The Holiday season is a traditional time of giving. The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues, a virtue that demonstrates the depth of our humanity and connectedness. The decision to make giving a practice of awareness brings it out of the realm of unconscious and traditional activity, into the realm of conscious practice. It helps us to become free of unconscious restraints and fears from the past which often control us without our knowledge. When we become consciously aware of the fear and grasping that controls us we can reduce its power over us and live more freely, acting instead of reacting.
It’s common to think of giving as selfless, done without expectation of return. Conscious giving is about gaining freedom from unconscious restraints and fears. In the Christian tradition of tithing we give with the knowledge that our giving opens channels for us to receive blessings while in eastern spiritual tradition giving is tied to creating positive karma which benefits us in present and future lives.
Following is a Giving Practice from Gil Fronsdal of Tricycle Magazine. This practices involves giving consciously while observing the feelings that come up in your body and mind.
1. Do what you are doing with conscious generosity. If you are driving drive with generosity allowing someone to enter traffic ahead of you or taking a parking place further out to allow someone else to park closer. If you’re cooking, cook with a feeling of generosity in your heart for the people who will consume the food. Observe how this makes you feel.
2. Do small acts of generosity. This can be something as small as a smile or a comment on how nice someone looks. It can mean bringing something to share with your work group or remembering someones name and stopping to talk. How does this make you feel?
3. Do an act of inspired generosity. Give something much larger then you would normally to someone or something you care about or is important to you. Make the gift large enough to make you uncomfortable, to make you feel a stretch. Observe how this makes you feel before, during, and after.
4. Do something generous for a challenging person. Pick the person in your life you feel the most challenged by. We all have one or two we encounter daily. Do something generous for this person.
The Buddha says “You should feel Happy before you give, Joyous while giving, and Peaceful after giving.”
We all aspire to this.
Happy Holidays
Rich
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