Sangha of Auspicious Companions

June 4, 2016

a project of ServiceSpace

Inspiring the Future: Redraw the Balance

Twenty children between the ages of 5 and 7 in the U.K. were asked to draw a fighter pilot, surgeon and fire fighter. This video captures the reality of gender stereotyping among school children, and how early on in their education, children already define jobs as male and female. 66 pictures were drawn, with 61 pictures of men. Watch the surprise and delight of the children when a real-life fighter pilot, surgeon and fire fighter are revealed to the class. { read more }

Be The Change

Consider how you can break down the gender stereotypes that you or the children in your life might have.

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June 3, 2016

a project of ServiceSpace

Thinking Like An Ecosystem

Ecology is all about interconnection and unending change, creating patterns of causation that shape every organism and phenomenon, so “thinking like an ecosystem” means living in the perpetual “why.” An eco-mind is also able to see that our own species’ thriving, through our consciously creating the essential context for that thriving, determines the well-being, even the continuation, of other species and whether key dimensions of our wider ecology remain conducive to life. { read more }

Be The Change

Practice thinking like an eco-system, as if you were one of a community of beings within a living context.

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June 2, 2016

a project of ServiceSpace

Why We Feel Awe

“News stories and social media posts inundate us every day with tips for greater happiness, health, and general well-being. But who has time to fit them into our already packed schedules? Recently, though, my research has led me to believe that one simple prescription can have transformative effects: look for more daily experiences of awe. This doesn’t require a trek to the mountains. What the science of awe suggests is that opportunities for awe surround us, and their benefits are profound.” Read on for a fascinating deep-dive into what just might be our most under-rated emotion. { read more }

Be The Change

Sharpen your senses this week and tune into the quiet marvels within and without. For inspiration here’s a passage by Nobel-prizewinning physRichard Feynman on “New Atoms Doing the Same Dance” { more }

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The Strange Beautiful Side of Death

“Its no surprise to anyone who knows my family well (or perhaps anyone who has a teenage daughter themselves) that growing up, my mom and I had a strained relationship.Simply put, she insisted that I sit at the table for dinner, go to bed at nine, periodically clean my room and go to church. She ran the whole house, had a full time job, and was frequently stressed. My dad, on the other hand, seemed totally relaxed to my child eyes. He would secretly take me for donuts before school, or McDonalds after. He would let me stay up late when mom was gone. He cracked hilarious jokes with waiters, librarians, flight attendants, and everyone else, which both delighted and embarrassed me.I was a total daddy’s girl.” Dharma Comics creator Leah Pearlman shares more in this poignant piece. Read More >>

12,692 reads, 250 shares

Outsmart Your Next Angry Outburst

“Robert and Howard had always gotten along well. They’d worked on several projects together and considered each other friends. So when Robert discovered that Howard held a strategy meeting and hadn’t included him, he felt betrayed. He immediately shot off a text to Howard: I can’t believe you didn’t include me in that meeting!” Howard, who has his own narrative around Robert’s previous actions responds with a terse text of his own. And things go downhill from there. Starting with this alll too familiar example, Peter Bregman explores what it takes to communicate skillfully when emotions are involved. He offers four useful questions that can serve us well in such times. Read More >>

11,899 reads, 279 shares

Iris Grace & Thula: A Girl & Her Cat

Iris Grace Halmshaw, is an extraordinary 5-year-old British girl who was diagnosed with autism three years ago. In the first few years of her life she barely communicated. Painting proved to be an unexpected outlet, and her ethereal creations stunned not just her family, but the art world at large. “While Iris has been painting for more than 18 months now, a new friend joined her family just before Valentine’s Day this year, who has helped make all the difference in her ability and desire to communicate with the outside world.” This beautiful story shares more about the unexpected friendship between a gifted child artist and her cat Thula. Read More >>

11,289 reads, 553 shares

Peace Pilgrim: The Four Relinquishments

On New Year’s Day a woman named Mildred Norman Ryder left behind her home, her family and her name, to begin what would turn into a 28-year walk for ‘a meaningful way of life’. Peace Pilgrim’s fearlessness, love and simplicity have inspired generations of people worldwide. Here she shares the four relinquishments that powered her way of life. “Once you’ve made the first relinquishment, you have found inner peace because it’s the relinquishment of self-will. You can work on this by refraining from doing any not-good thing you may be motivated toward, but you never suppress it! If you are motivated to do or say a mean thing, you can always think of a good thing. You deliberately turn around and use that same energy to do or say a good thing instead. It works! ” Read on for the other three relinquishments, and more of Peace Pilgrim’s timeless wisdom. Read More >>

10,555 reads, 471 shares

Translating Meaning Into Life: A Taoist Parable

“During a time of great drought, a Taoist master was asked by members of a village if he could help bring rain to their dry fields. They confessed trying many other approaches before reaching out to him, but with no success. The master agreed to come and asked for a small hut with a garden that he could tend. For three days, he tended the garden, performing no special rituals or asking anything further from the villagers…” So begins an intriguing Taoist parable, that is used here as a springboard into an exploration of synchronicity, and the idea of ‘being the change we wish to see in the world’. Read More >>

