[Catalyst 13 - 2015] The Dalai Lama's 80th Birthday Gift - Global Compassion Summit
 

By Stephen Dinan, founder and CEO of The Shift Network

Tomorrow is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday and his wish is that we all live #withcompassion (see video below).

We felt inspired to take His Holiness’s request a step further: let’s create a vision for global compassion education by mainstreaming compassion practices in our schools, businesses, hospitals, communities and beyond. We are much closer to realizing this dream than one would think.

With this in mind, we created the Global Compassion Summit on July 7–9, a free online event produced in partnership with Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education ( CCARE), The Charter for Compassion and many other organizations. (To register for free, click here.)

The Global Compassion Summit is part of the Summer of Peace and has been masterfully produced by our dear friend, Emily Hine. Emily, the summit host and a CCARE certified Compassion Cultivation Teacher, was the original "Chief of Peace" with the Shift Network and she helped lay the groundwork for the first Summer of Peace in 2012. We want to thank Emily for her leadership with the Global Compassion Summit. (Emily left our team in 2012 to miraculously heal herself of cancer and she writes about her healing journey in her blog: HolySit.com. It is wonderful to have Emily back with us!)

The Global Compassion Summit will bring to life the science and practices that help us as individuals embrace compassion. It will feature Dr. James Doty, Congressman Tim Ryan, Karen Armstrong, Matthieu Ricard and many other inspiring people who are pro-actively working to mainstream compassion practices.

From the bird’s eye view provided by the Global Compassion Summit, we can see the elements are in place to give His Holiness the Dalai Lama the gift of global compassion education.

In this edition of The Catalyst, we have inspiring articles about compassion from Emily Hine, Marilyn Turkovich, James O’Dea, Leah Weiss and Sara J. Schairer. Our member profile is from Amy Edelstein.

In this edition, we also are featuring the opening video of the Yoga Day Summit. Oh my, the Yoga Day Summit was by far one of the most inspiring and comprehensive free offerings we have done to date. The videos are available to watch free online, click here. I encourage you to use the videos to take a personal mini-retreat at home to deepen your spiritual practice!  

Our Shift Philanthropy is once again the Divine Shakti Foundation in Rishikesh, India, founded by our dear friends H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati.

Our featured artist is the heavenly Snatam Kaur whose North America West Coast summer tour is being produced by our good friends at BrightStar Events.

And, finally, we invite you to join Deepak Chopra and people around the world for the Chopra Center’s Global Meditation for Compassion on July 11, 2015 at 12pm EST – click here. (See Movement News).


Dalai Lama's 80th Birthday Wish Is That We All Live #WithCompassion

The Dalai Lama is turning 80 years old on July 6, but he doesn’t want any gifts. Instead, your social media presence is the present.

Yoga Day Opening

A special message by H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji from Rishikesh, India, the birthplace of yoga. We then hear from Deepak Chopra in the United States, thus bridging East and West.

All the Yoga Day Summit videos are available free online and can be used to take a personal spiritual mini-retreat at home. To learn more, click here.

A Birthday Gift for the Dalai Lama — Global Compassion Education
By Emily Hine

The Dalai Lama's 80th Birthday Wish Is That We All Live #WithCompassion.

While I love his wish, I say let's take it a step further: Let's give His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the gift of global compassion education by mainstreaming compassion training in schools, communities and businesses around the world. From my experience, we are much closer to realizing this dream than we may think . . . [read more]


Healing Both Victims and Perpetrators
By James O'Dea

A young man with racial hatred in his heart and carrying a concealed weapon, which he acquired without a background check into his criminal record, enters a church famed for its role in the civil rights movement in Charleston, South Carolina. He knows it is the hour for a prayer circle attended by some prominent African-American leaders. He intends to kill them and by so doing instigate riots and a race war. Before he kills nine people, all African-American, he hesitates and almost reconsiders, based on the fact that the people present were so kind and welcoming to him. But the blinding wound of racism boils up inside him and he carries out his intended murderous rampage . . . [read more]

A Global Look at Compassion
By Marilyn Turkovich

Now, in the early decades of the 21st century, we are all witnesses — through social media, if not in actual experience — to the suffering brought about by natural catastrophes and man-made tragedies on a daily basis. Every day, we learn of people suffering, in our own communities and in communities throughout the world. While we often rely on our government and social agencies to deal with the many issues that cause people to suffer, it is everywhere evident that something more is needed. More than ever we are confronted with an urgent need to listen to and understand each other, to empathize with all those who suffer, and to act with compassion for the health and wellbeing of all people . . . [read more]

Bringing Compassion to Everyday Life with Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)
By Leah Weiss, PhD, MSW

