Kindness...

Kindness is the first of the three great treasures advocated by Lao Tzu. The
Buddha taught that generosity is a primary quality of an awakened mind. Muhammad
regarded kindness as an essential sign of faith. Jewish and Christian ethics are
built upon deeds of kindness, as are the daily interactions of people of primal
traditions.

The spiritual practice of kindness encompasses a range of small acts and habits
that we know as old-fashioned good manners — saying "please" and "thank you,"
waiting your turn, lending a helping hand, or cheering someone up with a smile.
It applies not just to your relationships with other people. Etiquette in the
spiritual life extends to things, animals, plants, and the Earth.


This practice also means being generous with your presence, your time, and your
money. Give freely without expecting anything in return. Just do it. Kindness is
not a quid pro quo endeavor.
The biblical maxim "love your neighbor as yourself" sets a very high goal for
our human relationships. Sometimes, for a moment, we may love our neighbor, but
as a way of life, love eludes us. We can, though, work to approach love through
its practical manifestation: kindness.

Simple, unassuming kindness toward the people and the life around us brings both
immediate and lasting rewards. As with any thoroughly right action, acts of
kindness bring a special satisfaction to us and a ray of light into the world.
Kindness flows naturally from our hearts: we need only lift the veils that hide
and block it.

First and foremost, our ordinary self-centeredness precludes true kindness. As
long as we measure everything in life in terms of our own needs, wants, and
antipathies, as long as we regard other people as objects like pieces of
furniture, we leave no room for kindness. We may consider certain people
undeserving of our kindness. It may even seem stupid to us to be kind, to give
something of ourselves freely for no visible reward. Where is the profit in
that? Not seeing the real answer, we may even be unkind or at best neutral
toward our neighbor.

But there is a profit in kindness, even for our self-interest, our true
self-interest. Being kind removes us from the thrall of egoism, at least
temporarily, and ushers us into a more connected and natural world. If we could
but see that acts of kindness benefit our own being as much as the recipient of
our kindness, our resistance would melt away and we would seek opportunities to
be kind. In the meantime, the most powerful medicine for hard-heartedness
derives from seeing our own indifference, our own unkindness in actual life
events, actions, and attitudes.

Living nearly all the time in the world of pre-programmed actions and reactions,
we rarely actually notice anything, including opportunities for kindness.
Openings for kindness usually do not appear on our radar, as our habits and
conditioning block their perception. Not present to occasions for potential
kindness, we sleep walk right past them. As an antidote, we can diligently
practice the methods for awakening, for presence, for being fully in this
moment. True presence unveils our basic kindness and shows us appropriate venues
for its expression.

When our willingness to be kind does break through and our awareness reveals
opportunities, difficult questions naturally arise. What constitutes kindness?
What is the most appropriate and effective action in a given situation? Most of
us have had experiences in which we thought we were being kind, only to have it
all backfire because we did or said the wrong thing. We need wisdom to guide our
actions. Good intentions alone can lead to misguided actions. Giving the addict
money, may only prolong the addiction. Offering our opinions, when the more
appropriate stance is to just listen, can easily spoil the moment. Conversely,
remaining silent when we should speak truly can be a disservice. Intruding when
we should do nothing, clumsily aggravates the situation. To act appropriately
and effectively, we need bring all our powers to bear, our intelligence and
experience, our insight into the person and the circumstances, our kind
attitude, the humility of knowing our limitations, and our developing inner eye
for the truth.

We can, however, readily practice kindness in certain simple situations that do
not call for deep wisdom. Courtesy is a common and underrated form of kindness,
whether in holding a door for a stranger or in driving. Indeed, the practice of
kindness while driving can prove a very fruitful field, because it arouses our
resistance to giving way, to being magnanimous, to letting the other guy win
even when he's rude and greedy.

Work on kindness serves to purify and transform our hearts. Kindness operates
directly against self-centeredness, though it can be arrogated by egoism: being
kind while preening in an inward mirror. "That was kind of me. I'm such a kind
and wonderful person." If we look carefully, though, we find that mirror empty:
no separation from our neighbor. The best kindness occurs when we serve another
without reflecting that we are performing an act of kindness and without seeking
or expecting gratitude in return. This may be a distant goal, so we begin where
we are. Far better to take credit for kindness, than to succumb to unkindness or
wallow in indifference.

Rightly conducted spiritual practice inevitably leads to the manifestation of
more kindness. Outward kindness may even be considered as one measure of a
person's spiritual station. Conversely, the practice of kindness, toward both
friend and stranger, helps enormously in that most essential task of the
spiritual path: the purification of heart and motivation. So we remember to open
our hearts and actions toward others both as an expression of the Great Heart of
the World and as a method to cleanse our soul. We remember to do this until the
day arrives when kindness becomes our nature.............from "enlightenmentchapel"