Small Graces From Val Posted by Anuj Pandey, Dec 10 2017 [At an Awakin Circle in Santa Clara in December 2017, we were given the powerful story below from Preeta, about a neighbor's "small graces" while growing up.] Just today, on the way down here, I received news that an old family friend had passed yesterday. On the topic of Small Graces, I'm reminded of her life and her story, and how much it influenced my and my family's journey. My parents came to the U.S. from India in the 1960s, along with the first wave of immigrants from India. My father came to Kansas, which is where he was getting his Ph.D. Six months later, my mother came with the three of us kids -- my sister, my brother, and me. We were just two, four and five years old. It was the very first winter we were in Kansas. It was cold. We didn't yet have heavy coats. My parents were coming ... Read Full Story

The Gift Of Gifting Coasters Posted by Nilam Chauhan, Dec 10 2017 Recently, my niece came across some of the ceramic coasters I make. Some years ago, I was learning how to make art out of clay, and also learning about this ecosystem of generosity. I wanted to express my gratitude, so I made two coasters with an inspired word, and offered them as a gift to some of the nicest love warriors I've ever known. I quickly learned that love warriors share their gifts to many people, with so much love, and so I decided to make more coasters, and offer them exclusively for love warriors to gift forward. :) When my niece came across these coasters, she liked them a lot. Her university in Ohio happened to be doing a fundraiser for Syrian refugees, and they were selling artwork done by local artists. She asked me to create a few coasters for the fundraiser, and I could not say no to her. But then ... Read Full Story

A Beautiful Ripple From Pavi's Talk ... Posted by Yoo-Mi Lee, Dec 08 2017 A beautiful ripple from Pavi's talk on Giftivism: Reclaiming the Priceless: since last December when we first saw this video on youtube we have printed 1000 SMILE CARDS and have been giving . Who knows what ripples are being created ? Where this ripples will die down> Perhaps never. Each act will give rise to another new set of ripples. GIFTIVISM has no end only a beginning. It begins with me,you & us. ~ Mohan Nishtala

Just Back From A Produce Market ... Posted by Mia Tagano, Dec 07 2017 Just back from a produce market shopping spree ( a small market with a reputation for some aggressive behavior). The last time I was at a produce market, I was sensitive to what “wasn’t working” so today, I focused my attention on what was. One of the clerks remembered me and stopped to ask how I was doing. A woman helped me with my basket, while another smiled at me and remarked about the weather. On my way out, an elderly gentleman laughed at my bushel of kale (he did not know about my pet snail's tortoise appetite lol ) we shared smiles and small chitchat and then he wished me a lovely day. Consciously focusing on the good seems to bring out more good - What a beautiful thing. 😊❤️

First, I Want To Send Gratitude ... Posted by Mia Tagano, Dec 05 2017 First, I want to send Gratitude to Service Space and all the selfless volunteers who keep all the projects going - Thank you all for all you do. I was contacted a few days ago via fb messenger by a daughter of an old friend. I met this young woman when she was a little girl 30 years ago - her mother and I worked together and became close friends; I was like an auntie to her and her brother. I moved out of the state and many many years have passed; still, we share a forever love though we rarely speak or see one another. Today, I was able to talk to my friend's daughter who wanted to tell me that her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was entering hospice. Hospice can last for years, one never knows...the thing that bothered my young friend besides of ... Read Full Story

Lessons From A Five-year-old Kindness Master Posted by Marie Thuillier, Dec 05 2017 For the past 3 months, I have been bringing flowers and art supplies to Mountain View’s Pioneers park and inviting people to engage with me in acts of disruptive kindness. It has been full of amazingly sweet moments and great lessons. One of the most memorable days for me was when Kasia and her son Aku first joined me on the blanket. It was a cold Wednesday afternoon ... and Aku brought his light and aliveness to our "Kindness in the park" blanket. That day, he taught me humbling lessons about engaging in acts of kindness with joy... and without attachment to outcomes. Aku gave to the old, the young, the mothers, the fathers, the children, the single passers-by with his whole mind, heart, and body stopping them in their tracks and opening their hearts. And we all watched as we gave him more flowers and rocks to pass on. He gave ... Read Full Story

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: True Posted by Ameeta Martin, Dec 05 2017 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: True Gratitude. True gratitude is a recognition of grace. It is an understanding that nothing is mine that was not given to me, not my possessions, not my intellect, creativity, or skills, and so nothing I give is mine. It is a flow. The flow emerges when my giving is an expression of deep gratitude that I have received; not when I give out of a sense of ownership, obligation, or even charity. --Preeta Bansal

