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Say Hello To Our 2021 Summer Interns!

Jun 28, 2021, 2 comments, 19 smiles For many summers now, a crew of service-hearted youth have come together for a multi-week internship with ServiceSpace. Circling up with a team of mentors, they dive headlong into a summer-long immersion for the head, hands, and heart -- engaging in books and talks on leading with values, personal practices like meditation and acts of kindness, project work ranging from graphics to filmmaking to writing to podcasting and beyond, and sharing reflections with each other and themselves along the way. Today, we’re thrilled to begin our 2021 summer internship with a fantastic crew of a dozen interns and mentors! Even just the interns’ application responses have taught us so much already. Here’s excerpt from each intern below. Katherine, a rising 10th grader, pointed to a need for greater balance in the framing of our social narratives, and a desire to ‘be the change’ she wishes to see: … Almost everything I read ... Read Full Story

The Word 'Listen' Has 'Silent' In It

Dec 28, 2020, 3 comments, 18 smiles [A few of us were recently reminded of this story Meghna shared in a Sacred Space Pod earlier this year. We just had to share the beauty.] About 5 years ago, I was on a trip to attend a community event in Delhi. During the day, we had some time off, and a friend suggested we go to this very sacred Gurudwara (a temple where most sikhs would offer prayers). I'm not particularly of that faith by birth, however, going along to that holy place somehow seemed like a very natural 'Yes'. It was about 8pm in the night, and I was tired as I held my sleeping daughter in my arms. It seemed like a long walk carrying my little one -- so I decided to sit by this bed of holy water in the temple. Right then, this monk started offering a Gurbani (a prayer) from inside the Gurudwara. It ... Read Full Story

Journey Of The Noble Ones

Apr 17, 2020, 3 comments, 10 smiles [On the morning before our retreat formally began, many of us gathered on the retreat campus for a series of dialogues under a banyan tree. Below is Jasky's powerful conversation with Coleman! Originally posted in February 2020.] In the last few days, I've seen Coleman taking a lot of pictures. He is a great photographer. Coleman, could you share about your practice of photography? I like to think of myself as a landscape photographer. It's a type of meditation for me. Whenever I go out for a trek, it's my way of clearing my mind. So I don't think about anything else -- but really just be present and be one with nature. And, that is my best type of meditation. And I manage to capture just a sliver of time that is precious and very transient, but that's the only way we can really share that space, with limited time. Also, as ... Read Full Story

10 Kinds Of Circles Volunteers Can Start!

Jul 04, 2018, 10 comments, 24 smiles When I talk to volunteers, a commonly asked question is often, "What can I do?" Our main response is "join a circle" or "start a circle". For the latter, most people think Awakin Circles are the only kind of circles, and hosting an Awakin can be intimidating for many. But in practice, there are actually lots of different circle options. Few of us just made a list of 10 different kinds of circles that are now also featured on the MBL site. Any more to add?

Playfulness At Karma Kitchen Surat -- In 41 Degree

May 31, 2018, 2 comments, 26 smiles We just got word about a remarkable Karma Kitchen Surat, that continues every month. With 41 degrees temperature (105 degrees Fahrenheit), people on the waitlist to get a seat at the restaurant sat in their cars until they got a call on their cell phone to enter. :) Given the demand for volunteers, they took on -- as usual -- a completely new crew of volunteers. And since May is the time of summer vacation, everything was designed around the theme of playfulness. Below you can see "menu" offered as a crossword puzzle, the name tags with "Class", and they even wore white shirts with name badges, "Class of 2018". The note of gratitude that Parag shared started with, "You guys don’t know what seeds you have planted." That was very generous, when actually it is quite impossible to distinguish seeds turning into fruits, and fruits cultivating seeds. :) Feeling grateful for the many love warriors of this ecosystem.

Labor Of Love: The Art Of Holding Questions!!

Apr 29, 2018, 4 comments, 17 smiles Last year November we hosted half a day gathering to dive deeper to explore idea of labor of love and understand the many nuances of sustaining it. The intention of this gathering was to really listen to inspiring stories, help each other identify multiple forms of capitals and intelligences that could be hiding in plain sight and build friendships to support each other’s intentions well beyond the gathering. At Servicespace we have always talk about the spectrum and diversity and therefore by nature’s way of designing we had a diverse group come together. The idea was to really hold space for the stories that were to emerge and look at the fruition of such holding. The gathering brought together a diverse group of volunteers and entrepreneurs working on a variety of ideas – from an IITian who decides to give up a lucrative career to a life of self-restraint and spiritual ... Read Full Story

Rivers Are Dying. What Can I Do?

Jul 06, 2017, 12 smiles In a recent email thread, we saw an inspiring film around river going dry. (Coming soon to Karmatube.) It really raises the question, what can we do? How do we not lose hope? Of course, you hear good news like 66 million trees planted in 12 hours in Madhya Pradesh this week. But the problem seems so much bigger: India has been losing its forests (in spite of many tree planting efforts) for a long time. Tamil Nadu was hit by a drought last and this year of such severity not seen in 140 years. Most important rivers of the country have been in a bad shape for a long time. Yamuna being the worst example. Water bodies in almost every state of the country have been disappearing Not just in India, but around the world, farmers and farming itself have been dying For most people in the world, Nature has lost its meaning These aren't just environmental issues, ... Read Full Story