The document discusses Wednesdays, a weekly meditation gathering that originated in California and has expanded worldwide. It provides an overview of the values and principles of Wednesdays, including generosity, community, gratitude, and selfless service. It also shares stories from people who host Wednesdays in different locations and how the experience has impacted them.

1. Wednesdays It takes a village…

2. Why I Love Wednesdays

3. What brings us together? Why do 50-odd people, different each week, gather in a living room to meditate and share their deepest reflections with people they barely know? Serendipity Vision Values

4. Serendipity for some… "Someone sitting next to me on a plane told me about it" "I was hiking up a mountain in Peru and met someone who said I had to go to a Wednesday" "A Berkeley rhetoric major said that wherever she traveled in India and spoke of living in the Bay-Area, people kept telling her about Wednesday"

5. What is Wednesday Vision? ∞ INFINITE 0 ZERO No agendas Circle What goes around, comes around OR Connect with our infinite potential

6. What Values Are We Tuning Up? Awareness Generosity Selfless Service Supportive Community 1 st Hour 2 nd Hour Gratitude Purified Intellect Love 3 rd Hour Participant’s Perspective Servant Leadership After hours

7. What Values Are We Tuning Up? Awareness Generosity Supportive Community “ Tuesday is Wednesday, so is Thursday, Friday, Sat, Sun, Mon – it’s Wednesday style service everyday. It becomes a way of being.” - CFMom Gratitude Purified Intellect Love Host’s Perspective Selfless Service Servant Leadership

8. Guest speakers Les Kaye Karma Lekshe Satish Kumar Dr. Ariyaratne Mahendra Meghani Krishnammal Jagannathan The list goes on…

9. The Wednesday Timeline 190 readings, 131,056 downloads, avg 689 downloads per reading 676 weeks (13 yrs), 25,000 people served at Santa Clara 5-10 people carpool each week Min 20/month In 2010, most weeks>30

10. The iJourney Hit Story Jan 09, > 50K Jan 10, >100K

11. Wednesdays Worldwide 28 locations worldwide

12. Does “No Agendas” mean “Anything goes?” Counterintuitive Wisdom Research shows that facilitating brainstorms is a skill that takes a long time to develop. Brainstorming is also a skill. Facilitating a Wednesday that focuses on openness is no different. The constraints (or structure) keep us mindful of the values we want to embody.

13. Principles that have helped us Coordinate diligently Be open Be attentive and present (deep listening) Open second hour thoughtfully (opening guidelines) Provide guidelines for circle of sharing Serve Don't sell anything Make it personal Be flexible

14. What do people get out of Wednesdays? “ Truly, I have never in my life felt such pleasant love and joy given so freely to people you know and to people like me that you don't know." - from someone after their first Wednesday "Love, laughter, positive energy, forgiveness, acceptance, its all given and received at the same time. I love it, there's nothing else like it." - Someone who dropped in on a Wednesday after a long time...

15. Soul Food “ I am reminded that in the Middle East, when people share food, they are making those with whom they share the food their family,” Padma Aunty (Smita’s mother) "And the quality of the food itself is astounding.I can say I experience the food as having a kind of impeccable goodness. That means it is good on all levels, which is a quality I don't think there is any word for. Maybe this is the meaning of 'virtue'"

16. The Cup Overflows A mother of two young children, for whom this is only evening "off", brings mindfully cut oranges for everyone. On the kitchen counter is a box of hand-made sweets, offered by a doctor who had a couple days off during her rotations. A visitor from out of the country goes to three separate shops to bring fifty of her favorite cupcakes for the circle. An envelope with a check for a large sum of money is slipped under the door as an anonymous offering to a guest speaker's cause.

