How to develop a generous heart?
Regardless how much you’ve got to share.
I was watching a Buddhist teaching
By Ven Robina Courtin about developing generosity.
It was about training our mind to give,
Regardless if we own a little or a lot.
I tried. Am still trying.
I find it HARD.
When this whole lock-down started
I emailed the managers of the building
Where I rent my consultation room.
I said I'd like to continue paying my rent,
Even tough I am seeing my clients online.
Recently I calculated the amount,
And it was hard to click send.
The voice inside was saying:
"I can keep that money,
I can lower the amount,
They won't know how many clients I had.
And bladibladibla".
I pressed send. Email delivered.
And felt so good about myself.
This is the person I want to be.
Kind. Generous. With integrity.
On my birthday I left a card with a bit of money
At my local pub The Hare and Hounds.
If it wasn't for quarantine,
I would have gone there for a drink.
And before you think
Is this a blog about Karin's greatness?
Far from that.
“Attachment is I-based: dissatisfaction, expectation, manipulating others to get what I want. Love, however, is other-based: open, kind, clear, the wish that others be happy. How do we distinguish them? That’s the key to practice. ”
My intention is for us
To become more conscious of generosity.
This is about keeping the wheels turning.
About cause and effect.
About helping each other.
If I hope my coaching clients will stay,
How can I stop paying the lovely woman
Who cleans our home (Hi Monica!),
Even though she hasn't been for a month?
If you hope you won't get fired,
How can you not use your local shop
That is trying to arrange creative ways
To bring delicious food to you,
So they can keep their staff?
What is the littlest thing you can do,
To keep the wheels of economy turning,
Bringing food to other’s people's plates?
When I found it so hard to send that email,
I really wondered:
Why is doing the right thing so difficult?
Why is treating others,
The way we'd like others to treat us
Such a challenge?
And I vowed to try better.
To develop a mind that enjoys giving.
Not just the stuff I no longer want
Also the things that are precious to me.
And not just to the people I like,
Also to those who press my buttons.
We are all in the same boat.
Yes some boats are more luxurious,
But COVID19 is teaching us that
We are all dependent on each other.
If you don't mind me asking,
When you considered coaching for a while,
And your finances are still secure,
Feel invited to book a free discovery call
To explore working together.
And I promise to use my income
To keep the wheels of others turning.
In the end,
We are all just walking
Each other home.
With generosity at heart,
Karin
(Photos: Generosity from Unsplash)
PS
How to practice generosity
Without a penny in your pocket?
Bring a slice of cake to your neighbour.
Give Inner Pilgrim
(and other small businesses you love)
A review on Facebook or Instagram.
Even watering your plants,
Is an act of generosity to their thirst.
Your genuine attention to those you love,
A radiance of contentment
For all to enjoy.
These are
The greatest forms of wealth of all.
Give freely from an abundant heart.
I wish you happiness.
