Acts of Kindness Stories Page 25
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Teaching The Dharma To All Who Walk By
I attend college in Poultney, Vt. About everyday I sit in zazen on a hill where people frequently pass by. Sometimes people come up to me and ask questions about meditation and the practice of mindfulness but other times I simply preach by smiling and saying no words at all to those who walk by. I also practice this on the steps of the dining hall. I wrote a poem on the experience. The Step Sutra/Straight spine on the stairs/Pillars, lotus womb and Bodies grooved into their rightful points of the universe/A passerby asks "What are you doing?"/I smile spine erect reply "just sitting here."/Not useless babble but compassionate sermon!/My sermon my sutra Smile at all the passerby/Revolve around your heart.
All is Buddha from Woodbridge, USA
Loud Kindness
A good friend of mine and I were sitting at a busy cafe in downtown Oslo. We had been discussing our different perspectives on our buddhist practices and on how to better introduce buddhism to the growing Norwegian laity. At some point in the evening a group of friends sitting to the table on my right rise to leave. In the corner of my eye I see that one of the girls has unknowingly dropped her purse under her chair. I interrupt the interesting conversation I was having by rushing over, getting the purse and calling in not a quiet voice across the cafe "Your purse!". Needless to say she was happy and grateful, although slightly flummoxed by my loud behaviour. I felt happy and a bit surprised by my behaviour for I am usually a very reserved and quiet person. But it was also a nice mundane reminder, that kindness does not always have to be appropriate to the social situation, and an act of kindness does not necessarily have to be a comfortable act. A kind act is not, at least on the face of things, always in keeping with ones character either. To break with social norms and personality traits, it seems to me, is sometimes necessary for kind acts to come about. Of course it helped to have a good friend to give me a pat on the back, while letting the cafe resume it's usual buzzing. Our conversation took a turn into the teachings of karma, naturally.
DVA from Oslo, Norway
Dear Reader, Before Reading, Please Go Look At The Sky For A Second...
This story isn't really about an act of kindness *I* did, but two that two people did for me yesterday and today. For the last few years, I've been telling my friends at university, through text-messages or SMS, to look at the sky whenever I think it's particularly beautiful: an almost unnatural greenish-yellow haze near the horizon blending to an unnaturally deep purple on perfectly clear days, towering thunderclouds, those almost-completely-white overcast days that make every tree and building look like it's been painted on paper--the universe's canvas. I've had a fascination with the sky ever since going to Texas, where the sky is HUGE beyond description. (I live in New York, so my sky before going to Texas had always been hemmed in by trees and buildings, and hadn't had the same gravity.) Some friends, as you would expect, find this annoying, but others like it and actually do go look at the sky. Some tell me it reminds them of "the little things." One, who sent me a message yesterday, told me the messages helped her remember not to take everything in her life too seriously, to the point of constantly worrying about every little thing. Other friends have started to reply: "Oh, yes. Very beautiful! =) " So the acts of kindness I received yesterday and today were from a friend in Nebraska (who's sky is radically different from mine because of the 1,300 mile distance between us), who said, "The sky here is amazing tonight," and from my girlfriend, who said, "Look at the sky. Wow." So, reader, check the sky out--it's beautiful!
DR from West Islip, NY United States of America
Small Act of Kindness
My wife left our house for a Doctor's appointment. I didn't wake her up in time to get there without rushing. While she was on her way, I called the doctor's office telling them that she might be late. When she arrived, the receptionist told her that her husband informed them that she would be there. Everything turned out okay. My wife thanked me. Small act of kindness.
JB from Opelika, ALUSA
Compassion In Simplicity
My friend’s husband had a stroke earlier this year. I took her some vegetables from the garden. I don't have much money, or much time with life being so demanding, but just taking a few moments to give something I had plenty of, was enough thoughtfulness to let her know I care.
A from Waynesville, NC, United States
^^
My family donates some money to buddhist temples for making and maintaining temple. And I always try to help people who are in need of help like beggars on the street or poor people.
