The Kindness Box

[Geoff-Allen]

Kindness is the first of the three great treasures advocated by Lao Tzu. The Buddha taught that generosity is a primary quality of an awakened mind. Muhammad regarded kindness as an essential sign of faith. Jewish and Christian ethics are built upon deeds of kindness, as are the daily interactions of people of primal traditions.

The spiritual practice of kindness encompasses a range of small acts and habits that we know as old-fashioned good manners — saying "please" and "thank you," waiting your turn, lending a helping hand, or cheering someone up with a smile. It applies not just to your relationships with other people. Etiquette in the spiritual life extends to things, animals, plants, and the Earth.

Kindness as a Spiritual Practice | Spirituality & Practice

Let Spirit flow through you in little acts of kindness, brief words of encouragement, and manifold expressions of courtesy. These deeds will add to the planet's fund of good will.

www.spiritualityandpractice.com

Includes quotes & book excerpts & videos & other kindness practices!

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Kindness book summary - several! -

Children’s Books That Champion Kindness | Brightly

A little kindness goes a long way. These board books and picture books celebrate kindness and help young kids remember how and why they should be kind.

www.readbrightly.com

The best children's books to encourage your child to be kind to others

Read these books about kindness, and you'll be priming your child's brain to grow into a kind, compassionate soul. We all know the world could use more of those!

happyyouhappyfamily.com

Kid's Book Review: Maisy's Book of Kindness | Books Up North

Kids' Book Review of Maisy's Big Book of Kindness by Lucy Cousins. A refreshingly youthful panel of enthusiastic readers reviewing newly published books for children

booksupnorth.com

Books That Heal Kids

booksthathealkids.blogspot.com

Each Kindness - Social Justice Books

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Warning: This picture book for young children does not have a happy ending. And therein is the power and beauty of the story. When a group of children ostracize a new child who is poor, they do not realize how hurtful...

socialjusticebooks.org

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Ways to be kind to the planet

Being Kind to the Planet - School of Kindness

schoolofkindness.org

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Ways to be kind to the planet

Start a vegetable patch

Shop-bought vegetables are often wrapped in plastic and imported from all over the world. Airplanes emit harmful gases into the environment, and plastic takes hundreds of years to break down. By growing our own vegetables, not only can we get tasty food from just outside our back door, but we’re helping the planet!

Being Kind to the Planet - School of Kindness

schoolofkindness.org

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Kids kindness club

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Books about the karma of being kind -

Am I a kind soul? As an existential question, it’s right up there with Why do I exist? Moreover, how do I know if I’m on the correct track?

Until a few years ago, the subject of kindness was at the bottom of everyone’s priority list. We had far more important things on our minds, such as climbing the corporate ladder and completing all assignments on time, until things came to a halt and the pandemic made its way into our lives. We started to question ourselves Am I a kind soul?

So what is the act of kindness? Are you a kind soul? Are you spreading good karma around?

Act of kindness is the act of choosing to help others or yourself out of real warm feelings.

The Act Of Kindness: How To Spread Good Karma Around

Am I a kind soul? As an existential question, it’s right up there with Why do I exist? Moreover, how do I know if I'm on the correct track?Until a few years ago, the subject of kindness was at the bottom of everyone's priority list. We had far more important things on our minds, such as climbing...

xmonks.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Grounded in mindfulness and wellness, I Am Love asks readers to look inward when they feel afraid, angry, hurt, or sad. When a storm is brewing inside us and the skies grow dark, the transformative power of love lets the light back in.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I love this book! We talk a lot about kindness so it was nice to have a dialogue about compassion. I think if we want to have a culture of people really caring about each other in schools we need deeper conversations. This is a really comforting book on how to be there for someone and really feel their feelings. Seems like an awesome community builder.

Book Review: I Am Love - A Book of Compassion

booksthathealkids.blogspot.com

 

[Geoff-Allen]

How to Become a Nicer Person​

Becoming a nicer person isn't as hard as you might think. There are things that you can do to show compassion, empathy, and kindness in your everyday interactions with others.

