Dear Friends,

I hope that this note finds you well and enjoying the special treats of summer! I wanted to forward this blog to you as I think it fits so well with what we learned through The Process.

On a personal note, I have found a cute little house to rent for s few months or s year or maybe more (!) in Hayes VA near my best friend from college and I’ll be headed down there on August 20th. If anyone comes to Williamsburg or Richmond or that area and would like to visit, just let me know. I have a guest bedroom and am on the river with a very peaceful view of water and marsh grasses from my back deck!

Warm wishes,

Schon 

Begin forwarded message:

From: Nipun Mehta <nipun@servicespace.org>
Date: August 7, 2018 at 1:31:14 AM EDT
To: schon.beechler@gmail.com
Subject: Awakin Weekly: Stopping The War
Reply-To: "Awakin.org" <awakin-admin@servicespace.org>

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Stopping The War by Jack Kornfield [Listen to Audio!] The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will, but organically, through understanding and gradual training. Ongoing spiritual practice can help us cultivate a new way of relating to life in which we let go of our battles. When we step out of the battle, we see anew, as the Tao Te Ching says, "with eyes unclouded by longing." We see how each of us creates conflict. We see our constant likes and dislikes, the fight to resist all that frightens us. We see our own prejudice, greed, and territoriality. All this is hard for us to look at, but it is really there. Then underneath these ongoing battles, we see pervasive feelings of incompleteness and fear. We see how much our struggle with life has kept our heart closed. [...]  This is a task for all of us. Individually and as a society, we must move from the pain of our speed, our addictions, and our denial to stop the war. The greatest of transformations can come from this simple act. Even Napoleon Bonaparte understood this when, at the end of his life, he stated, "Do you know what astonished me most in the world? The inability of force to create anything. In the long run, the sword is always beaten by the spirit." Compassion and a greatness of heart arise whenever we stop the war. The deepest desire we have for our human heart is to discover how to do this. We all share a longing to go beyond the confines of our own fear or anger or addiction, to connect with something greater than "I," "me," and "mine," greater than our small story and our small self. It is possible to stop the war and come into the timeless present-to touch a great ground of being that contains all things. This is the purpose of a spiritual discipline and of choosing a path with heart -- to discover peace and connectedness in ourselves and to stop the war in us and around us. About the Author: Excerpted from "A Path with Heart" by Jack Kornfield. Share the Wisdom:          Latest Community Insights  Stopping The War How do you relate to the author's exhortation to move from the pain of our speed, our addictions and our denial to stop the war? Can you share a personal story of a time you stepped out of the battle and saw with fresh eyes 'unclouded by longing' how each of us creates conflict? What helps you look at what's really there within you? Jagdish P Dave wrote:  I love and admire the great teachings of spirituality, of wisdom traditions taught and shared by Jack Kornfield. Spiritual discipline as I understand and relate to is always an inner journey fo... david doane wrote:  Jack Kornfield's words remind me of Gandhi's exhortation to be the change you want to see in the world, and  Buddhism's emphasis on detachment.  I hear Kornfield's exhortation as one ... Share/Read Your Reflections       Awakin Circles: Many years ago, a couple friends got together to sit in silence for an hour, and share personal aha-moments. That birthed this newsletter, and rippled out as Awakin Circles in 80+ living rooms around the globe. To join in Santa Clara this week, RSVP online. Some Good News •  Today is a Gift •  Toward a New Conception of God •  The Science of All Is One Video of the Week •  Mother Earth -- Jane Goodall Kindness Stories Global call with Scilla Elworthy! Join us for a conference call this Saturday, with a global group of ServiceSpace friends and our insightful guest speaker. Join the Forest Call >> About Back in 1997, one person started sending this simple "meditation reminder" to a few friends. Soon after, "Wednesdays" started, ServiceSpace blossomed, and the humble experiments of service took a life of its own. If you'd like to start an Awakin gathering in your area, we'd be happy to help you get started.     Awakin Weekly delivers weekly inspiration to its 91,547 subscribers. We never spam or host any advertising. And you can unsubscribe anytime, within seconds. On our website, you can view 17+ year archive of these readings. For broader context, visit our umbrella organization: ServiceSpace.org.