Since we meet on Wednesday evenings, the night before Thanksgiving has been focused on a Buddhist perspective on gratitude and the increasing spirit of generosity that emerges from dedicated mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation practices. The participants in the group each talked of their experiences related to their practice and this time of year.
It’s our custom to devote the meeting on Thanksgiving Eve to shared experiences on how Buddhist practices foster gratitude, and how gratitude fosters generosity, which the Buddha regarded as the foremost of the qualities we develop as the awakening process unfolds. We hope that listening to this dialogue will inspire your practice of awakening.
During this talk Tommy gave some background information about the Buddhist concept of dana, translated as generosity. He related this as an outgrowth of gratitude for the clarity and relief brought about through intensive meditation practice. He emphasized the application of gratitude and generosity as important applications of Buddhism, and that generosity depends more on the degree of awareness of the practitioner. He mentioned some of the possible applications of generosity in life. This was followed by the closing night Dhamma talk provided by Peter
[s3mm type=”audio” files=”wp-content/uploads/2013/02/11130533/Tommy’s Generosity Talk.mp3″ titles=”Tommy’s Generosity Talk” /]
Recent events in Japan remind us how fragile life can be at times and how connected we are to our brothers and sisters around the world. It’s a reminder of the truth of impermanence, the pain and suffering of the victims and their loved ones, and the empathic connection we share with others as part of the global community. Thich Nhat Hanh had the following to share on a Facebook posting on 3/15/11: (more…)