Act With Kindness​

Being a nice person means acting with kindness, and research suggests that kindness can positively impact your brain. Individual acts of kindness trigger the release of oxytocin and endorphins and appear to foster the creation of new neural connections.1

Being kind is a self-reinforcing habit. We crave the feel-good sensation of being kind, so one act of kindness can easily lead to another.

6 Ways to Become a Nicer Person

Being nice has a number of mental health benefits included reduced stress and better mood. Learn more about how you can become a nicer person.

www.verywellmind.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Choosing kindness

To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places — and there are so many — where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all this is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.

Comes from this site -

Choosing Kindness – Zen West – Empty Field

www.emptyfieldzendo.org

Enjoy your browsing!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

To our western ears, Zen can often sound austere, unkind, even brutal and cruel. We hear about the rejections at the monastery gate, the hardships, humiliations and rough treatment its adherents are sometimes subjected to, and maybe we’re inclined to think it’s all a bit much for grown up people. However, when things are taken out of context—historically, spiritually, and culturally—they can so easily be misjudged and that is what can happen to Zen. This is, after all, a particular system which has survived around the world for centuries. It isn’t the only route for Buddhists, of course, but it is a tried and tested one. Naturally, when the attempt is made to transplant something so subtle from one country to the next, let alone from east to west, there will be difficulties, and it will be subject to abuse or misuse which in many respects it is suffering now in the west where in a broader sense the word ‘Zen’ has come to mean clever, smart, refined, minimalist, aesthetically pleasing, fashionable, tough, etc, and sometimes removing it entirely from its Buddhist context.

As far as the Zen masters are concerned, however, they have always been motivated by something beyond this material world and even when they are being apparently extreme or severe, if they are genuine, far from being cruel or uncaring they will be acting from a grandmotherly kindness.

Read more here -

The Grandmotherly Kindness of the Zen Masters, Diana St Ruth

As far as the Zen masters are concerned, however, they have always been motivated by something beyond this material world and even when they are being apparently extreme or severe, if they are genu…

buddhismnow.com

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

As I travel on book tour around the country this month my meditation practice is challenging, but oh so necessary. I thought I’d share with you my metta practice. Metta (maitri) is the practice of loving-kindness meditation and friendliness taught by the Buddha approximately 2,600 years ago. It is an important component of the Buddhist wisdom teachings and their daily practice as applied in life. I have taken the basic sacred phrases from the Metta Sutra (Loving-kindness Scripture) and added many of my own over the years as they come up for me in my own prayer and chant life; you are welcome to do the same.

Repeat them with loving attention at the conclusion of your daily meditation, or at any time you wish–in your car, walking, washing dishes, making the bed, or anyplace, anytime. The essence of loving-kindness is WOW, wishing others well. This can be applied at every single encounter, and is the discreet Bodhisattva’s way of blessing and cherishing every single sentient being, day to day, moment to moment, whoever you may encounter along the path.

My Metta Practice ‹ Lama Surya Das

surya.org

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Everyday power helping others

This collection of quotes about helping others will inspire you to lend a helping hand for nothing in return.

Doing something for someone else simply out of the kindness of your heart speaks volumes about who you are as a person.

Share your favorite quote about helping others with us in the comment section below.

150 Quotes About Helping Others In Need And Getting Nothing In Return

These quotes about helping others will inspire you to be a helpful person.

everydaypower.com

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Christian values kindness

Plus suggested! --->

The Power of Kindness

Kindness is one of the few things that will gentle the response of others. Teach kids how to show kindness to others.

www.focusonthefamily.com

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Generous is a word we may use to describe people who have positively impacted our lives. Although generosity is often associated with monetary gifts, generosity extends well beyond money and includes small acts of kindness and compassion from a loved one, friend or even a stranger.

Principles and examples of generosity are evident throughout the Bible and are just as applicable in our modern-day relationships, communities and workplaces as they were 2,000 years ago. Whether you’re on the receiving end of a generous act or you benefit from the fulfillment and joy of giving to others, generosity is a character trait that we can all appreciate.

To guide us along our journey, here are five things the Bible teaches us about generosity.

