search engine by freefind

advanced

 

Return to Essential Skills

20 Simple Generosity Practices You Can Try

By Julia King Tamang

1. Practice gratitude. Today notice all the things in your experience that you can be grateful for. There

are so many things we are not grateful for until we don’t have them. For example, can you breath

easily today? Appreciate that. Does your left elbow work? Notice it.

2. Offer experience. When you see, feel, hear or taste something pleasurable today, offer it to the

enlightened spiritual beings of all faiths. This allows us to experience pleasurable things while not becoming

attached to the experience and it cultivates the habit of giving.

3. Be generous to yourself. Today, cut yourself some slack. Give yourself some space. Ease up on self-judgment.

Take time and make effort to give yourself the same nurturing that you more easily give

to others. This will result in a life with more ease, which is a support for well-being. It will also help

cultivate the habit of generosity with others since you will feel how good it feels to be the recipient

of kind, generous behavior.

4. When in conflict, escalate generosity. Today, when someone is irritating you, instead of escalating

the conflict, make an effort to see their conflicted behavior as a symptom of their suffering and

escalate generosity. This is the practice of restraint and generosity. It develops your patience and will

help others have the direct experience of kindness, which will gradually help them be less conflicted.

5. Celebrate the joys and virtues of others. The practice is of sympathetic joy is an antidote to jealousy,

and helps decrease the fear and suffering of a jealous mind. Others will feel pleased to be recognized

and to share their successes and you will receive the experience of their joy. If you suffer from

performance anxiety or a need to be recognized as right or ‘the best,’ this practice will help ease the

suffering of these mind states.

6. Notice the strings attached to your generosity. Make offerings. Give things away, both material and

imagined. Notice how you want something in return. In the moment of noticing, don’t judge, just see.

In this way you begin to understand generosity and the lack of it. No need to be critical of yourself. If

you see your actions without judgement, little by little they will change.

7. Accept what is offered. When people offer you something, whether it is a compliment or a new

house, accept it graciously. Be present for the gift. Don’t worry about motivations other than your

own. Fully formed generosity is also able to receive gifts and help from others.

8. Use mindfully. Today, remember all other beings and mind your consumption. Eat simply so others

can eat. Recycle and reuse. Share. These small acts acknowledge that we are interconnected and that

our actions have impact on others.

9. Accept the suffering of others with forbearance. There are many practices for this. If someone is

angry, mean or unkind, they are suffering. Accept this and do not return their unkindness with your

own suffering. They have enough already. Offer your clarity if you can. Even if you simply make the

wish that they be relieved of their suffering, you are helping them by not adding to their burden and

you are helping train your own mind.

10. Offer forgiveness. The hope for a better past is always futile. When you forgive someone, you are

not saying what they did was right or helpful, you are letting go of your own suffering around the

issue and moving on. This benefits you and the other person, as well.

11. Stop stealing. When we kill, cheat or lie, we are stealing. When we selfishly overuse shared

resources, we are stealing, which is antithetical to generosity. Determine that today you will not

steal. If you feel you were stealing, do your best to correct the matter as soon as possible and

celebrate your new awareness. No need to feel guilty!

12. Help relieve the fears of others. Many people–even those who seem successful and proud–are filled

with fear. Be generous with your attention, your approval and your smiles.

13. Practice equanimity. It’s easy to be generous with people we like. Expand your generosity by

extending it to those with whom you have difficult and indifferent relationships. All beings want to

be happy. It’s the one thing we have in common. Let yourself have the luxury of extending generosity

to strangers and to those who would call themselves your enemy. Feel yourself relax as you feel the

barriers dissolve.

14. Water the seeds of the happiness of others. When people are unbalanced, they suffer. You can help

by helping that person remember their inner resources, pleasant memories, and positive

circumstances. Even their physiology will change as they dwell on the positive.

15. Support all faiths. Give time, money and energy to support the practice of the authentic spiritual teachings in all

 traditions. If you cannot do intensive practice the yourself, support those who do (monks & nuns). You and others

will benefit from their presence in the world and the future will be more sane, safe and happy as we

all progress spiritually.

16. Offer your presence with no agenda. If someone is having difficulty or is sick or dying, offer to be

present with their suffering. Let go of agendas. Just stay. Use your own mindfulness to see when your

agendas arise and drop them. Even 5 minutes of genuine presence is a gift that can bring spacious

relief.

17. Take care of yourself. Many people, some of whom you do not know about, depend on you. So take

good care of yourself. Show up. Give yourself a break. Accept support.

18. Remind yourself that things change. Everything is impermanent. Nothing lasts. The worst suffering

and the greatest joys fade. Noticing this is the antidote to clinging.

19. Perform generous acts in secret. Do something generous and keep it a secret. This will help prevent

pride and will help you develop the ability to give without wanting something in return.

20. Learn from yourself about generosity. As you practice generosity, you will see that sometimes, even

when you want to be generous, you can’t. It’s hard work! The more you learn about this, the more

you will be patient with others’ lack of generosity and the more you will appreciate their generosity

1. Practice gratitude. Today notice all the things in your experience that you can be grateful for. There

are so many things we are not grateful for until we don’t have them. For example, can you breath

easily today? Appreciate that. Does your left elbow work? Notice it.

