In Praise of Gratitude and Generosity
If the only prayer you ever said in your life was
‘Thank you,’ that would be enough. — Meister Eckhart The beginning of a new cycle of seasons is a moment when people everywhere are drawn to reflect upon the past year—not only what we welcomed as joyous or enriching but also that which challenged, burned or dissolved old ways of being, bringing us fear, pain or loss in the process. Trusting in the ultimate benevolence of Life plays a large part in our capacity to use these experiences for our personal transformation. From that viewpoint, moments of bewilderment, inner darkness, or sorrow become gifts that open doors to unknown potentials and new beginnings. For all this, we can be grateful.
It’s easy to feel gratitude when things go our way or we have an unexpected moment of benign coincidence, awe or reverence. When I am spontaneously taken to the inner sanctum of gratitude, I become aware that Grace is alive in our troubled world. My view becomes more panoramic. Conflicts melt away, even for a moment, and hope—not as wishful thinking but as a buoyant sense of possibility—shines through the storm clouds on the horizon.
I can’t hold on to those moments any more than I can stop the change of the seasons or the process of aging. Everything is impermanent; all is moving. And yet, it is within my power to cultivate gratitude as a path through daily life.
Gratitude has an alchemical effect—the more gratitude I feel, the more I am transformed by it. In recent decades the fields of neuroscience discovered what the great spiritual traditions have known all along: studies show increases in the body chemistry that uplifts us—dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin (the feel-good, social bonding, and mood transmitters)—when we allow ourselves to feel and express gratitude in some way. But, unless these experiences come to our attention, we don’t get a specific neurotransmitter (serotonin) release. In fact, we don’t even know that gratitude paid us a visit! Putting my attention on making a list of what I’m grateful for can be useful—many of us have done this exercise. It’s a good beginning, but in my experience merely writing a list as a mental exercise falls a bit short. Actually speaking (or writing) about what I am grateful for brings my biochemistry up a notch. But it’s the feeling-tone or bhava of gratitude—fully acknowledged by the attention of awareness—that activates transformational energies in the human body. How do we live this, in a perilous world, where everything is on a fast road to hell? How do we find gratitude within our heartbreak? These are open-ended, ongoing questions to ponder. What I know is that when each morning begins with a prayer of thanksgiving, I am strengthened to meet the challenges of the day. I recognize the sacred in every small thing. Gratitude inspires me to keep going, to be curious, and to praise. Gratitude as a way of life is not about ignoring or avoiding reality as it is. It is a commitment that obliges me to pay attention and be present with what is, with honesty and courage and curiosity. It requires a turning toward what is with an open question of “what can I learn?” from the troubles, challenges and dramas that play out on the stage of my life. At the beginning of a new year, I’m using the phrase, “Keep it real,” as a touchstone. It’s hard work with no end in sight, but a worthy endeavor. The more often I feel gratitude, the more generosity begins to bubble up naturally, effortlessly. A fluid, curious outlook comes more easily, and there are moments when cascades of compassion and creativity fall like a gentle rain. Gratitude gives rise to generosity, and generosity gives rise again to gratitude, like a fractal pattern that, as it grows exponentially, reveals its underlying unity—the already-present true nature that exists right now, within each of us. French philosopher-mystic and political activist Simone Weil once wrote, “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” Focusing attention through the lens of awareness, we can track our inner and outer lives as we live into an intention to be grateful and generous with ourselves and everyone else—strangers, acquaintances, loved ones, friends and enemies alike. Intention gathers force over time to help us move through doubt, conflict, depression, fear or anxiety in a way that gleans wisdom from our experience. Yogi Ramsuratkumar once said that all beings are moving, evolving toward a singular point of totality—a realization of our place in the unified field of Creation. To open my heart to this ultimate generosity of the divine is to place myself in the asana of receptivity and trust, even in the midst of sorrow or groundlessness. From that place, faith is present, and I can move toward Life as a mystery that is essentially benevolent and blessed. Whatever 2022 may bring, let our hearts be softened and sweetened by the spirit of generosity and gratitude! Lokah Samastha Sukino Bhavantu May all beings in all realms know fulfillment and well-being. Mary Angelon Young
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