Sangha of Auspicious Companions

July 26, 2017

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Life Lessons from Masterchef Nun Jeong Kwan

“Jeong Kwan is a Buddhist nun and renowned cook who brings people home to themselves in her kitchen and garden. Anyone who refers to her garden as my playground and to the plants as her children has a perspective on gardening, cooking and life that resonates deep within me. Kwan resides at the Chunjinam hermitage of the Baekyangsa temple, 169 miles south of Seoul, South Korea where she cooks vegan meals for her community. She was also the unlikely guest on Chefs Table in February 2017.” In this beguiling piece a writer reflects on the intersection between her life and the rich teachings of Jeong Kwan’s approach to the garden, the kitchen and more. { read more }

Be The Change

Reflect on your relationship to food and the process by which it comes to your table. This week practice preparing, sharing and eating your meals with mindfulness. For more inspiration join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with Anil Ananthaswamy, an award-winning science writer who uses neuroscience to explore the nature of the self. RSVP and more details here. { more }

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July 25, 2017

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Free Art — A Conversation with Dickson Schneider

Seven years had gone by and suddenly I knew it was time to give Dickson a call. It was time to find out what had happened with his free art project. It was a radical step and when I first heard about it, I thought, “If he’s still doing it in five years, its going to be seriously interesting.” And now more than five years had passed. I gave him a call. “It’s the best thing Ive ever done,” he said. Read more. { read more }

Be The Change

After you’ve read this conversation take ten minutes to think about this question: What creative step can I take as an experiment in giving? It’s okay if you do it just once. But you can also let it take its own path.

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July 24, 2017

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Telling the Right Story

Bollywood screenwriter Gazal Dhaliwal has lived with deep prejudice and fear in her life that few of us can even imagine. She was born with gender dysphoria. Imagine having to live a facade, to pretend that you are a boy — when you know with your every fiber that you are a girl. These experiences have given fuel for her life and she is on a mission to tell the story of misunderstood characters — like herself. She urges us to put into question – what is normal – and to look beyond appearances to the human being beneath. Gazal shows us how stories can change hearts and save lives. To give hope to others who feel hopeless and to connect all human beings. { read more }

Be The Change

Harvard’s implicit bias test measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. Take it here. { more }

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July 23, 2017

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Marie Howe: The Power of Words to Save Us

In this edition of On Being, poet Marie Howe shares how poetry allows us to connect with others, through the words we find and the spaces between them. A former Poet Laureate of New York, Howe did not begin writing poetry until she was a young adult, as she transitioned from her career as a teacher. Influenced by her Catholic upbringing in a large family of 9, Howe reflects on the meaning of ordinary and real time, and what it means to find stillness in the present moment in a world that constantly encourages us to move faster. Read on to learn more about Howe’s belief that our suffering can lead to greater openness, and that truth can be found in what we fail to understand. { read more }

Be The Change

Which of the ways that written word can “save us” do you most identify with?

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July 22, 2017

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Gardens & the Art of Delayed Gratification

Alanda Greene grew up having spent time nurturing a deep connection with nature through gardening — planting seeds and watching them grow. She remarks that even now, “no matter how many times I plant seeds, these small, hard beads of potential, I am thrilled when the signs of growth emerge. It is as if I never really believed it would happen this time. Seems just too improbable that those tiny pieces would transform as they do…Without an understanding of delayed gratification, the connection between the green leaves emerging to the seeds that went into the ground might never happen.” Here, she shares the valuable lessons of surrender, patience, and faith that gardening and the practice of delaying gratification impart. { read more }

Be The Change

Practice observing delaying gratification – perhaps try nurturing seeds in a pot, uncertain what will emerge daily, or hold your urge to react to a situation for just a little bit longer than you usually would.

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July 21, 2017

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Joserra Gonzalez: A Re-Love-Ution Blooms in Spain

“We are at the verge of many changes, and if we stay together in this journey, we can really face this big current which is taking us in a direction we don’t know” Joserra’s first question was “How can I serve?” He soon found the answers to why humans suffer and how to lessen our own suffering and that of those around us. From spending two years working in the slums of Ahmedabad, India to becoming a pilgrim, Joserra shares his inspiring journey towards living a free life, one which brings peace and harmony to earth. With conviction he strives to lead a life in alignment with his values. A life which involves experiments living on gift and organizing a community through Karma Kitchen and Awakin Circles. Check out some more about his journey towards the Re-love-ution! { read more }

Be The Change

Next time you are feel busy in your day to day, take a pause and reflect on your actions. What does freedom mean to you? Are you living a free life? For more inspiration, join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with Meredith May — author of “I, Who Did Not Die”. RSVP and more info here. { more }

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July 20, 2017

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One Sapling at a Time

In Bikaner, Rajasthan, northern India the landscape is mostly desert, making it a challenge to grow fruit bearing trees and other plants. In 2003, Professor Shyam Sundar Jyani and his students began working on some local neem trees, which were struggling. From this work, Shyam went on to found Familial Forestry in 2006, an organization that donates saplings of fruit bearing trees to villagers with the idea to ‘treat the tree as a family member.’ These trees provide shade to the families, food for them and for their livestock, and the seeds from the fruit can be used to grow more trees. To date, over 625,000 saplings have been planted in over 2,500 villages, utilizing a type of grafting that increase fruit yield and allows the trees to flourish with little more than natural rain water. Shyam was awarded for his exemplary services towards nature conservation by the President of India in 2012. { read more }

Be The Change

Want to help combat climate change? Plant a tree in your own yard, or if you only have a small spot, plant something native to your area. If you want to lean more about Familial Forestry, visit the Community Sociology website. { more }

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July 19, 2017

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Neema Village: A Place of Hope

In Tanzania, East Africa, a baby rescue center called Neema Village has saved over 100 abandoned, orphaned, and at-risk infants in just 5 years. The list is long of places the infants have been found — by the roadside, in a yard, a gravel pit, a hotel, a latrine… Mostly they are the babies of mothers who have died or were unable to care for them. Doris Fortson, co-founder of Neema Village says, “My husband and I were moved to do something about it for many reasons, including that we were retired and that I had been raised in an orphanage from age four to 18.” “You’re never too old to make a difference,” she adds. { read more }

Be The Change

Learn more about Neema Village and how you can participate in their work. { more }

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