No Price Tag On Art! Posted by Ashima Goyal, Apr 27 2018 Imagine coming across wisdom crafts in Austria! Today evening we were all in a beautiful Awakin circle hosted by a wonderful couple - Kathrin and Ulli The circle was in their parents restaurant and every painting in the restaurant had a tag in German. None of us noticed it at first and later when I asked Kathrin to what it says, it read: "How do we evaluate art? Is it a price? It is a feeling? Or a cultural product? Is art a commercial good? ART IS FREE You can evaluate this series of artwork on your own. Do you like this artwork? Feel free to contact me at ..." There were paintings as huge as the wall and she offered everything as gift as how do you put a price on labor of love! A heArtist! We had taken printout's of bhumika's artwork for their circle which they actually passed forward to all the guests. In that moment the two heartists were totally connected!

Chain Of Hugs At Karma Kitchen Posted by Priya Shah, Apr 27 2018 In November 2017, I brought my family and roommate to enjoy a meal at Karma Kitchen in Berkeley. As we were waiting for our meal, we played the spin challenge game at the table. I landed on “Give a hug to someone.” My siblings’ eyes lit up, claiming that I could not use it on someone I knew already and that they would be in charge of picking out my ‘victim’. :) As they were surveying the restaurant to decide on who I should surprise with a hug, one of the musically-gifted KK volunteers broke out into song on his guitar. Everyone (servers, dishwashers, plater, guests) joined in, singing and clapping along. One of the chefs even came out and started dancing! At the end of the song, the Maitre d’ thanked the volunteer for performing and the guests for coming. Turns out he had also heard that I had yet to give ... Read Full Story

HeArt Circle On: What Is Alive In You At This Moment Posted by Trupti Pandya, Apr 27 2018 "Your heart is aching to be What you are, to be Everything that you are, on this breath. Don’t put it off another instant." - Scott Morrison This month’s seed question for HeArt circle was: Recognizing what is alive in you at this moment which was based on this passage. After thirty minutes of silence, all of us chose the most comfortable corner of the room for the next hour. As an observer, it was so interesting to witness various themes that were emerging on the blank canvas while each one was engrossed tapping into what was really alive in them at that moment using paints, clay, coloured strips. As we all gathered back for reflection some of my key learnings from their sharing's were: Unconditional presence of grace: One of the local volunteer Siddharth shared, “ After the meditation, I wanted to share silence because that was what was alive within. So, I just stayed there ... Read Full Story

3rd Graders Lead The Way On Earth Day Posted by Chris Johnnidis, Apr 26 2018 Rethink. Refuse. Reuse. Went to a brief press conference at Berkeley Recycling Center earlier this week, where these three words served as a powerful rallying cry by 9-year-old students in Jacqueline's (aka Ms. Omania :)) 3rd grade class at Oxford Elementary. It was an honor to witness them, after having had the pleasure to visit them briefly last week when Nimo stopped by the school for a return visit, on our way up to Ukiah--as Xiao just elegantly and humorously chronicled. :) Last week, upon arriving at the classroom, we were greeted with a mason jar's worth of trash. Hmm. :) The student greeter proceeded to tell us how that was the landfill-trash contents for the ENTIRE class for the ENTIRE year so far (about 150+ days). You know Nimo, not one to miss an opportunity to highlight the brilliance of children--the following picture emerged: The classroom visit itself saw sharing from ... Read Full Story

'States Of Grace' Q&A: With Grace And Mark! Posted by Xiaojuan Shu, Apr 26 2018 A few months back, I met Grace at an Awakin Circle at Banyan Grove, and was deeply charmed and moved by her wisdom, compassion, humility, and -- well -- grace. :) When I learned that a film had been made about her journey, I knew it'd be a gift to screen it in the community. Little did I know that Bradley had a similar thought after meeting Grace a year or two back! And many others shared the same idea! With many invisible hands helping behind the scene, the first film screening at Banyan Grove flowed organically on April 15, as bunch of us gathered in the new zendo on a sunny rainy day in West Marin. After the screening of States of Grace, the audience interacted enthusiastically during the Q&A session with Grace and the filmmaker, Mark! As the event invite read: The film captures the profound transformation of Dr. Grace ... Read Full Story

96 Sandwiches On A Sunny Saturday! Posted by Maya Shah, Apr 25 2018 This past weekend, a few friends and I got together and made 96 sandwiches and bag lunches to hand out to the homeless... It was an amazing experience and I loved the energy of it all. A special part for me was seeing some of my closet friends getting more comfortable with the homeless people we gave food to, and being able to recognize the stigmas they had being dissolved. I was also inspired by our free lemonade stand – so we passed out cold lemonade and water on the 80-degree day!

