Bayarea: News About Karma Kitchen (+ Stories And HHH Posted by ServiceSpace , Oct 31 2018 Thank you for so many palpable events with Sister Lucy last week! While we were certainly left inspired, she also left feeling so grateful for all your friendships. Here are a few photos, and a roundup of her remarkable stories. Some upcoming local events in the BayArea ... In Berkeley, Karma Kitchen is now officially on retreat. New ownership at the restaurant has opted not to continue our experiment, so we'll be looking for a new home (as the KK beat continues on around the globe -- most recently in Warsaw!) Or perhaps we'll experiment locally in a new direction. Would love to hear your ideas. On Saturday Nov 10th, we are super excited to pilot a day-long Hands, Head, Heart retreat! One of the H's will be anchored by Audrey Lin, another by Preeta Bansal and third by Nipun Mehta -- but exactly which H is a mystery, even to us. :) ... Read Full Story

Sister Lucy Kurien: Always Room For One More Posted by Nipun Mehta, Oct 30 2018 [Sister Lucy Kurien founded Maher in 1997, in one small home in a village outside of Pune, India. This humble beginning has blossomed into over 46 homes around the country, now touching tens of thousands of women, men and children in hundreds of communities. Maher means mother's home in Marathi, and Sister Lucy has created the warmth and love of a mother's home for the abused and traumatized women, children, and men. Her work has attracted countless awards, her events often include the likes of President of India, and wisdom keepers from across the world consider her a kin. Through her journey, Sister Lucy's most fundamental prayer is simply that the fire of love ignite in more people's hearts and inspire them to serve. Below are edited excerpts from Sister Lucy's various talks during the October 2018 visit to Northern California. ] What inspired you to become a nun? It's really ... Read Full Story

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: The Real Posted by Ameeta Martin, Oct 30 2018 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: The Real Powerball. With MegaMillions and Powerball mania sweeping the US last week, it is important to recall that money, like time and power, reveals our hidden truths. For lottery winners and others who receive large sums of money unexpectedly, money can unmask either underlying kindness or layers of hidden demons. Our video and article below show the two sides of this "jackpot". - Ameeta

A Letter To My Mother @ HeArt Circle Posted by Trupti Pandya, Oct 29 2018 This Sunday @ HeArt circle the invitation was to dive deeper into the love that we have been receiving from our mothers since inception and to pour it out in the form of words and post it to our nearest postbox. The invitation was to take his opportunity to share our gratitude, our favorite memory of her or say all that we feel for her but never told her. It was one of the most intimate circles which I experienced so far. The process itself brought so much warmth in the space. We shared smiles, apologies, tears of gratitude while sharing our memories and associations with our mothers. One thing which struck me was that each one of us has felt “that” unconditional love from our mothers but to put “that” love into words is a challenge. And the beauty is in that nameless, formless, colorless yet universal feeling that ... Read Full Story

Nuggets From Simon Hampel's Call Posted by Bela Shah, Oct 29 2018 Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Simon Hampel. How do leaders become wise and compassionate stewards? The question has guided Simon Hempel in his work as a Partner of Leaders’ Quest, a London-based organization that trains leaders in business, government and civil society worldwide to become purposeful, conscious, and transformational leaders. And the question has also guided Simon in his own changing personal journey. Hempel became a serial entrepreneur at a very young age, resisting the traditional route to college. He created companies across UK, Europe, the US and Canada in the fields of financial services, leisure, consultancy and technology. After great success, in 2002 he lost everything and ended up joining an Amazonian expedition. And while this was a difficult place to be, it brought upon him a vital shift of another order -- a shift inward. It’s from this space of inner attunement that ... Read Full Story

