Graphic Courtesy BecomingMinimalist.com
The elation I experienced on learning that our bid to purchase the Dangler property was accepted was quickly dampened – it’s going to be a long haul, months before the children will blow bubbles in the parking lot; long days before we can worship in larger space with unobstructed views and years until we will finally see the fruits of our labor. But I was loathe to let go of the joy and relief, particularly in light of the uphill financial climb we are beginning together. As is often the case when I am unsettled or having conflicting thoughts or emotions, I turn to texts for inspiration and deeper reflection; in this case, I sought out texts and and studies of generosity.
Much of the recent work on generosity appears to be coupled with studies and analysis of happiness. For me, the most insightful readings often come from Buddhist teachings, in particular, the work and writings of Thanissaro Bikkhu, an American born Buddhist monk of the Theravada tradition. In his book Meditations, he talks about “the idea that you gain happiness by giving things away.”
After all, when you give, you put yourself in a position of wealth. The gift is proof that you have more than enough. At the same time it gives you a sense of your worth as a person. You’re able to help other people. The act of giving also creates a sense of spaciousness in the mind, because the world we live in is created by our actions, and the act of giving creates a spacious world: a world where generosity is an operating principle, a world where people have more than enough, enough to share. And it creates a good feeling in the mind.
But surely there is more to generosity and altruism than feeling good about ourselves? And again, Thanissaro Bhikku rescues me from my mental cogitations:
But there’s another kind of connectedness, an intentional connectedness that comes through our actions….With generosity you create a positive connection, a helpful connection, a connection where you’re glad that the boundary is down, a connection where good things can flow back and forth. So this is what generosity does: It makes your mind more spacious and creates good connections with the people around you. It dissolves the boundaries that otherwise would keep the happiness from spreading around.
This inter-connectedness is what brings me here, and keeps me here. If by giving, I can deepen and strengthen my bonds here, and be happier in the end, then like the Buddhists, I am delighted to commit to dissolving the boundaries that otherwise would keep happiness from spreading around.
In the hope that each one of us is able to give generously, may we, as Buddhists say, have more than enough.
Namaste,
Tuli
About Tuli Patel