Bounty of Gratitude

• Gratitude is a gracious acknowledgment of all that sustains us, a bow to our blessings, and an appreciation of the moments of good fortune that sustain our life everyday.
• Gratitude is confidence in life itself – in gratitude, we feel how the same force that pushes grass through cracks in sidewalks invigorates our own life.
• Gratitude gladdens the heart – it isn’t sentamental, jealous, or judgmental.
• Gratitude doesn’t envy or compare.

Blessings

As gratitude grows, it gives rise to joy. We experience the courage to rejoice in our own good fortune and in the good fortune of others. Gratitude receives in wonder the myriad offerings of the rain and the earth, the care that supports every single life.

The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
Jack Kornfield

Background on Jack Kornfield

Evaluating Our Experience

The very basis of our discontent is our ongoing and never-ending evaluation of the quality of our experience.

…..Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

Radically Happy: A User’s Guide to the Mind
Phakchok Rinpoche and Erric Solomon

Pain of Suffering

None of us has had exactly the same difficulties as another, yet we can strive to understand what others are going through. It can take some imagination, like asking ourselves how we might feel in their shoes. We can also ask others directly: “What’s this been like for you?”

Connecting

We strengthen our relationships when we’re willing to connect with another person’s suffering.

A Mindful Year
Aria Campbell-Danesh and Seth J. Gillihan 

What’s Happening Now

The more we place our attention in the present moment rather than focusing on what might happen, or thinking about what has happened, the more we can enjoy life’s great moments.

In addition, the more we keep our attention on what is happening now, the less we will exaggerate and allow the bad times to overwhelm us.

Radically Happy: A User’s Guide to the Mind
Phakchok Rinpoche and Erric Solomon