2. Offer experience. When you see, feel, hear or taste something pleasurable today, offer it to the

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This allows us to experience pleasurable things while not becoming

attached to the experience and it cultivates the habit of giving.

3. Be generous to yourself. Today, cut yourself some slack. Give yourself some space. Ease up on selfjudgement.

Take time and make effort to give yourself the same nurturing that you more easily give

to others. This will result in a life with more ease, which is a support for well-being. It will also help

cultivate the habit of generosity with others since you will feel how good it feels to be the recipient

of kind, generous behavior.

4. When in conflict, escalate generosity. Today, when someone is irritating you, instead of escalating

the conflict, make an effort to see their conflicted behavior as a symptom of their suffering and

escalate generosity. This is the practice of restraint and generosity. It develops your patience and will

help others have the direct experience of kindness, which will gradually help them be less conflicted.

5. Celebrate the joys and virtues of others. The practice is of sympathetic joy is an antidote to jealousy,

and helps decrease the fear and suffering of a jealous mind. Others will feel pleased to be recognized

and to share their successes and you will receive the experience of their joy. If you suffer from

performance anxiety or a need to be recognized as right or ‘the best,’ this practice will help ease the

suffering of these mind states.

6. Notice the strings attached to your generosity. Make offerings. Give things away, both material and

imagined. Notice how you want something in return. In the moment of noticing, don’t judge, just see.

In this way you begin to understand generosity and the lack of it. No need to be critical of yourself. If

you see your actions without judgement, little by little they will change.

7. Accept what is offered. When people offer you something, whether it is a compliment or a new

house, accept it graciously. Be present for the gift. Don’t worry about motivations other than your

own. Fully formed generosity is also able to receive gifts and help from others.

8. Use mindfully. Today, remember all other beings and mind your consumption. Eat simply so others

can eat. Recycle and reuse. Share. These small acts acknowledge that we are interconnected and that

our actions have impact on others.

9. Accept the suffering of others with forbearance. There are many practices for this. If someone is

angry, mean or unkind, they are suffering. Accept this and do not return their unkindness with your

own suffering. They have enough already. Offer your clarity if you can. Even if you simply make the

wish that they be relieved of their suffering, you are helping them by not adding to their burden and

you are helping train your own mind.

10. Offer forgiveness. The hope for a better past is always futile. When you forgive someone, you are

not saying what they did was right or helpful, you are letting go of your own suffering around the

issue and moving on. This benefits you and the other person, as well.

11. Stop stealing. When we kill, cheat or lie, we are stealing. When we selfishly overuse shared

resources, we are stealing, which is antithetical to generosity. Determine that today you will not

steal. If you feel you were stealing, do your best to correct the matter as soon as possible and

celebrate your new awareness. No need to feel guilty!

12. Help relieve the fears of others. Many people–even those who seem successful and proud–are filled

with fear. Be generous with your attention, your approval and your smiles.

13. Practice equanimity. It’s easy to be generous with people we like. Expand your generosity by

extending it to those with whom you have difficult and indifferent relationships. All beings want to

be happy. It’s the one thing we have in common. Let yourself have the luxury of extending generosity

to strangers and to those who would call themselves your enemy. Feel yourself relax as you feel the

barriers dissolve.

14. Water the seeds of the happiness of others. When people are unbalanced, they suffer. You can help

by helping that person remember their inner resources, pleasant memories, and positive

circumstances. Even their physiology will change as they dwell on the positive.

15. Support the dharma. Give time, money and energy to support the practice of the authentic dharma

in all traditions. If you cannot practice the dharma yourself, support those who do. You and others

will benefit from their presence in the world and the future will be more sane, safe and happy as we

all progress spiritually.

16. Offer your presence with no agenda. If someone is having difficulty or is sick or dying, offer to be

present with their suffering. Let go of agendas. Just stay. Use your own mindfulness to see when your

agendas arise and drop them. Even 5 minutes of genuine presence is a gift that can bring spacious

relief.

17. Take care of yourself. Many people, some of whom you do not know about, depend on you. So take

good care of yourself. Show up. Give yourself a break. Accept support.

18. Remind yourself that things change. Everything is impermanent. Nothing lasts. The worst suffering

and the greatest joys fade. Noticing this is the antidote to clinging.

19. Perform generous acts in secret. Do something generous and keep it a secret. This will help prevent

pride and will help you develop the ability to give without wanting something in return.

20. Learn from yourself about generosity. As you practice generosity, you will see that sometimes, even

when you want to be generous, you can’t. It’s hard work! The more you learn about this, the more

you will be patient with others’ lack of generosity and the more you will appreciate their generosity.

To print off a PDF: Practice of Generosity.pdf

             Copyright © 2001-2022 Bob Wilson BS, DTR  All Right Reserved. Articles are for personal use only. Please request permission for other uses. Thanks!