‘In It Together’: A Little Free Pantry Opens Hearts Posted by Emily Chen, Nov 18 2022 After three decades of work in the Federal Government, Colleen Osborne decided it was time for a change. However, as she was planning to start a new business, the pandemic hit. She contracted the virus and spent a month in her bedroom self-isolating. Colleen remembered it as a quiet time with space to connect with those tugs in her heart strings. She started attending some of the live calls hosted by ServiceSpace and, a bit later on, participated in the Laddership Pod. When Colleen came out of self-isolation, she saw there was so much suffering everywhere. With a deep desire to help, and, inspired by the blessing box in a church yard, she started the Little Free Pantry in her front yard. Initially, she was worried about what her neighbors might think and whether she can do that on her own, but somehow the suffering she witnessed during the pandemic cracked ... Read Full Story

10 Histoires De 2021 Qui Nous Donnent De L'Espoir Posted by KarunaVirus , Feb 01 2022 Alors que l'année 2021 s'achève, les rédacteurs de KarunaVirus se penchent sur ce que l'année écoulée nous a appris en voyant les gens choisir l'amour plutôt que la peur. 1. Les héros de l’ombre sont juste sous notre nez On nous apprend à regarder la scène pour voir les manifestations de grandeur, mais il est clair que les héros se trouvent souvent dans les situations les plus ordinaires du quotidien. Si vous entrez dans un Walmart tard dans la nuit, il se peut que vous tombiez sur le directeur d'un lycée remplissant les rayons. En Caroline du Sud, le directeur d'une école, Henry Darby, travaille de nuit après des journées d'école complètes et fait don de ses gains à ses élèves en difficulté. Allez courir tôt le matin dans le parc, et vous pourriez rencontrer une légende de la communauté. Le long du front de mer de St Petersburg, en Floride, Al Nixon ... Read Full Story

Donna: "My Father's Gifts" Posted by Bradley Stoll, Jan 02 2022 During last Wednesday's virtual Awakin Circle, Donna's heartfelt share warmed many of our hearts:

10 Insights From 2021 That Give Us Hope Posted by KarunaVirus , Dec 31 2021 As 2021 dissolves into a new year, KarunaVirus editors reflect on what the past year of witnessing everyday people choose love over fear have taught us. 1. Unsung Heroes Are Right Under Our Noses We are taught to look at the stage to see displays of greatness, but it's resoundingly clear that heroes can often be found among the most ordinary, everyday situations. If you walk into a Walmart late at night, you may just run into a high school principal stocking shelves. In South Carolina, school principal Henry Darby works the night shift after full school days and donates his earnings to his struggling students. Go for an early morning run at the park, and you might meet a community legend. Along the waterfront in St. Petersburg, Florida, Al Nixon sits on an unassuming bench, simply showing up for strangers unconditionally. Drop off your kids at the school bus, and their bus ... Read Full Story

Someone's Smile Posted by Mark Peters, Dec 02 2021 At the tail end of last night's virtual Awakin Circle in Santa Clara, we were treated to a real-time zoom rendition of one of my favorite songs, "Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe" -- sung by Dinesh Uncle! With a modest application of poetic license, here is a translation of the original Hindi lyrics into English: Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe (Someone's Smile) Giving a smile to someone Holding space for them to express their pain Holding them in your heart This is the essence of life It's true, I am poor in terms of money But my heart is rich And life is great when guided by love and joy I have faith in this even if our society does not Trust bridges the divide between hearts Love's expression exists due to us Someone will remember this form even after it dies As I will smile in their tears Flowers proclaim this to buds, time after time

8-Year-old On The Meaning Of Love :) Posted by Janessa Wilder, Dec 02 2021 Yesterday, while I was on a zoom call for a weekly writer's group, my 8-year-old daughter Afton spontaneously joined. When one of our groupmates asked her to share a poem, she spontaneously wrote a series of poems. In last night's Awakin Santa Clara circle, Mark encouraged her to share the poems with the group, and I thought I'd share them here as well, in case they bring a smile to you the way they did for us. The heartfelt expressions of children can be so humbling to witness! Endless There is no end to anything. It continues. If you turn a sphere, it's endless. The world you live in, is endless. Your life, is endless. You never end. You can never be left behind, because you just keep going. You can never be alone, because you can't be in one place. Endless. The Meaning of Love Sitting there, snuggling with your mom, that's love. But what's the meaning? What's the meaning of giving a hug, ... Read Full Story

Living Theology At The Bottom Posted by Rick Phillips, Sep 22 2021 [I was deeply touched by Chaz Howard's recent Awakin reading, and particularly, the recent conversation he had with Nipun. Below were my reflections for our local Awakin Circle.] I wanted to touch on five different things from what stood out for me in this remarkable passage. I was struck by a number of things. First the idea of lived theology, to live your faith, but then to live it at the “bottom” as a way to gain spiritual insight and compassion. And, of course, Chaz did this! He spent time living by choice on the street, amongst the homeless, in Philadelphia where he’s from. So, he really can speak from that personal experience, as he does in the conversation with Nipun and in the book he's also written. The next thing that struck me was the idea of the wounded heart as being a source for great compassion or great violence. This spoke ... Read Full Story

