Sending Boundless Thanks!
The Emptiness of Giver, Receiver and Gift
“These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done." — AN 2.118
Happy Friends-Giving Spark Zen Readers!
This is a brief post to express my sincere gratitude for all of you! When I first began Spark Zen almost a year ago, I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what I was going to offer. I had no idea if anyone was going to pay attention. I had no idea that I would continue for a year. And it’s all because of you! I am forever grateful for the immeasurable gifts of your time, your attention, your enthusiasm, and your practice.
As a thank you, now through December 31st I’m offering a 15% discount on paid annual and monthly subscriptions. Share the Spark with your friends and family! And coming in the New Year, I will begin offering some paywalled content that I think you’ll find engaging and illuminating. And, oh yeah, paid subscriptions support Spark Zen and me as a full-time Zen priest. Use this special link to get the discount:
I hope that wherever and however you’re spending this day—feasting at a table, sitting quietly in a park, being of service to others—I wish for you and all beings that we embody our profound and unfathomable interconnection with all sentient beings.
“May we with all beings realize the emptiness of the Three Wheels: giver, receiver, and gift.”—Mealtime Verse Chanted at Soto Zen Monasteries
“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” ― Brother David Steindl-Rast