The Sacredness Of Art In Schools... Posted by Poonam Singh, Jan 14 2019 For 3 hours every week, students in my daughter's public elementary school leave their homeroom classroom to be with students across all grade levels and explore different art themes in small groups. They call this time arts focus. Themes include kinetic art, weaving, sewing, photography, drawing, sewing, painting, paper, global beats, 3D art, art and tech among other themes. The whole program is taught by parent volunteers and some themes stay the same and some change every year. Parents commit to teaching a course based on previous curriculum and their particular passions and skill levels. Every year the themes change depending on parents skills and passions. This year there was a parent who is a playwright, so they added a performance and art class. This focus on art keeps the parents and students alive, while teachers get a chance to plan. There is a buzz in the air when arts focus ... Read Full Story

Nuggets From Sally Mahé 's Call Posted by Bela Shah, Jan 13 2019 Yesterday we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Sally Mahé . Sally Mahé is a founding staff member for United Religions Initiative (URI), a global grassroots interfaith network dedicated to promoting enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, ending religiously motivated violence, and creating cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings. Sally came to this work from the lens of social justice and democracy building. While teaching in an inner-city high school, her passion for teaching civics and democracy was sparked. She soon saw that the spark inside her students – and in all of us – had something to do with the Divine, and so obtained a master's degree in theology and spiritual counseling. She came across the term "spiritual democracy" and felt a bolt of lightning run through her. Her passions for democracy and spirituality – and for nurturing the “deeper values of democracy” ... Read Full Story

Multiple Forms Of Poverty Posted by Sheetal Sanghvi, Jan 13 2019 A beautiful quote by Amma -- “In today’s world, people experience two types of poverty: the poverty caused by lack of food, clothing and shelter, and the poverty caused by lack of love and compassion. Of these two, the second type needs to be considered first because if we have love and compassion in our hearts, then we will wholeheartedly serve those who suffer from lack of food, clothing and shelter.”

Thich Nhat Hanh On Brahma Viharas And Roots Posted by Smita Navare, Jan 13 2019 The following is a description of the Buddha’s teachings on the four qualities of love, from the first chapter of Teachings on Love, written by Thich Nhat Hanh … “Happiness is only possible with true love. True love has the power to heal and transform the situation around us and bring a deep meaning to our lives. There are people who understand the nature of true love and how to generate and nurture it. The teachings on love given by the Buddha are clear, scientific, and applicable. Every one of us can benefit from these teachings. During the lifetime of the Buddha, those of the Brahmanic faith prayed that after death they would go to Heaven to dwell eternally with Brahma, the universal God. One day a Brahman man asked the Buddha, “What can I do to be sure that I will be with Brahma after I die?” and the Buddha replied, ... Read Full Story

Some Kindness Stories! Awakin Burgos :) Posted by Ari Anna, Jan 11 2019 Last week we gathered again at Casa del Bienestar to enjoy another circle of silence, stories and listening, what we globally call Awakin Circles. Awakin is a combination of Awakening and Kin! :). Every circle is a unique manifestation of collective wisdom and last one in Burgos was one of those where the wealth of stories became really apparent. Few stories impacted me so I wanted to share them with you here as well! Reading of the week was about the idea of neighbor, and although it didn’t resonate with everyone, it generated space for brilliant stories and reflections. Vicky opened the circle with a story of this Christmas. She spent few days with her family in northern England and her mother spoke to her about her neighbor downstairs, a very solitary woman, sad and quite disagreeable. Most of the neighbors have had some kind of clash with her. In those circumstances, Vicky ... Read Full Story

Give, In Order To Get Back Posted by Jyoti , Jan 10 2019 During the recent Christmas holidays, I decided to write up my experience of everyday kindness I experienced earlier in the fall term while at work, as a professor at a Catholic Liberal Arts College. It was an act of appreciation for the joys my job brings into my life and a way to amplify what I value by bringing attention to it. I value community and like the way Nipun Bhai articulates it as 'We before Me' and encourages small acts of kindness. I shared the note with my colleague, Brother Charles, a history professor, and director of the Cummings Institute. Bishop Cummings served Oakland for 25 years and this institute named after him is one of the ways the college promotes dialog between faith and reason. Brother Charles said he would share my note with the editorial team for the Institute blog to possibly see if might be for ... Read Full Story