What A Seven Year Old Is Teaching Us Posted by Trupti Pandya, Dec 03 2017 Amit-bhai is one of the silent volunteers behind our local Awakin Circle in Baroda. By trade, he is social entrepreneur working on waste management; and by heart, he is a loving father to Shona, his 7 year old home-schooled daughter. Some time back, while Shona was getting bored, she announced that she is going to another room to sit in silence. Initially, her parents didn't believe her, but after a few minutes, Amit-bhai went to peep into the room, and sure enough, she was sitting still! Very inspired, Amit-bhai himself went and sat next to his daughter. Shona had put an alarm for 15 minutes, but when the alarm rang and she saw her father next to her, she continued sitting. At some point, Amit-bhai silently tip-toed out to complete his kitchen work, but Shona continued on even without an alarm! Eventually, both the parents saw her outside after 55 minutes! Next day, ... Read Full Story

Nipun's Video On "How Do You Live" Posted by Trishna Shah, Dec 02 2017 During last year's London trip, Nipun spoke at Happier World conference -- which created lots of ripples. One of them was meeting a young filmmaker in the elevator, being moved by her intent and then managing to squeeze her into a very tight schedule. That young woman was Magda, her project is How Do You Live, and below is the video she had filmed:

Moved By Love: Sacred Connections Of The Heart Posted by Shaalini Srinivasan, Dec 02 2017 Latest issue of 'Moved By Love' newsletter is themed Sacred Connections Of The Heart. Each story this month brings out the power of heart connections between strangers and friends. People we do not even know, leave their heartprints, enveloping us in the warmth of love and compassion. All we can do is honor these sacred connections with all of life. We wonder if we are strangers or friends who have not met.

Every Heart Is Our Temple: Rev Heng Sure In London Posted by Trishna Shah, Nov 30 2017 In September of this year, we were blessed with the opportunity to welcome Reverend Heng Sure and his delegation of 40 people from all over the world to London! Our time together with the 11 monks and nuns and 30 lay people from the DRBA community was infused with so many moments filled with learnings and inspiration. Spending a week with monastics who have collectively cultivated for so many years was a remarkable experience -- it was beautiful to observe how by simply walking around a big city like London, their presence opened people's eyes and hearts in new ways. Perhaps people aren't used to seeing such large groups of monastics together in public places, or perhaps it is the joy that emanates from their presence (and years of cultivation) that ripples out to those around them. There were many instances where we could see how others in the community were ... Read Full Story

Heart Connections Posted by Mia Tagano, Nov 29 2017 Yesterday after spending a beautiful day with a dear friend, I stopped at Berkeley Bowl (a sort of co-opy, less expensive, more laid back Whole foods) to pick up some produce... I noticed people walking by each other, no one making eye contact; if they were in a couple, they seemed to pretend they were alone - no one saying excuse me, hello or goodbye. I too, walking without disturbing the air, calling upon actor movement exercises like suzuki and viewpoints to move throughout without touching. Afraid to bring about conflict; afraid to connect for fear of...of what I do not know. The world at large just feels less friendly. I have learned not to take it personally I suppose - feeling less sad (it is grocery shopping and not a social event after all) and more accepting - this is where we are now. I still say thank you, ... Read Full Story

The Gift That Keeps On Giving Posted by Kozo Hattori, Nov 28 2017 After four years, I'm still in awe of ServiceSpace. Not casual, leisure-time awe, but jaw-to-the-floor, rock-your-world awe. This weekend, my son, Jett, and I went to Karma Kitchen. Jett loves Karma Kitchen even though it is an hour drive each way on a Sunday when he could be playing video games. I have a feeling that he thrives off the energy and smiles, but he also really likes the food. :) After making the rounds of hugs from Joserra, Richard, Audrey, Fab, Sangeeta, Maya, and so many others, we sat down to eat. Samantha, our server, was so calm and smooth that it settled Jett down when he was starving. While stuffing himself with buttered naan, Jett asked, "Dad, does this restaurant serves the same food when it is not Karma Kitchen and charge for it?" "Yes, son, it is called Taste of the Himalayans," I replied. "How much does it cost to eat ... Read Full Story

KindSpring Weekly: Spotlight On Kindness: Power Posted by Ameeta Martin, Nov 28 2017 Latest issue of 'KindSpring Weekly' newsletter is themed Spotlight On Kindness: Power. From a young age, we are often conditioned to seek external power, a power that seeks to exert control or influence. This power, however, can often mask an underlying internal powerlessness, which for many can lead to unhealthy relationships in life. Imagine how different our world might be if kids were taught the power of kindness, to build up their internal power instead? --Ameeta