17. How do Wednesdays get started? We don’t know, but, here is Sachi’s story… For the last two weeks, I have been home on a break, once again standing at a crossroad in life trying to figure out which path to take next. I was struggling with my daily sits and was being very irregular. And then I came across Viral’s article: ‘ A Heart of Patience ’. Reading that, two things particularly really stood out for me. First that when we think we know, we expect to find a solution in the direction in which we are looking; when we don't know where to look, we remain open to all directions. Second that it's best to let go of our tendency to fixate on outcomes we'd like to see, and in time-frames in which we'd like to see them, because we don't always know what is best. And then the final push came when I read a notification from iJourney.org that read: "A volunteer has expressed interest in joining your local 'Mumbai' meditation group. If you are already hosting a group, do send them more information; otherwise, perhaps you could explore starting one." :) Read full story

18. Wednesdays once a month Planning and cooking the meal energizes me and fills me with joy. Its very early, but I've already seen people whom I hardly know coming to sit in silence in our living room, and expressing how much the time was like a sanctuary. Rahul Brown, Orange County Wednesdays

19. We become each other’s teachers “ One first-time attendee--a McKinsey consultant--emailed the day after to offer a free consultation around a possibility I'd mentioned earlier of starting a website. Another two were inspired to offer their own homes for monthly sits. The idea of giving becomes easy and infectious. And this extends to the quality of attention--both in listening and sharing--during the Wednesday gatherings themselves. It is singular and deep, and of a different texture from the kind of hurried, distracted interactions that can feel more the norm in a day. We meditators become each others' teachers.” Jenny Douglas, Brooklyn Wednesdays

20. Wednesdays -> Sundays Yes, that also happens, and here is Arathi’s story If I could think of one thing that Sundays has really helped me with though, I think it would be with humility. I think that humility is one of those qualities that sort of just floats in the air and is so hard to practice. I have woken up many a morning saying to myself "okay arathi, you are going to work on deepening your humility, come on, work on it, be diligent about it" and the effort is there but the results are not. And then Sundays came around and the Universe was like "alright woman, if you wanna learn humility, you gotta live it! here you go!!!". Read More

21. The Evolution Revolution Continues Toiletpaper note: “The heart that grows in your home grows around me each week. Many people are graced by love from you and your Divine Heart. Love.” Santhosh and Anya

22. Appendix Good stuff to read offline

23. Jenny Douglas from Brooklyn One of the things I LOOOOOVE about hosting Wednesday meditations in Brooklyn is that CF's "generosity with no strings attached" strikes many first-time attendees as particularly confusing and delightful--given the premium many New Yorkers put on ego, ambition, competition, money and quid pro quo. "You mean the food is free?" one puzzled newcomer might ask. "And these evenings are open to anyone?" You might think there'd be very little space for such an idea in the internal landscape of a typical New Yorker. And yet time and again, meditation after meditation, a quiet, soft opening seems to surface in the hearts of those for whom Wednesday sits are new. A patch of generosity's wide-open-blue-sky that was doubtless inside along, simply awaiting a little nudge. One first-time attendee--a McKinsey consultant--emailed the day after to offer a free consultation around a possibility I'd mentioned earlier of starting a website. Another two were inspired to offer their own homes for monthly sits. The idea of giving becomes easy and infectious. And this extends to the quality of attention--both in listening and sharing--during the Wednesday gatherings themselves. It is singular and deep, and of a different texture from the kind of hurried, distracted interactions that can feel more the norm in a day. We meditators become each others' teachers. Writers, artists, filmmakers, students, teachers, businesspeople, those looking for jobs or homes, those struggling with heartbreak or shame or loneliness or a sense of purpose: all have been welcomed to Brooklyn Wednesdays and all of us are one. A drop of water put on a rock in the sun will soon dry up; put together with other drops, we are an ocean. Oh, how humbled and touched I am to be able to host Brooklyn Wednesdays! And what fun to be a revolutionary.... :) Much love, Jenny

