Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a songbird will come. — Chinese proverb

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Inspiration of the Day:
With natural light and a breeze that passes through, John Hardy’s dream of building a green school comes alive in Bali. Created with bamboo architecture, no walls and a diverse range of teachers, this school not only teaches reading, writing, and arithmetic but also teaches how to reconnect to nature, endeavoring to develop future green leaders from 25 different countries. This 14 minute TED talk shares Hardy’s amazing journey from being lit up by a small idea to the culmination of a beautiful model with these principles at its core: be local, let the environment lead, and think about how your grandchildren might build.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A53C7:C3009629A010612C50C767D801165A37B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Reflect on this short passage on “True Education” by Albert Einstein.
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**Share A Reflection**
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I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind. — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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Good News of the Day:
“At first, I sat on a couch cushion in the middle of my living room, and meditated for 5 minutes using my kitchen timer. At the beginning, I experienced what the book referred to as a ‘waterfall’ of thoughts. Having never tried to focus my mind on something so simple as respiration, so many thoughts poured down on me: ‘What am I going to have for lunch?’ ‘What if this doesn’t work?’ ‘I should do a load of laundry.’ In these instances, the wild horse takes off. Then you have to grab the reigns, and lead the horse back to the path: your breath. The important thing is to commit to doing this, and not leave your seat until the timer goes off, otherwise the horse is in control instead of the rider.” Joanna Holsten writes eloquently about her early exploration of training the mind for happiness.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A4F48:C3009629A010612C364B5B9CEB7B26B2B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Run your own experiment of mental training for 5 minutes today.

**Share A Reflection**
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What if it all belongs — everything around you? Just see if you can approach every moment with kindness. Know what that does? That allows you to live in a kind world. — Vinny Ferraro

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Good News of the Day:
One bitter night, in the rough end of New Haven, fifteen-year-old Vinny Ferraro and his gang were hanging out as usual by the projects when a chance encounter with a homeless man (who they were assaulting) changed the course of the rest of his life. “I didn’t know what compassion meant when I was fifteen. But I knew that that homeless guy had seen my heart. And that was scary. I had done my best to hide this heart, because it wasn’t safe in my world to be soft or show feelings. And he had seen right through me.” It is now Ferraro who looks into angry young eyes and finds a glimpse of compassion. In this candid piece, he shares his remarkable journey from violence and despair to mindfulness and freedom, inspiring thousands of underserved youth to similarly transform their lives.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A4E34:C3009629A010612C98D8894DE7DE804FB4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
When you next experience any traces of anger or despair, reflect on Ferraro’s thought: “Do your conditions lead inevitably to suffering? No, they don’t. Only a being’s perspective leads to suffering.”

**Share A Reflection**
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Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. — Helen Keller

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Tip of the Day:
Recent scientific research reveals that great creativity almost always springs from collaboration, conversation, and social networks — challenging our mythical image of the isolated genius. Keith Sawyer has been studying the phenomenon known as “flow,” where we get so absorbed in a task that we lose track of time; it’s what some people refer to as being “in the zone.” Research shows that when a group is in flow, it’s more likely to resolve problems with surprising and creative solutions. Given how much of our personal and professional time is spent collectively, how can business managers, coaches, and the rest of us foster group flow? From studying improv groups, jazz musicians, and business teams, Sawyer shares that group flow tends to emerge when 10 key conditions are in place. This essay published by Greater Good shares more.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A4CC1:C3009629A010612C37AEFA37570DB82BB4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Get your group flow on: use some of Sawyer’s tips in your next group meeting.

**Share A Reflection**
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