Power Of Prayer: Circle With Maki, Rika & Yuka Posted by Sachi Maniar , Nov 11 2020 This month in our community anchors circle we took a deep dive into the theme of 'Power of Prayer' and it was the most blissful, amazing, sacred, soul touching circle. With lot of gratitude in my heart for the Saionji family, I pray, I am able to capture the essence of it in this blog. "Prayer is not seen with the eyes. That is why people who have awakened to their spirituality must go first, filling every corner of their life with prayer. Through their actions, their way of life, and their personality, others will awaken, too." -- Masahisa Goi ‘PRAYER’ a word that can sometimes be so charged and heavy and come with all its pre-existing ideas and notions based on our personal experiences and family traditions. For me, it has always meant that moment when I could truly connect with self or rather ‘surrender’ to the higher design. It were ... Read Full Story

Money And Intangibles Based In Love Posted by Audrey Lin, Nov 10 2020 [Below is a stunning story from Ruth, on her experience receiving a priceless gift, that surfaced in the Priceless Pricing Pod that began this week.] 
Paradoxically, my most priceless gift involves a gift of money. 

The year my husband and I divorced, our daughter entered college and our son exited into the world. Despite the fact that my position at the college where I had worked almost twenty years contributed toward children’s college tuition as a benefit (one of the reasons I had stayed easily in high satisfaction work that paid a low salary), my daughter's first comprehensive college bill was a larger amount than my entire yearly salary! In the emotional turmoil of our divorce, my husband had opted not to pay any college expenses because both children were over 18, so legally he did not have to provide college funds. No amount of my normal creativity, organization and determination partnered ... Read Full Story

Image Of The Week Artist? Posted by Nipun Mehta, Nov 09 2020 On one blog post, I read a comment by a relatively new volunteer: "Typically, the more I dive into an organization, the less there is that I want to uncover. :) ServiceSpace has been the opposite experience. The deeper I dive, the more rabbit holes I uncover. And the roots are so intricate and beyond comprehension, that in the very process of stumbling into it, I somehow see a bit more of myself. Or perhaps a bit less of myself. It's almost mysterious, if you know what I mean. :)" Awakin Readings illustrate this so elegantly. Having a newsletter in today's era isn't all that interesting -- just more content in an already information-overloaded palette. :) Yet, Awakin emails "feel" different. Sure, it's ad-free. Sure, some people have been receiving it every week for a couple of decades. Sure, Somik and I screen the readings each week to ensure a meta ... Read Full Story

Wealth That Integrates Gross And Subtle Forms Of Value Posted by David Bullón, Nov 06 2020 In preparing for the Priceless Pricing Pod that is starting this weekend, i decided to capture some of what I have been reflecting on about how our concept of wealth can integrate gross and subtle forms of value. When I landed my first job after college in 2005, I found myself fully immersed for the first time in the logic of the prevalent financial system. I was working in a company that makes stuff and bought into the idea that if I could use my skills to add value to this company then it would exchange my work for money, and I could use that money to buy the stuff needed to live a happy and healthy life. I was invited to open an investment account to save for retirement. The idea was that if I could add enough value to make more money than I needed to live, then I ... Read Full Story

A Package With Six Or More Faces Posted by Nisha Srinivasan, Nov 03 2020 In last month's Sacred Space Pod, we were invited to reflect: "What's an act of kindness you'll never forget?" This response spontaneously surfaced for me: Yesterday, I had to send a parcel and went to the parcel office. The lady ahead of me was standing in way that blocked the entrance/exit. My parcel was a bit heavy and for a moment, I was a bit annoyed that though she could see me, I had to verbally ask her to move so I could enter and join the queue. Her turn came to deposit the parcel and she was short of change. While she was scrambling, I offered her that change. She was surprised but took it and turned back and flashed a huge smile. And when she left, she called out my attention and said a hearty, loud, cheerful, "Thank You" that made everyone, including the cashier, smile. The story begins again for ... Read Full Story