24. Arathi Ravichandran from Boston (CFTweet) Just wanted to say hello from Boston and share some lovely "wednesdays on sundays" stories from the east coast! Our reading was 'The Courage to Risk Telling the Truth' and an individual who recently became sober and started going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings shared a lesson he has learned from the 12 steps program; he spoke at length about his own process of regaining power over his life, the struggle of becoming clean, and the sense of control that he now has because of it. he writes a gratitude list every day of 20 things he is grateful for and says the process has really changed him. He also shared "Faith without work is dead." As a musician (and he played some really beautiful songs for us last night) he spends so much of his time crafting his art, and an equal amount of effort must be put into living authentically from a space of truth... I think the conclusion he came to was talk is cheap and action is where its at! One girl started sharing and crying at the same time, about how deeply the passage had spoken to her... in such a small gathering it felt like a really safe space to share, and I felt really blessed to be a part of her process of opening up. Everyone left with eyes shining and hearts hopeful. It was truly a blessed evening.

25. Arathi Ravichandran on “What Wednesdays mean to me” When I reflect on my experience in graduate school, I will think of three things: My body is able to consume far more coffee than I could have ever imagined, sleep is more precious than gold, and Wednesdays on Sunday got me through it. "sundays" as we say here in beantown, has done so much more for me than provide a much needed respite from often embarrassingly self-induced stress of this point in time in my life. the experience of hosting has humanized me, it has humbled me, and it has forced me to go deeper into my practice, and work to be strong, silent, and still during our sits. there have been so many people that have rolled through my tiny cambridge apartment, in the beautiful fall evenings and in the cold dead of winter, so many stories of love and laughter and heartbreak and struggle shared.... the smaller sits (we usually get around 6-10 people per sunday) allow us to talk more in depth about ourselves and what we are facing at the time. I have gotten to know people in such a new and beautiful light, and for my own self, I have learned time and time again how to remain silent and let the experience of Sundays emerge organically, accepting the moments of silence and awkwardness, and sometimes all together quiet gatherings. If I could think of one thing that Sundays has really helped me with though, I think it would be with humility. I think that humility is one of those qualities that sort of just floats in the air and is so hard to practice. I have woken up many a morning saying to myself "okay arathi, you are going to work on deepening your humility, come on, work on it, be diligent about it" and the effort is there but the results are not. And then Sundays came around and the Universe was like "alright woman, if you wanna learn humility, you gotta live it! here you go!!!". There have been so many Sundays where the food I made didn't turn out great and my ability to lead the discussion was so poor. So many Sundays where I sat squirming on my cushion, trying to make others feel welcome and not being able to set a vibe that really gelled and flowed. So many Sundays where I would wish I could pull out one of Virals' classicaly wise quotes like "responsible is your ability to respond" or "patience derives from the latin word pati, which means to suffer" and rather would fall back on "soooooooooooooooooo. yeah I loved this reading....." while in my head I was thinking about how I forgot to buy chapatis and the rice is going to take 30 minutes to cook and I wasn't sure if this group would be able to chat for another 30 minutes.... at the end of the Sunday though, night falls, people leave, and my apartment is quiet. and i try to tell myself there is no good or bad, but thinking makes it so. and then I get over it :-). There have been many people who have exclaimed "do people actually do this?" and who have thanked me so much for hosting Sundays, I feel truly blessed and honored to be a part of it. Sundays has given me a chance to practice being my authentic self, and for that I am forever grateful :-). have a wonderful wonderful retreat! lots of love and blessings, arathi

