Activate Compassion with Karen Armstrong

This Friday, December 18th, Karen Armstrong will host a one hour Facebook conversation on compassionate action. Join her at 6pm GMT (1pm EST/10am PST) on the discussion boards and click the link titled "LIVE DISCUSSION WITH KAREN ARMSTRONG 12/18".Focusing on the calls to action in the Charter (posted below), participants can ask her about and read her thoughts on how we can use the Charter as a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

Charter for Compassion: 25,000 Affirmers and More

As we close a decade marked by war, help us usher in a decade focused on compassion.

The names of all affirmers on December 31 will be sent along with the Charter for Compassion to 5 world leaders whose countries are engaged in conflict.

Add your name today and encourage others to do the same. Share the Charter with your networks. Each additional name makes the compassionate voice a more potent force in the world. Let us make the silent majority a challenge to extremism and hatred.

Simply copy and paste this text into your website or blog to insert the Charter for Compassion widget.

What the Vision Does

What the Vision Does
by Peter Senge

[Listen to Audio! New!]

If your deeper intention is an inseparable part of how you are, it is not capable of attachment.

You can seek to accomplish your intention. You live out your intention. It is like the wind, the life force from which your energy and determination arises, whereas your vision is a particular destination you want to reach.

So, as best I can understand, the heart of the dynamic of being truly committed and nonattached is to anchor in your deeper intention and focus your energies on realizing your vision, while at the same time knowing that the vision is, at best, a reflection of your deeper intention.

It is possible to be truly committed and not attached. Indeed, it is essential to developing our mastery in the creative process. For years we have expressed this basic idea as the principle. "It's not what the vision is, it's what the vision does." In other words, rather than obsess about realizing my vision, consider it as a force for change, a way of aligning my actions with nature's unfolding. When you operate this way, what happens may not be exactly as you imagined it in your vision, but what happens would otherwise not have happened. You could hold a vision of a genuine perfection in some domain and, although you might never realize that vision, you might also achieve things that would have never been achieved otherwise. It's not what the vision is, it's what the vision does.

In this spirit, pursuing a vision is a way to live in harmony with your deeper ineffable intention. In this sense, vision is a tool for orienting our energies and effort around who we really are. But when we obsess about whether or not our vision is being achieved, we confused the animating force behind our being with an idea created by our mind.

--Peter Senge, from a dialogue with Charles Holmes

Charter for Compassion in Chinese

Charter for Compassion

A Call to Bring the World Together. . .

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.

Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others ~ even our enemies ~ is a denial of our common humanity.

We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women

• to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion.
• to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate
• to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures
• to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity
• to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings ~ even those regarded as enemies

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries.

Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

慈悲憲章

爲世界大同的請求...

慈悲乃是所有宗教信仰及倫理道德的核心，感召我們要己所不欲，勿施於人。

慈悲促使我們不懈地減輕眾生之苦，令我們將心中的王位拱手讓人，也促使我們以大公無私的尊重及平等心來對待每個人所具有的尊嚴，別無例外。

同時，我們也必須堅持在公共場合及私人生活中不令他人受傷。基於憤恨、沙文主義或自利的暴力行為及言詞，剝削、利用或拒絕任何人的基本權利，並以詆毀他人來煽動仇恨〜即使是我們的敵人〜也是對人性的否認。

對於我們過去的不慈悲，甚至有些人藉著宗教名義而增長人類的痛苦，我們必須有所認知。

因此，我們呼籲大家

• 恢復慈悲於道德及宗教的核心地位
• 重歸遠古的法則，即任何滋生暴力、仇恨或蔑視的經文詮釋皆是非法的
• 確保青年人所獲取的傳統、宗教及文化訊息皆是準確並具尊重性的
• 積極地鼓勵及讚賞文化及宗教的多元性
• 致力地理解及憐憫眾人之苦〜包括視之為敵者
  
  

在這敵對性的世界，我們極需令慈悲成為一股清澈明亮的動力，基於超越自私的原則及決心，慈悲可以打破政治、教條、意識形態及宗教的界限。

由於人類是根深蒂固地相互依賴著，慈悲是人類關係及人性圓滿的要領。唯有這不可或缺的悟道才能創立公平經濟的社會及世界大同。

Compassion: A Dynamic New Movement?

Seattle, Washington, November 12, 2009 – They came from all over Seattle to witness and affirm the global aim and reach of one woman’s heartfelt wish to reinvigorate the Golden Rule. One hundred people from local religious and peace organizations gathered at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Seattle for the unveiling of the Charter for Compassion. This one page document encourages people of all faiths and nations to restore compassion to the center of morality and religion.

The charter is the “wish” of Karen Armstrong, one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world. Armstrong won the 2008 TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Award which honors “ideas worth spreading.” Armstrong was awarded $100,000 and granted a "wish to change the world.” Her wish was for help in “creating, launching and propagating” an international Charter for Compassion to help restore the Golden Rule as central to religious practice and daily life throughout the world. The principle of Golden Rule is embraced by every faith and by every moral code, religious or otherwise and suggests that we act toward others as we would want them to act toward us.

In response to a polarized, turbulent world which so often stresses differences, the Charter for Compassion is bringing together voices from all cultures, spiritual and faith communities to remind the world that we all share the same core principle of compassion.

More than 150,000 people of all faiths and backgrounds from over 180 countries contributed to the Charter for Compassion. The document was finalized in February 2009 by the Council of Conscience, made up of well recognized, multi-faith religious leaders and thinkers from around the globe.

The Charter states that “compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries” and that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate.” The Charter further notes the importance of teaching youth accurate information about other traditions, faiths and cultures and states that compassion is “indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.”

To date, the Charter for Compassion has been affirmed by over 9,000 people including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, and H.M Queen Noor of Jordan. To read and affirm the Charter and see the video of a reading of the Charter, please go to www.charterforcompassion.org

Attendees at last night’s launch in Seattle were asked to practice compassion during a fifty day period following the launch to help create a more compassionate world. Events include the 23rd annual interfaith Thanksgiving service, held on November 22nd (2:30 – 4:00p.m. at St. Patrick, 2702 Broadway E.). The fifty days of compassion will culminate with a walking meditation at Greenlake, in Seattle, on New Year’s Eve. Scheduled events are listed at www.compassionateactionnetwork.com

Partners for the unveiling event at Saint Patrick Catholic Church included: Northwest Interfaith Community Outreach (NICO), and the following organizations that are formal partners for the Charter for Compassion: The Compassionate Listening Project and the Seattle Center for Peace.

About the Ted Award
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an academic organization owned by Sapling Foundation, a private nonprofit foundation. TED was founded in 1984 and is known for its annual conference devoted to "ideas worth spreading" and its lectures, known as TED Talks, which originally focused on technology, entertainment and design, but have now expanded in scope to a broad set of topics including science, arts, politics, education, culture, business, global issues, technology and development. The TED Award is given to three recipients annually. Past recipients include former President, Bill Clinton and entertainer and humanitarian, Bono.

About CAN
The Compassionate Action Network (CAN) is a network of self-organizing groups who share a common vision for a compassionate world. CAN grew out of the April 2008, Seeds of Compassion event in Seattle, which welcomed His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and other global luminaries. The purpose of the event was to nurture kindness and compassion in children and all those who touch their lives. For more information about the Compassionate Action Network, please go to www.compassionateactionnetwork.com
# # #

Thank you to all who joined us to make the Seattle Launch of Charter for Compassion a success!

Here are a couple more thoughtful blogposts on the November 12th Launch and the Charter for Compassion.
Lora-Ellen McKinney
Robert V. Taylor

Please share more of your insights, stories, photos, and videos with us!

Check out "Be the Future for the Best Idea Humanity's Ever Had! Compassion. . ." on bridge-builders

bridge-builders Reverend Cheen Check out 'Be the Future for the Best Idea Humanity's Ever Had! Compassion. . .' Link: Be the Future for the Best Idea Humanity's Ever Had! Compassion. . . About bridge-builders 2014 members 1430 photos 175 songs 250 videos 279 discussions 243 Events 511 blog posts To control which emails you receive on bridge-builders, click here

Partner to the Charter for Compassion & 11/12 Launch

The Compassionate Action Network is now a Partner of the Charter for Compassion.
Here's a letter from Karen Armstrong:

Dear Reverend ,

Thank you so much for all of your collaboration, planning and work for the Charter for Compassion. With your help and all of the contributions of partners around the world we have made a great deal of progress in turning the Charter into a reality and creating a powerful campaign to recognise compassion at the heart of society. Your continued support, particularly now as we approach the launch of the Charter, is greatly appreciated.

Our partner, global tolerance, has developed an exclusive online social community for the Charter, which will allow all of the Charter partners and the Council of Conscience to better connect, collaborate and co-ordinate the planning for events and activities associated with the Charter. . .

On each organisation's profile, there is a space to adjust the description of your organisation and for you to write two or three sentences describing your confirmed activities around the launch of the Charter. TED has teamed up with a massive PR agency to help ensure the Charter is a worldwide media hit. The PR agency is developing its strategy and messaging now and wants to incorporate partner organisations, work and Charter events, as appropriate. They are particularly interested in presenting the most creative and impressive Charter partner activities around the world to the media to generate free national and international media coverage for the Charter partners.

In order to ensure that your organization is considered by the PR agency for the massive media coverage as a part of the launch of the Charter, they will need to know about your event plans as soon as possible. Your two to three sentences should be as detailed, creative and concrete as possible. . .

I look forward to all that we can accomplish together.

With love and compassion,

Karen

Visit Charter for Compassion

For a copy of CAN's Initiative in support of the Charter for Compassion, please go to: https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=ee9abc2f-674e-410c-...

For an email invitation to the November 12th Unveiling of the Charter, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Patricks Church on Capitol Hill, please go to: https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=a470ace8-cfb1-4f4c-...

For fliers to download and post on the November 12th Seattle area Unveiling, please go to: https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=d5561204-062d-4f89-...

The Sixth Patriarch Read Along II & III

請按抬頭, 以便連到youtube播放台.

Click on the title reach The Compassion Network Channel.

次年春。師辭眾歸寶林。印宗與緇白。送者千餘人。直至曹溪。時荊州通應律師。與學者數百人。依師而住。

師至曹溪寶林。觀堂宇湫隘。不足容眾。欲廣之。

In the spring of the following year, the Master took leave of the assembly

and returned to Pao Lin.  Yin Tsung, together with more than a thousand

monks and laypeople, accompanied him to Ts'ao Hsi.

At that time Vinaya Master T'ung Ying of Ching Chou and several hundred students followed the Master and came to dwell there. When the Master arrived at Pao Lin, in Ts'ao Hsi, he saw the buildings were bleak and small, insufficient to accommodate the crowd. Wishing to enlarge them. . .

遂謁里人陳亞仙曰。老僧欲就檀越求坐具地。得不。仙曰。和尚坐具幾許闊。祖出坐具示之。亞仙唯然。祖以坐具 一展。盡罩曹溪四境。四天王現身。坐鎮四方。今寺境有天王嶺。因茲而名。仙曰。知和尚法力廣大。但吾高祖墳墓並坐此地。他日造塔。幸望存留。餘願盡捨。永 為寶坊。然此地乃生龍白象來脈。只可平天。不可平地。寺後營建。一依其言。

師遊境內。山水勝處。輒憩止。遂成蘭若一十三所。今日花果院。隸籍寺門。

其寶林道場。亦先是西國智藥三藏。自南海經曹溪口。掬水而飲。香美。異之。謂其徒曰。此水與西天之水無別。溪源上必有勝地。堪為蘭若。隨流至源上。四顧山 水回環。峰巒奇秀。歎曰。宛如西天寶林山也。

He paid a visit to the villager, Ch'en Ya Hsien and said, "This Old Monk

comes to the Almsgiver seeking a sitting cloth’s worth of land.  Is that

possible?" Hsien asked, "How big is the High Master's sitting cloth?"                                                                                                                                                               The master took out his sitting cloth, it completely covered the four borders of Ts'ao Hsi.  The Four Heavenly Kings appeared and sat as protectors in each of the four directions.

It is true to this occurrence that the mountain range bordering the

monastery is called "The Range of the Heavenly Kings."  

Hsien said, "I know that the High master's Dharma power is vast and great.  



However, the burial ground of my great-grandfather lies on this land.  

In the future, if you build a stupa, I hope this area will remain undisturbed.

As for the rest, I wish to give it all to be a forever treasured place.  

This land has the flowing energy of a living dragon and a white elephant.

Level only heaven; do not level earth."

Later, the monastery was constructed according to his words.  The

Master roamed within these boundaries, and at places where the scenes

of nature were fine he stopped to rest.

Accordingly, thirteen Aranyas were erected, among them the present

Hua Kuo Hall.  The site of the Pao Lin Bodhimanda was decided upon

long ago by Indian Tripitaka Master Jnanabhaishajya, who, during his

journey from Nan Hai, passed Ts'ao Hsi, where he cupped up the water

with his hands and found it to be delicious.  Surprised, he told his disciples.

"This water is not different from that in India.  It source would

surely be an excellent site on which to build a monastery.

He followed the water and looked to the four directions.  The mountains

and waters encircled one another and the peaks were impressive.  He

sighed and said, "This is just like Jeweled Forest Mountain in India."

乃謂曹侯村居民曰。可於此山建一寶剎。一百七十年後。當有無上法寶。於此演化。得道者如林。宜號寶林。時韶州 牧侯敬中。以其言具表聞奏。上可其請。賜額為寶林。遂成梵宮。蓋始於梁天監三年也。

He told the villagers of Ts'ao Hou, "A pure dwelling may be built here.  

After one hundred and seventy years, the Unsurpassed Dharma

Jewel will be taught here. Those who realize awakening here will be

as numerous as the trees of this forest.  It should, therefore be called

'Pao Lin (Jeweled Forest).'"

At that time Magistrate Hou Ching Chung of Shao Chou reported these

words to the Emperor who assented the conferred upon it the name

'Pao Lin Bodhimanda.'  The construction of the pure monastery began in the

third year of the T'ien Chien reign if the Liang Dynasty (A.D.  504).

寺殿前有潭一所。龍常出沒其間。觸撓林木。一日。現形甚巨。波浪洶湧。雲霧陰翳。徒眾皆懼。師叱之曰。你只能現大身。不能現小身。若為神龍。當能變化。以 小現大。以大現小也。其龍忽沒。俄頃復現小身。躍出潭面。師展缽試之。曰。你且不敢入老僧缽盂裡。龍乃游揚至前。師以缽舀之。龍不能動。師持缽歸堂上。與 龍說法。龍遂蛻骨而去。其骨長可七寸。首尾角足皆具。留傳寺門。師後以土石煙其潭。今殿前右側。有鐵塔處是也。

In front of the temple was a pond in which a dragon often swam, bumping and scraping the trees of the forest. One day he appeared, larger than ever, covering the area with thick mist. The disciples were afraid, but the Patriarch scolded him, saying, "Hah! You can only make yourself appear in a large body, not in a small one. If you were a divine dragon, you could transform the great to the small and the small into the great. The dragon suddenly disappeared, but he returned an instant later in a small body, skipping about on the surface of the pond. The Master held out his bowl and teased him, saying, "You don't dare climb into this old monk's bowl."

At that moment the dragon swam in front of the Master, who scooped him out of the water with his bowl. The dragon couldn't move. Holding the bowl, the Master returned to the hall and explained the Dharma to the dragon. The dragon then shed his skin and left. His bones, only seven inches long and complete with head, tail, horns, and claws were preserved in the temple.

Later the master filled in the pond with earth and stones. Now, in that place, in front of the hall on the right side is an iron stupa.

Charter for Compassion Launch One Month Away

The Charter for Compassion launches on Novemver 12. I hope you'll take 3 minutes and watch this introductory video. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Click here to join launch activities in the Northwest.

The Sixth Patriarch Sutra: Read Along

六祖法寶壇經略序

唐釋法海　撰

大師名惠能。父盧氏。諱行滔。母李氏。誕師於唐貞觀十二年戊戌歲二月八日子時。時毫光騰空。異香滿室。黎明。有二異僧造謁。謂師之父曰。夜來生兒。專為安名。可上惠下能也。父曰。何名惠能。僧曰。惠者。以法惠施眾生。能者。能作佛事。言畢而出。不知所之。

by Bhikshu Fa Hai of the T'ang Dynasty

The Great Master was named Hui Neng.  His father was

of the Lu family and had the

personal name Hsing T'ao.  His mother was of the Li

family.  The Master was born on

the eighth day of the second month of the year Wu

Hsu, in the twelfth year of the

Chen Kuan Reign of the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 638).

At the time, a beam of light ascended into space and

a special fragrance filled the

room.  At dawn, two strange Bhikshus came to visit.  

They addressed the master's

father saying, "Last night a son was born to you and

we have come to name him.  It

can be Hui above and below, Neng."

The father said, "Why shall he be called Hui Neng?"

The Monk said, "'Hui" means he will bestow the Dharma

upon living beings.  'Neng'

means he will be able to do the Buddha's work."  

Having said this, they left.  No one

knows where they went.

師不飲乳。夜遇神人灌以甘露。既長。年二十有四。聞經悟道。往黃梅求印可。五祖器之。付衣法。令嗣祖位。時龍朔元年辛酉歲也。南歸隱遯一十六年。至儀鳳元 年。丙子。正月八日。會印宗法師。詰論玄奧。印宗悟契師旨。是月十五日。普會四眾。為師薙髮。二月八日。集諸名德。授具足戒。西京智光律師為授戒師。蘇州 慧靜律師為羯磨。荊州通應律師為教授。中天耆多羅律師為說戒。西國蜜多三藏為證戒。

The Master did not drink milk.  At night, spirits

appeared and fed him sweet dew.

He grew up, and at the age of twenty-four he heard

the Sutra and had an awakening.

He went to Huang Mei to seek the seal of approval.

The Fifth Patriarch measured his capacity and

transmitted the robe and the teachings

so that he inherited the lineage of patriarchs.  

The time was the first year of the

reign period Lung Shuo, cyclical year Hsin Yu (A.D. 661)

He returned south. He hid for sixteen years.

On the eighth day of the first month in the first

year of reign period I Feng

(A.D. 676), the cyclical year Ping Tsu, he met

Dharma Master Yin Tsung.  Together

they discussed the profound and mysterious, and

Yin Tsung had an awakening to and

understood the master's doctrine.

On the fifteenth day of that month, at a meeting

of the four assemblies, the Master's

head was shaved.  On the eighth day of the second

month, all those of well-known

virtue gathered together to administer the

complete precepts.  Vinaya Master Chih

Kuang of Hsi Chi was the Precept transmitter.

Vinaya Master Hui Ching of Su Chou was the

Karmadana.  Vinyana Master T'ung Ying of

Ching Chou was the Teaching Master.  Vinyana

Master Ch'i To Lo of Central India

recited the precepts.  Tripitaka Master Mi To of

India was the Precept Certifier. 

其戒壇。乃宋朝求那跋陀羅三藏創建。立碑曰。後當有肉身菩薩於此受戒。又。梁天監元年。智藥三藏自西竺國航海而來。將彼土菩提樹一株。植此壇畔。亦預誌 曰。後一百七十年。有肉身菩薩於此樹下開演上乘。度無量眾。真傳佛心印之法主也。師至是祝髮受戒。及與四眾開示單傳之法旨。一如昔讖。

Construction of the precept platform had begun in

the former Sung Dynasty by

Tripitaka Master Gunabhadra.  He erected a stone

table which said, "In the future, a

Bodhisattva in the flesh will receive the precepts

in this very place."

Further, in the first year of the T'ien Chien reign

of the Liang Dynasty (A.D. 502)

Tripitaka Master Jnanabhaishajya came by sea from

west India carrying a sprig of

Bodhi-tree, which he planted beside the platform.  

He, too, made a prophecy, saying,

"After one hundred and seventy years, a Bodhisattva

in the flesh will proclaim the

Supreme Vehicle beneath this tree.  Saving infinite

beings, he will be a true

transmitter of the Buddha's mind-seal, a Dharma Host." 

In keeping with the former predictions, the Master

arrived to have his hair shaved

and receive his precepts.  He instructed the four

assemblies on the essentials of

the exclusive Dharma transmission.

Meditation for U.S. Congress and National Conference Call- Oct. 14

Please join us for a National Conference Call and Meditation on the U.S. Congress

With Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson

October 14, 5:00 – 6:00pm Pacific Time (8:00pm Eastern)
Call in number: 308-344-6400; Code 344107#

Join us for this free conference call to meditate and pray together, asking for the highest good for our nation, and then sharing insights from the meditation. (See prayer below).
There is no charge for the conference call-- you just pay your regular phone charge from your service provider.

Please do not join the call after 5:05pm (PDT) as it will disturb the meditation; keep your phone muted by pressing *70 once the meditation begins and unmute after the meditation

---

A Prayer for Our Nation

May we as nation be guided by the Divine to rediscover the sacred flame of our national heritage, which so many have given their lives to safeguard;

Let the wounds of separation and division be healed by opening our hearts to listen to the truth on all sides, allowing us to find a higher truth that includes us all;

May we learn to honor and enjoy our diversity and differences as a people, even as we more deeply touch our fundamental unity;

May we, as a people, undergo a transformation that will draw forth individuals to lead our nation who embody courage, compassion and a higher vision;

May our leaders inspire us, and we so inspire each other, that a new spirit of forgiveness, caring and honesty be born in our nation;

May we, as a united people, move with clear, directed purpose to take our place within the community of nations to help build a better future for all humankind;

May we as a nation rededicate ourselves to truly living as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all;

And may God's Will be done for our nation, as we, the people, align with that Will.

--By Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin

www.visionarylead.org

Master the Art of Listening

So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.
-- Jiddu Krishnamurti as quoted by Daily Good



Tip of the Day:
No wonder listening is an undervalued art. Research shows that we speak at a rate of about 125 words per minute, yet we have the capacity to listen to approximately 400 words per minute. So what are we doing with that extra space in our minds when someone else is talking? Are we really listening? This article offers seven pointers on how to sharpen our ability as listeners.
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3872

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Be The Change:

• Try honing your listening skills this week with some of the pointers shared in the article above.
• Support compassionate action by listening attentively, from the heart and to the heart. Listen to yourself then expand the circle of compassionate listening to dear ones, workplace, the community and beyond.
• Check out this possible theme in support of the Charter for Compassion launch! http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/group/charterforcompassionlaunch
  

Washington Post Hails Web Social Network: A Pradigm Shift

A Washington Times article today says global tolerance is at the forefront of a paradigm shift of ‘religious dialogue being translated daily into the language of online users.’

The article also looks in detail at Faithbook on Facebook, which global tolerance conceived and manages.

Journalist Bekah Grim examines the self-regulating nature of Faithbook, quoting Simon Cohen, managing director of global tolerance, who observes global tolerance has not had to moderate or delete a comment on the public page in over two years.

To read the full article visit the Washington Times

Sakyaditha Conference in Vietnam

The conference theme, “Eminent Buddhist Women,” will highlight the achievements of Buddhist Women around the world. Until recently, women were largely absent from Buddhist histories. Since 1987, Sakyadhita members have made conscientious efforts to encourage research on the lives and achievements of both laywomen and nuns in Buddhist societies. The 11th Sakyadhita Conference will encourage further research and reflection on these achievements.

$50 registration by end of 10/1 guarantees a place or sponsor a woman from a developing country.

Email: sakyadhita@gmail.com
website: http://www.sakyadhita.org/

Greater Good Magazine | Five Steps to Happiness at Work By Timothy Sharp

Greater Good Magazine | Five Steps to Happiness at Work By Timothy Sharp

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Charter for Compassion: Events in the Northwest

When the Charter is unveiled on November 12th, a week of celebratory activities will take place around the world. For those of us in the NW interested in events in support of compassion, let's coordinate and collaborate!

http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/group/charterforcompassionlaunch

Radio Interview on Peace Being A Possibility

How to Resolve Conflicts, Part 2
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Download 56k mp3

(Part 1 aired on August 12th, 2009)

Conflicts may be rampant, but we learned in part one of this two-part series on "How to Resolve Conflicts: from the Personal to the Global," that they are also opportunities. Peace is unimaginable to many pessimists, however, 90% of our lives and history really have been conflict-free. Even in the case of seemingly irreconcilable differences, peace have prevailed in some entrenched battles, often times when we recognize our power to change ourselves. We’ll talk about bringing peace to 99% of our lives by offering applications to turn conflicts into opportunities.

Host: Guo Cheen

http://bellevuecollege.edu/kbcs/downloads/VOD/VOD_20090916.mp3

Guests

Venerable Thubten Chodron is the founder of Sravasti Abbey and the new Gotami House, an American Buddhist monastic community in Eastern Washington. Ven. Chodron is a nun who has studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan masters. Ven. Chodron also travels worldwide to teach and has published a number of books including Working With Anger.

Eric Svaren is the founder and principal of Groupsmith, a Seattle-based company that provides organization development consulting. Eric also teaches mid-career professionals at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

Dr. Joel Levey is one of the founders of The International Center for Corporate Culture and Organizational Health at InnerWork Technologies, Inc., a Seattle-based firm dedicated to developing and renewing organizational cultures and communities around the globe. He has also co-authored numerous publications, including: Wisdom at Work; A Treasury of Tools for Cultivating Clarity, Kindness, & Resilience.

Credits

Ray Willis is the board operator. Crystal Lee answered your calls. Sonya Green is the Managing Producer. Joaquin Uy is the KBCS News & Public Affairs Director.

Vows of Silence

A powerful church vs. a personal relationship with the divine. Which is more important? Are they about an either-or dichotomy or a spectrum?

Power and its ability to corrupt in even the seemingly holiest of realms and peoples. . .
http://www.vowsofsilencefilm.com/

Infinity = 1; 1 = Infinity

Buddhist texts such as the Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra) and others use "10" to represent infinity. This Sutra also explains dimensions, worlds and universes in ten's.

An Intro to the Avatamsaka Sutra on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m11uUlPbqKI

See how Brian Greene's String Theory about Ten Dimensions of Space match the wisdom that the Buddha shared 2500 years ago.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/brian_greene_on_string_theory.html

10 Week Buddhist Text Courses On-Line

Interested in avoiding suffering but seemingly hooked on the causes of suffering? Learn more about the urges that make us addicts to suffering and the wisdom of resting in that pain while maintaining a profound sense of peace.

From September 23 to Thanksgiving, the Compassion Network will offer classes on the following:

Tuesday 7 – 8:30 p.m. The Sixth Patriarch Sutra

Friday 7 – 8:30 p.m. The Shurangama Sutra

Saturday 7 – 8:30 p.m. The Lotus Sutra

Sunday 7 – 8:30 p.m. The Avatamsaka Sutra

These are long-distance learning courses on-line. Everyone with internet access is welcome.

Dana is appreciated. Students are responsible for acquiring their own texts, so please register before September 16^th, Wednesday.

For more details or to register, please contact Reverend Cheen with The Compassion Network at 253.568.7473 or TheCompassionNetwork@gmail.com. Skype also available.

Radio Interview: How to Resolve Conflicts-- From the Personal to the Global

From the Gaza War to dirty politics, from who is supposed to do the laundry at home to arguments in our heads, conflicts are rampant around the world, in our nation, and within ourselves. Is it possible to completely cease fighting at all those levels? Where do we begin? And how do we stop fighting for the time being and on an enduring basis? On August 16th’s Voices of Diversity, Reverend Cheen and guests Walter Edwards of Leading Change Company and Ilene Stark of Just Options Mediation talked about how to resolve conflicts, from the personal to the global. Listen to the audio here:
http://bellevuecollege.edu/kbcs/downloads/VOD/VOD_20090812.mp3

This is part one of a two part series on the issue of conflict.

Coming up September 16th. . . Listen live on http://kbcs.fm/site/PageServer or KBCS 91.3 FM Seattle/Bellevue! Reverend Cheen will interview Venerable Thubten Chodron, Eric Svaren of Smithgroup. Inc., and Dr. Joel Levey of InnerWork Technologies, Inc. on the topic of conflicts and conflict resolution.