Awakin Circle with Rev Heng Sure (+Teens!)
On the coattails of U.S. Election Day, this Wednesday, November  4th, we're delighted to host a special virtual Awakin Circle with Rev Heng Sure -- in conversation with three teens!
  • 6:30PM PST  Hour of Stillness (on your own, or login to meditate 'together'!)
  • 7:30PM PST  Dialogue with Rev Heng Sure
  • 9:00PM PST  Goodbye Smiles
To join, RSVP below.

About Rev. Heng Sure
At gun point, the last thing you would do is bow to the man holding the gun. That's exactly what these monks -- Heng Sure and Heng Ch'au -- did. Three different times. Of course, bowing came a little easier to them because they'd been doing "three steps and a bow" for 800 miles. Yes, 800 miles for 2 years and 9 months straight. They were on a peace pilgrimage in the late 1970s along California's Highway 1, a pilgrimage to bring peace within and without.  

That journey to boundless compassion never ended, though. "To make peace on earth we must want it. To stop harm and fear in the world we must change our ways. To change our ways we must change our minds," Rev. Heng Sure says. "The power is ours. Evil and good, selfishness or compassion all come from the mind first. If more people care for others, the world will spontaneously grow brighter."



Today, four decades later, he continues to serve as the abbott of Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, founding board member of United Regions Initiative, musician, author, and so much more. Born in Toledo, Ohio, he holds a PhD from UC Berkeley, serves ad Vice-President of Religious Affairs at Dharma Realm Buddhist University, and lectures on Buddhist Philosophy at Bond University in Australia, to name a few. A natural bridge-builder, people of all ages -- from young kids to elders to even an interview with a puppet! -- are moved by his timeless spirit.

About the Teens
We're delighted to have three inspiring teenagers interview Rev Heng Sure with their fresh perspectives: Anha Mehta, Leela Kiyawat and Lena Kimura. This inspiring trio spent the past summer rolling up their sleeves in service as ServiceSpace interns -- where they interviewed inspiring guest speakers and youth changemakers, spearheaded a podcast on mental health, created peace rocks to spread smiles in the community, and served with online portals like KarunaVirus. The conversation will dive into the relevance of ancient values in the emerging context of our times, as seen through the lens of these three remarkable young "old souls".

This Weds, Nov 4th, we're delighted to gather for a special virtual formation of our guest speaker Awakin Circle with Rev Heng Sure, who'll be dialing in from Australia!

To join, RSVP below, and we'll send you the details as we get closer.