A Pregnancy That Gave Meaning To Medicine Posted by Shalini Sahai, May 03 2017 [Below are some of my comments as the last Healing+T circle.  Prior to holding the mic, I had no idea this is what I was going to share -- but the collective energy of the group was having its effect on me. :)] I work as a pediatric doctor in a large HMO and I've been working there for over 10 years now.  I'm sure some of you will probably identify with this. When you come out of medical school and then residency, you have this vision of saving people.  You're intubating patients and you're giving lifesaving medications and you're doing tracheotomies and whatnot -- to actually save people's lives. After I did my pediatric residency, I wanted to do a fellowship but I was so burned out by my residency that I decided to take a year off.  Then somehow I landed this job and started working as a community pediatric doctor. ... Read Full Story

A Dinner Conversation: Otto And Nipun! Posted by Adam Yukelson, May 02 2017 Two weeks ago, Otto Scharmer and I were visiting California, and met up with Nipun for a casual dinner. It just so happened we had been filming all day, so two of our filmmaker friends were also with us (lugging their equipment along as well). Half way through dinner, Otto had a spontaneous idea: "Let's just turn on the camera." "Now?"  "Yeah, why not?"  "It's too loud in here."  "We can ask them to turn down the music." So we did. And it was still a bit problematic, but we did some improv with boom mics and such. "Are you sure?" we kept pressing Otto. "Yeah, people don't care for all the formalities. They care for heart." (Incidentally, that's how our last conversation was taped, over breakfast in Berlin, en route to the airport.) And out came three videos, which are now also part of our u.lab curriculum! First one is on the ... Read Full Story

Learning To Be A Doctor, As A Michael's Cashier Posted by Padmaja Murtinty , May 01 2017 [Below are some comments I had shared at the Healing+T circle last week.] What inspired me to become a physician was watching my twin cousins suffer through Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, which is a very severe, debilitating and mostly seen in boys. They grew up with that. As a child, I just saw how their mother would care for her two children, and it really propelled me to go out and really help people who needed it. In my third year of med school, my uncle contracted glioblastoma, very severe brain tumor. As I entered my clinical years, I was very enthusiastic that I would be able to cure his condition. But unfortunately, it was a very aggressive tumor and before I knew what was happening, I lost him. Post med school, my journey brought me to the United States. I struggled to get into residency for some time, and then had to put ... Read Full Story

My New Favorite Song -- Paraiso :) Posted by Nimo Patel, May 01 2017 While in Philippines at the Assumption College with the METTA Theatre Group this past week we had a chance to engage in many ways with our local communities. We created and shared a show called "Heal the World" where 4th graders up to College students preparing for over one year shared the message of compassion, love and unity through song and dance. We also visited and did beautiful workshops with many challenged communities including 2 Prisons, 2 slum communities and 1 amazing boarding school that holds 3500 girls from the poorest of the poor backgrounds in the Philippines at no charge.  This song, Paraiso, sung by our girls in the show is my new favorite. Along with their voices, the message captures my beautiful experience in the amazing country of the Philippines with the Assumption College and all the communities we spent time with.  It's originally by Smokey Mountain -- a Filipino ... Read Full Story

Moved By Love: We Are All Inter-be Posted by Shaalini Srinivasan, May 01 2017 Latest issue of 'Moved By Love' newsletter is themed We Are All Inter-be. The old African philosophy, Ubuntu, says, “I am what I am because of who we all are.”  In this month’s newsletter, we feature stories that celebrate this interconnectedness. From 35 strangers coming together to create a common maitri space to serving each other’s journeys in unseen ways through laddership circles, to a woman’s journey of turning adversity into a possibility for her and others.

What A Patient Taught Me About Healing Posted by Anne-Marie Pandya, Apr 29 2017 [A formative experience I shared at the Healing + T circle last weekend.] My journey started a while ago, about 10 years ago, as a new nurse. A really naïve and new nurse who really didn't know much about what healing meant. I thought healing meant that we're going to fix everybody, but I arrived at a very stark realization that healing means so many different things to so many people, and there's so many journeys that one can take to get there. Healing happens differently for everybody. It was a patient of mine that really taught me that lesson. For privacy's sake I'm going to call her Jojo. Jojo, when I first met her, was a 17 year old female. She was initially diagnosed with HIV, which later on progressed to AIDS, and was a young female that didn't really understand her diagnosis or her imbalance, her disease. Her parents kept that ... Read Full Story

