Ani And London Crew At Karma Kitchen! Posted by Trishna Shah, Aug 15 2017 Ani rocked the house at London Karma Kitchen, with a full crew of 16 SSp London volunteers, a handful of cafe staff-come-volunteers including the owner Ruth who as at our last one-day retreat :) who shared beautiful tweets like this and this, a professional head-chef-come-head-volunteer for KK (and his mother-in-law who was his assistant!), Milan Rai our favourite white butterfly artist who joined as a guest speaker, and 80+ diners across two sittings! She amazingly laddered the entire unfolding of magic and inspiration at Karma Kitchen this time while onboarding two new local KK London anchors, Amar and Chi! Ani, you are beyond amazing!!!

Reading A Book On Neuroscience Full ... Posted by Somik Raha, Aug 14 2017 Reading a book on neuroscience full of gems (Descarte's error), and found this one: "Although we have the illusion that everything comes together in a single anatomical theater, recent evidence suggests that it does not. Probably the relative simultaneity of activity at different sites binds the separate parts of the mind together." Sounds like time is what causes the mind to function. When the simultaneity no longer works, the mind cannot function. Is this a linkage with death as well? Heard a sage recently mention that in India, death is expressed by the phrase: "time is up." Also remembered Prof. Ron Howard's definition of time: "Time is that which prevents everything from happening all at once."

Reflections From My ServiceSpace Summer Internship Posted by Sophie Wu, Aug 13 2017 The nine-week ServiceSpace summer internship has been one of the most beautiful parts of my journey. Although it had ended, I know that it is just the beginning of everything further and deeper. As my internship project, I talked with noble friends from our ecosystem and wrote this article for DailyGood. Thank you All for being a part of our expanded family. Deeply grateful for all the affinities, our mentors and the wonderful team. With love and gratitude, Sophie ------- Let Compassion Heal Us--An Intern Explores Our Relationship To Suffering (Picture taken in Buddha Root Farm, 2017)

I Was At A Private Retreat ... Posted by Chi Phan, Aug 13 2017 I was at a private retreat organised by friends over the weekend. It had been a rather overwhelming period of time for me, physically and emotionally. I arrived exhausted, admitting that I would not be able to bring my usual level of energy. The only thing possible for me was to sit back and receive. It was the first time I allowed myself to do so without guilt. Within just two hours, I started to find my energy again. On the second day, we attended Karma Kitchen in London, which I had helped a little bit with the planning. It was special experiencing this as a diner and knowing everything about the other side. I was filled with joy seeing the volunteers having a good time serving. And of course I was deeply grateful for all that I received over the course of the evening. The day after Karama Kitchen, and the last day of my retreat, there was no question in my mind about the importance of being able to receive from others in the unconditional way we try to give. Without receivers there can be no givers. And without receiving there's no recharge for more giving. As a fellow retreat participant said to me, by giving and receiving, you give other permission to do the same.

Crisis That Expanded My Consciousness Posted by Shalini Sharma, Aug 11 2017 [Below were some seed reflections I offered at our local Awakin Circle last Wednesday. Thank you, Anuj, for capturing the share.] I really enjoyed reading this passage by Sam Harris. In the beginning, he talks about the space between the thoughts -- what he calls consciousness. It reminded me of a quote by a famous French musician, maybe 100 or 150 years ago, who said that the music lies in the space between the notes and not really in the notes. The space between the incessant thoughts that we experience is a very crucial space to help us evolve in our consciousness. Great spiritual masters have also guided us to the depths of that great silence in between the thoughts. The author then draws parallel between science and mind exploration. I am a researcher in nanotechnology and I study the infinitesimally small matter. In looking back at my science heroes, I would ... Read Full Story