Nuggets From Lobsang Phuntsok's Call Posted by Amit Dungarani, Oct 28 2018 On Saturday, October 20th, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Lobsang Phuntsok. Everyone is an invited guest of the universe, Lobsang Phunstock tells the children of his community. But the message he received as a child was that he was an uninvited guest of the universe -- unwanted, abandoned at birth by his mother -- until his grandparents found him and sent him to monastery to free him from disturbing emotions. He eventually became one of 10 Buddhist monks selected by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to travel to the West to teach Buddhism. Now, he runs Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community for children in his ancestral region of India. Not calling the place an orphanage or a charity, even for fundraising, Lobsang does not want to market the children’s adversity, or to label them, as he is still challenged by the labels he received as a child. And ... Read Full Story

The Not-So-Long Bridge From London To SFO! Posted by Trishna Shah, Oct 28 2018 In recent years, it's been very inspiring to see the cross-pollination across various pockets of ServiceSpace around the world. Shamash and Vicky are part of all our local events in London, Laddership alumni, founders of Museum of Happiness, instigator of transformative moments, and hosts of Awakin London that recently just moved to their new location at "42 acres" retreat center: They met so many of the inspirations in California, visiting various Awakin Circles, engaging in deep dialogue with many and serendipitously coinciding with Sister Lucy's visit as well. Through the grapevine, I stumbled into the sweet note they left behind after a couple nights at Banyan Grove: Here's a "selfie" of them, with Nipun and Guri, at the intersection of Kindness Ave and Giving Way: Thank you, Shamash and Vicky, for your joyous friendship along the way! It is a delight to be serving others together.

A Poem On Death Posted by Xiaojuan Shu, Oct 28 2018 [What a sweet surprise to see Pavi and Viral at DRBU the day before our weeklong Guanyin Retreat! I rarely saw them even when I lived in the Bay. Pavi asked if I had any recent writing, and I mentioned the poem that I wrote on death, which was prompted by a recent death in the extended CTTB community. An accident on Talmage Road (near CTTB) on 14 September 2018, killed Xamuel Lara, a 34-year-old organic farmer, activist, mentor and leader, who was on his way biking to CTTB to visit one classmate in our Classical Chinese class. Sophie knocked on my door one late evening, and shared what she witnessed at the end of the evening ceremony in the Buddha Hall--the wail of our classmate shook her deeply. I woke up early the next morning, thinking about that classmate and how she might be feeling in her deep sorrow, ... Read Full Story

Six Questions At SOCAP Posted by Nipun Mehta, Oct 28 2018 [Last Thursday, Michelle Long convened a morning session at SOCAP conference, with venture capitalist Bo Shao, researcher Dacher Keltner and myself. Bo shared his personal story, and then Dacher and I engaged in a dialogue. Below is a summary of my reflections on Michelle's thoughtful questions.] Is our fundamental nature cooperation or competition? We have a lot of science now that tells us that our fundamental nature is cooperative. Even ancient bones tell the story of compassion. Some Australian archeologists found 4 thousand-year-old relics in Vietnam and noticed that hunters and gatherers carried a paralyzed man with them. Competition is driven by a sense of fear, and cooperation is driven by a sense of love. Another way to frame it is this: if we had all the freedom in the world, would we be lazy or innovative? Would we maximize self-interest or serve? We have both instincts in us, but, on balance, ... Read Full Story

Sister Lucy's Four Days In California! Posted by Audrey Lin, Oct 27 2018 Sister Lucy visited us for a few days last week. The morning before she landed, someone made some South-India breakfast for her and left it with bouquet of flowers outside of the Mehta household. Soon after Sister landed, she had a "leisurely 20 minute" breakfast, as we spoke at a San Jose's Center for Spiritual Living. She wowed the crowd with her candid stories, as they not only gave her a standing ovation but waved to all the kids at Maher. She inspiringly spoke about interfaith. "On Christmas, you ask all my children, how many of you are Christian? They will all raise their hands. At Diwali, how many are Hindu? All hands. At Eid, how many are Muslim? All hands." From there, we head to Banyan Grove for a "leisurely 7 minute" tea-time, after which we headed to The Pollination Project's salon, hosted impeccably by Ari and Ajay. In his follow-up note, ... Read Full Story

