HOSPITALITY... is a virtue that we Filipinos hold... Everytime a person visit our properties.. we serve them the best... I ADMIT that local Filipinos are can only provide thair needs,, but in terms of HOSPITALITY... WE THE FILIPINOS are number one...., We gave all our very best to serve those visitors that are right to serve with... so when you want to see a hopitable place to stay with in your entire house the PHILIPPINES is tha answer on your problem....... MAYBE for now i'm just a student but still i know what are those virtue that a Filipino should have,,, thank you...
Thank you Rambo. I am trying to do this every day. Now if I could just figure out "how." I am trying to do just this: " Courage means to act in spite of your fear and building it is just like building a muscle - it requires practice." I have always said that the only real antagonist I have is my self. If I didn't exactly create my own monsters, I certainly have fed and watered them!
Now on to meditation on how to give up my anger, fear and resentments. God grant me peace and show me the way. Amen. Aaaaaaa OOoooooo MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm
@catherine Stand up and fight for yourself when you need to but then move on emotionally and mentally without harbouring any resentment. This is obviously difficult to do in practice but it can be done and is probably the only way you can stay sane within such an environment. If you don't feel like you can stand up for yourself then you need to build the inner strength and courage to do so. Courage means to act in spite of your fear and building it is just like building a muscle - it requires practice. And don't give up until you get there. As a sage once said, defeat the defeatist within you.
Pancho, re-reading your comment (after the spam comment came in today): it all sounds good, especially the part about "family." But when you come from a TOXIC family, how are we supposed to know how to treat people as "brothers & sisters?" That is not always a good thing. Forgiving them just allows them to continue the mistreatment. I only know how to stay away from them or return the bombs they throw at me. And Ghandi and the others were killed by "brothers & sisters," if "everyone" is family. What good did it do either of them, or us? It is a cold and cruel and heartless world we live in. Outside of "the mind." And perhaps in it.
Thanks Varsha for the link to the Free Farm. Going there now. Thefreefarm.org
Alright, here's a real life experience. How to offer "hospitality" without incurring damage to oneself or one's home (possession)?
http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/17/unique-beach-houses-and-lake-houses/
Castel Meur, also known as The House Between the Rocks or La Maison de Plougrescant, was built in 1861. It’s nestled between two natural granite pillars on the English Channel coast in Brittany, France. Those rocks and the waterside location make Castel Meur an extremely photogenic abode. The house became somewhat famous when postcards featuring a beautiful photograph of the property were sold in gift shops around the world. Unfortunately, tourists lacking respect for the residence have caused damage to the home and property, prompting the owner to prohibit commercial sale of images of the home.
Catherine, you can learn more about the Free Farm here: http://thefreefarm.org/
@Catherine
In my opinion being able to say "no" to a request is as important as being able to say "yes". In fact through saying "no" to someone you could in a way be helping them to rely on you less, thereby helping them grow. So in some ways when you are giving or not giving to somebody you have to consider whether you are helping them grow as a person in the most effective way (something we learn to do very naturally with minors, e.g. kids). At the same time you have to ask yourself whether you are holding back because you feel that you will be "less" through the giving. It is this state of mind which I was talking about in my first post - this state of mind comes from a sense of lack due to identification with my ego; these sorts of thoughts are unnecessary.
Two questions, Somik:
1. "In a sense, nature is the ultimate trustee, protecting the gift of life with the gift of death. Nature is also the ultimate receiver, for in every ecosystem, we find every species receiving benefits from the actions of others, in a natural manner :)."
What do you mean "protecting the gift of life with the gift of death.?"
2. "The best dancers do not dance..." I understand about "the best fighters do not fight," but not dancing?
And then why bring up an example about being "unwilling to dance the dance?"
(maybe this is three questions)
Ahhhh, Somik. You have hit both nails on the head! You wrote:
"The passage seemed to be highlighting for us two opposites: receiving (Thoreau's story) and trusteeship (Mencius' story). Swami Vivekananda, Gandhi, Vinoba, all encourage the rich to think of themselves as trustees of the poor. This attitude did not require giving up one's riches, but it did involve expanding the circle of well-being to more than one's narrow context."
I was definitely talking about "stewardship." That is easy for me to believe in and to do, in more ways than just "the poor." I try to be a steward of the earth, in all shapes and forms.
I'm going to read all of your reflection again, and think about it. How exactly do you "meditate" about this, and how does this differ from my "thinking" about this?
Or are you referring to regular meditation while "clearing your mind?"
"Give me that which enabled you to give it to me."
Wonderful. Just what I needed to hear. THANK YOU.
Here's the story I shared last night ...
A Monk in his travels once found a precious stone and kept it.One day he met a traveler and when he opened his bag to share his provisions with him,the traveller saw the jewel and asked the monk to give it to him.The monk did so readily.The traveler departed overjoyed with the unexpected gift of the precious stone that was enough to give him wealth and security for the rest of his life.However ,a few days later he came back in search of the monk,found him ,gave him back the stone and entreated him,"Now give me something much more precious than this stone.Valuable as it is .Give me that which enabled you to give it to me."
This traveler knew for certain that the monk possessed something much more precious than this jewel.That is why he came back looking for the monk.It was the spirituality of the monk the traveler was asking for.
Varsha, where is "the Free Farm?" Interesting post. Thanks.
This post is very interesting. I think part of the reason for my normal "hording" mentality is that I am trying in some way to further deepen my own status, existence or sense of completeness through feeling that the given item or person is mine and no one elses. I am identified with my thoughts and emotions, thinking that they and they alone define me. Sharing what I have with others requires me to let go of this identification, if even just a little, otherwise I won't really be sharing without expecting something back. It's only when I share without expecting return that I will actually get the feeling of joy that the post mentions.
The notion that I own this or that needs to be challenged. While we aree at it we might also challenge the notion of an "I"that is independent and separate from others.
When this challenging is done, not as an intellectual excercise but by way of observing the truth(reality) as it is, we would come to realise"aham bramhasmi", the individual and the universe are one and the same.
Most of our activities then come to nought. We can then live in peace and contentment.
Till then all the antics of being and becoming will go on.
Beautiful thoughts for reflection. Thanks for posting!