A Complaint And A Compliment To ... Posted by Yoo-Mi Lee, Aug 11 2017 A Complaint and a Compliment to ServiceSpace. KarmaTube received this complaint a couple of days ago: "I find the music behind your interviews and narratives to be very obtrusive. I'm sure somebody thinks it adds to the experience, but for me it's too loud and is distracting from the message." We responded, asking if there was a particular video that was annoying, and explained a bit about KarmaTube and our curation process. Below is the reply, with a compliment to ServiceSpace. :) "Thanks so much for your timely response! And for not being snarky about such a complaint that was not even specific... The trigger for me was Daily Good for August 8--localization for people and the earth. And just the final straw! I've given up on too many online videos & do it yourself YouTube episodes because someone thinks a loud music track is an addition to their instructions, whereas it's a distraction ... Read Full Story

Sri M's Tears Of Gratitude Posted by Rahul Brown, Aug 08 2017 We were fortunate to once again host Sri M for Awakin in Berkeley a few weeks ago. His autobiography, Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, is both a fascinating story and an exercise in stretching one’s own mind to hold possibility for experiences that can be hard to swallow for rational materialists. Mystical tales aside, I had wondered about Sri M’s own teacher, a wandering yogi named Maheshwarnath Babaji who defied being photographed, had no organization, no ashram, and no apparent or well-known interactions with other people besides his students-- of which we knew of only one, Sri M himself. One might say that Maheshwarnath’s entire long life amounted to literally nothing with zero residue, save a single student who was transformed and wrote of him decades after his passing. If one were ever inclined to come up with a story about a mystical special teacher, Maheshwarnath ... Read Full Story

Kingian Nonviolence, Smile Cards, And San Bruno Jail Posted by Birju Pandya, Aug 07 2017 A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tag along for an auspicious gathering at San Bruno Jail in San Francisco. Kazu Haga (here's his Awakin Call), who runs East Point Peace Academy, was leading a graduation ceremony for some men in the jail. That in itself is a rare occasion, but this ceremony was for a rare feat - completing a course curriculum (theory & practice), while in jail, on the nonviolent approaches of MLK Jr - or what is called 'Kingian Nonviolence.' Kazu himself is a rare individual (I'd recommend listening to the Awakin Call), having done spirit walks with monks, devoted his life to nonviolence, and choosing to live in the spirit of gift. And he greets me with open arms despite not having seen me for years :) We walk in through the security, and my eyes are opened as it's my first visit to a ... Read Full Story

Zilong's Interview :) Posted by Rahul Brown, Aug 06 2017 Last weekend, a few of us spontaneously met an art gallery owner whose wife had interviewed Zilong last year about his previous cross-country and current cross-continent pilgrimages. :) Here's the 10-minute conversation: And a few excerpts from it include: Question: What did you learn? What started to come to you as you were bike riding around everyday? Did you get some moments of 'enlightenment' or sudden realizations? Zilong: One biggest realization is how good people are. Throughout the entire 3,000+ miles and two-and-a-half months, I never met one bad person. Never a harsh word. Every single night, one family or another opened up their home to let me camp in their backyard. And every single night, I've been able to have a shower inside of a stranger's home. Question: Wow -- and they trusted you? Most people opened up their homes to you? Zilong: Yeah, one in five. The average "success rate" is one in ... Read Full Story

When Life Lands On Your Doorstep, Choose Love Posted by Dinesh Mehta, Aug 03 2017 It was a routine Wednesday morning. I had just finished playing tennis and intended to pick up Nipun from the Bart station for our usual Awakin Circle prep. In between, I happened to have 30 extra minutes, so I opted to sit in my parked car and meditate. Suddenly, I hear a loud thud. Entire back window of my car shatters. It's a kind of sound that would jolt anyone, but perhaps because I was meditating, I find myself holding it with a sense of curiosity. Immediately, I open my car door and see an old man on my trunk. It's an odd sight. It appears that he was riding his bicycle, and somehow crashed into the car, and his helmet landed on the back windshield -- shattering it in an instant. "Are you okay?" I ask him gently. "I think so," he replies. One of the passerby offers to call 9-1-1, but ... Read Full Story

