How can we discern the difference between authentic self-kindness and self-indulgence? Is it within the behavior or the motivation behind the behavior? Set the intention this week to be self-kind and see whether you cross the boundary of indulgence. Be disciplined in your willingness to give yourself completely to kindness but not indulgence. Secondly, incline your mind toward being kind to others in action, speech, and mind and notice the near enemy of being nice to others. How do the intentions differ? Niceness is a mental interpretation of kindness. Notice there is an egoic payoff in being nice and indulgent but not in kindness.
