This morning as I woke up I made the determination to be of service to everyone. My first act of giving was to do the dishes and make breakfast for everyone. Unfortunately, allmost as soon as I bnegan I watched my mind sour towards everyone around me. I watched my intention shift from dana based on loving-kindness to aversion and resentment. I continued watching, looking for an opening to reset my intention to a more skillful iteration of generosity but wasn’t able to find one. The best I could do was to watch the aversion arise and try to restrain myself from acting on it. What to do when one is overcome by aversion during an act of service? Is it enough to “fake it till you make it?” For me the answer has always been yes but I wonder if there is another way to proceed.
Posted by: Michael | 07/20/2013
Staying with My Intention
Posted in Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dana, Dhamma, Metta, Theravada | Tags: dana, generosity, restraint, service
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