Sangha of Auspicious Companions

April 14, 2024

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Beyond the ‘Identity Machine’

In an intriguing conversation, Alnoor Ladha interviews Zhenevere Sophia Dao, who discusses a range of effects from the cultural preoccupation with creating and emphasizing an individual identity. Dao suggests that this preoccupation stems from systemic forces that push us to replace the primal sense of belonging with an exaggerated personal identity. “The relationship to one’s soul and to other souls is so immediate that the resume that we allow ourselves to call an identity is actually not that interesting. It disappears,” she describes. Dao further proposes the idea that social media, consumerism, and technology are “identity machines” that can magnify notions of identity and detract individuals from authentic experiences. She further challenges society’s understanding of infirmity, depression, and grief, noting their significant role in shaping one’s soul and encouraging a more profound sense of belonging. { read more }

Be The Change

Prioritize authentic interaction and mindful presence over performance or achievement this week. Observe what intangible forms of value get generated in the process.

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April 13, 2024

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But We Had Music

Australian musician and writer Nick Cave and Brazilian artist and filmmaker Daniel Bruson combine stunning visuals and animations to present Maria Popova’s beautiful poem, “But We Had Music.” In less than two minutes, this co-creation portrays the ongoing dance between cosmic happenings and the normalcy of daily life, between impermanence and eternity. They remind us to pay attention to the irrevocable moments of wonder that abound. { read more }

Be The Change

Take a moment to stare in appreciation at a leaf, a bird, a cloud, or any of the abundant cosmic wonders that surround us. Breathe in the awe!

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April 12, 2024

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Unveiling Gifts from Uncertainty

Through a poignant reflection of her father’s debilitating stroke, Christie Aschwanden explores the concept of uncertainty as not just an inevitable hazard of life, but a herald of new opportunities. When her father transitions from a robust long-distance cyclist to a wheelchair-bound invalid, she realizes that life’s sudden changes knock open a door to adjusting, learning and transforming in unexpected ways. The key lies in the ability to live in the ‘now’ and then approach uncertainty as an exciting opportunity for exploration and potential growth. As the uncertainty in her father’s post-stroke life urged him to pivot to new possibilities and redefined living; so, she conjectures, could uncertainty propel us towards a future brimming with potential. { read more }

Be The Change

Approach an uncertain situation in your life with an open mind and heart. Try to view it not as a threat, but an opportunity.

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Stranger at the Gate

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April 11, 2024

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Selfless Athlete Surrenders Spotlight

Chase O’Brien, a 17-year-old athlete from the Yukon, handed over a golden opportunity to his friend. Having qualified for the Arctic Winter Games for the second time, Chase decided to let his friend, Gallagher D’Abramo, compete in his place. Not only had D’Abramo previously missed out on the games, but this was also his last chance to participate due to age restrictions. Chase notes, “I felt like our friendship was more important than the race, so I decided to just let it go.” His compassionate gesture not only brightened his friend’s life, but also reinforced the value of camaraderie over competition. { read more }

Be The Change

Prioritize a friendship over personal gain by giving up something for a friend this week. It could be as simple as giving them your place in line, or as significant as surrendering an opportunity to them.

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April 10, 2024

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Knowing Our Power in Tumultuous Times

Even after dealing with extremely challenging pandemic and climate disasters over the past few years, Kelly O’Shanassy, CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, is optimistic. “The future is not a linear extension of the past,” she says, and sets about to help shape an exciting new future. A few things that give her hope include moving from focusing on symptoms to recognizing sources, and tapping into the power of interconnectedness while honoring the “infinite ways to be an incredible co-author of our collective future” by being fully you. { read more }

Be The Change

Explore what you may need to unlearn that could be standing in the way of new ideas for our planet. What advice might you need to question and reject in order to activate new possibilities for the future?

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April 9, 2024

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Feeling Anxious? A Good Deed Could Snap You Out Of It

Ever been incredibly overwhelmed by stress? Clinical psychologist, Jenny Taitz, shares a simple yet effective technique called a ‘stress reset’. A stress reset involves three types – mind, body and behavior resets and offers quick ways to soothe our thoughts, body and actions allowing us space to solve problems rather than exacerbating them. Mind resets include naming your emotions, singing your thoughts, and making a pie chart of your life; body resets could be to do jumping jacks, expand your gaze, or exhale deeply; and behavior resets involve building a hope kit, doing a good deed, or taking one small step toward a goal. These resets can counteract worst-case scenario thoughts, physical signs of overwhelming stress, and unhealthy behaviors. Not only are they easily adaptable, but they can also serve as powerful building blocks to improve mental health. { read more }

Be The Change

Implement a ‘stress reset’ in your day. Take a deep breath, put your screen away and expand your gaze, send a surprise card to a friend, or strike up a conversation with a stranger on the street. { more }

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Inspiring Links of the Week

April 8, 2024

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Inner Worlds

“Each of us lives in many different worlds. There’s the world of work, the world of our family, and our inner worlds. These worlds inside are the ones we’re most responsible for, because no one else can take care of them. So we have to learn how to make them nourishing. If they’re starved, if all we can talk to ourselves about is how miserable we are, how impoverished we are, how much we’re in danger, it spills out to our other worlds as well,” American Buddhist monk Thanissaro Bhikkhu shares. “We’ve seen this with hummingbirds. On the days when the feeders are empty, they don’t come and attack the human beings who forgot to fill the feeders. They attack one another. ‘It’s your fault,’ they say, ‘that I’m hungry.’ That’s because they’ve forgotten the flowers and other places where they can go for their food. In the same way, we take things out on one another because we’ve forgotten where our real nourishment should lie: inside. … No one else can do this work for us.” Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s words from March 2020 remind us that the way we see the world around us is inextricably tied to the way we engage our inner worlds. { read more }

Be The Change

For related inspiration, tune into an Awakin Call this weekend with Ajaan Geoff, discussing “Mastering our Inner World”. RSVP and details here: { more }

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April 7, 2024

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John Toki: Earning It

“There’s always a lot one won’t learn about someone, especially those not asking you to focus on them — and John Toki is one of those people. … It must have been twenty-five years ago and I was purchasing some clay … The little store had been around for decades and it seemed that every potter and clay artist in the [area] knew the place and felt at home there. … As no one was waiting for service, I started asking him about himself. Within ten minutes, and without fanfare, I learned that the quiet man at the sales counter was essentially conducting five careers,” recounts Richard Whittaker on his first encounter with a memorable artist. In a rare and intimate conversation, much-loved San Francisco Bay Area artist, mentor, and polymath, John Toki unearths portraits of wisdom steeped through his life: “I visualize the process of making art as going on a long walk for miles and miles and miles and miles, and you get up over the hill — maybe the hill symbolizes the artwork — then you see the beautiful ocean, and this sunset. But you have to earn it.” { read more }

Be The Change

Carve out space to create art in some way today. Draw a doodle, arrange flowers, watercolor, lay out a meal in an artful way. However you do it, allow your art to guide you to a new perspective.

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