Symbioses Posted by Brinda Govindan, Aug 02 2017 I have been feeling a lot of awe lately thinking about symbioses. You may not realize it, but you (and all other living beings) are literally being shaped by your microbes--those invisible critters living on and inside you, forming entire ecological systems in your body and acting as your invisible partner in everything you think "you" are and do. Breastmilk from your mother contained sugars that you couldn't digest, but your microbes needed in order to establish a healthy gut. Similar systems exist for plants, with microbes in plant roots converting nitrogen from the soil into a form the plant can use---we would not be alive without them! Whether we think about these examples or other more macroscopic ones, symbiosis is essential for all life. In fact you wouldn't be here breathing without your mitochondria---structures that generate energy within your cells which used to be bacteria about 3 billion years ... Read Full Story

Micro Moments Of Transformation Posted by Michaele Premet-Rosen, Aug 02 2017 I just finished reading my way through the Community Feed KindSpring Community Feed this morning, and am filled with smiles! :)))))) Yes, it's a daily thing, but still never ceases to amaze. I always experience a heartfelt glow and nod my head with a smile and a yes!, when I read posts like these two from this morning ... I was just reading another post on KS today and it got me thinking -- KindSpring has had an amazing affect on how I think and how I react to others. There was a time when I would get so hurt and angry and react like that. All that does is make the situation worse. It is like giving away your inner power. Since being involved with this wonderful site, I have noticed major changes. When people now surprise me with unacceptable things they do and say, I step back and think about ... Read Full Story

Impressions From Gandhi 3.0 Posted by Heng Sure, Jul 31 2017 [Earlier this year, I joined the Gandhi 3.0 retreat in India, with ServiceSpace friends from around the globe. Just as I returned back to Australia, I penned down these thoughts to share with retreat participants.] The nature of such a brief but indelibly printed time together is that your memories bubble up unpredictably, in snapshots, brief scenes, during meditation, prompted by an item in hand, a fragrance, a tune "All that I am, all that I see…." Etihad Flight from Melbourne to Ahmedabad. Owned by UAE, each seat-back movie screen on the plane has available upon demand a Mecca pointer, with an electronic compass needle pointing towards Mecca, so that no matter what direction the plane is currently heading, you can tell immediately how to find the East, and Mecca. There is count-down timer telling you how many hours remain until the next scheduled prayer time. What a marvelous way to keep ... Read Full Story

Coming Soon: Karma Kitchen Pop-Up On August 12th In Posted by Ani Devlia, Jul 13 2017 Following a heart-opening Karma Kitchen pop-up in March this year, we're hosting another Karma Kitchen on the evening of Saturday, August 12th, as part of the Summer of Change Festival at The Canvas Cafe! We know many folks in the ServiceSpace community know others in London who might like to come along that evening and experience "growing in generosity" first-hand, so please do feel free to share the invitation below with them. You're all invited to join in at Karma Kitchen at The Canvas Cafe (just off Brick Lane in Central London) on August 12th. Run by volunteers, at Karma Kitchen our meals are cooked and served with love, and offered to the guest as a genuine gift. To complete the full circle of giving and sustain this experiment, guests make contributions in the spirit of pay-it-forward to those who will come after them. In keeping this chain going, the generosity ... Read Full Story

An Unexpected Friend At Our Awakin Circle Posted by Neeti S W, Jul 10 2017 It was yet another Tuesday. My favorite day of the week, since its Awakin Day for our local community on the outskirts of Pune. As is my regular practice, I finish up cooking in the first half of the day, then tidy up the kitchen, and close with the rest of the daily chores. On this day, 10 people had RSVP'd and everything was planned accordingly. Then, at 4PM, I got a call from an attendee saying that he 7 visitors from Chandigarh are coming! I was suddenly flustered -- what to do now? It's already past 4PM and I'm not sure how to cook for 7 more people. As I try to be still, my neighbor Chumiki (also a regular at Awakin) calls for some small issue and asks, "Can I make pulav (a rice dish) for the evening?" It was as if the universe was listening in. I tell her ... Read Full Story

