When A Rabbi Wanted To Zikr Posted by Wendy Berk, Feb 27 2020 [When Aryae's return from last night's beautiful Awakin Circle, I was reminded of an amazing story told 26 years ago by Reb Zalman, about his encounter with a blind Sufi sheikh in Hevron, Israel/Palestine. Reb Zalman wanted to do zikr with the sheikh and his community, and at first they were very skeptical about why this rabbi would want to pray with Muslims. The dialogue that ensued was quite amazing, and serves as a great footnote to last night's Awakin Circle dialogue. Excerpt below is from an audio tape of the Farbrengen with Rabbis Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Shlomo Carlebach, Z'Tz'L, at the Hillel Foundation on March 19, 1994. Transcribed by Reuven Goldfarb with the assistance of Eliyahu (Khaled) McLean.] Used to be, when I would go to Israel, I would run in, go up to Nablus, and there, outside of Nablus, is a place called Balata. Balata was one of ... Read Full Story

A Beautiful Event With Fran And Reza Posted by Bonnie Rose, Feb 25 2020 This past weekend, we had the pleasure of hosting ServiceSpace friend, Fran Faraz, at our Spiritual Center, The Ventura Center for Spiritual Living. Fran is the Program Director for a College Peace Studies Program. She did an amazing job of speaking – so warm, likeable, and knowledgeable. We explored the idea that a conflict with two opposing sides often has a third way embedded within it. Fran also spoke about the importance of saying “I AM the change I wish to see in the world” – and then taking actions based on that statement. She discussed authentic hope vs. inauthentic hope. Inauthentic hope pretends that everything is fine, even when it isn’t. Authentic hope addresses the reality of challenges and labors to gain the peace and understanding that lead to positive change-worthy actions. One of the best things about this gathering was the appreciation I felt for ServiceSpace. Fran, her husband Reza, ... Read Full Story

Welcome Home !!! Posted by Kishan Laddha, Feb 08 2020 Welcome home !!! “आप मेरे घर चलिये “, come to my home, she invited with grace! We were at the bank of Narmada, waiting for a boatman to take us across to Kabirvad. But we got late and there could be no boat for return journey. We were spending time at the banks and there this group of children came running, their school got over and they were to go home across the river. The same boat that we were thinking to go, which we couldn’t, the children settled in, as this boat will take them home. In our conversation, they learnt that we intended to go to the other side but can’t, understanding our intentions the elder girl offered us - “come to my home, welcome home!!!” I was jaw dropped, she doesn’t know anything about us, not even our names (we didn’t even exchange our names) and with her magnanimous heart ... Read Full Story

Greening The Earth & Seeding Compassion In The Hearts Posted by Arpita Thakkar, Feb 05 2020 [Aviram Rozin the founder of Sadhana Forest shared his journey of transforming self along with the seventy acres of severely eroded, arid land on the outskirts of Auroville into a lush green forest at Awakin Talks, Vadodara. He is the member of the Global Restoration Council and a board member of the Foundation for World Education. Below is the transcript and recording of his compassionate and collaborative way of life which is also his message to the world.] [Listen to audio-only] Thank you, everyone, for inviting me and having me here in the lands of Banyans. I am so happy to be here. I come from a community that is centred around a Banyan. Auroville is centred around a Banyan planted near the Matrimandir. So Banyans are a very important feature in our lives. My name is Aviram and I will tell you my story very shortly. I was born two times ... Read Full Story

Business & Kindness - 4-day Retreat In Vienna - Jan20 Posted by Olivier Chhu, Feb 05 2020 * French version in the 2nd part - Version française dans la 2eme moitié de l'article * A series of events were held in Vienna in the end of January 2020. This 4-day retreat included four main events: an Awakin Circle, a Business and Kindness day-retreat, a conference given by Nipun on “why a culture of giving makes companies more successful” and the Karma Kitchen as closure event. And once more, I am writing an article after getting my brain full of memories, and my heart full of love. Credit to the hosts of Vienna who made such an emergence possible. 1- Awakin circle hosted by Alma and Vali We followed a usual format, starting with one hour of meditation allowing us to find back some stillness in our minds. We then had an intervention by Nipun, where he explained us how small trigger events could lead to the emergence of people. ... Read Full Story

The Flowering Of Possibilities In Children Posted by Neela Gupta, Feb 05 2020 Education means to learn to see, learn to listen carefully and learn to live in harmony. [A few months ago we had the privilege to have Archana Bahuguna founder of Space for Nurturing Creativity with her two children from the Himalayas is changing the education space where she is asking very different questions about learning and living. Below is the transcript and recording of her talk at Awakin Talks, Vadodara.] [Listen to audio-only.] I am from a small village in a remote corner of Uttarakhand. we follow a practice of travelling for a month with our Children and Youth team to different parts in India to observe and explore. I had felt this to be a good practice to live and explore possibilities as there are a lot of influences in this world and in the societies. And I am really very happy that there are many such places where so many ... Read Full Story

Free Hugs :) Posted by Hermann Gams, Feb 03 2020 One of the various remarkable artist performances at Karma Kitchen Vienna last week ... go THéKO!

