Love

 

When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Kindness Remembered and Forgotten

He who receives kindness should never forget it,
but he who performs it should never remember it.

We should always be grateful for the kindness that others show towards us. Kindness can relieve our fears and worries, and lessen our suffering. Remembering the kindness of others, we will be more inclined to pass the kindness on because we know how much it meant to us.

But why should we not remember when we are kind to others?

Thinking of our kindness to others can result in our looking down on the person who needed our help. Feelings of superiority can arise as we mentally pat ourselves on the shoulder and the other on her head, like we would a child. There goes our regarding all beings equally.

As we dwell on our good actions, we tend to congratulate ourselves. Unaware of what is happening, we allow pride to creep in. And there goes our humility. The Buddha warned us of the four poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, and arrogance. Even a touch of pride is arrogance. So just as we need to guard against any rising of anger or craving, we need to also guard against pride.

With our act of kindness, we laid the foundation for the future enjoyment of some good fortune. Ideally, we will want to use our good fortune to continue helping others. But if we ourselves enjoy our good fortune, for example by feeling even a trace of pride, we reduce that good fortune. So it is much better to dwell on thoughts of the kindness of others and to let go of memories of our own kindness.

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness inspires confidence and a sense of security in others, and to us it brings contentment and a sense of ease. Those who depend on us—our family, friends, and those we work with—will know that we will speak honestly and considerately, and act from an uncompromising sense of integrity. They will know that they can depend on us to fulfill our promises and to meet our responsibilities. By striving for qualities like sincerity, truthfulness, and thoughtfulness, we will find a purpose and direction for our lives.

Kindness

In life, it seems that so many of our hopes and expectations remain unfulfilled. And what of those that are? They end all too quickly. We can walk around in a perpetual gloom over our disappointments and frustrations. Or, we can look around us and realize that others are probably equally unhappy, and very likely, even more so. Seeing the sufering in someone’s eyes, or hearing the sadness or worry in their voice, how can we not care? How can we not be kind?

Never Alone

We are not isolated,

never alone.
What happens on one side of the world
will inevitably effect the other.

We are not separate,
never alone.
What happens in my mind, in my heart
will inevitably effect the world.

We are not individuals
functioning apart from our environment.
We are all part of one another.
We are all in this together.