Many of us are called to make the world a better place, but it isn’t necessarily clear where to start. We want to respond to the big and small suffering in our communities and the larger world but it isn’t straightforward how to do this in a way that is both sustainable for ourselves and objectively impactful. Out of the desire to support people in embodying compassion in the midst of busy, complicated lives, the idea for the Compassion Cultivation Training Protocol was born . . . [read more]

How to Make Compassion Contagious
By Sara J. Schairer

Have you ever caught the bug? I’m not referring to something cool like the surfing bug or the rock climbing bug or the bug. I mean the flu bug. It’s the worst, right? A nasty stomach bug can spread quickly throughout families, schools, and communities. Bugs are relentless and uncontrollable, and they wreak havoc when they enter our lives.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if compassion could spread just as easily? . . . [read more]

Teens Discover Context and Compassion
By Amy Edelstein

I’m sitting at a café having miso-mushroom soup, processing my meeting with an inner city high school principal about expanding the Mindfulness and Cultural Development program next year. The pilot was so successful; she would like it to see it reach the entire freshman class. "I want them to have a full 4 years of support from the pressures they are under!"  . . . [read more]


Join the Chopra Center’s Global Meditation for Compassion Mark your calendar for July 11, 2015, 12:00 pm Eastern — The Chopra Center’s Second Annual Global Meditation will broadcast around the globe. Tune in from anywhere in the world to participate in the largest meditation gathering in history. Hundreds of thousands of people from nearly every country in the world will join together in meditation to spread compassion. To join, click here.

Recovery 2.0 #MoveBeyond Online Group Coaching Program — Tommy Rosen is a yoga teacher and addiction recovery expert who has spent the past two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness. Tommy has created the #MoveBeyond Online Group Coaching Program, which will run for 8 weeks from July 9 — September 3. The Shift Network is proud to recommend the Recovery 2.0 #MoveBeyond Coaching Program and believe it to be of benefit to those seeking to thrive in recovery. Tommy will be hosting a no-cost content filled webinar hour and answering your most frequently asked questions. Go here to learn about Tommy's coaching program and to sign up for his webinar: click here.

July 18 – International Bhagavad Gita Conference: Being held at the Sunnyvale Hindu Temple, this full day conference will bring together renowned spiritual leaders from India, as well as experts and scholars from across the US speaking about the role of the Bhagavad Gita in our daily lives. To learn more, click here.

July 19 – Darshan and Satsang in NovatoClick here to view flyer. Join Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, one of India's most revered spiritual leaders, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati and Anandra George (Kirtan) for a beautiful, cozy evening of darshan, satsang, meditation, question-answer and devotional kirtan at Vrindavan Dham. As space is very limited please be sure to RSVP to RSVP@oroeditions.com.

Snatam Kaur and Friends – West Coast Tour – August 2015
— Our friends at BrightStar Events are producing Snatam Kaur’s West Coast tour. Concert, chantfest, musical group meditation, a yoga class in melody... how best to describe a live performance by Snatam Kaur and her band? It’s all of these things and more. Crystalline and radiant, Snatam’s voice is redolent of the simple yet powerful truth of the heart. Vancouver, BC, Seattle, Portland, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Encinitas and Los Angeles. To learn more, click here.

New Film screenings of Awake: The Life of Yogananda are taking place in Theaters across the United States and Canada. To find a showing near you or to arrange for a screening, click here. (The filmmakers were interviewed in the Summer of Peace, the recording is available for free.)

New Release: Michael A. Singer, author of #1 New York Times bestseller The Untethered Soul, tells the amazing story of what happened when, after a deep spiritual awakening, he decided to let go of his personal preferences and simply let life call the shots. The events that transpire will both challenge your deepest assumptions about life and inspire you to look at your own life in a radically different way. The Surrender Experiment takes the teachings of The Untethered Soul and applies them to real life circumstances. Michael Singer uses the extraordinary events of his own life to teach the process of deep inner surrender that leads to spiritual liberation. To learn more, click here.

New Book Release by Barnet Bain: You may know Barnet Bain as a film producer (What Dreams May Come, Celestine Prophecy), but in The Book of Doing and Being he shares leading edge principles from 30 years as a creative professional. Peter Guber, owner Golden State Warriors and co-owner Los Angeles Dodgers said, “Bain authentically demonstrates that “being” with the right attitude puts your aptitude on steroids, so that you’ll be active in “doing” for your success.” A must-read: click here. #createnow

New Book Release by Joyce Anastasia: Extraordinary Leadership During Extraordinary Times unveils 7 Vital Keys that ignite transformation from the inside out and are essential for new forms of leadership to emerge as we face the incredible challenges and opportunities in our world today. Joyce Anastasia taps into our collective dream of a more beautiful and thriving planet by inspiring a call for leaders everywhere — from corporate executives and heads of state to ordinary individuals — to make healthier choices in their use of Power, Truth, Integrity, Wholeness and Dynamic Balance. To order your copy, click here.

