For the full conversation on non-conformity, creativity and success, read on. { read more }

Be The Change

Is there something in your life – any system or way of doing things – that you’re only doing because that’s the norm? Have you wondered about another way? And what you may be able to create if you step away from normality, into originality?

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January 18, 2018

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Five Limits Your Brain Puts on Generosity

When we give, we receive. Altruism is something that humans feel the benefit of. We can be incredibly empathetic. But what about the times when we aren’t? Science has the answer. The brain actually puts certain limits – boundaries – on our expressions of good-natured giving. Learn about these 5 heart blocking brain responses. Awareness of these limits may allow us to stretch beyond them, and outside of ourselves, to deepen our capacity for generosity.

{ read more }

Be The Change

Next time you catch yourself pulled between focusing on you or another person, pin point which of these 5 brain mechanisms are at play. Notice whether your awareness helps shift your response.

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January 17, 2018

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Patrick O’Malley: Getting Grief Right

In this interview from “Insights from the Edge,” grief counselor Patrick O’Malley discusses “closure,” his journey, and his approach to grief, which diverges from the traditional five-stage grief model created by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. { read more }

Be The Change

What is one way you can listen to someone with compassion this week?

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January 16, 2018

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The Gifts of Imperfection

Have you ever wondered what makes it easier for some folks to bounce back from difficulties than others? Resilience, or the ability to overcome adversity, includes 5 core components: resourcefulness, help-seeking, the belief that they can do something to help manage their feelings and to cope, availability of social support, and connections with others. But there’s more to the stories of those who cultivate Wholehearted lives despite the stress, anxiety, and trauma they face. In this article, psychologist Brene Brown discusses how spirituality ultimately shapes our ability to bounce back from life’s greatest challenges. “Without exception, spirituality the belief in connection, a power greater than self, and interconnections grounded in love and compassion emerged as a component of resilience.” { read more }

Be The Change

Which component of resilience most resonates with you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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