Cattāri Brahmavihārā

303. Truly, those who are good people are thankful and grateful.

Vinaya IV.55

I was surprised to see this passage pop up this morning when I opened my phone on the train to Brooklyn with my son. Whether it was simply good timing or something more I feel I needed this reminder. The fact that we can gauge our development and goodness by our capacity to be thankful for the people and things in our lives, especially when they don’t measure up to our notions is both encouraging and sobering. Encouraging because it provides a good yardstick for our practice and sobering, in my case, because I see just how far I have to go. Nonetheless this teaching, like all the Dhamma, is something to be grateful for.