Zendo Sunday (+ Awakin, Summer, Grace)

Dear Friends,

A few upcoming events ...
  • This Sunday is Awakin Circle at Banyan Grove's Zendo -- with a spiffy new backyard. :) Join Audrey, Ari, Fab, Aabha, Richard, myself and a bunch others. RSVP here.
     
  • Next Wednesday, Gary Zukav and Linda Francis are joining us again as guest listeners! To join us, RSVP here as usual.
     
  • On Saturday, June 16th, we are holding a full-day Educators retreat with some inspired out-of-town guests. Details here: Cultivating Compassion Quotient
     
  • This Summer, we will also soon be starting a summer internship, in case you know youngsters who want to deepen their service journeys. (Check out our first-ever interns in 2012: Conversation with Neil and Dillan)
I just returned from a trip to South Asia. In Vietnam, I got to be part of an unforgettable retreat hosted by our inspired sisters -- Giang and Hang. In Philippines, one of highlights was visiting a prison; another was speaking to a graduating class about grace:
Surrender isn't a sacrifice of the known, but rather a celebration of the infinite. Sooner or later, we see the futility of fitting the glorious spectrum of our human experience into a neat little algorithm. Then, we no longer try to scheme deals with nature. When the ego moves from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, we not only enjoy the ride but become aware of the vast conspiracy of the universe to drop us at the doorsteps of greater good. With an effortless bow, we let go that which is leaving, and let in all that arrives. Grace.

With smiles, :)

Nipun