Gratitude For A Flat Tire Posted by Brinda Govindan, Sep 10 2021 Yesterday after a full day of masked in-person teaching, I returned to my car ready to drive home. While I was inside the car, a young woman walked around my car and indicated she wanted to tell me something---she said "your back tire is flat!" and walked away. I used the tire gauge that my dad had sent me a while ago to check all the tires and indeed one was completely flat. Fortunately we have AAA and I called the number so they could change the tire and put on my spare tire. The car was in a place where it would have been very challenging for me to do this, but they did it quickly. I had to wait for a while for them to show up, but I didn't mind at all because I could just use that time to meditate, breathe, and pause. I also had ... Read Full Story

Losing A Sense Posted by Brinda Govindan, Sep 03 2021 I love Mulla Nasrudin stories and would read them with my son when he was little. So this week's reading was very familiar-- funny and yet very profound. It got me thinking about losing a sense. Two years ago, I had lost my voice for two weeks. And that's a pretty long time not to talk, especially for somebody who is a teacher! And it was a very, very profound shift, because not only did I experience the world differently from my "silent space" but I learned that how others saw me was different too. During that time I went to a conference and people thought I was deaf, because I was writing on a small whiteboard that I carried everywhere. They would talk really loudly to me which I found startling! I would then indicate on my whiteboard "I have just lost my voice". I gave my entire presentation without speaking---by ... Read Full Story

On Befriending Fear Posted by Linh Trinh, Aug 18 2021 In our Laddership Pod, as I read podmates' reflections, I was reminded of my own practice on embracing fear. A helpful one is to identify Fear as a character I can converse with. I learned this mantra from Tanya Kaps, and felt inspired to illustrate it. This was drawn in April 2020, when Covid was reaching its first peak globally. ----- Originally posted in Laddership Pod.

Service Is Empowering To Both The ... Posted by Purna Mukesh, Aug 17 2021 Service is empowering to both the receiver & giver. Service takes different forms, small acts of kindness to transformative journeys. With each, we feel a profound sense of joy and make our world a better place. When my mother was in hospital recovering from a stroke, my daughter who was then 13 years came to meet mom. She loved to hold her granny's hand, chat, joke and laugh together. There were 6 other patients in that general ward. As my daughter and I stepped out, she noticed a flower vendor and said "Mom may we buy a flower for each patient in granny's room?" It was such a beautiful and generous thought. She stopped by each bed, smiled at the patient, gave them a flower and wished them a speedy recover. The surprise and joy in the eyes and smiles of the patients spoke volumes. We can all serve in simple ways that bring joy. I have been fortunate to experience that service and kindness numerous times and I attempt to keep that circle going

Teen Awakin Call With Nimo Patel! Posted by Katherine Wang, Aug 10 2021 Last Tuesday, Ocean and I had the honor of hosting a Teen Awakin Call with Nimo Patel. Part of a project for the 2021 ServiceSpace summer internship, this Teen Awakin Call was structured similar to a regular Awakin Call but was primarily for teens to listen and ask questions. [View in browser window here.] Nimo Patel is a rap star who works with kids from underprivileged communities in India. He attended Wharton business school and rose to stardom in his early twenties. However, after witnessing an inspiring performance by these children, he realized that his perceptions of blessings and happiness were slowly becoming redefined. For the past dozen years, Nimo has been serving and working with the underprivileged communities in the Gandhi Ashram in India, giving them wisdom, care, and unconditional love. From an Ivy League education to Wall Street to fame and fortune as an MTV rap star, Nimo realized that he ... Read Full Story

The Pizza Precept & More From Rev Heng Sure Posted by Trupti Pandya, Aug 01 2021 “If you have no obstacles in your own mind, then outer obstacles will not hinder you or cause you to worry” – Master Hsuan Hua Two Buddhist Monks, Jin Wei Shi, and Jin Chaun Shi anchored weekly bowing sessions to dedicate merits to all beings during the global Covid crisis. In the final session, last week, we had a special guest Rev Heng Sure who along with Marty, former Heng Ch'au, bowed in peace, and for peace, touching their foreheads to the ground across 800 miles across. Below is an excerpt from the call. I really recommend that people bow outdoors. Sometimes, if you live on the twelfth floor of a high rise or live in a concrete jungle, it is hard to find grass. But if you can find even a patch of grass to bow on, what it does is it puts you much closer to all the other living ... Read Full Story

Summary: Teen Awakin Call With Brain Conroy Posted by Alakh Kapadia, Jul 17 2021 This past Thursday, Katherine and I had the honor of hosting a Teen Awakin Call with Brian Conroy, one of the mentors for our internship this summer. This Teen Awakin Call was a project for the 2021 ServiceSpace summer internship. This Teen Awakin Call was structured similar to a regular Awakin Call, but was primarily for teens to listen and ask questions, as opposed to adults. Brian Conroy, our guest, is a storyteller and the founder of the Buddhist Storytelling Circle, which is a collection of storytellers from the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. He first encountered Venerable Master Hsuan Hua in 1976 and took refuge with the Master in 1994. Brian has also taught theater and public speaking in several public schools in San Jose, as well as performed his stories in various festivals. Brian graciously answered around thirteen questions, from us interns and others who joined. He also shared a remarkable story ... Read Full Story