A Six Year Promise Posted by Kerri Lake, Nov 02 2020 [As we ready for an upcoming Laddership Pod on the theme of "Priceless Pricing," I was recently reminded of this experience that transformed my relationship to money.] In 2012 I bought a one-way ticket to Kauai, Hawaii, from California. I knew nobody, I had no place to stay, no income and no idea what I was doing! I arrived on-island with $144 to my name, leaving my car (and a $500 payment) back in San Jose, California. The first night I was there, all I wanted was a hot shower. So, I spent $100 of my $144 on a hotel room so I could shower. The next day I woke up and started living. I was still living for survival though. I used my abilities to create opportunities for work. I met people, said no to some invitations, yes to others. By many acts of magic and divine intervention, I stayed on ... Read Full Story

A Young Nun And An Old Lemon Tree Posted by Khang Nguyen, Nov 01 2020 [In last month's Sacred Space Pod, one of the themes we dove into was on "love and power" and I was reminded of this experience.] In the monastery which I come back to every now and then, there's a young nun who's only a year older than I am. After dropping out of different colleges several times, ordaining in another tradition and then joining this particular lineage, she fully dedicated herself to living a life as best she can. She quietly listened to the grievances of everyone in the monastery, and always took on the jobs that few people wanted, always being the last to clean up the sinks, sort out the trash, etc. I've seen her gently patted someone's hands away, so that she can remove the dregs from the sink drain, or pick out snails from the trash bins, with her bare fingers, leaving the lighter job for all of ... Read Full Story

A Prayer Bag At Gun Point Posted by Mia Tagano, Nov 01 2020 Recently, while reading ArunDada's story in a "Sacred Space" Pod last month, I was reminded of an experience I had in 2010 -- ten years ago. (Amazing because it doesn't feel so long ago.) I had spent the day with my favorite Buddhist nun, Jun anjusan -- a woman who has walked all over the world for peace -- starting in 1978 when she walked across the USA. I have had the honor of walking with her in Japan and to sacred burial sites as well as nuclear testing sites in California. She is one of the most humble teachers I know with the strength and clarity of a cheetah; her voice is almost tiny but can move mountains. One day after a long day of fasting and prayer on the UC Berkeley campus near the Anthropology Department where Native American bones were being held, Jun anjusan and I were ... Read Full Story

Giving Away Your World To Share Smiles:)) Posted by Trupti Pandya, Oct 30 2020 Yesterday while I was leaving for work, I saw an old grandma sitting under the shade of an almond tree at the start of our lane. She was short, had boy-cut hair, a faint smile with no teeth, and a few wrinkles near her eyes :) I stopped and asked her if she was hungry as it was almost lunchtime; she mumbled something I failed to understand. Meanwhile, she showed me her empty water bottle, so I went to Mayank’s home to refill the bottle. Mayank is one of the kids who makes sure to chop the vegetables before every Awakin circle. Mayank’s father gave me a clean bottle of freshwater. Just then, seeing me, Mayank came to inquire about where I was going. I told him that I am going to the office but stopped to get some water for the old grandma. With a mix of innocence and mischief in ... Read Full Story

Pandemic Blessings Posted by Ana Valdes, Oct 15 2020 Manila, Philippines. Vicente is our neighbor, he has a poultry farm. He said he had a lot of broken eggs that were being thrown away, and did we have any use for them. Since they were broken, he put them in plastic bags and scrambled them, so that they would be easy to freeze. He asked us, his neighbors, if we wanted to use them. Some of our neighbors used them for baking. I knew my sister and some friends were doing feeding programs for the underprivileged. So we connected Vicente and my sister, and friends...and voila. Vicente gives us 400 frozen eggs a week. And we make breakfast. Then my sister met another man who also owned another poultry farm, and she asked him if he had broken eggs in his poultry. So he began giving 600 eggs a week. We found other donors for the meat, rice, and somehow we have been able to feed so many people weekly. Children, adults, front-liners...Blessings! The pandemic has many blessings! Here is a picture of the frozen eggs.

