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Generosity, giving, dana

TiddlywindsTiddlywinds UK Veteran
in Buddhism Basics

This was in the Lion's Roar reader today:

The Buddha talked about cultivating the spirit of generosity, and he also talked about reflecting on the good things we’ve done and taking delight in them. We recall acts of generosity, not to bolster ego, but rather to acknowledge that—in this world that offers so many choices and possibilities—we cared enough about ourselves and others to choose to give rather than hold on. This recollection will help us immeasurably in our practice. It’s so easy for us to dwell constantly on all of the awful things we’ve done or said. If I were to ask you to think for the next few minutes about what you’ve really done well, when you’ve really been generous, and to appreciate yourself for having done that, it might be hard for you. It’s kind of embarrassing to sit and think about that. It’s so much easier to think about the time I almost gave something, but then I decided not to, and it’s still in the attic.

lionsroar.com/generositys-perfection/?utm_source=Lion%27s+Roar+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3f88d0ea61-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_11_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1988ee44b2-3f88d0ea61-21609961&goal=0_1988ee44b2-3f88d0ea61-21609961&mc_cid=3f88d0ea61&mc_eid=fbe8899657

Bunks

Comments

  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    :)

    Good article. Iz dana! Many thanks.

    Remember generosity also has levels. For example I keep my Swiss bank account details ready for those requiring tests for their generosity. I consider it my dana duty! :p

    Here are some dana offering tips:

    • Prostrations to the three jewels is a formal form of dana
    • Giving an ear to the unheard is worthy of Van Goth
    • Giving support is a privilege
    • Nobody gives totally free of receiving
    • Give with less expectation, none if possible
    • If you can not be generous, at least look ridiculous, so people can laugh at you
  • TiddlywindsTiddlywinds UK Veteran

    Random but lifesaving acts of kindness are celebrated in a new documentary featuring the stories of members of Melbourne's Jewish community who survived the Holocaust.

    Ever Grateful was co-produced by Philip Maisel, one of five survivors who recalled the moment an enemy's unexpected humanity altered their fate. In the film, Mr Maisel described when he was a 17-year-old in Lithuania, hiding from soldiers as they swept through the ghetto, rounding up people for transport to work camps. Pressed hard against the wall of a darkened room and trying not to breathe, he heard footsteps climb the stairs, then felt a soldier's hand upon his chest.

    "I was fully aware of the danger which threatened me," he said. But the lights did not go on, and he heard the soldier report that the room was empty.

    From: abc.net.au/news/2016-11-26/random-acts-of-kindness-documentary-on-melbourne-jews-holocaust/8060428

    lobster
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Goodness, inexplicable goodness..... a touch of Humanity, in a world that seemed totally bereft of it....

    lobsterAkasha
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    The most generous take.

    Take away peoples ignorance of course

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