Weekly Tidbits Posted by ServiceSpace , Apr 27 2017 --Don't you just love it when you open the papers (okay, fine, visit newspaper dot com) and read a story about your project?  That's what happened with this sweet story on Karma Kitchen by Vanessa Hua, that we didn't even know about. She was actually dining there with her twins. "It feels good, like we went to church -- without going to church." --India's Laddership Circle just completed, with many beautiful notes of gratitude from the fellows. But it equally transformed the hard-working anchors, like Meghna: "It took just 6 weeks of reading, reflections and 6 calls to find a family amongst strangers. I've been amazed to get a sneak peak into each one's window and noticing the little patterns of Grace that is flowing from one to the other. It's an Oak tree moment for me. I also noticed how each participant and volunteer has been so extremely committed to this process without ... Read Full Story

I Really Enjoyed This In-depth Interview ... Posted by Birju Pandya, Apr 26 2017 I really enjoyed this in-depth interview of natural 'farmer' Ragu by Madhu. It's rare to have such an in-depth convo (+1 hr) with a natural farmer focused specifically on the topic of land. Ragu shares at great depth how a paradigm shift in the mind leads to wild differences in the concrete reality of land, and the incalculable abundance and regeneration that results. Especially rare because of the context that Ragu is coming from - years living in silicon valley, exposure to the wide spectrum of tech, investing, and 'sustainable' forms of living, all transmuted into an embodied understanding that leads to a way of life today...     

Spider On A Pillow Posted by Anuj Pandey, Apr 25 2017 [A beautiful share from last Wednesday's Awakin Circle in Santa Clara. --Anuj] Hi, my name is Jo. I'm a barefoot gal, as well. This is my first time here, at an Awakin Circle. Listening to all of you and the space here, I felt inspired to just share a little moment that happened this morning -- with a client in a professional capacity. I was sitting with this man who was suffering from anxiety and suddenly he looked behind me and he said, "Do you realize there's a spider behind you?" At first, I thought he was talking in a metaphor or something. But then he said, "No, really there's a big spider behind you." Very carefully, I looked behind me and indeed there was a spider. It was just this very beautiful, intimate moment between this gentleman and myself. I asked, "Well, what do you think we should do?" He said, "Usually, I ... Read Full Story

A Boat To Those Wishing To Cross Over Posted by Meghna Banker, Apr 25 2017 [Below is an excerpt of a poem by Shantideva, that I have found to be quite inspiring. --Meghna] May any spiritual energy thus generated By my devotion to the enlightened ones Be dedicated to dispelling the misery Of living beings without exception.   As long as diseases afflict living beings May I be the doctor, the medicine And also the nurse Who restores them to health.   May I fall as rain to increase The harvests that must feed living beings And in ages of dire famine May I myself serve as food and drink.   May I be an unending treasury For those desperate and forlorn. May I manifest as what they require And wish to have near them.   My body, every possession And all goodness, past, present and future Without remorse I dedicate To the well-being of the world   Suffering is transcended by total surrender And the mind attains to nirvana. As one day all must be given up, Why not dedicate it now to universal happiness?   My bodily powers I dedicate To the well-being of all ... Read Full Story

Waves Along A Peaceful Shore Posted by Somik Raha, Sep 15 2014 We released Conrad's book last week, and today, we received a beautiful note from Steven Taylor, one of Conrad's friends: Thank you to those at Awakin! Although I've been in correspondence with Conrad for years, and we've worked on projects over the phone and of course spoken during our internet meetings, I've never met Conrad in person. For that I am sorry; yet, I feel I have been close to him in the profoundest sense through his work, and by way of the thousand kindnesses he gave me. This book, his thoughts, the phone call and the video have brought me closer still. The sound of his voice—wavering between strength and frailty, sometimes passing into a whisper—put me in mind of the surge and pull of waves along a peaceful shore. Gentle, vulnerable, but breaking still with patient, inevitable momentum. Nothing could be more more enlightening. And that was Conrad. I recently read a Native American proverb that now means much more to me: "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that, when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." Thanks again for this. 

Conrad's Messages Posted by Somik Raha, Sep 15 2014 We received a beautiful letter from Conrad's wife, in gratitude for all your efforts in honoring his life's work. We have archived all his work on this page: awakin.org/read/conrad/     

IBook On Conrad Pritscher's Awakin Reflections Posted by Somik Raha, Sep 08 2014 In a magical call with Conrad Pritscher, we had promised to put out a book of Conrad's reflections. We are finally done with a gorgeous iBook, which you can read on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Macbook. The iBook allows us to include multimedia content, and the audio from that call is also in the iBook. Distribution for other platforms will also follow.  If you get a chance to test it, do let us know if you find any problems.   