Blowing Out Three Candles Posted by Amritha Mandagondi, Oct 08 2020 [A beautiful story Theresa shared in last night's virtual Awakin Santa Clara circle, on the passage by Anthony de Mello: Substituting One Cruelty For Another.] You know, with the passage. I think I was initially struck by the part about the window, and missing the beauty of the scenery the first time around, because you're in an off mood. And so the first thing for me was just being curious: what am I missing, because I'm so caught up in what's going on within me that I'm not able to actually learn or see beyond my own world? Then on the question about habits and things, I was actually thinking about my older son, who is three and a half. Anupam, my husband, and I had decided that we were not going to punish our kids. We read in some parenting books somewhere that that's just not effective. (But it's also a ... Read Full Story

Popat Savla: A Humble Love Affair With Life Posted by Nipun Mehta, Oct 05 2020 Both of us drove up together to a holy site, somewhere on the hills of Los Angeles. Except it was Sunday. And this shrine of the revered India mystic, Yogananda, is closed on Sundays. “If it’s closed, why are we going there?” I asked my friend. “Who knows, maybe it’ll open. Not all gates open by man-made rules.” Okay, I can dig that. We arrived, and sure enough, the giant gate was closed and there was absolutely no human in sight. “Well, we tried,” I stated. With his usual jokster smile, my friend replied with a Zen koan: “Surrender works only after full effort.” He got out of the car. I stayed back, since I wasn’t quite sure how the 50 feet walk between the car and the front gate would change anything. Lo and behold, right as he beelines for the shuttered gate, a nun comes out of nowhere, appearing to ... Read Full Story

Standing Up At Gandhi Ashram Posted by Rohit Rajgarhia, Oct 02 2020 [On Gandhi's birthday, it is an honor to re-share Paulette's extraordinary experience we heard at Gandhi 3.0 in January, of "standing up".] Good evening. Namaste. I would like to invite you to begin by closing your eyes and adjusting your position in your seat. [Pause] Take a d-e-e-p breath, breathing in and exhaling all the air. [Pause] Allow your shoulders to fall from around your ears so that you relax in your seat. Maybe your feet are making contact with the ground. [Pause] Notice your thoughts where they are and just breathe. [Pause] As you sit in your seat with your eyes closed and heart open, imagine Gandhiji appears before you dressed all in white. He bends down, reaches for your arm, holding your arm between your elbows and your wrist, and firmly speaks to you and says, “Stand Up.” You may be a little hesitant, a little startled, so you ... Read Full Story

Between A Monk, A Forest, And PG&E Workers Posted by Trupti Pandya, Sep 28 2020 [A touching story that Buddhist monk, Jin Wei, shared, as 46 of us began a "Sacred Space" Laddership Pod yesterday!] What's a time when you experienced the whole as greater than the sum of its parts? I am sitting here in the courtyard of Redwood Vihara, in a redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And what I want to share with you is something that happened yesterday in this very place and how we created a sacred space spontaneously where we felt, at that moment, some wholeness and deep connections with few strangers and with nature. Some of you might have heard about the wildfires in California that have been happening in recent weeks. It was a very, very difficult time here. And this land was very affected. Seventy thousand people had to be evacuated from this area and, more than a thousand structures and homes were burned to ashes. People will ... Read Full Story

Money, Power, And System Change In The World Posted by Carol Xu, Sep 21 2020 We psychologically attribute too much power to people with money and authority. We often expect or wait for the rich and high-status people to change the world. We grow upset or resentful, if they do not fulfill our expectations. We may think that we have to become rich or attain high status before we can bring about “real” change in society (whatever real means). When we do not have money or authority, we are often treated as a tool by those who do to reach their goals. When we don’t have money or authority, we often treat each other as a means to acquire money or authority. When we don’t have money or authority, we often reduce ourselves into a machine (or a cog in a larger machine) whose main purpose is to maximize wealth or social status in life. When the machine does not achieve its purpose, we beat ... Read Full Story

