Who do I give thanks to?
David_250662
Brighton, UK New
Good morning. I have been practicing Buddhism for around 8 months. I feel like I have come home. I have never felt more contentment, connection, compassion and emotional balance. I was raised as a Christian and embraced that religion for a long time, not necessarily the Church as such but the doctrine and philosophy of Jesus. Since childhood, and more in later life, I found an understanding that I was comfortable with. During that time, if something good happened in my life, I thanked God, Jesus, to express my gratitude. A few years back I began to realise that there were too many differences to me in Christianity than there were similarities. I was feeling disconnected and as such I started to open my eyes. I was attracted to Buddhism by a friend at a festival. She didn’t convert me as such, but instead the peace she had found became attractive. I explored it later at a course at my local Buddhist Centre and I immediately began to find that peace. I have studied by doing some gentle reading and I practice meditation every day. Slowly everything is becoming clearer. Yesterday a chain of events occurred that were wonderful. Good news for my wife who had just resolved a long term resentment with a dear friend by expressing love to her, and good news for me when I was inspired by an act of good nature by a client in my business. I wanted to say thank you. My question is, who do I thank? Thanks for listening.
Comments
Thank yourself and your wife - you created the causes and conditions that brought about the good news you're sharing with us (thank you by the way - I love good news!!)
Keep heading in the right direction mate
That’s beautiful. Thanks.
You could just spread it around, if it makes you uncomfortable to thank yourself. A bit for your teachers, a bit for friends and family, a bit for pets for making your karmic environment so positive...
Yes, I second the motion. Find deep peace in breathing through a meditation, and picturing good Kamma which has befallen you both... (Kamma merely means 'Action'... Your Good Actions have generated well-being for you.)
Remember though, to also give thanks, and consider less fortunate events as blessings; We learn well, during times when Life is Positive. The potential to learn well, when life brings less fortunate occurrences, is fuller, and holds more benefit.
It is not when things go well, that our resolve is tested. it is when the world we experience, turns dark.
There is a saying that states, "Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer."
Thereby can we study, learn and understand them better.
It is the same with events and incidents.
Nice to meet you. Welcome to our modest little abode.
Me.
You are welcome
... meanwhile some helpful answers from others
You might consider prostrations to a Buddha image but I feel @Kerome idea of spreading kindness with gratitude, through the right action @federica mentions is the functional sharing ...
You might try dana, monks are probably in dire need of toilet paper right now ... You might look at socially engage dharma ...
http://www.ecodharma.com/articles-influences-audio/engaged-buddhism
Welcome to New Buddhist. 💗
Thanks to everyone for the guidance! Loads to think about but definitely loads of ways to express my gratitude! Including you guys!
Aw shucks, twern't nuthin....
Or in British English:
Don't mention it ol' chap.
Interesting question. Maybe thank the qualities of kindness and awareness that beings have that have lead to a good result? Maybe even thank God in an intuitive way if it feels right. But not if it does not feel right or if you have moved on from that belief system. In my own practice I feel thankful often but I was interested in your question because I had never formalized who I felt thankful to. I think sometimes I feel thankful to the universe whatever that means or to a particular person.
As has been mentioned in different ways above...
The widest, deepest & clearest possible offering of that gratitude
is best shared as an expression of a deepening of your practice,
where the distinctions between self & other, tend to dissipate.
I think so too. I like many of the answers, yours in particular because it is an open/spacious/unnamed heart response, which I feel is relevant to the original poster (OP).
The real question is how do we give? And the answer is every way we can.
How wonderful (eh ma ho)
It is certainly of interest, because it marks a key difference between buddhism and the theistic religions. The theistic religions are very much turned outwards, in placing responsibility outside the self and looking for an external deity to place faith in. While Buddhism is much more internal, you work on yourself, take responsibility for yourself and your karma.
But if the impulse arises in you to give thanks for the good things that are happening to you then why not?
lately ive been thanking bob marley.what a great man of love...god inspired songs.is this love music video tribute,one love,one family,rainbow color.def.bless by god.
yes being a deist,daoist,dharma,i thank god and people who inspire the good.of course i thank shaki from time to time.
The greatest and only true evangelism is by example.
It's very good to keep these things slow. Stew them, like stracotto di manzo, a lovely red wine based beef stew that I no longer eat but still sorely miss. "Oh, stracotto, how you test me eternally, just waiting for a moment of apostate weakness," he said in jest.
They say that Avalokiteśvara appears in limitless forms to help sentient beings. Maybe she appeared as your wife for a moment to love her resented friend. Maybe she appeared as you for a moment when you felt gratitude bloom in your heart and wondered who to thank?
I feel like I need to reply with something deeper but For now I’ll just say Thank you. You’ve all helped let some light in.
Love this question because every once in a while I am literally brought to my knees in either awe or gratitude or both. And my instinct is to thank God, but the longer I live the harder God is to define, so who or what I am thanking?
Jeffrey, how, and others have said it well above. And at risk of sounding New Agey, I have tried to tell myself that if I feel all this gratitude, then the best thing to do after I get up off my knees is to "be" gratitude by letting that feeling fill me up and guide my actions. (Not that I am always successful at doing so, mind you.)
Great answer @Ren_in_black 👍🏼💗🙏🏽
I fully unbelieve god. Gratitude to the definable is Tantra. Gratitude to a grateful god is serviceable ... maybe un-buddhism but hey who is defining, if not us ...
Hallelujah! om mani peme hum
etc ...