Blog

Check out our latest short film, a retrospective of our journey this past year that offers a picture of what is being born during this time of global transformation. ...Read more

Check out our new short film 'Living Service' featuring the work of Jayesh Patel, co-founder and director of Manav Sadhna, an NGO based in the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. For more info about Jayeshbhai check out our blog from April about the time we spent at Manav Sadhna.

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In this new short film, Buddhist nun Ven. Tenzin Palmo reflects on the current state of humanity, and asks, 'What will it take for everyone to wake up?' Struck by the candor and honesty of her responses, we are eager to share her perspective with you.

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During our stay in Auroville, India we got a chance to see some very interesting projects and talk with people like Stephan Fayon, the director Kokopelli India, an international seed savers association. In this film, Stephan explains how preserving the diversity of seeds insures against the breakdown of large scale industrial agriculture. Today the supermarkets in the developed world are full, but if unsustainable agricultural systems collapse, will we know how to nurture ourselves?

Watch the film here.

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During our recent trip to India we spent a couple of days with Emmanuel Sumithran Gnanamanickam, the project manager for the Niligiris-Wynaad Tribal Welfare Society, a small NGO based on the border of Kerela and Tamil Nadu. In this short film Emmanuel, speaks about the importance of trust not only in his work with the local indigenous tribal groups his organization provides primary health care services to, but as a foundation for all of life. At twenty-five, Emmanuel embodies a wisdom and commitment to service that is a true inspiration.

Watch the film here.

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For the past eight years, Nelsa Curbelo has worked with youth gangs in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Through her work rival gangs have formed truces, turned in their weapons, given up crime and have started working together to rebuild the community. During our February trip to Ecuador, we spent two days with Nelsa and the kids she works with, talking to them about their experiences and witnessing the amazing transformation taking place in their neighborhoods.

Nelsa is a strong and powerful woman whose dedication to her work with the kids and gangs was an inspiration to us. Her belief in the power of love and service has brought hope to this troubled city and given the gang members a chance for a new future.

The music in the film is based on original hip-hop tracks, produced by the gang members we met. Working with LA-based film composer, Scott Salinas, we developed a score that captured the energy of the streets while staying true to the beats of Barrio de Paz.

Watch the film here. ...Read more

We just added four new clips from our interview with Tibetan Nun and teacher Ven. Tenzin Palmo. We filmed the interview in her small room at the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Tashi Jong in late March during our five day trip to the Dharamsala area. In these clips, Tenzin Palmo talks about the nature of the mind, essential Buddha Nature, our delusions and the threats facing humanity.

Check out the clips here.

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At Goonj, every inch of cloth is used, nothing is wasted. During our recent trip to India, we spent a day at the Goonj headquarters in New Delhi talking with the founder and director, Anshu Gupta, an inspiring individual whose work and efforts has affected hundreds of thousands around India. We experienced firsthand how this unique organization transforms one person's waste into a resource for another and is much more than a typical clothing distribution center. Creating backpacks out of old jeans, school notebooks from discarded paper and sanitary napkins from old sheets and cloth are just some of innovative ways clothing is recycled at Goonj.

A few of weeks ago, Goonj won the World Bank's Development Marketplace Award for its program, 'Not Just a Piece of Cloth' (the inspiration for the title of our short) whose objective is to improve the reproductive health of women living in the villages and slums around India by providing them with an affordable, clean and easy-to-use sanitary napkins made from recycled clothes.

Clothing is something that many of us take for granted yet it is a basic need, connected to the well being and health of people around world. As you will see in this short film, 'Not Just a Piece of Cloth', what can be re-made from discarded and recycled clothing offers a highly practical example of lived oneness.

If you're inspired by the video and want to see how you can help Goonj and their programs visit their how you can help page, or donate directly to Goonj through GlobalGiving. You can also vote for this video on CurrentTV – if it gets enough votes, it will be shown on broadcast television, so more people can learn about the important work of Goon ...Read more

We've just finished subtitling the complete interview with Don Alverto Taxo, master Quechua Iachak (wise man) from the Saraguro region of Ecuador. In this in-depth interview, Don Alverto shares the story of how he became a Iachak, offers his wisdom on our relationship to the Earth, and his insights and hope for the next era of humanity. The interview also includes a cameo appearance by his young daughter...

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During our stay in Ahmedabad, India in early April we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Seva Cafe, one of the many projects of Manav Sadhna, the organization we had come to Ahmedabad to visit. Seva, or service, is the selfless giving of oneself for the betterment of others and the world around. At Seva Café the concept of service takes the form of a 'pay it forward' restaurant, where every meal is cooked and served with love.

We were so overwhelmed by the experience of eating at Seva our first night in Ahmedabad that we wanted to create a short piece about this unique restaurant that is much more than just a place to grab a bite. At Seva, the bottom line is not about money, but about giving people an opportunity to come together and enjoy good food, and take part in an experiment in generosity.

'The idea of oneness is that...anything that anybody does in the world is connected to everybody else. So...whether it’s Seva Cafe operating in Ahmedabad, there’s somebody out there working in the slum areas, somebody in California running a Karma Cafe or anybody doing anything, it affects us. Because at the end of the day, it’s about humanity and sort of a collective consciousness, a collective soul force. So we all move when one person has a realization, one person has an idea, when one person works.'

--Anjali Desai, Seva Cafe Volunteer

Check out Seva Cafe: Love All, Serve All he ...Read more