I am a voracious reader. It is common for me to read at least one book a week on a wide variety of topics. This morning I am reflecting on The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams (Avery, 2016). In this delightful book, the two authors discuss the challenges of living a joyful life. And given all we have lived through this past year, we need more joy and compassion in our lives right now.
In particular today, I am reminded of a section in the book when the Dalai Lama said “… as soon as I wake up, I remember Buddha’s teaching: the importance of kindness and compassion, wishing something good for others, or at least to reduce their suffering. Then I remember that everything is interrelated, the teaching of interdependence. So then I set my intention for the day: that this day should be meaningful. Meaningful means, if possible, serve and help others. If not possible, then at least not to harm others. That’s a meaningful day.”
We all want to experience more meaningful days within the context of a caring and supportive community. As the authors explore in the book, there are eight pillars of joy. “Four were qualities of the mind: perspective, humility, humor, and acceptance. Four were qualities of the heart: forgiveness, gratitude, compassion and generosity.”
When I reflect on the Dalai Lama’s word and the 8 pillars of joy, I am reminded of something Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Catholic Benedictine monk and scholar wrote: “It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift. There is no certainty that you will have another moment, with all the opportunity that it contains. The gift within every gift is the opportunity it offers. Most often it is the opportunity to enjoy it, but sometimes a difficult gift is given to us and that can be an opportunity to rise to the challenge.”
Many wise people, including the above two authors, understand that how we choose to act each day is what matters. My hope is that this week and this month we all act with integrity, clarity and commitment to make each day meaningful in service to others.
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