The Awakening Mind - The Dalai Lama

Part III

Such meditation on generosity may not immediately help others in practical terms, but its value is not to be underestimated. By means of such practices, we develop the courage to be truly generous. The significance of training our minds in giving in this way is that we will release ourselves from the grip of miserliness. At present we might not be able to work practically for the welfare of others, but it is very important to train ourselves in a generous attitude. By doing so on an imaginary level, we create a familiarity with giving. A time will come when we will have no hesitation in actually giving.

The more you think about something, the better your mind becomes acquainted with it. The time will come when your mind automatically flows in that direction. Even though you may not have the ability to benefit other people right now, you must prepare your mind to do so. Whoever has such a thought will eventually put it into actual practice. Mentally rehearsing these virtuous practices and rejoicing in them will lead to your gradually engaging in the actual practice of giving. What is the benefit of such visualization? If you have a direct karmic connection with another person, then even your visualization can help that person. Those with whom you have no special karmic connection may not receive much direct benefit, but you will be able to strengthen your mind in such a practice.

Now that you have visualized giving away your body, wealth and spiritual qualities and dedicated them all to other sentient beings, can you continue to use them? Since you have sincerely dedicated your wealth and so forth to others, when you make use of them yourself, you should do so not in a selfish, possessive way but in order to benefit others. You should think that just as you have put your body and all these material facilities at other beings’ disposal, even your own survival is for their benefit. There is nothing wrong with making use of your wealth, if you do so with a proper mental attitude. You may worry that you are merely dedicating these things to others in your imagination while you actually keep them for yourself. You may ask, what is the significance of dedicating them to others? The significance is in releasing the mind from the grip of miserliness, which is a product of the self-centered attitude.

© "Awakening The Mind, Lightening The Heart" by Dalai Lama, published (1995) by Gopsons Papers Limited, A-14, Sector 60, Noida 201 301. Part II of this article appeared in `Splendour’, June 2003 issue.

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