10,203 reads, 329 shares

Billions in Change: The Man Who Gifts 99% of His Wealth

How do you change the world? Is foreign aid the most effective tool, or should charities funded by millions of small donors lead the way? A new organization called Billions in Change is trying a new strategy: creating inventions to solve the most fundamental problems that people face around the world. Founded and funded by multi-billionaire Manoj Bhargava, the organization has a unique opportunity to directly address the problems of global poverty. Bhargava, the founder of 5-Hour Energy, pledged 99 percent of his wealth to help the less fortunate. So Billions in Change doesnt accept donations.” Read more about this initiative that aims to find solutions to the most basic global problems — water, energy and health. Read More >>

10,023 reads, 336 shares

Pronounce a Silent Blessing

“I think that the best way to discover what pronouncing blessings is all about is to pronounce a few. The practice itself will teach you what you need to know. Start with anything you like. Even a stick lying on the ground will do. The first thing to do is to pay attention to it. […] The more aware you become, the more blessings you will find.” This beautiful passage reawakens us to the power of wishing well that we each carry within, and reminds us that when you look at the world with the intention to wish it well then everything begins to open up in a beautiful way. Read More >>

9,160 reads, 380 shares

In This Issue

• The Strange Beautiful Side of Death
• Outsmart Your Next Angry Outburst
• Iris Grace & Thula: A Girl & Her Cat
• Peace Pilgrim: The Four Relinquishments
• Translating Meaning Into Life: A Taoist Parable
• Billions in Change: The Man Who Gifts 99% of His Wealth
• Pronounce a Silent Blessing

Also This Month …

Awakin Reading

The Value of Solitude, by William Deresiewicz

(11 comments)

KarmaTube Video

The Thank You Project
(11893 views)

Awakin Call

A dialogue with Jacob Needleman: Money and the Meaning of Life

KindSpring Story

Submitted by loridey: Transformation of death to life

ServiceSpace Blogs

• Enveloped By Grace, by Sheetal
• Sending Hugs To Vinya, by Audrey Lin
• Birju And GGCS Mindfulness & Well Being At Work, by Anne-Marie

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June 1, 2016

a project of ServiceSpace

Allow Breathe Curious: A Coloring Book for Mindfulness

“Allow Breathe Curious” is a unique collaboration that emerged from one mother’s budding interest in mindfulness and her daughter’s deep-seated conviction that art can be an instrument of positive change. A series of sleepless nights prompted Anne to develop a list of words to foster mindfulness. Starting with ‘Allow’ the list grew over time to include all of the letters of the alphabet. When her daughter Ellie, a talented artist, got wind of the list, it sparked a series of vivid images. Combining their gifts, the duo set to work creating a one-of-a-kind book of postcards-to-color in. Each card bears a word relating to mindfulness, a brief elaboration and an accompanying line drawing for readers to fill in. What follows is a selection of the cards for readers to reflect on, download, and enjoy! { read more }

Be The Change

Pause and look around you. Take in the colors of the world, and if so inspired download one or more of the pictures in the article above, and bring them to life with crayons or paints.

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May 31, 2016

a project of ServiceSpace

#MakeVirtueViral: A Graduation Speech for Uncertain Times

“Commencement speakers are typically supposed to inspire you to make a splash in the world, be somebody, do something big and important. But this isn’t a typical university, and you’re not a typical class. So I’m trusting I won’t get in trouble for this next piece of advice: Learn the art of doing nothing.” Addressing the graduating class of a religious studies university, ServiceSpace founder Nipun Mehta makes a case for the power of stilling the mind, deepening awareness and practicing what he calls the 3 S’s: small, service, and surrender. Framed in the context of a rapidly changing world that privileges money, fame and power, his talk is riddled with inspiring counter examples. Drawing on insights from revolutionary Do-Nothing farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, Sufi parables, stories from the White House, a bowing monk and more, Mehta’s words serves as a clarion call back to humanity’s universal values. { read more }

Be The Change

Make a list of three virtues you would like to cultivate more deeply in your life, and reflect on small steps you can take to embody them. Start today!

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May 30, 2016

a project of ServiceSpace

The Sandwich Man

Allan Law first came across hunger and homelessness as a middle school teacher in the inner city schools of Minneapolis, Minnesota. In his retirement, Law has spent every day of the last 12 years on the streets of Minneapolis, leaving his small condominium filled with freezers at 8pm and returning around noon the next day. He distributes 6 – 700 sandwiches a day, along with other essentials, sleeping a scant 2 hours in his delivery vehicle while fielding emergency calls from people who need his help. Last year, he delivered 520,000 sandwiches. { read more }

Be The Change

Pack an extra sandwich for lunch today and share it with someone who could use a meal.

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In Other News

• KarmaTube Video: The Sandwich Man
• DailyGood: Outsmart Your Next Angry Outburst
• Awakin Reading: Learning Not to Be Afraid of Things That Are Real

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May 29, 2016

Small Acts of Kindness

Featured Kindness Stories

	He gave a dollar to anyone who asked. Then, he spent an hour on the streets of New York.
	His grandson up above, a cell phone down below. An unexpected connection.
	It was 2 in the morning in San Francisco, when she met a man named Lawerence.

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