Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

I’m neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I am a dyed-in-the-wool possibilist! By this, I mean with an eco-mind, we see that everything’s connected and change is the only constant. — Frances Moore Lappe

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Good News of the Day:
“A new way of seeing that is opening up to us can form a more life-serving mental map. I call it “eco-mind”– looking at the world through the lens of ecology. This worldview recognizes that we, no less than any other organism, live in relation to everything else. As the visionary German physicist Hans-Peter Durr puts it, “There are no parts, only participants.” This fascinating article from Yes Magazine describes — what it means to think like an ecosystem, why this crucial mindshift is necessary for our planet and what we can do to foster it.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB505:C3009629A010612CAE3E39559F5EB0CDB4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
“If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper.” Thich Nhat Hanh shares a beautiful reflection on inter-connection
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To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don’t disturb your mind with seeking. — Nisargadatta Maharaj

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Good News of the Day:
“I often feel awkward when I go to a conference. Reluctant to sidle up to a stranger and introduce myself, I roam, like I did at college parties, self-conscious, seltzer water in hand, not fitting in. In the midst of a sea of people chatting away enthusiastically, I am uncomfortable and alone. But when my plane from New York landed in Austin, Texas for South By Southwest, the music, film, and interactive conference, I was excited. I was speaking on a panel and, since everyone told me SXSW is a blast, I had given myself an extra day to explore the conference. But it didn’t play out like I had hoped.” In this candid post, leadership expert Peter Bregman describes an unsettling conference experience that ultimately led him to valuable insights on what happens when we substitute our insidious dependence on external roles for the simplicity of — presence.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB29B:C3009629A010612C8318321CCB0642E5B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Practice being fully present in new surroundings. [For those who couldn’t access yesterday’s DailyGood on “Building a Muscular Empathy”, click:
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB29C:C3009629A010612C8318321CCB0642E5B4B847859706E37D&

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Everyone adds something to a situation by their actions and words. The very first things said or done, will quickly decide what happens next, positive or negative. Be patient and empathetic, and the direction usually goes positive. — Gary Rudz

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Inspiration of the Day:
“‘We judge others by their behavior. We judge ourselves by our intentions.’ In attempting to empathize, we’re actually missing the point if we are judging at all. Because then we are more concerned with being knowledgeable, being right — or even being good — than we are with actually feeling another person’s reality. But even moral imagination, operating creatively from a place of first putting myself in another’s shoes, while crucial, is only the beginning. To effect a lasting change in perception and understanding, I have to actually experience another’s reality as if it were my own. The good news is that scientific research increasingly shows that a part of the brain already does exactly that.” An insightful reflection on building a ‘muscular empathy.’
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB247:C3009629A010612C3E1A3FB2E8908299B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Work on building your empathy muscles today: listen, feel, relate, and respond to someone’s needs.

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If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

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Good News of the Day:
Are you your own worst critic? It’s common to beat ourselves up for faults big and small. But according to psychologist and author Kristin Neff, that self-criticism comes at a price. For the last decade, Neff has been a pioneer in the study of “self-compassion,” the revolutionary idea that you can actually be kind to yourself, accept your own faults– and enjoy deep emotional benefits as a result. In this insightful interview she discusses the three core aspects of self-compassion, and shares how poignant experiences, including being the mother of a son diagnosed with autism, helped her better understand the vital importance of kindness towards oneself.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AB20A:C3009629A010612C5BB2B452B6E864DBB4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
This week, experiment with incorporating the three core components of self-compassion that Neff describes in your own life.

**Share A Reflection**
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