S from Busan, South Korea
A Simple Thank You
Thank you for this opportunity to reflect on giving and kindness. For a few minutes, I had the awful feeling come over me that my self-image (of a selfless bodhisattva, of course) is completely wrong, and that maybe I've been fooling myself completely-- no acts of kindness came to mind at all. There's certainly a lot of truth to that, but after more introspection, I can remember that, yes, OK, there were one or two "grand" selfless things I've done... But perhaps my more effective actions have been very small, tiny ones that I like to repeat as often as possible: thanking other people for THEIR acts of kindness and generosity, via hand-written notes, sent by pony express. I've found that people come alive when they receive this kind of old-school message. It only requires a few minutes of time in my day, yet often recipients of my simple notes are amazed that someone actually "took the time" to simply let them know that something they did was valued and appreciated. People feel validated, lifted, touched, awakened, and sometimes much more. Someone noticed them. In closing, let me also thank you for all your generosity. It's working, and it's deeply appreciated.
AS from Cincinnati, OH United States
To Ease The Pain
I am looking for something, anything, to help my cousin's husband, who is suffering from brain cancer at a young age of 40. He is now blind and partially paralyzed on his right side of face and left side of body. He has trouble speaking and chewing and getting around. My cousin is strong, working and caring for their 2-year old daughter. My heart aches and my eyes tear when I see her and think about them. I hope this music can ease their pain if I can just get it to them (as my insignificant act of kindness).
R from San Francisco, CA USA
The End Of Life Caring
I am a member of the Pure Karma Society in Gold Mountain Monastery, San Francisco. I went to two end-of-life caring cases – to chant Amitabha Buddha‘s name, Heart Sutra, etc. in a funeral and in a cremation ceremony in the past. On July 10, 2009, it was my first time to go to a hospital to help someone who was dying at the moment. The patient was a Buddhist and he wished to have someone/a group who can recite Buddhist Sutras and Buddha‘s name around him when he was dying. However, none of his relatives is Buddhist so his family had no resources at all. Here the story begins: His request came from an email sent by his friend‘s mother (who lives in New York City and also does the end of life caring with the Buddha Light Buddhist Association). The email got passed to the director of the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care (she lives in Sacramento) and she passed the email to Tzu Chi and Dharma Drum Mountain chapters in San Francisco Bay areas. I also help out in the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association San Francisco Chapter so I got this forwarded email (NYC-Sacramento-San Francisco). After I read the email (3:30pm), I called the director of the Pure Karma Society in Gold Mountain Monastery and she started to call out some volunteers in Gold Mountain Monastery. We (seven volunteers) arrived in the hospital at 7:30 PM. The families already unplugged the oxygen machine (4:00 pm) and they were told by the doctor that the patient could die any time within eight hours. When we arrived, the patient was breathing heavily in coma. The director stood very close to the patient and explained that we were from GMM and came to recite Buddha‘s name for him. We started to chant Na Mo Amitofo for about one hour in a very peaceful ton of voice. Then, the director explained the importance of taking refuges with triple jewels to the patient. We chanted the Amitabha Sutra for another hour. Suddenly, the patient body started shivering for a few seconds and I clearly heard the last breath (sigh) of the patient. Honestly, at that moment, I completed lost my word because I knew that the patient just died in front of us. Every volunteer continuously chanted Buddha‘s name around him peacefully and harmonically. After the patient passed away, we continued to recite the Heart Sutra until 11:00 pm. The whole experience was just unbelievable. We clearly saw the complexion of the patient became brighter and nicer after he died. Two of the volunteers even smelled fragrance around the room when the patient passed away. We truly hope that the patient has been to the Pure Land.
A from Oakland, CA USA
Airport Waiting Line
A few days ago, I was at the airport to go to San Francisco from Seattle. There was a man in front of me who looked really agitated and angry. When I saw him, my mind said, “Oh no, he doesn't look nice he looks angry.” Then my body softened and I remembered that when I feel angry or agitated it’s usually that my mind is telling me something mean or aggressive and it really hurts because I can't relax. So I turned to him and said, “Boy these lines are a pain,” and I smiled. He immediately smiled too and his shoulders relaxed. I thought, “Oh, that's just what I need when I feel that way.” That was so simple. Thanks for doing this!
CB from Seattle, WA USA
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