Richer and richer, all the time....

Have you ever noticed, when you feel unhappy, you can also feel isolated and separated from others?

These feelings can lead to a lot of introspection and loneliness. (By the way and not surprisingly, individualist cultures - like our own - that value uniqueness and self-reliance over wider harmony, are associated with significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety.)

But, don't despair, this might interest you:

Did you know, before Buddha taught people meditation, he taught them something else?

He taught them Dana.

Dana is the essential Buddhist practice of generosity. And when practiced as intended, it also brings joy and peace to the giver.

But here’s the thing - it isn’t saccharine giving and gifting, nor is it “giving to get” or being a martyr. No, Dana is about living in the spirit of collective harmony.

Legendary Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (often fondly nicknamed ‘the father of mindfulness’) described the practice of Dana like this:

“We don’t have to give $100,000 or even $10; instead we can offer a smile or a loving, compassionate gaze. We can give the gift of our calm, concentrated presence to help someone who is fearful or anxious. We can make an offering of our time and energy. We have plenty of gifts to offer; we are far wealthier than we may imagine. We can help secure the happiness of many people even if we don’t have a single penny in our pocket. When we are motivated by the desire to give, even if we have not yet offered anything yet, just the intention to offer our help and understanding, our willingness to listen and communicate, begins to lessen our own and others’ suffering.”

Thich talked and wrote a lot about how, when we experience life in the spirit of nondiscrimination, “see ourselves as others and others as ourselves”, we nourish others and also ourselves.

“If you give and continue to give, you become richer and richer all the time, richer in terms of happiness and wellbeing. This may seem strange but it is always true.”

Numerous studies into the neuroscience of generosity have proved Thich is right, but who needs science when we just need to practice a little Dana to experience this wellbeing wealth for ourselves.

The gift of our calm, concentrated presence, an offering of our time and energy, the riches of happiness all round - why not?

Wishing you a delightful Dana day ☺️

Love, Jo x