"Kindness Will Be All We Can Leave Behind" Posted by Bhumika Patel, Feb 01 2020 Whether humanity will consciously follow the law of love, I do not know. But that need not disturb me. The law will work just as the law of gravitation works whether we accept it or not. Bhakti, a love warrior, stared her journey with these little bundles of masti gang three years ago by tutoring them with some basic principles of English and Science. While explaining them the law of gravitation, she also started sharing the law of kindness and the multiplicity of its ripples. Some time ago she heard the story of Shakkuben, who we fondly call Pencil Amma, and was deeply touched by her simple yet profound way of service. Bhakti gathered all the kids and shared her story with them and to honour amma's service journey they all started collecting old pencils. But, that wasn't enough for them! They added paper mache to the pencils as an extension to ... Read Full Story

Q/A With Kalyan Banerjee At Awakin Talks- Baroda Posted by Jaimit Vaidya, Feb 01 2020 [We had the opportunity to be part of an inspiring conversation with Kalyan Banerjee who was the co-founder of Mindtree, Pro VC at Centurion University and is known to pioneer technology with values along with Audrey Lin who is a visionary behind kindspring's 21 day challenge and laddership portal and Siddharth Shah who have been doing kindness circles with school children at Awakin Talks, Vadodara. Here is a briefly edited transcript of the conversation.] Audrey: Wonderful. I came all the way around the world just to talk to you (laughs). It is an honour to be here, to be in a space like this where everyone has come to listen and share in the space of stories and transformation - Thank You! Knowing your background, from getting a masters in computer science to different businesses to organizational management to education to social work, it sounds like you have done everything in ... Read Full Story

Awakin Circle In Bogota Posted by Kathrin Pachinger, Jan 25 2020 Yesterday I was so touched by the power of a circle again. So touched that I like to share with you this beautiful ripples created here in the north of Colombia. We were hosting an Awakin Circle in a small Finca close to a village called Morros. I am very grateful for all the inspiration I have received since connecting to all of you! GRACIAS de Bogota ...

On Celebration Of Aging Posted by Nisha Srinivasan, Jan 21 2020 [ Below is the New Year wish we received from T S Ananthu, one of the founders of the eco community Navadarshanam near Bangalore, India.] We all get and send messages celebrating the arrival of a new year. The irony is that while occasions such as new year and birthdays are seen as a cause for celebration, the process of ageing isn't. Becoming older is seen as a cause for regret. In ancient times, age was seen as an indicator of maturity, even wisdom. But now, it is viewed with alarm by those getting older, and with disdain by those still young. Our culture is very much tilted in favour of the young - they are the ones targeted in advertisements that show youthful energy, they are the ones who are offered starting salaries that often exceed amounts paid to those with a life long of experience at the work place. But ... Read Full Story

Teen Awakin Circle Posted by Priya Shah, Jan 13 2020 On the first Friday evening of the new year, 7 teens from around Silicon Valley came together for an Awakin circle led by former ServiceSpace interns Vishesh and Priya. We kicked the circle off with 5 minutes of guided meditation, took a break to make some care packages to give out as random acts of kindness (with an origami heart making session led by Maya!), did 10 more minutes of guided meditation, and then did a 'reverse brainstorm' to make a plan for future circles based on the teens' shared desires for what kind of a space they wanted to create for and with each other. And then, of course, we ended the evening by enjoying some delicious homemade snacks!

Beloveds, Wishing Everyone A Very Joyous, ... Posted by Barbara Jack, Dec 31 2019 Beloveds, wishing everyone a very joyous, healthy, prosperous, love and hug filled new year ahead. Please in this year coming, be aware reach out to others,to give time, caring, a warm greeting, try to always,check in on them, give them a telephone call,(! For consider, how would you feel, in the place of those less cared about or forgotten? Even one that is only a few minutes), drop by and visit with them, of those around you, those beloved family members. Beloved friends, beloved acquaintances, the old, the young the disabled, the poor and those neighbors all around you. Well, freezing my hands off here and my son came to tell me to go into our only room with heat, our maggie, emma and fuzzbucket do not tolerate us leaving them. Lol they are our controllers! Oh my, joe has brought me hot tea. The frigid rooms make him have more severe pain, so I must go. So much love and very huge warmest hugs, to mindy, mish and all others that may recall me in kindspring! Happy new year! Xxooooooooo