Campaign Nonviolence National Conference Santa Fe, New Mexico – August 6–9, 2015. Presentations, nonviolence workshop, and vigils at Los Alamos on the 70th anniversary of the nuclear age. Featured speakers include James Lawson, Erica Chenoweth, Roshi Joan Halifax, John Dear, Kathy Kelly, Lennox Yearwood, Jr, Kit Evans-Ford, Medea Benjamin, and Ken Butigan. To learn more, click here.

Twin Oaks Communities Conference – September 4–7, 2015 – Labor Day Weekend. If you want to live according to the values of cooperation, sustainability, and equality this conference is for you. The conference focuses on Intentional Communities, including models such as Ecovillages, Cohousing, and Housing Cooperatives, and the larger cooperative movement, including all kinds of cooperative and collective organizations. To learn more, click here.

The Parliament of the World's Religions – Salt Lake City this October 15–19. The world’s premier interfaith event is coming back to the United States bringing 10,000 people together from 80 nations and 50 faith traditions to commit to the challenges of war, violence and hate speech, climate change, and income inequity. Five nobel peace laureates led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, an Inaugural Women's Assembly for Global Advancement, religious scholars, faith leaders, and the heart of grassroots will round out 5 days of programming to mobilize the global interfaith movement. The Shift Network can take advantage of advance registration and reclaim the heart of our humanity in 2015 by clicking here.

Praxis Peace Institute: Cuba — November 29 – December 6, 2015 — Praxis Peace Institute, in conjunction with Cuba Educational Travel has prepared a spectacular program for our travelers. Lecture and Discussions with Cuban economists, historians, and journalists at Havana University and the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy. Visit agricultural cooperatives, organicfarms, and meet locals in their homes, and much more. Details and to Register: click here.

Collective Coherence: Co-Creating a New World – December 2–6, 2015 – Tao Wellness Center, Yucatan Peninsula, MexicoHeartMath and Global Coherence Initiative Special Event: Come join us for a transformative experience in Collective Coherence: Co-Creating a New World, our fourth annual Mexico event. We will practice tools for Collective Coherence and learn how this accelerates our personal unfoldment into higher potentials. Energetic connectivity will be explored and why it is effective for co-creating a new world. Be sure to use code "Mexico1" when you register to receive the Early Registration discount rate. To learn more, click here.

World Peace Library – Free Resource — Be sure to take advantage of the World Peace Library, a wide-ranging resource on peace newly compiled by the Shift Network: It contains more than 300 inspiring talks and mini-workshops from individuals such as Archbishop Tutu, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra, James O'Dea, Karen Armstrong, Chief Phil Lane and many more. With neuroscientists and lamas, faith-based activists and political leaders, this Library offers something for all in their peacebuilding efforts. The Shift Network has made the World Peace Library a free resource for all and encourages its use to promote peace in your families, schools, and wider community.

1 Billion Acts of Peace — a global community of everyday people performing thoughtful actions that contribute to world peace. The Shift Network is delighted to join Peacejam Foundation, Google, Wells Fargo, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and many others have come together to create the "One Billion Acts of Peace" Campaign — an international global citizens' movement designed to tackle the most important problems facing our planet. To learn more, click here.

If you have an announcement to share, please write: editor@theshiftnetwork.com.


2015 Catalyst: (#13, 7/5) (#12, 6/20) (#11, 6/7) (#10, 5/24) (#9, 5/10) (#8, 4/26) (#7, 4/5) (#6, 3/21) (#5, 3/15) (#4, 2/22) (#3, 2/8) (#2, 1/25) (#1, 1/11)

2014 Catalyst: (#26, 12/28) (#25, 12/14) (#24, 11/30) (#23, 11/16) (#22, 11/1) (#21, 10/19) (#20, 10/5) (#19, 9/21) (#18, 9/14) (#17, 9/01) (#16, 8/17) (#15, 8/3) (#14, 7/20) (#13, 7/4) (#12, 6/15) (#11, 6/1) (#10, 5/18) (#9, 5/4) (#8, 4/20) (#7, 4/6) (#6, 3/23) (#5, 3/9) (#4, 2/22) (#3, 2/8) (#2, 1/26) (#1, 1/12)

2013 Catalyst: (#22, 12/14) (#21, 11/30) (#20, 11/16) (#19, 11/3) (#18, 10/20) (#17, 10/6) (#16, 9/21) (#15, 9/8) (#14, 8/25) (#13, 8/4) (#12, 7/21), (#11, 7/7), (#10, 6/16) (#9, 6/2) (#8, 5/12) (#7, 4/28) (#6, 4/14) (#5, 3/24) (#4, 2/24) (#3, 2/9) (#2, 1/26) (#1, 1/13)

Birth 2012 Catalyst: (#15, 12/9) (#14, 12/1) (#13, 11/22) (#12, 11/10) (#11, 11/3) (#10, 10/20) (#9, 10/6) (#8, 9/16) (#7, 9/8) (#6, 8/25) (#5, 8/16) (#4, 8/4) (#3, 7/28) (#2, 7/21) (#1, 7/14)
 
2015 Issue 13 • Jul 5
The Shift Catalyst is a bi-weekly ezine for conscious change, powered by The Shift Network.

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• Shift Network Update
• Headline Video
• Featured Articles
• Profiles
• Movement News
• Action of the Week
• Shift Spotlight
• Shift Philanthropy
• Partner Spotlight
• Featured Artist
• Allies of the Shift
• Back Issues



Like Us. Collaborate!

