Stuck in life/not growing/bombarded by desires… from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

When you feel you are stuck in life and not growing, or are bombarded by desires, when you feel dryness, no enthusiasm, no juice, what do you do? Here is the solution: feel generous — right now, not tomorrow, but right now. Both a princess and a pauper can feel generous. Generosity is a quality of the spirit. When you feel generous, your life becomes abundant — full of compassion and love.

Question: Is generosity the same as gratitude?
No. Gratitude always has self-concern. You are grateful because you have something or you get something. Generosity is an expression that is independent of external circumstances. No one can make you feel generous. That is something that you must do yourself. Essentially generosity is not an act. It is a state of consciousness, but it always finds its expression in an act.

Question: What about passion?
Passion indicates scarcity. Dispassion is abundance. Dispassion without generosity makes you self-centred and causes more dryness. Thinking about our past generosity only brings doer-ship. Drop that and just feel generous. Work does not tire you as much as does the sense of doer-ship. All of your talents are for others. If you have a good voice, it is for others to hear. If you are a good cook, it is so others may eat. If you write a book, it is so others can read it. If you are a good carpenter, it is to build things for others to use. If you are a good surgeon, it is to heal others. If you are a good teacher, it is so others may learn. All of your work and talents are for others. If you do not make use of your talents, they will not be given to you again.

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