Breaking Through Posted by Xuan Ooi, Jul 04 2021 I was invited into the Noble Friendships Pod by my former classmate. I had the simple goal of getting one step closer to genuinely treating myself as a good friend. At the time I joined, I was deep in the middle of a state in which my body and mind forced me to rest. I had just finished a two-semester long certificate program online and finally had met the limbo space of ambiguity of “What’s next?” There was so much waiting for me to do but I had absolutely no motivation to even approach them. My body tied me back into the present and out of my running thoughts through the manifestation of physical pain, an old and familiar friend of mine. I finally decided to make the focus of each day completing my daily recitation and my daily readings, practices, and responses for the pod. I didn’t expect more ... Read Full Story

Aslinur And Marian: A Sufi Prayer Posted by Shyam Gupta, Jul 01 2021 [In a Prayer Circle in May, amid India's covid crisis, Marian and Aslinur offered a powerful Sufi prayer. Below is a lightly edited transcript and video of their offering.] Aslinur: As-salaam alaykum, dear sisters and brothers, may peace, compassion, and blessings of the divine be upon us on all the creations and creatures. Marian: It's our great honour to be here, with all of you in this beautiful circle of companions. We are in Istanbul, and we are three days before the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and prayer. So, it feels very meaningful to be having this global prayer circle here right now, at this moment, when hundreds of millions of Muslims, around the world, are already in an ongoing phase of fasting and prayer and introspection. So, our intention in sharing this prayer is also linking in, with this whole field of prayer, that has been going ... Read Full Story

Aryae + Wendy: Peace, Shalom, Namaste. Posted by Rupali Bhuva, Jun 29 2021 [In May's Prayer Circle, we heard a stirring song from Aryae and Wendy. Below is a lightly edited transcript of their share, along with video of the prayer.] We feel so blessed to be here with all of you as we are witnessing truth on so many levels of what is happening now and we are witnessing sacredness in this circle. In our tradition, when something is true and something is sacred, we say, Amen. And to all of you here, to all of the prayers, to all of the stories, we have been all witnessing I want to say Amen. When we saw the invite to the circle, we learned about the Indian tradition of "Besnu" which means sitting. Well, guess what, in the Hebrew tradition it's called Shiva and it's the same thing, it means sitting. Isn't that something? So the whole time, we are all sitting together. In the ... Read Full Story

Hospice Stories With Maki Posted by Meghna Banker, Jun 28 2021 A couple weeks back, a crew of us gathered for a stirring conversation with Dr. Maki Kawamura, on her powerful experiences with the dying and their loved ones. A pediatrician, global peace leader, mother of three, founder of the House of Joy Center for cancer patients and Here and Now Hospice, Maki's depth of experience and spirit of service disarmed all of us as we listened to her palpable stories, wisdom, and heart. Thanks to some incredible transcribing elves, below is a lightly edited summary and partial transcript of the conversation, which spanned topics such as: What does dying teach us about living? What questions come to life on one's deathbed? What are the most common experiences people face at the end of life? What am I least willing to let go of, and why? How do the values of loved ones who've departed live on in our lives? ---------- Dying can be ... Read Full Story

Say Hello To Our 2021 Summer Interns! Posted by Swara Pandya, Jun 28 2021 For many summers now, a crew of service-hearted youth have come together for a multi-week internship with ServiceSpace. Circling up with a team of mentors, they dive headlong into a summer-long immersion for the head, hands, and heart -- engaging in books and talks on leading with values, personal practices like meditation and acts of kindness, project work ranging from graphics to filmmaking to writing to podcasting and beyond, and sharing reflections with each other and themselves along the way. Today, we’re thrilled to begin our 2021 summer internship with a fantastic crew of a dozen interns and mentors! Even just the interns’ application responses have taught us so much already. Here’s excerpt from each intern below. Katherine, a rising 10th grader, pointed to a need for greater balance in the framing of our social narratives, and a desire to ‘be the change’ she wishes to see: … Almost everything I read ... Read Full Story

Endings And Beginnings Posted by Indigo Ocean, Jun 22 2021 As I come to the end of this 2 week Noble Friendships Pod experience, I notice a commitment in myself to carry forward what I've gained and make this ending a new beginning. I noticed over the weekend that sometimes when my ego gets challenged, it causes me to not draw upon the highest aspects of myself that I would otherwise have access to. This is particularly the case when it's challenged around the idea of what is good for the collective. It's not because there's actual protection of others; that's just the story it's hiding within. That's the self-righteousness that justifies its egoic response, despite all the progress I've made in not indulging it in other contexts. I am calling myself up to a greater level of integration between my capacity to be a noble friend and my willingness to when people aren't behaving as I think they should and I ... Read Full Story