On some days, I discover small snacks or Buddhist mementos on my work desk. And I would know that some colleague(s) have gone on a trip somewhere, and returned with some souvenirs to share, putting these little treats on the desks of all colleagues the day before – on my day off. And I wouldn’t know who to thank most of the time. The best I can do with the sense of gratitude that bubbles up to the surface is to let it manifest as smiles to as many colleagues as I can when I bump into them later. The giver could be any one of them! The problem is, this sense of gratefulness tends to wear out in time… before the next phantom giver strikes, reminding me of the gratitude I should have.
If you reflect mindfully, whether you recognise it or not, we live in a world of invisible givers. That we thrive at all is dependent on an unseen network of givers – service providers and goods manufacturers whom we seldom get to see and acknowledge with thanks in person. When was the last time you felt gratitude for the newspaper deliveryman, the recyclables collector, the faceless writers of your favourite columns… ? Since we do not know who these unseen folks are, while we really owe one another for all kinds od acts of kindness, it makes perfect sense to be kind in return to as many as we can. This is the rationale for practising universal compassion, as reflected in the last catch-all aspect of the Fourfold Gratitude (parents, society, Triple Gem and ‘all sentient beings’). Hey, even an ant could have been a dear benefactor in a past life!
What do I do when I receive an anonymous gift on my desk? I re-gift it anonymously to another colleague, who might appreciate more of what he or she got. May it be a nice bonus surprise added to one they already received. Who knows? The recipient might be the giver! What goes around comes around, and gifts can karmically grow too. We are all givers and re-gifters in this web of life… but mostly invisible ones. But do let the gratitude be as visible as possible, to substantially show. One good turn deserves another… and another! Just as we receive kindness via the web of life, may we radiate viral webs of kindness in return.
Related Articles:
A Random Act of Toilet Kindness
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailyenlightenment-realisation/message/198
Do We Really Give Any Gifts?
https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/06/do-you-really-give-any-gifts
I would accept this and pass it on to others like those who I think would need it like the worker that wash my block or who sweep the housing estates, the office cleaners who are does not earn much … etc
If it is big pack of biscuit or coffee/tea, I might donate it to a charity, let more people enjoy and let the giver have more merits too …
By passing it around, I hope to create some happiness to the next person who receive it, although it is not very big deal, I don’t know whether the receiver would be glad that someone still know their existence or bother to … but no harm doing it … usually I wouldn’t let the giver of the gift know, so that they don’t feel that I don’t like it …
The world is getting too cold, so if everyone starts to brighten or send some warm, it should be a beautiful place … A smile or a sincere thank you to everyone (cashier, or cleaner at food court who clean the table etc) would bring happiness and warm to others, brighten their day and they will pass it on to others because in good mood …
I think it’s alright to accept a gift and say you would like to share it with someone else. It might not be nice if one gets ‘caught’ re-gifting because the giver might be offended!
I shared a box of vegan cookies with a class recently, though it was given to me by a student, who was also present. We all had a good time taking a piece each. A gift shared is a joy multiplied.
:pff: