Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

Some people think that meditation takes time away from physical accomplishment. Taken to extremes, of course, that’s true. Most people, however, find that meditation creates more time than it takes. — Peter McWilliams

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Tip of the Day:
“Over the holidays, my husband went on a silent meditation retreat. He said the experience was so transformational that he has committed to meditating for two hours daily, one hour in the morning and one in the evening. He’s running an experiment to determine whether and how meditation actually improves the quality of his life,” one NY Times contributor writes. Scientists say that meditators like her husband may be benefiting from changes in their brains. The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4431

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Be The Change:
Try practicing meditation for 15 minutes today. See if it makes a difference in the rest of your day.

**Share A Reflection**
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At such moments, you realize that you and the other are, in fact, one. It’s a big realization. Survival is the second law of life. The first is that we are all one. — Joesph Campell

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Good News of the Day:
In her thoughts and prayers over the past year, Nadine Devilme has thanked God countless times for saving her baby after Haiti’s earthquake. She’s also wanted to thank the doctor who treated Jenny Alexis after the 2-month-old spent four days alone, crushed in the rubble with nothing to drink. There was one problem: Devilme never knew the doctor’s name, never knew exactly whom to thank for treating her daughter’s fractured skull and crushed chest and then arranging for her to be airlifted to a hospital in Miami. Meanwhile, the physician who saved Jenny has spent the past year wondering how the baby was doing… http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4419

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Be The Change:
This story is a great reminder of our inner strength and resilience in times of difficulties. Please share with the community how when you persisted you could change the adversity you were facing.

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http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4419

The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. — Henry Miller

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Inspiration of the Day:
They call it home. The delicate orb that sits on the tree branch, a woven tangle of grass and twigs all strategically placed. It’s small and inconspicuous enough that you’d probably miss it walking by. Luckily, one photographer didn’t. “It was a priceless opportunity to watch these amazing builders constructing their homes from the very beginning till the end, from the first framework made of a few grass leaves till the very last stalk…” http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4443

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Be The Change:
Take a moment to give close attention to something in your surroundings.

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‘Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support them after. — William Shakespeare

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Good News of the Day:
A small idli shop in south Tamil Nadu, India, is the talk of the town. At daybreak, people crowd around to buy idlis and dosas from two women who are HIV positive. Despite the stigma of HIV/AIDS in their town, the customers are aware of their condition and continue to patronize their shop. With community support, Vijayarani and Sumathy have overcome the devastating news, “look as healthy as any woman in our village and we have a successful business.” http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4363

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Be The Change:
Reflect on stigma you’ve overcome. What helped you along the way?

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What I call the depth of generosity is when people are very fond of giving away what they need most themselves. — Oscar Wilde

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Good News of the Day:
After the morning hustle, a lone lamp shines on a vegetable stall. With head bowed, Chen Shu-Chu is the first to arrive in the market and the last to leave. She earns marginal profits. Yet, her frugality has allowed her to donate NT$10 million (about 350,000 US $) towards various charitable causes, including schools, orphanages and poor children. The generosity of a woman with such a humble income has placed her under international spotlight, named an outstanding philanthropist by Forbes and among 2010’s top 100 most influential people by Time Magazine. Despite all the attention, she reminds us, “I have done nothing extraordinary. Everyone who wants to can do it. There are many other charitable people; we just don’t know about them.” Chen adds, “I don’t place great importance on money. When I donate to help others, I feel at peace, I’m happy, and I can sleep well at night.” http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4359

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Be The Change:
Do something generous today without expectation of personal reward.

**Share A Reflection**
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The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action. — Herbert Spencer

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Good News of the Day:
Parents want their kids and teens to care about others – whether at school, in their community, or in need a continent away. The good news is that children “are sort of hard-wired” to want to help others, says Michael Ungar, author of “The We Generation: Raising Socially Responsible Kids.” “They want to take on responsibility.” From a second grade environmentalist to a 21-year-old peacemaker, here are profiles of five young people changing the world. http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4429

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Be The Change:
Volunteer with a child.

**Share A Reflection**
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=4429