A Sweet Smile Card Story Recently ... Posted by Afreen Malim, Sep 07 2014 A sweet smile card story recently shared :-) "My 9yo grandson has gotten bit by the smile card bug for a while now. We were trying to make them ourselves but people tend to just throw pieces of paper away without reading. He started a new school this year in a new state (he moved to Va near me) and was a little apprehensive about being the new kid. However he asked could he take my last 3 smile cards to school just in case someone needed a smile. He came home very excited about sharing two cards with schoolmates he felt needed them at the moment. He was overjoyed as he told me how they started smiling after they read the card. He is asking for more cards because he is determined to make his school, his church, his neighborhood, and the state of Virginia smile."

Lessons From A Benedictine Monk, Brother David Posted by Nipun Mehta, Sep 07 2014 At a retreat in Italy, I found myself trimming rose geraniums with a Benedictine Monk as a part of our morning service. Guri and I had first run into him a decade ago, just couple days after our marriage. It was almost an accident, as we walked into a friend's home for the first time and he happened to be walking down the stairs. Although strangers at the time, he greeted us with a big smile and when he discovered that we had just been married, he gave us a hug and blessed us in the most invisible but memorable way. From an outside glance, it would've looked like a fleeting moment in a hallway but Guri and I still remember looking at each other and thinking, "What was that?" Followed by, "Who is he?" It ended up being Brother David Steindl-Rast. After that gathering, I went up to him to ... Read Full Story

Vishesh And Anuj's Musical Offering Posted by Amit Dungarani, Sep 05 2014 Wednesday before last, one of our interns -- Vishesh -- made a gratitude offering to the Awakin Circle in Santa Clara. He played the guitar (that he's been playing for over a decade!), as Anuj sang Gandhi's favorite prayer.  What a beautiful combination. And yes, we just got a hold of the bootleg copy:

Conrad Pritscher: Lessons From A Student Of Life Posted by Bela Shah, Jul 28 2014 A couple of years back when the Awakin readings started its comments feature, Somik Raha noticed that they were receiving insightful and thought provoking comments every week from an individual named Conrad Pritscher. Many Awakin readers have remarked, “After I read the Awakin passage, the first thing I do is read Conrad’s reflection because it helps me to understand the passage.” As a quintessential example, in response to the reading “The Most Subversive Invitation” by John O’Donohue, Conrad had shared the following reflection: “I love the idea of not knowing. I’m almost attached to it. I love to know that I don’t know. That too is a knowing. Would I be better off if I didn’t know that?” After many years of cultivating this online connection in wisdom, inquiry, and love, we had the precious opportunity to host Conrad on a live Awakin Call on July 12. Sitting there with Conrad and his ... Read Full Story

Everything Is Going To Be Okay Posted by Mia Tagano, Jul 13 2014 This past Thursday, I took my grandmother to a different nursing home. I was very happy that she would be at a facility that was closer since the other was an hour plus away but I was very nervous because I had no idea what this “new” place would be like. My grandmother is a bit oblivious to all that is happening around her. She just knows somewhere deep down that every thing will be okay. As we walked out, she smiled to every one and got hugs – they were sad to see her go, she was happy to get a hug. She had been there about a month but doesn’t remember any of her time there. She holds onto nothing. Neither sadness nor joy. She did wonder as we got into the car if I made sure to get her purse. This she will ask again and again. ... Read Full Story

A Magical Call With Conrad Pritscher Posted by Somik Raha, Jul 12 2014 Today's magical Awakin call with Conrad brought many special moments for us. In particular, I was reminded of an experience with Jayesh Patel during a visit last year. He told me of a street vendor passing by, who appreciated the beautiful flowers Jayeshbhai had once planted. Upon meeting Jayeshbhai, he plucked a few gorgeous flowers and handed it to him.  Conrad Pritscher has planted so many seeds for us, and like the street vendor, it was our turn today to gift him a fruit that has resulted from his actions - a book (preview edition) taken from his own reflections to Awakin passages, sourced from here! Here's Conrad with the book (and looks like he was also tagged with a beautiful heart): Nimo holding the phone for Conrad to participate in our call: Nimo and Conrad's wife, Kay: Conrad and Kay: This labor of love had many hands, and as you can see, our beloved Nimo and ... Read Full Story

Summer Interns 2014 Week 2 Moral Action Posted by Anne-Marie Bauer, Jul 11 2014 In this weeks theme our ServiceSpace Interns and Mentors discussed reflections around Moral Action.  We all have our moral compass that guides us in our day to day action, but how often do we take the time to dive deep within and understand that compass?  We asked our interns to reflect on what moral values and ethics form their character, how true and authentically do they live according to their own moral standard and what are the challenges they face in following their own standards in times of difficulty.  Each week our interns share from a deep space of authenticity and vulnerability and it was evident once again in our call this week.  At times it might be difficult to truly understand and look deeply at what it is that we value and how we wish to be treated. One intern shared he came to see that he best understands what ... Read Full Story