Unforgettable Three Days In Surat! Posted by Lila Vasilescu, Dec 28 2019 After our Compassion in Education Symposium with Nipun beginning of November literally every single day ripples of unexpected acts of kindness and cheerful connections took place. Yet little did I know that the best was yet to come. It only took an email from Nipun letting us know about an Educators retreat that the Service Space community in Surat, India was organizing just days before Christmas that our adventure began. Five of us said yes on the spot. Doina had no choice as it was her birthday present! 😊 It was a crazy decision as we would spend 3 days on flights and only 3 days there. Yet that’s just details when it’s meant to be. We left with no expectations, neither of us having been to India before. An entire book could be written about our journey. We were welcomed as family, cared for and loved in so many touching ways. When you are immersed in such ... Read Full Story

Karma Cafe In Vietnam! Posted by Giang Dang, Dec 26 2019 I am so happy to share with you the news about our first Karma Cafe in Vietnam. On Sunday Dec 15, from 6-9PM, our team started the Karma Cafe in the most crowded and commercial part of Ho Chi Minh City. The place was packed and filled with joy. I will update with a long story after, but for now, I just want to express my deepest gratitude for the guidance, inspiration and support from you all.

CODE FOR LOVE - When Angels Dare Posted by Ragunath Padmanabhan, Dec 25 2019 "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans", sang the Beatles. Could we meet life face to face without our business getting in the way? It seems that all the different year-end gatherings of Service Space are an attempt to answer that question. Each Service Space event chooses a core aspect of life to explore if we can be fully alive to that aspect for at least a few days. On December 16th and 17th at Anahad, Hyderabad, we chose love. In December 2015, Anahad was one of the ideas presented at the Startup Service event at ESI, Sughad. This was a time when even the name Anahad was not yet conceived. Abid and Shabbar, who had presented the idea, carried home all the inspiration from that event (with extra luggage :) and created a farm-based community in record time. Ever since, they had a strong intention of ... Read Full Story

Innocent, But Not Ignorant Posted by Bradley Stoll, Nov 28 2019 At the Awakin Circle last night, someone spoke of their equating of ignorance and innocence. Today, that hit me in a profound way. Above is a picture of Andy. I had made some cinnamon rolls this morning, as well as a potato dish, with the intention of offering it to anyone experiencing homelessness during this time. Andy was the first person that I met. I sat down with him and just listened as he told me his story, which included his mother and brother passing away; how his sister Susan had arranged for him to live in a trailer and how he left it, which made her none too happy. He just couldn't afford it anymore, though. I decided to ask Andy if he'd like me to help find his sister. He said he's tried but has been unsuccessful and hasn't seen her in a few years. After giving me her name ... Read Full Story

Fox's Chain Of Kindness Posted by Kozo Hattori, Nov 27 2019 Monday was the first day of Thanksgiving vacation, so Fox and I decided to go see Methuselah, the 4,851 year old tree that both Hafiz and Pavi had raved about. It exceeded all expectations. Something about hugging a tree that can hold 30 people around its huge trunk humbled and inspired me. I could sense that Fox was affected as well, but I can't quite articulate how. When we hiked down the trail to get a better perspective, we found a small hut that someone had built out of branches. Fox climbed into the hut and said, "Dad, can we do a homeless walk today?" I said what I always say when my sons ask me something that is not what I really want to do, "Maybe." After driving down the hill, we went out to lunch with my cousin and his daughter. Waiting for our food, Fox asked if he ... Read Full Story

Smiles From Awakin Teens :) Posted by Helen Kimura, Nov 14 2019 What a joyous Awakin Teens Service Day over the weekend at Banyan Grove! On Sunday evening, a few families came together to prep the space and also circle up again since our last meeting in September. Simply coming together in the spirit of service led to powerful conversations and joy in wholesome presence. Right from the beginning, the teens got to work (after a game of basketball :)), picking apples from the trees, which Sandy and Tim's mom Jane magically turned into a delicious apple cobbler! Seema arrived and instantly super sweetly whipped up some vegan chai for everyone as well! After some icebreaker activities with our spirited "guest speakers" for the evening, Tim and Vishesh, we had dinner, and then the teens flowed into a young-people-only :) circle on "Stories of Success". Lena wrote afterwards that many questions that came up on this topic were "not easily answered either, but the input from ... Read Full Story

Awakin Teens On Success :) Posted by Lena Kimura, Nov 13 2019 This last weekend we had another Teen Awakin meeting at Banyan Grove, which turned out to be a really 'awakening' experience. Before the day of service, a few of us came the evening before to volunteer and prep, and also circle up together after a couple months. On this first night, our two brilliant guest speakers, Tim and Vishesh led me and about 10 other teens (plus Audrey!) through an intimate circle. We discussed what true success meant to us and some of the conflicts we face when trying to reach whatever that success was to us. My favorite part of the night was when we split into two groups, one mediated by Vishesh and one by Tim. The idea of these smaller circles were to take the really deep questions we thought of prior when discussing success, and to pick out smaller questions which we could answer. A common question seemed ... Read Full Story