Sign the Charter for Compassion and invite your family and friends to sign it too – click here.

Natural Rhythms in a Stressful World: How to Use Vinyasa Yoga Principles for Enhancing Your Energy — A Free Online Event With Founder of Vinyasa Flow, Shiva Rea. Apply ancient yogic principles and practices in your daily life to harmonize your relationship with the natural world, minimize the effects of stress, and cultivate more zest for life.
Wednesday, July 8 at 5:30pm Pacific

Becoming Love in Action: The Science and Practice of Raising Your Vibration, Embodying Your Soul & Creating a Better World — A 7-Week Course With HeartMath Pioneers Sheva Carr, Deborah Rozman & Howard Martin. Access cutting-edge practices from HeartMath to embody your higher self, open to your heart’s intelligence and manifest your deepest purpose with wisdom and love.
New Live Training Starts Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Medicinal Plants & Spiritual Evolution Intensive Harnessing the Power of Herbs for Health, Aging, Intimacy & Spiritual Awakening — With Plant Medicine Pioneer David Crow, L.Ac. Receive advanced insights, practices and teachings for experiencing the profound benefits of medicinal plants for your health, well-being, longevity and spiritual transformation.
New 6-Month Live Training Starts Wednesday, July 14, 2015

The Liberating Power of the Enneagram Understanding Your Personality, Awakening Your Soul — With Renowned Enneagram Teachers Russ Hudson & Jessica Dibb.
New Live Training Starts Wednesday, July 15, 2015

More Upcoming Events: (all subject to change)

July
• Shakti Summit
• Global Compassion Summit
• Shiva Rea 7-week course
• Lisa Schrader 7-week course
• Oscar Miro-Quesada 8-month intensive
• Margaret Paul 9-month intensive

August
• Global Shamanism Summit
• Robert Moss 7-week course
• Mirabai Starr 7-week course
• Christine Kloser 7-week course
• Mark Silver 7-week course
• Mingtong Gu 7-week course
• Mark Matousek 9-month intensive

September
• Subtle Activism Summit
• 11 Days of Global Unity
• Hakomi Global Summit
• Devaa Haley Mitchell 7-week course
• Thomas Huebl 7-week course
• David Nicol 7-week course
• Alison Armstrong 8-week course
• Miranda Macpherson 8-week course
• Enneagram 5-month intensive
• Lisa Schrader 9-month intensive

Divine Shakti Foundation (DSF) — The Yoga Day Summit is inviting people to give back to India by supporting the Divine Shakti Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Rishikesh, India. DSF’s goal is to holistically provide for the wellbeing of women, their children, and orphaned and abandoned children. DSF is also engaged in activities for the preservation of Mother Earth, especially protecting the Holy Ganga River and providing a safe and natural environment for India’s revered cows. Further, DSF supports and promotes cooperation and association among the people who are interested in these divine goals. To learn more, click here.

Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) investigates methods for cultivating compassion and promoting altruism within individuals and society through rigorous research, scientific collaborations, and academic conferences. In addition, CCARE provides a compassion cultivation program and teacher training as well as educational public events and programs. See more at: CCARE website.

Snatam Kaur
By Philip Hellmich

Snatam Kaur is by far one of my most favorite artists as her incredible voice instantly takes me into a deep experience of peace. Our friends at BrightStar Events describe her this way: “Snatam’s divinely melodic songs based on traditional Sikh mantras are augmented by simple, heartfelt English verses that express the meanings these sacred syllables hold and help the audience forge their own emotional connection.” I am delighted that Snatam’ North America Sacred Chant Tour will be coming to the West Coast in August and September. I will be seeing Snatam perform live in San Rafael, California. She will be singing in many other locations up and down the coast. I highly, highly recommend experiencing Snatam’s divine music live. To learn more, click here.

Peace Through Commerce

Evolutionary Leaders

The Foundation for Conscious Evolution

The Shift Movie

Humanity's Team

Green America

The National Peace Academy

Sacred Centers

Center for Sacred Studies

International Cities of Peace

Agape International Spiritual Center

Gaiafield Project

Click here to apply for inclusion above.