Our purpose | Mission Australia

Discover the core values and vision that have driven Mission Australia since its inception. Learn about our founding purpose and how it shapes our work in communities across Australia.

www.missionaustralia.com.au

 

[Geoff-Allen]

I often see memes on Facebook and blog posts that advise you to stay away from negative people, remove difficult people from your life, and surround yourself with happy people.

I can understand this perspective. It’s encouraging and uplifting to be around positive people. But still, I find it limiting.

Isn’t it self-centered to create your “happy bubble” and attempt to forget the rest of the world?

Even if you’d like to, it’s not possible to eliminate every single “negative” person from your life. Even if you could, it wouldn’t bring you genuine, lasting happiness. True happiness comes from developing the capacity to go beyond pettiness, preferences, and personal desires.

How will you grow your love and compassion if there’s no one that rubs you the wrong way?

Why You Should Be Kind to Difficult People — Always Well Within

Updated: November 28, 2021 I often see memes on Facebook and blog posts that advise you to stay away from negative people, remove difficult people from your life, and surround yourself with happy people. I can understand this perspective. It’s encouraging and uplifting to be around positive peopl

www.alwayswellwithin.com

 

[Revoltingest]

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”​

― Kurt Vonnegut​

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Hopefully, by reading this blog you’ve realised that there is a lot more to kindness than meets the eye.

Truly kind people want to help people because they believe in their inherent worth as human beings who are deserving of kindness and affirmation. They also have three distinct personality traits; empathy/sympathy, moral reasoning, and social responsibility. This means that they are generous with their time, money, and abilities because they know it will help someone in need. They are there for people, they listen to, empathise with, and support them. They are truly concerned for the welfare of others and they enjoy doing good deeds and taking care of people; they don’t do it out of duty or principle. They do these things because it’s the right thing to do.

Kindness - a defining characteristic of humanity

How kindness makes a difference to our lives, by Maureen O'Callaghan

www.qandb.org

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Kindness ideas for family - plus suggested -

It’s pretty simple! When you practice kindness, YOU change for the better, AND so does our world!

And here’s the best part:

Kindness is completely free!

But did you know that while kindness is one of the most powerful character traits, 80% of middle schoolers ranked personal success as more important than kindness?

According to parentingkindkids.com, 80% of kids also think their parents rank personal success as more important than caring for others.

But despite this, of course, we all want to raise caring kids. And we all want to be kind ourselves.

I want to shout from the rooftops, “Above all else, always choose kindness.”

77 Beautiful Acts of Kindness for Kids and Adults • Mindfulmazing.com

Pay it forward with one (or all) of these random acts of kindness for kids or adults. Being kind is always easy with these 77 simple kindness ideas.

www.mindfulmazing.com

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Namaste is originally a Sanskrit word. And it means “I bow to the divine in you”.

It’s believed that each of us carries a Divine spark within and the gesture is an acknowledgement of one soul by another.

In other words, Namaste in English means “My soul honours your soul. I honour the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the light, love, truth, beauty and peace within you, because it is also within in me. In sharing these things, we are united, we are the same, we are one”.

70 Namaste Quotes in English for Your Soul

These Namaste quotes will inspire peace and serenity within your soul. What does Namaste mean? This Sanskrit phrase translates to “I bow to you” and is often used as a greeting. These Namaste quotes will help you better understand why people say this phrase when practicing yoga or meditation...

everydaypower.com

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Expand your child’s circle of concern

After you’ve introduced kindness at home, maybe start to branch out a little.

Teach kids it’s important to care about others besides our close family and friends.

What about a shy kid
The bus driver
Kids in other countries
Mosquitos

Okay, did I go too far with the mosquitos?

The point is:

Start to teach kids about basic kindness to ALL living beings.

When your kids are old enough you can use the newspapers to teach them about hardships others face.

Teach them to comfort and care for others in need.

How to Teach Kindness to a Child - 6 Smart Ways • Mindfulmazing.com

It can be easy to overlook the importance of raising kind kids, but it's just as important as teaching kids academics. So if you're wondering how to teach kindness to a child ... Read on friend, lots of great tips and fun exercises here.

www.mindfulmazing.com

Cheers!