Airport Giftivism :) Posted by Fran Faraz, Jul 10 2017 Last week, my husband and I were coming back from an out-of-town, and we had quite an encounter at the airport! :) At the airport counter, the young woman in front of us was checking in her baggage and realized that she had brought her Costco card instead of her real credit card! Embarrassed and frustrated, she didn't know what to do. My husband asked her what was wrong, and upon hearing her story, he instantly pulled out his credit card and said, "Don't worry, we'll cover you." While crying, the young woman asked me for our address so she could pay us back. Of course, I didn't want to miss my opportunity to practice Giftivism :), and I told her to Pay-it-Forward! :) Upon hearing that, she asked me if we could hug, and all of us found ourselves filled with joy and sharing happy smiles! The lady at the airport ... Read Full Story

Laddership Interns Week 4: Wisdom Posted by Vishesh Gupta, Jul 09 2017 In Week 4 of our Summer Internship, the interns were asked to drop into their own wisdom. They did this by doing 20(!) minutes of silence in the morning and night, practicing mindfulness and doing RAOKs every day, and reflecting on their current and future day every night. From there we had some beautiful reflections on our Interns Feed, and in the spirit of brewing that collective tea, the call began! Amit opened by asking an open, but important question: "How are you doing right now? What's at the top of your mind?" Apurva began by saying that he was enjoying sitting in silence! "It allows you to tune out, all the noise and things going on." And he felt that things were surprisingly okay! Amit commented that he could feel how well Apurva was doing through his smile :) Maya was enjoying a beautiful sunset in Utah, after going around national parks for a ... Read Full Story

Lessons From Holding Space :) Posted by Sonia Parekh, Jul 07 2017 Last Spring, it was Week 3 of our Laddership Circle and the theme we were exploring and experimenting around was 'Holding Space'. Incidentally, during that week, a crew of us held our last Letter Earthlings event in Dubai. Here, volunteers gather to write letters of love and kindness to strangers going through a tough time or to simply reach out to them in appreciation. Chandni and I had intentioned to hold space and were occupied speaking to first timers about what the intent behind the event was and how it all works. There came a volunteer who had arrived with his girlfriend (one could tell that he was forced to be there :)), and he suddenly said, “This is something I’ve never done, and this is not something I'd do.” I remember being caught off guard when he said that and thinking to myself, 'Hmmm how do I respond to this?' And ... Read Full Story

Rivers Are Dying. What Can I Do? Posted by Swara Pandya, Jul 06 2017 In a recent email thread, we saw an inspiring film around river going dry. (Coming soon to Karmatube.) It really raises the question, what can we do? How do we not lose hope? Of course, you hear good news like 66 million trees planted in 12 hours in Madhya Pradesh this week. But the problem seems so much bigger: India has been losing its forests (in spite of many tree planting efforts) for a long time. Tamil Nadu was hit by a drought last and this year of such severity not seen in 140 years. Most important rivers of the country have been in a bad shape for a long time. Yamuna being the worst example. Water bodies in almost every state of the country have been disappearing Not just in India, but around the world, farmers and farming itself have been dying For most people in the world, Nature has lost its meaning These aren't just environmental issues, ... Read Full Story

Extra Love -- At A Coffee Shop! Posted by Kara Ludgate, Jul 06 2017 I was at a coffee shop the other day and ordered a cappuccino. As I placed the order, I asked the cashier, "May I please have it extra hot and with extra love?" This was just a very simple exchange with the cashier. When I picked up the coffee from the Barista, I checked the receipt to make sure it was mine -- and noticed that he actually typed in "Extra hot", "Extra love". He switched with another cashier, but when I spotted him again, I yelled out to him, "Hey, you actually typed it in! With extra love!" This means the drink was already infused with love with his typed message before the barista could even begin to grind the coffee beans or steam the milk. And we gave each other a high-five! The energy in that high-five sent that overflowing love into all the other mugs in that cafe, to all the other hard working employees and to all the floppy-eared dogs just hanging around hoping for another human touch of sweetness. Small acts, with extra love.