Last year's Seeds of Compassion - a five-day gathering that included speeches from the Dalai Lama - sparked a network of compassion in Seattle, and the upcoming event Connecting for Compassionate Action at the Seattle Center.
Connecting for Compassionate Action, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, "is a sprout that's grown from seeds of compassion," said Jon Ramer executive director of Compassionate Action Network.
Inspired by the Seeds of Compassion, the Compassionate Action Network formed to spread the "sprouts of compassion" and the upcoming event will be the organization's first gathering since last April.
"The purpose is to inspire and support compassionate action in our communities, within ourselves and the world," Ramer said.
According to Ramer, there are three methods of spreading compassion: giving time, talent and treasure.
"It's about making time for other people," Ramer said, "and using talents and resources to support others in need."
The upcoming event centers around the question: "How shall we inspire and support compassionate action in ourselves, our communities and our world?"
Instead of having a set list of speakers, the event will be an Open Space format - meaning anyone that comes can present or convene a session.
"It's really participatory and really in the spirit of discovery and exploration," Ramer said. "It's truly self-organizing. I know it's different but it really works beautifully; we have an agenda in the first 15-20 minutes."
Though a platform for inspiring compassion might seem broad, it's meant to help people hone their ideas about making a difference, according to Ramer.
"We can work together. It's very action oriented and it's a time for people to coordinate," Ramer said. "People are making a difference; we want to make it easy. An event like this is going to make it easy for them to get support from the community at large. What we look for is that people leave the event strengthened about their own projects and what they can do in the spirit of compassion."
With the growth of the Compassionate Action Network, and its link to the Seeds of Compassion, Ramen thinks the event will garner strong support.
"Now more than ever, people are awakening to the need for compassion in their own lives, in the lives of their families and communities," Ramen said. "And this event represents that many people are coming together to work toward that."
The Oct. 17 event is at the Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St. Cost is free, though there is suggested donation of $10 to help with event costs.
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