A Meditation on Gratitude Buddhist monks begin each day with a chant of gratitude for the blessings of their life.
Native American elders begin each ceremony with grateful prayers to Mother Earth and Father Sky,
To the Four Directions,
To the animal,
Plant,
And mineral brothers and sisters who share our Earth and support our life.
In Tibet,
The monks and nuns even offer prayers of gratitude for the suffering they've been given.
Grant that I might have enough suffering to awaken in me the deepest and most sincere compassion and wisdom.
The aim of spiritual life is to awaken a benevolent and compassionate heart,
A joyful freedom in the midst of all.
Even in a difficult life or in difficult circumstances,
The spirit of gratitude can shine through.
Gratitude is the gracious acknowledgment of all that continues to sustain us,
Or care that sustain our life every day.
We have so much to be grateful for.
Gratitude is confidence in life itself.
In gratitude we feel how the same force that pushes grass through the cracks in the sidewalks invigorates and re-enlivens our own life.
Gratitude gladdens the heart.
It's not sentimental,
Not jealous,
Nor judgmental.
Gratitude does not envy or compare.
It receives in wonder the myriad offerings of the rain and the earth,
The care that supports every single life.
Let's do a meditation on gratitude.
Let yourself sit quietly and be at ease.
Allow your body to be relaxed and open,
Your breath natural,
Your heart easy.
Begin the practice of gratitude by remembering how year after year you've cared for your own life.
And now let yourself also acknowledge all else that has supported you in this care.
Your own care and the care of others sustain you,
Support you,
Uplift you,
Tend you.
As you hear these reflections,
Let them open the sense of gratitude within you.
With gratitude I remember the people,
Animals,
Plants,
Insects,
Creatures of the sky and sea,
Air and water,
Fire and earth,
All whose joyful exertion supports and blesses my life every day.
With gratitude I remember the care and labor of a thousand generations of ancestors and elders who came before me.
With gratitude I remember the measure of safety and well-being I've been given.
With gratitude I remember the measure of health I've been given.
With gratitude I remember the blessings of food and shelter and care I've been given.
With gratitude I remember the family and friends I've been given.
With gratitude I remember the community I've been given.
With gratitude I remember the teachings and lessons I've been given.
With gratitude I remember the understanding and the compassion that has grown in me and that I've been given.
With gratitude I remember and reflect on things small and great that come to me every day.
And as you open your heart and mind to gratitude,
You can make this a practice as you move through the world.
Look for moments,
Small and large,
To offer gratitude and thanks.
The moment of seeing the first buds on the spring branch burst into bloom,
The smile of another,
The stopping in care for one another that we offer each other,
The gifts that come unexpectedly again and again.
Practice gratitude.
You can also find a gratitude friend and message them every day.
Here are two or three things I'm grateful for this day and let them message you back.
The whole state of your heart and mind can soften and open,
Can be renewed in delight and connection as you practice gratitude.