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Healing By Posted by Ameeta Martin, Apr 24 2018 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Healing By Listening. Have you ever found yourself talking to someone who was not actually listening? We have all experienced that and have been that inattentive person as well. Thich Nhat Hanh's "compassionate listening" requires the listener to be fully present and empathetic, and allows for true healing. When we truly experience this, our world and our sense of self can transform dramatically. - Jane

Kindful Kids Earth Day Celebration Posted by Brinda Govindan, Apr 23 2018 Kindful kids in the park celebrated Earth Day weekend yesterday with lots of seeds (veggies and wildflowers) planted, many liters of homemade Meyer lemonade given away, and a relaxed time for parents to connect and enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Kids from the park were drawn to our table to plant, make cards, and chalk up the sidewalk! Ananya crafted a beautiful "free lemonade/earth day" sign, Fox eagerly found people to give lemonade (and smile cards) to, Simi was an enthusiastic gardener and helped a lot with the little ones, and the youngest of the crew (Vivaan and Avni) had fun planting, drawing and playing. Our canine companions drew lots of smiles and kids who wanted to pet them, and we had a lovely surprise visit from Harpreet (whom we have missed at Awakin circles due to his health). As usual in the ServiceSpace ecosystem, whatever we needed (or thought we had forgotten) ... Read Full Story

For The Incredible Beauty Of Creation Posted by Chi Phan, Apr 23 2018 [Beautiful meditation that we read in London, for our Earth Day retreat, by Pierre Pradervand] The incredible beauty of nature defies the wildest imagination. From the perfection of a tiny alpine flower no one will ever even see to the splendor of a star-studded summer’s night, through the intricate beauty of a seashell to the breathtaking harmony of a spider’s web, all this grandiose symphony has been laid out for our pure enjoyment. Mistress of the universe, we bless You for the incredible perfection and splendor of the spectacle You have created for our constant rejoicing. For the sheer miracle of a substance as mysterious and omnipresent as water to the rugged beauty of a mountain range, for the amazing functioning of living creatures and systems of all sorts that challenge our deepest knowledge to the constantly renewed abundance of Your goodness expressed in the produce of the earth ... Read Full Story

Bayarea: This Weekend! (Nimo, Kindful Kids, Turning 23) Posted by ServiceSpace , Apr 20 2018 Dear Ones, Thank you for so many wonderful circles last month, from Easter Bowing to literally being graced by Grace. :) Coming up ... This Sunday, Nimo's back in town! We're circling up for an early evening of stillness, stories, and songs at Banyan Grove. RSVP here. Also this weekend: Arathi and Joel are hosting "Our Children Are Our Awakeners" circle with John Malloy in East Bay, as Brinda and a crew of Kindful Kids are spreading smiles at a park in the South Bay! And coming soon ... Next Saturday, Apr 28, Shiv's celebrating his 23rd birthday with 23 acts of kindness -- and you're welcome to join. Next Sunday, Apr 29, friends from Austria, Texas, birthday buddies Shiv and Ami, and many others are serving up lunch at Karma Kitchen in Berkeley, 11AM to 3PM! On May 6th, Xiao's hosting an afternoon Tea Ceremony, followed by our monthly 4PM Awakin Circle at Banyan Grove -- perhaps ... Read Full Story

Inspiring Link Posted by Maria Daniel, Apr 19 2018 A look at systems thinking through the example of love

Conversation With The Termites:) Posted by Trupti Pandya, Apr 19 2018 At one of the recent Awakin circle Arun dada shared one of his experiences on interconnectedness with nature. In his home town, he had a huge Neem tree in his compound. It started getting affected by the termites so for the first few days he tried to remove them gently but the termites kept coming. One day he decided to deal with them in a different way. He went to the tree and started having a conversation with the termites. He said, “I understand that you must be feeling hungry and to survive you have been feeding on this tree but this tree should also survive right? The termites in return asked dada, in that case what do we eat? Dada replied, I will keep other pieces of dry wood for you to eat. You eat those and not the tree.” After this conversation dada placed some dry wood besides the ... Read Full Story

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Kindness Posted by Ameeta Martin, Apr 17 2018 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Kindness Science & Machines. Kindness fuels energy and builds self-esteem. It produces serotonin, which generates calmness, helps combat depression, and even heals wounds. Kindness also produces oxytocin, a "love" hormone critical for forming loving attachments, and decreases cortisol, our stress hormone. For the parts of our brains that function as machines, the science is pretty clear: kindness is good for us. - Ameeta