26. Sachi Maniar from Mumbai Last summer, when I was in Berkeley for the Metta Mentors program, I had the blessed opportunity to attend my first Wednesday in Santa Clara. Since then, for the next 12 weeks, Wednesdays were sacred, and instead of Wednesdays being fit into my schedule, my schedule was planned around Wednesdays. These silent evenings not only energized me but they also kept me grounded in my journey and gave me an opportunity to practice 'Being'. They were powerful and transformative. While leaving Berkeley in August 09, Nipun had planted a pay-it-forward seed and I always held this dream of hosting Wednesdays in my hometown -- Mumbai. After my return to India, on many occasions, I thought of hosting these magical Wednesdays but was always discouraged by the critical inner voice -- it’s a big responsibility, what if I am unable to continue, or do it regularly? I have crazy working hours and I hardly stay in Mumbai. I am not ready yet -- at least not to create something as powerful as Wednesdays in California. How will Grand-Dad take it? My house is not quiet for 5 mins; how will there be a disturbance-free environment for one hour? I cannot sit for half an hour; how will I host meditations for an hour? So on and so forth. Basically a lot of excuses and mental drama. For the last two weeks, I have been home on a break, once again standing at a crossroad in life trying to figure out which path to take next. I was struggling with my daily sits and was being very irregular. And then I came across Viral’s article: ‘ A Heart of Patience ’. Reading that, two things particularly really stood out for me. First that when we think we know, we expect to find a solution in the direction in which we are looking; when we don't know where to look, we remain open to all directions. Second that it's best to let go of our tendency to fixate on outcomes we'd like to see, and in time-frames in which we'd like to see them, because we don't always know what is best. And then the final push came when I read a notification from iJourney.org that read: "A volunteer has expressed interest in joining your local 'Mumbai' meditation group. If you are already hosting a group, do send them more information; otherwise, perhaps you could explore starting one." :)

27. Sachi Maniar (..contd) I finally decided to stop thinking and just give it a shot ! Even if it meant that this was the only Wednesday. I sent out an email inviting folks to come along to a Wednesday meditation at our home. I was really apprehensive about how this would work out. By 7 pm, we were 8 people (including my mom and my brother) all ready to sit in silence for the next hour. A little nervous, I introduced the concept. For the first 5 mins, my mind was wandering and thinking of all the imaginary logistical glitches -- hope the fan is not too fast, or is my phone in the silent mode, or hope no one rings the bell, etc. But then, I had one of the best meditation hours ever. A beautiful Kabir song rang on my phone, when the hour was over. I thought of Santa Clara openings of people like Nipun and Somik. We then introduced ourselves and discussed the iJourney reading of the week, shared our experience on the hour in silence and then had a home-cooked vegetarian dinner together. In this room we had school teachers, an ex-air hostess-turned-nutritionist, an actor/model, a student, a management professional who recently quit his job, a homemaker and me. Soon the room was buzzing with all kinds of stories from meditation experiences to life stories to kindness experiments around the world. As the participants left, 3 out of 5 wanted to host the next Wednesday at their homes! :) The room was energized. I could feel the energy and I could feel all of you close to me! My deep gratitude to all you amazing Wednesday people (in over 24 cities around the world!) for inspiring me, supporting me and being a part of my journey. I am so so grateful to everyone in every Wednesday I have attended in California, and the folks who have knowingly or unknowingly touched my life and continue to help me grow and learn from all the wonderful experiences we share. The joy of hosting a Wednesday is truly unbelievable and a real blessing. Thank you all for giving me and my family this beautiful opportunity. My heart is full of gratitude to all the people who continue supporting the work of stillness and to to my CharityFocus family. I love you all! Once again, I am left with the feeling of having received more than what we gave. Oh, and if you are in Mumbai, we're having another Wednesday meditation -- next week, Sept 1. :)

28. Rahul Brown We just started hosting Wednesday's in Orange County last month and only do it once a month. Harshida aunty was telling me about how it took her a while to start 'getting more than you're giving' to Wednesdays, but I think that because I've benefited from Santa Clara Wednesdays so much, I'm already getting more than I give. Planning and cooking the meal energizes me and fills me with joy. Its very early, but I've already seen people whom I hardly know coming to sit in silence in our living room, and expressing how much the time was like a sanctuary. One guy who was just an acquaintance before Weds has now become a friend and regularly comes to work and sit in the sanctuary of our living room, including partaking in a 5:30p daily sit. He's started volunteering for a local org, an Indian org, and is starting to plug into CF inspiration streams :-) And he's an Anglo British guy-- one of the most skeptical demographics of people I've ever met :-) He wrote to me this morning and said that he wants to come over everyday next week! How wonderful it is that we are collectively creating a space of stability and goodness-- and how fortunate am I that this happens in my living room!?