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Teacher: Rodney Smith
Date: 2009-01-27
Venue: Seattle Insight Meditation Center
Series
- The Ten Paramis 2009-01-27
Description
The power of generosity and how to access it by releasing what obscures it. The talk explores the difference between generosity and resentment.
Homework
Notice how frequently you second-guess your generosity. You may have the desire to be generous but you let it pass without acting upon it. This week, act upon any impulse to be generous: if you have the thought to give something to someone, do not delay or second-guess the impulse. Find several occasions to give something away to someone less privileged (for instance, offering $1 to anyone selling “Real Change”). Before you do, release the projections and allow equality to surface—one person giving to another. Feel the people in their totality as you meet them, and let your heart embrace what you see. Feel the humility of true generosity, the joy of release. Notice the qualitative difference between giving with humility and the self-importance and accompanying pity in “helping the disadvantaged.”
Pay particular attention to the physical posture of generosity. Let your generosity come from a stance of confidence and openness; square your shoulders and look the person in the eye. Notice your physical posture when you feel contracted, defensive, selfish, or irritable. When you feel closed down to generosity, adjust your posture to a more open stance and see if that has any effect on your state of mind.
Video
Link to view on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/3187620
TalkID=552 SeriesID=15