Nov 2018 London Update: Film Screenings, Awakins And Posted by Trishna Shah, Oct 27 2018 November 2018 - London Gatherings This month, we're excited to welcome you to two film screenings with very special filmmakers from the ServiceSpace family in California, Anne and Rajesh. Their labour of love documentary, Teach Me to Be WILD, shares the inspiring journeys of hurt children who have been healed through friendships with wild animal teachers -- details of the two London screenings are included below. For those who missed Nimo's visit or would like to check out the photos from three Empty Hands Music gatherings last month, you may enjoy the collective blog shared by the event hosts: Nimo in London: A Heart-Filling Week! Awakin Circles: Pimlico, Mill Hill Each month, you're invited to join Awakin Circles at locations around London, where we meditate for the first hour, engage in a circle of sharing based on a reading, and conclude with a home-cooked vegetarian dinner ... Read Full Story

Just One Ripple From Hyderabad :) Posted by Maria Bras, Oct 26 2018 One of my favorite sacred spaces in the world is Kanha. On the outskirts of Hyderabad, it is the epicenter of the Heartfulness movement, where more than 40 thousand people convene to meditate together, at least four times a year. Few weeks back, 1700 meditation trainers came together for their own three-day retreat -- and Nipun, Meghna, Parag, Swara, Nisha, Drishti, and Rohit were invited to share the ServiceSpace magic. And it was pure magic. On the very first day itself, Daaji -- with whom even just a few minutes is considered a great blessing by many around the globe -- went on a walk with a few of them. They spontaneously spent five hours together! It was just one magical moment after another, in the subsequent days, as all these energies came together. I'm sure you'll hear more about all the ripples in a subsequent post. Here's a few visuals ... Read Full Story

Awakin Amsterdam Begins! Posted by Christine Lendorfer, Oct 24 2018 So excited to receive this email from Carolyn about the start of Awakin Amsterdam! A beautiful ripple from our first Karma Kitchen in Vienna. In december 2017 maakte ik kennis met de Awakin Circle tijdens mijn verblijf in Auroville - India. Elke woensdag vond er eentje plaats in het guesthouse waar ik verbleef. Daarna heb ik in april 2018 een Awakin Cirkle in Wenen én de 1e Awakin Circle in Eisenstadt bijgewoond, beide in Oostenrijk. Komende zondag verwelkomen Alma Gall en ik je voor de 1e Awakin Cirkel in Amsterdam. [In December 2017 I was introduced to the Awakin Circle during my stay in Auroville - India. Every Wednesday there was one in the guesthouse where I stayed. In April 2018 I attended an Awakin Cirkle in Vienna and the 1st Awakin Circle in Eisenstadt, both in Austria. This Sunday Alma Gall and I welcome you to join the 1st Awakin Circle ... Read Full Story

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Falling To Posted by Ameeta Martin, Oct 23 2018 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Falling To Shed And Renew. Nature's seasons offer many quiet lessons. Nature sheds and seeds in autumn, reflects while dormant in winter and bursts forth anew in spring. Similarly, as we fall, a new version of us rises. As one layer of us peels off, a deeper layer is revealed. What feels like falling is often the seed for growth of something new - something deeper and more connected to our authentic nature. - Ameeta

First Inclusive Walkathon In Bangalore! Posted by V.R. Ferose, Oct 23 2018 On October 14th, we held our first Inclusive Walkathon in Bangalore, with 2000 participants, each walking with a person with disability: This was a big step in moving people from sympathy to empathy -- and en route to compassion. Thank you, all, for your continued support, mentoring, and inspiration.