Unconditional Parenting, Family Traditions, And Vows To Posted by Arathi Ravichandran, Nov 27 2017 For the last couple of months, a small group of us have been getting together to share our journeys as mothers. Our first call's theme centered around the book "Unconditional Parenting" by Alfie Kohn, where we talked about our parenting journeys as they related to loving our children for who they are (unconditional parenting) rather than what they do (conditional parenting). The conversation was dynamic and insightful, with everyone sharing open heartedly about their journeys with discipline and practicing unconditional love with their children. One mom shared a beautiful practice inspired by Malika Chopra's "100 Promises to My Baby" - "a book that reflects Malika's deep awareness of the sacred responsibility of parenthood and the vows she made to help her child, and all children, grow up feeling nourished and secure." Inspired by Malika's vows, this mom wrote her own promises to her children in a journal along ... Read Full Story

Remember The Trees You've Planted Posted by Xiaojuan Shu, Nov 26 2017 ( August 5, 2016) At Casa de Paz Awakin Circle in Oakland, Hiromi shared a story about her grandma, who was 83. When Hiromi visited her grandma some years ago, her grandma took her to the garden and pointed to the trees, said, "You planted those trees. Do you remember?" Hiromi didn't remember. She had been away from her hometown for years, studying and traveling to places afar. She had forgotten that she had planted those trees when she was a child. Her grandma continued, "When I die, you do not need to remember me. Remember these trees that you've planted."

Austria Ripples: Awakin Eisenstadt! Posted by Kathrin Pachinger, Nov 24 2017 Inspired by the beautiful evening in Vienna, we've started an Awakin Circle in Eisenstadt! Eisenstadt is a town (50 min drive away from Vienna) close to the Hungarian border. I´m very grateful to organize it every Thursday at 6pm in an apartment, and sometimes in a small restaurant. We are keeping the weekly Awakin rhythm, and have been doing it for over a month already. It´s wonderful to see new people coming and what happens after sitting together in silence. Last time, Gucki, a 73 year old woman, started to talk about her incredible life story. Nobody of us had ever asked her before about her experiences and we ended up sitting for 1.5 hours listing to her. It was very inspiring. :)

Leaning Into Laziness Posted by Somik Raha, Nov 23 2017 We recently ran a remarkable piece by Pema Chodron, Laziness As Our Personal Teacher, where we asked the following question: What helps you lean into your laziness? I really enjoyed the richness in the reflections. Liz shared how trust in herself helps her lean into laziness. It is easy to have tunnel vision when we are going through a patch -- Liz's sharing encourages us to take the long view of our life, remembering how many times we were going through such patches and were able to get beyond it. For David, it is "understanding that laziness is what I feel when I don't want to do something that I am supposed to do, as determined by someone else or myself, and my laziness has something to offer. Laziness can open me to new possibilities and to finding what I do want to do." Jagdish shares the importance of accepting the body's natural rhythms. ... Read Full Story

The Heartbeat Of A Drum Posted by Anuj Pandey, Nov 23 2017 [Aryae opened our Awakin Circle yesterday with this moving story of his son, a homeless man, and the beat of a drum.] There was a guy named Ken, who was a homeless guy in Half Moon Bay, where we live. He'd lived under the bridge at Main Street. He lived in his car and he made woodcarvings. So he had all his wood carvings lined up over there under the bridge, and he would just be hanging out there during the day. At the time, I had just gone through a really painful divorce, my life was just kind of very unsettled. I was feeling very unsettled and unhappy, wondering what I was going do, what was going to be in my life. One time, I was walking along Main Street with my son, Adam, who at that time was about 12 or 13 years old. He was just beginning to get ... Read Full Story

In Gratitude And Thanks -- Posted by Mindyjourney , Nov 23 2017 In Gratitude and Thanks -- Blessings as sheaves of wheat grind our daily bread Nourishing our souls and spirits anxious to be fed. Wonders stir the pot simmering with varied hues Of all sorts of delicious imaginings that we choose. Set the table with random acts most kind, Bountiful compassion so dearly combined. Pour positive, clean and fresh into a mug. Call all guests gathered with a smile and a hug. Hands held in circle, we pray dearly grateful For each and every moment heaped on plateful. Inhaling aromas of this diverse pungent meal We taste the budding emergence of a visionary ideal. mj