As we find our presence during this late fall & early winter in relationship to various holidays, the qualities of gratitude & generosity hold a special place & opportunity for each & all of us… in our formal Dharma practices & in our life as our practice.
We usually think of generosity as the practice of giving, though in its fullness it is both giving and receiving… a process which clearly helps to purify & transform the contraction of separateness that is engendered by self-centeredness.
Generosity is a perfectly natural aspect of our humanness & universally recognized as one of our most basic human virtues. We offer/we give, we receive. We cultivate & manifest generosity in a thousand different ways, no matter our culture, our age, no matter who we are within this universal seamless circle of generosity.
The development & deepening of the heart quality of generosity directly inspires & feeds the purification & transformation of clinging, stinginess & hoarding. Our practice of generosity also inspires & feeds the purification & transformation of the fear & attachment that are so closely linked to the uncomfortable energies of greed & resistance.
The Buddha always began his teaching offerings to new groups of people with some words about generosity. One of the things that he often said was, “If beings knew, as I know, the results of sharing gifts, they would not enjoy their gifts without sharing them with others, nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the heart & stay there. Even if it is your last bit of food, you would enjoy its use more by sharing it, if there was anyone to receive it.” And a primary teaching that he offered his Monastic Sangha was, “Thus you must train yourselves: We will be thankful & grateful. Not even the least thing that is done for us shall be forgotten.” The great beauty of a way of life… the practice of the heart… a life of GIVING & RECEIVING.
I especially love this time of year because it lights up this basic essential Buddhist teaching & way of life. As our practice develops & our discerning capacity grows, we begin to more clearly see & know that everything changes hands or just simply dissolves. Is there anything that really has any hard & fast owners? When we touch into this truth, it can be a powerful factor that inclines us towards cultivating our inner wealth… the inner wealth of generosity, mindfulness, patience, loving kindness, joy & equanimity. An inner wealth of generosity is a powerful medicine. It’s an antidote to the anguish & confusion that is generated through the conditioning/training of accumulating, and then fixating on & identifying with our material & mental accumulations.
We can cultivate a life & help to cultivate a culture of mutual flourishing… a life & culture of balance, reciprocity & regeneration. With our Dharma practice we are learning to receive life fully, be kind, grateful & generous. This very life is our path to the deepest ease of a presence of well-being & joy and is intimately connected to the development of a deep generosity of heart.
May this holiday time & the upcoming new year be filled with warmth, kindness, love, gratitude, generosity, joy, and a sense of balance & equanimity for you, for your loved ones & for all beings everywhere.
With love, Marcia Rose
TMH founding & guiding teacher
CLICK HERE to listen to Marcia’s full Dharma talk.