GenerosiTREE Posted by Ashima Goyal, Apr 17 2018 Last weekend, inspired by the magic in London, we made a GenerosiTREE with acts of kindness ideas on post-its. There were 4 categories like the SMILE deck - for yourself, for friends and family, for strangers and for the Earth. We had gone to the park as part of my husband’s office team community run initiative and initially we hung the board on a tree where most of us had collected. It was great to see the excitement, both of adults and children. “It’s a generosiTREE.. did you get it? TREEEEE…” I heard a teenager explain her surprise and excitement at the play of words to her younger sibling. (Thank you team London for the idea!) Later we went around the park with the board to offer them to everyone in the park and that’s when it hit me. It was difficult to find people to even listen to us for a minute. Everyone ... Read Full Story

Laddership News: Space As Healing Posted by Jane Murray, Apr 16 2018 This month's 'Laddership Newsletter' was just posted online. Healing requires action, whether a medical intervention or an emotional one - but the quality of the action and its output is determined by the space in which it arises. Both stories this month demonstrate the healing properties of space.

The Two Most Important Jobs Posted by Bill Stewart, Apr 16 2018 [Grace Dammann is nothing short of a national treasure. :) Below is a transcript of her moving opening remarks from a Healing+T Retreat in February...] When I was thinking about this yesterday when I was sitting in meditation, what came up for me was, "What, Grace, is your deepest intention?" I don't know why that came up, but my deepest intention I can say, really, is to know the truth. And the truth is to live and serve. So that's just my truth. So I'm a physician. I began medical school when I was 35. I was really bored :), and I had done everything in my power to mess my life up, and I needed to in a proper way to grow up. :) I asked my therapist -- whom of course I needed at that time -- "How do you decide how to grow up?" She said, "Just sit on the edge ... Read Full Story

How Karma Kitchen Affected A Big Decision Posted by Neel Iyer, Apr 14 2018 I've been to Karma Kitchen Berkeley various times. The first time I heard about it was via an online video, and my wife and I decided to volunteer there. Karma Kitchen, as many of you may know, fosters an environment of oneness that is rarely seen in today’s times. Kindness and generosity are not zero sum games -- they multiply as we all engage with it. This much becomes clear there, whether as a volunteer or guest. We had a great time serving that day, and engaging in deep discussions with other volunteers. Everyone seems to gel really well, almost as if our upbeat vibe was rubbing off on each other somehow. After the event, we parted ways and got back to our daily monotony. To stay connected to that space inside me, I turned again to YouTube. :) Over the next few months, I watched various talks from "Designing for Generosity", "Unlocking ... Read Full Story

Kindful Kids Event In The Bay ... Posted by Brinda Govindan, Apr 14 2018 Kindful Kids Event in the Bay Area on Sunday April 22nd 4-6pm All are welcome to bring kids to Portal Park, 10225 N Portal Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014 to sow seeds of gratitude and practice random acts of kindness Please share with your friends! With gratitude, Brinda & Kinjal

Reflections From A Call With Brenda Salgado Posted by Sara Cohen, Apr 14 2018 Feeling flowing gratitude and joy after a call this morning with Brenda Salgado. She shared indigenous prophecies about the times we're living in, and opportunities we have to create new irresistible spaces: “We need to stop asking the systems that are dying for permission to start building the world that we want. We need to just start building that world together." She shared about the value of establishing energetic sovereignty and practicing discernment rather than judgment. Callers wanted to learn more about the earth-based ways of healing she practices and the power of holding space in circle and ceremony. She shared about how she came to this work and began connecting to the guidance of ancestors and the natural world, as well as her experience of healing family relationships along the way. One of my immediate takeaways is to find this book she recommended for those of us wishing to begin to ... Read Full Story

Banyan Grove: Grace On Sunday (+ Nimo, Tea Ceremony!) Posted by ServiceSpace , Apr 13 2018 Dear Friends, We're excited to host a few special events at Banyan Grove in the upcoming weeks ... This Sunday, April 15th @ 2PM, we're thrilled to welcome Grace Dammann & filmmakers for our first film screening in our recently constructed "zendo"! If you don't know Grace, she's a humorous, wise zen practitioner, wheelchair bound doctor, Dalai Lama honoree, and beyond. RSVP here. Next Sunday, April 22nd @4:30PM, Nimo's here! We'll circle up around meditation, sharing, and songs. RSVP here. On May 6th @2PM, Xiao is hosting a Tea Ceremony with Buddhist nun, Mu Deng, from China. RSVP here. And after soaking in the tea, we'll flow into our monthly 4PMAwakin Circle that same day -- perhaps with some stories from Mu Deng. :) We've also upgraded our website with tidbits, photos (including our first black-and-white pic!), upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and more. :) Last month, we had a very uplifting zendo inauguration with Ada and ... Read Full Story