Generosity
is another essential quality
that, like patience,
will make a measurable difference to  your
life. Generosity
can be cultivated
if you are content within
and have compassion without. Generosity is selfless giving.
What can you do, given that you have everything (compared to
three quarters of the world’s population).You can be
as selfless as possible. We criticise people for their selfishness,
yet we do not necessarily take time out to cultivate selflessness
in ourselves.
Consider your healthy body, your ability to see, to understand, to
hear, to think, to laugh and so on. Consider how lucky you are.
Giving does not just mean giving money or material possessions, but,
also sharing your being, your enthusiasm, your positiveness, your trust
and your presence. You have to start by sharing it with yourself, your
family and friends, and the world around you.
EXERCISE FOR GENEROSITY
We usually resist giving. You may worry about the future. You may
feel that you may be giving too much or think that it won't be appreciated
"enough." You may think that you won't get anything out of
giving or that you don't have enough for yourself anyway. What if none
of these scenarios is true, but, purely forms of fear based self-protection.
Through the practice of mindfulness of generosity, by giving, and observing
its effects on ourselves and others, we change ourselves and discover
our true nature.
You may feel that you don't have the energy or enthusiasm to give.
You may feel that all you do is give, and that it is just taken for
granted by others. You may give in order to cloak pain and fear, as
a way of making sure others like you and feel dependent on you. Mindless
giving is neither healthy nor generous.
Start giving. Don't wait for it to happen. See what the results are,
especially for you. You may get a clearer picture of yourself and your
relationships, and gain more energy. You may find that, rather than
becoming drained, you become more energised. Such is the effect of
mindful, selfless generosity. Fundamentally, there is no giving, no
receiving, just the universe rearranging itself. |
