Incubator of compassionate action.

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Every 15 minutes, humanity generates as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization until 2003. Soon, the majority of this will be "synthetic" data -- created by AI, for AI. In this overwhelming flood of information, how will we keep the flame of wisdom alive? Gandhi once offered a profound design principle: fulfillment of needs over multiplication of wants. It is simple, yet powerfully subversive -- pointing at joy outside of propagating desires. With that lens, could AI be a force for the common good? A tool to rebuild the non-commercial sectors of society, and to weave a social fabric anchored in noble kinship?

Amidst utopian hopes and dystopian fears, ServiceSpace's call remains steady: respond with a heart of service. As the 8th-century poet Shantideva prayed, "For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then, may I too abide [in service]."

Last month, we launched Awakin AI with a fresh interface. Drawing from decades of experiences with 'awakening with kin' circles in living rooms worldwide, Awakin AI now holds uncommon digital intelligences: Interfaith AI with 1,700 scriptures from global traditions, a Ram Dass Bot poised to house 6 terabytes of his talks, and a Socrates Bot designed to cultivate better questions. Across communities, children are gathering oral histories for localized Elder Bots, indigenous wisdom keepers are archiving teachings, and a Sanskrit-based LLM takes root in our imaginations. With over 100 diverse AI models, our data commons resembles a blooming garden of "small language models," where unexpected wisdom intersections are inviting non-linear emergence. #Moonshots

As AI evolves from chatbots to "agents" capable of decision-making and action, what new avenues might evolve as we frame "generative artificial intelligence" as "regenerative heart wisdom"? On a recent call, Tapan and Tulika gave an inspiring flavor of it. Check it out, and take Awakin AI for a spin!

Heart wisdom is what James shared right after Ukraine war started: On resilience and tears. Or what Jojo did right after hearing our call to shift from "critical mass to critical yeast" at Alpbach Forum Europe -- build a pay-forward chain across countries! Ideas that spread frictionlessly. Our Gandhi 3.0 retreat framework was replicated at Richard Branson's "AI + Future of Humanity" gathering on his private island, where Awakin AI was subject of a keynote. In Japan, Miyagi-san and Kotaro are convening indigenous shamans and business leaders at the base of holy Mount Koya, using our "social permaculture" process. In Austria, more than 20 SSp volunteers galvanized couple hundred change-makers to explore the intersection of "me, we and us" -- in German. In India, youth retreat led to feedback like: "I am changed person today. I will carry this gratitude till the end of time!" Volunteers from Vietnam are joining various winter events in India, to rev up for a spring gathering in Hanoi.

Preserving the sacred feels vital in these times. Nobel laureate Ilya Prigogine reminds us, "When a system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to lift the entire system to a higher order." All across ServiceSpace, these small islands -- held by forces beyond money or power -- are magnetizing into ecosystems of coherence. In the mud, we get to cultivate the lotus. Moonshots are under way. :)

Thank you for resonating with Awa-kin -- awakening together, one small act of service at a time.

 

 

 

P.S. Recent Inspirations ...

Juan Xi reflects on her 21-day Compassion challenge with these heartfelt words: "I was like a little ant who just happened to enter a magnificent concert hall. All kinds of beautiful notes, vibrations, coming to me from the symphony of our pod." Watch Touching Video Clip

When Cynthia asked Matthieu Ricard for a mantra, he made us all laugh while pointing to a profound truth: I Need Nothing :)

Two nuns across two continents -- Sister Marilyn on 4 Stories of Mercy from Africa, and Sister Lucy on When 60 Uncles Came to Kill Me

Even as he battles advanced Parkinson's, James O'dea wants to serve. He'll be sharing "two particularly intense and spiritually relevant experiences" with Nipun. To join and help hold space, RSVP here.

In just three minutes, Sharon Salzberg expands our perspective with Looking at the Sky Through a Straw, as Tim Harrison reflects on the Science of Compassion.

If you find yourself in South Asia this winter, join us for December's Laddership Retreat or January's Gandhi Immersions. Or simply send a blessing via the inner-net!

From Hawaii, spiritual teacher Jac O'Keeffe offers a memsmerizing rendition of a Rumi poem: Come Come, Whoever You Are.




 

 

ServiceSpace is a unique incubator of volunteer-run projects that nurture a culture of generosity. We believe that small acts of service can nurture a profound inner transformation that sustains external impact. To get involved, you can subscribe to our newsletters or create an account and complete our 3-step process to volunteer.