Stories From Spain: Emergination Posted by Liam Chai, Oct 22 2018 For the past two weeks, I’ve been in Burgos, Spain. A place where 40,000 pilgrims walk through for the Camino de Santiago. It’s been blue skies and sunshine. But today, sitting in the living room of Casa del BienEstar, I’m surprised to see little rocks of ice are falling from the sky. I’m here in Spain because I’m looking for a place to continue in deep retreat, and dear noble friend Joserra said there could be the possibility of holding space for silence here in the expanding field of Burgos. Bloom Where You Are Planted Nimo was here a week ago sharing his music with the Spanish community. A painted quote he gave as a gift to Joserra reads, “Bloom where you are planted.” This is exactly what Joserra and many of the Spanish volunteers anchoring the field here have been doing in Burgos - Miki, David, Arianna, Quique, Pablo and Sabine to ... Read Full Story

Nimo: “Kindness, Gratitude, And Love” Posted by Sujatha Babu, Oct 21 2018 It had been raining a bit in the morning in Pondicherry (India). Nimo was scheduled to belt his songs, share his stories and spread the kindness at the Unity Pavilion in Auroville on Sunday. In the evening, the sky finally cleared up except for a sporadic drizzle. My daughter was super excited that she would finally get to meet the-one-and-only Nimo. She loves listening to his songs and seeing the EmptyHands videos. One of her friends and his family needed a lift to the event. So we picked them up and drove down a narrow backroad to join the Auroville main road when it happened. A big car coming from the opposite side squeezed our vehicle to the side of the road and one of our car wheels got in to a hole that was filled with water. We all got out of the car. We mothers tried to keep the children ... Read Full Story

Writing Prompts From DRBU Class Posted by Xiaojuan Shu, Oct 20 2018 It's been two months since I came to study at Dharma Realm Buddhist University. Every day, I feel grateful, knowing that many things that happen here will take a long time to really sink in within me. Though I'm not ready to share my experience here in more details, I'd like to share some writing exercises from a class. These exercises consist of my thoughts-in-progress, but the prompts may inspire you to write your own reflections. :) Prompt 1: What “authorities and tools” do you rely on and use to decide whether something is true or false, to be accepted or rejected, to be believed or doubted? How do I know if the source, from which I receive information, is “legitimate” or not? Habitually, I tended to accept things that made sense to me with the knowledge that I’d gained through my formal education. But this is no longer my main channel ... Read Full Story

Nimo In London: A Heart-Filling Week Of Gatherings Posted by Trishna Shah, Oct 20 2018 What a joy it was to welcome Nimo to London once again in September! As always, it was a heart-filling week of gatherings engaging people of all ages and from all walks of life. Our week opened with an Empty Hands Music gathering on World Peace Day, September 21st, at the Museum of Happiness! The next day we welcomed parents and children to come together for our second Kindful Kids Circle where Nimo shared stories and planted seeds about gratitude. Finally the last day of his trip concluded with an Awakin Circle, where he shared nuggets of wisdom and inspiration from his personal journey of service. Below are some highlights shared by our lovely hosts from these gatherings... Empty Hands Music on World Peace Day - Sept 21st (Museum of Happiness) By: Vicky Johnson and Shamash Alidina On the 21st of September 2018, over 100 people from all walks of life came together to cultivate ... Read Full Story

London Dialogue With Satish Kumar And Nipun Mehta Posted by Liam Chai, Oct 19 2018 [At a powerful retreat in London last weekend, we had the privilege of listening to a dialogue with Satish Kumar and Nipun Mehta. Below is the transcription of part of the audio recording.] Satish Kumar: Nipun and I had a dialogue about meditation and medicine [during the break]. These two words come from the same root in Latin, and so meditation or medicine both mean pay attention. When you pay attention to your body it becomes medicine. When you pay attention to your mind, spirit, inner world - it becomes meditation. And meditation is not only when you sit cross-legged, closed eyes, for half an hour to one hour every morning. That's a good practice every day, but that could extend throughout the day. Here you have lots of quotes on mindful living -- that is to pay attention to everything you do. From eating to sleeping, ... Read Full Story