
Oct 14, 2023 A reflection from Mia ... This last week was filled with multiple funerals, multiple hospital visits, a major presentation, and family drama. Going into it, I had a feeling of overwhelm. So much pain, suffering; pressure; uncertainty. How would I enter? I took some extra breaths and told myself, "Just be Mia - no more, no less." Show up and be present. And, as my Buddhist grandmother taught me -- "Be kind. Don't hurt people." Looking back on the week, I realize that it was a profoundly powerful gift. I've had the honor of bearing witness to individuals striving to do their best with the wisdom, resources, and emotions they possess. So much strength even as some carried so much grief. Wow. I've been granted access to the most intimate spaces of pain and grief, where emotions run deep. To exchange and be accepted in such a manner, often without the need for words, was a truly humbling experience. During a time when we are inundated by images and stories of suffering and separation, these shared human experiences strengthen my heart, and my resolve. I realize too that whatever the situation -- good, bad, or indifferent -- I can choose to be present and kind. No need for overwhelm. One breath, one step at a time.
Oct 11, 2023 Trishna in London writes ... We offer a deep bow of gratitude to Jin Chuan and Jin Wei for holding space for all of us with such grace, presence and wisdom at today's retreat, and for the thoughtfulness with which they curated an incredibly nourishing weeklong learning journey. Many of us will continue to deepen our understanding of the virtues and most importantly how to practice them in our day-to-day interactions. Many people shared that today was the most at ease and relaxed they have felt in the presence of monastics and how much they were able to learn and take away as a result of the warm and friendly interactions, the way they held space and how honest and human they both were in what they shared. It's truly a testament to the community and lineage that Jin Chuan and Jin Wei are a part of in California, which is rooted in humility and builds bridges with its surrounding ecosystem in the spirit of service and generosity.
Oct 11, 2023 Heard at Inner Development Goals conference in Stockholm: "Humility is a lasting awareness of my own subtle arrogance." --Lorezn Sell (more)
Oct 7, 2023 KarunaNews: One Man's Mission To Save Ho-Chunk Language
Oct 4, 2023 What a joy to journey with so many people from around the planet -- for our 21-day Interfaith Compassion Challenge. Collectively, we wrote almost a 4000-page living textbook, with our personal stories, stories and practices. Wow. For a small glimpse, here's the video clips from our closing call! Leigh's reflections mirror how so many felt ... What stays with me is the learning about things I do not know about and letting go of my assumptions of what they are opens up a new beautiful world. Also, that there is so much that ties all the traditions together and when I see the continuity versus the disparity, it feels better being in the world. It's a very life affirming experience without pretending there are no hardships. I'll carry with me admiration for peoples deep generousity of time and spirit. I will carry with me the intention and practice of expanding my compassion to myself and others even if it's slow progress. I will carry with me that when I can stop and see a pattern that's not serving and make a new choice it can open up the world and make it better for me and the people I experience in the world. What a great opportunity and experience this has been. Thank you so much for the interfaith Challenge. Thank you, all!
Oct 2, 2023 Mari Lang interviewed Nipun on Austria's National Radio -- and peppered it with songs ranging from Bob Marley to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Eminem to Nimo to Gandhi's favorite prayer! Even if you don't understand German, Nipun's parts are in English and songs are in English: https://oe1.orf.at/player/20231001/733885
Sep 30, 2023 Delighted to get this note from Larry, a past Pod participant: I was scrolling through this article yesterday: 'Laudate Deum,' to be title of Pope's Apostolic Exhortation on climate - Vatican News to get an update on Pope Francis' "Laudato Si 2.0." In the article, the Pope spoke to university rectors in the Vatican about nature, climate and migration. At the end of the article he told the rectors that: "You must train boys and girls in the three human languages, that of the head, that of the heart, that of the hands." His message reminded me of ServiceSpace Pods! Perhaps it would be good for the Pope to hear about it? Who knows what ripple that could make?! It might even further the shared mission of loving people and the planet.
Sep 29, 2023 Lots of ripples continuing in Spain ... here's a few photos from recent events that Joserra shared: Moved By Love retreat in Altea: Karma Kitchen crew: And another retreat on the Camino De Santiago:
Sep 29, 2023 Our AI experiments are blossoming day by day. If you haven't been following it, read this intro -- and for more nuances, a more recent interview on AI + Inner Transformation. A prominent author sincerely asked us a common question: Will ServiceSpace make money from their products? Here was our response: The simple answer is -- never. In fact, even if others wanted to make money on our platform, it would be impossible. :) Back in 1999, ServiceSpace started in response to the greed narrative of Silicon Valley. Many on the founding team were college kids conditioned to create dot-coms (lot of our peers indeed created household brands); but we were beating to a different drum -- here's an SF Weekly article from 2001 that chronicales this counter-culture approach. We had three principles: be volunteer-run, don't fundraising, think small. It was radically opposite of the "big money, big staff, big change" narrative. Take a look at this 2007 document articulating some of the power behind this: Tao of ServiceSpace (CharityFocus was our previous name) and this TedX talk: Designing for Generosity Fast forward 25 years, and ServiceSpace is now host to half a million visitors to its sites everyday; every year, we send out 70 million emails; we host hundreds of in-person and virtual events with some of the most prominent folks on the planet. Yet, the ecosystem sniffs out all remnants of a transactional mindset -- no solicitation, no advertising, never even a "buy this" link (even for our beloved author friends). Initially, it seems naive, but after decades of experience, the ServiceSpace journey is creating a new narrative beyond the power of 3M's of market, media and military -- where money gives way to alternate forms of wealth; broadcast gives way to "deepcast" of many-to-many networks; leadership gives way to "laddership". In this second term, Obama invited us to offer policy recommendations to unlock similarly uncommon ripples for America. That leads to an inevitable question -- so then how do you pay the bills? :) Consider the Buddha's example of needing to feed his thousands of monks daily. He could've asked the King to feed his monks (philanthropy), or asked an entrepreneur to create a transactional framework (business) to cover their needs, but instead, he asked them to go on alms rounds. ServiceSpace experience shows that there were ample good reasons for Buddha to adopt that approach. :) If you have delivered enough value, there's no stopping the flow of gratitude from the web of those relationships; and if not, all schemes to manipulate the outcomes will invariably lead to immediate or downstream violence. The Hindu sacred text, Bhagwad Gita, offers a simple practice: renounce all outcomes. After collectively experimenting with releasing transactions, it's easy to see the wisdom of that approach. You start swimming in the abundance of non-financial wealth, resting in the ripples that span much wider arcs of existence, and smiling at ongoing-wow of an emergence that is powered by a cosmic intelligence.
Sep 28, 2023 Tai-Chi is in the air! Below Marty Verhoeven is leading a group at City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and Sarah Tulivu is an upcoming guest for our Awakin Calls and India retreats.