Kina And Her Cause Posted by Lena Kimura, Sep 19 2020 About a week ago, Amritha and I got the pleasure of interviewing a 14-year-old girl, Kina Desai, who's started an inspiring effort called 'Draws for a Cause'. The premise of 'Draws for a Cause' was to donate a pair of underwear to children in need in Central America for every pair purchased. Below is the transcript from our amazing interview with her! Lena: How did 'Draws for Cause' start, and what's the root of the inspiration for starting it? Kina: Last Summer, around August, I visited the Texas-Mexico border and volunteered in McAllen, Texas and Mexico and while there I volunteered in care centers with asylum seekers and the majority of them were from Central America. So as I was volunteering, the highlight of my time there was definitely volunteering with children at the care centers and I just spent a lot of time there with them and would kind of hear ... Read Full Story

6 Lessons From Our Summer Interns Posted by Audrey Lin, Aug 30 2020 Couple weeks back, fifteen of us completed a memorable summer internship. Across seven seemingly unstoppable weeks, 7 interns and 8 mentors came together to deepen in service. What transpired moved all of us, and we continue to be disarmed by the ripples that flow on. When summer internship applications came in this Spring, Vishesh noted: "It's hard to say who's going to be the intern and who’s going to be the mentor this summer." Indeed, the service-hearted intentions and experiences these young hearts articulated was so telling. As we dove into the summer, they showed up in full form every week. Rolling up their sleeves in concrete action, they served on existing ServiceSpace projects, as well as initiated their own service projects -- some of which are slated to continue throughout the year! Expanding their thinking, they'd read a new book every week related to values of service and kindness, and took ... Read Full Story

Teen Interview With Nitya Devisetti Posted by Lena Kimura, Aug 19 2020 Nitya Devisetti is a senior in high school in the Bay Area. In early May, she started the ‘Ma(s)king a Difference' non-profit organization to donate masks and cards to help those in need, and bring the community together. I had the pleasure of holding an interview with her to get to know a bit more about her, ‘Ma(s)king a Difference’, the struggles of being a teen in Silicon Valley, veganism, community, and much more. Below is a transcript of our conversation. Lena: I just wanted to know how you got ‘Ma(s)king a Difference’ started. I know there was a little bit of background on Karunavirus.org, but I want to know your thought process going into it, and what really motivated you. Nitya: Yeah. In the beginning, my mom was donating money to India and I was like “Why are you donating money to India? We live here.” and she was like “Yeah, but ... Read Full Story

Horses And Humans Together Create Big Ripples Posted by Kerri Lake, Aug 13 2020 Animals have a presence that opens the hearts of humanity. Absent of judgment, never requiring you to be different than you are, they offer connection and awareness for its own sake. As humans, we have the ability to recognize and share this connection with one another, reminding each other how it feels to be connected, with an open heart. Michelle Wagner-Yeatts knows that feeling well! Her “volunteer heart” was inspired and nourished by her mother who was always looking for more ways to help those around her. So, she is already tuned to notice situations where she might be able to step in and make a difference. Michelle’s professional background includes years and years of administration in nursing homes and other care facilities, and through that work, she developed a huge passion for seniors! When she saw a post float across her FB feed sharing the story of a man in who was ... Read Full Story

Service, Simplicity ... And Songwriting! Posted by Harpreet Bhan, Aug 12 2020 Being a joyful Heartfulness practitioner and a huge fan of ServiceSpace, i present an article on Nimo (who I had the privilege of meeting and singing with, earlier this year), in the latest Heartfulness Magazine, Nimo is featured along with other greats. Hope you enjoy it as much as i did, rather more:-) ...