Non-Attachment, Selfless Service and Kiva Lending

[Guest]

.

[RichardF]

Kiva & the Dharma!

You said it first!  Film at 11...   

[Karuna]

Nice to see your enthusiasm for the Dharma, Sherri and Richard. 


A story about compassion and non-attachment I like very much:

Zenmaster Ryokan lived a very simple life in a small hut near a mountain.
One night a burglar entered the hut to find there was nothing to steal.
At that moment Ryokan arrived and caught him. 'Probably, you travelled
a long distance to visit me', he said to the thief, 'you shouldn't go away
empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift'. The nocturnal visitor
got all confused, took the clothes and left. In his bare skin, Ryokan was
watching the full moon. 'Poor man', he thought, 'I wish I could have
given him this beautiful moon'.

(In zentradition, the full moon symbolises enlightenment)

[RichardF]

Hi Karuna, in the Surat Shabda Yoga tradition, a pivotal inner experience is for one to cross the Sun and Moon Worlds in order to meet the Radiant Form of the Master.

Kiva & the Dharma! – AKA – Doing the right thing through Kiva…in the moment!

For most of us, non-doing is a pretty tall order on our way to being.  After all, here we are in the Realm of Action, cause and effect, deeds and consequences.  No mater how elevated we strive to be, rulz iz rulz.  Because of these pesky rules, we all wind up doing something as long as we’re around here.  One thing I believe all Kiva lenders have in common is we try to do the right thing.  And somehow, lending to small business owners in developing countries just seems to be a part of the right thing to do, no matter what the underlying rationales for each of us might be. 

But then what?  Here’s where I expect we’re going to see quite a divergence in how we relate to our actions.  Do they come and go in their own due time like raindrops off a duck's back, or do we pile them up one after another like straws on a camel's back?  Neither way is uncaring or indifferent; both can be rewarding.  The question becomes more about how much extra baggage do we want to carry around with us after the deed is done, not to mention the compounding interest we have to pay on it! 

Here’s another one of my favorite quotes by Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”  Sometimes it's not so much about what we do.  Sometimes it's more about what we undo.

“And remember, no matter where you go, there you are!”  – Confucius

[Peter S]

Steve, I think that this type of discussion is just what the Buddha would like.
. . .

would he like jokes?

A Buddhist approaches a hotdog vendor and says: "Make me one with everything."

He gives the vendor a $20 bill and waits. Finally he says: "Where's my change?"
The vendor replies: "All change must come from within."

[Antonia]

<<<<<I find Kiva to be the most satisfying thus far.  I treat each loan as a donation with the hope that I will get to recycle the money and loan to someone else in need.  If I do not get repaid, that's okay. I know that the borrower surely needed the money more than I. >>>>>>

I' couldn't express it better  In my dreams my "invested" money goes around and around and around. I just have made a new loan in Indonesia - the lady grows goats - I LOVE goats - I feel great in helping her growing them and in my minds eye I see them jumping around.
Thanks to all for your ideas - KivaFriends ist such a wonderful place to stay (.....most of the time  )
Antonia

[Karuna]

I like the joke, Peter S. 

But claiming to be a buddhist is a bit of a contradiction,
because when practising buddhism, one should try to let
go of all identifications. Then it's easy to express the dharma
in your whole presence. So as a practitioner I would answer
the hot dog vendor; 'Your change is my change.'

[RichardF]

uhhh, if we all  changed to this:    detached from the world of consumerism and materialization.  Then would the country end.   ohhhh....  maybe it wouldn't matter anymore?     

Commerce based on attachement.

Commerce based on balance.

If commerce were based more on the principles of balance, I expect the country still would be around, but Kiva wouldn't.

[Sherri]

Sometimes I like to wonder what society would be like if it wasn't based on consumerism/materialism. Maybe we would have more time for family. For socializing. For hobbies, education, art, health, etc. I really don't think the economy would grind to a halt. It would just be different.

Love this video, it sums up the whole reason why consumerism is so harmful, to the whole world: www.storyofstuff.com .

[RichardF]

Sometimes I like to wonder what society would be like if it wasn't based on consumerism/materialism.

Maybe these folks have some ideas about that. 

The Federation of Damanhur

[RichardF]

There are those who say it literally is impossible for our minds to not be attached to something, because that's what minds do.  Rather, what we can control is where we actually place our attention.  Here's a Cherokee story to tell that tale.

The Wolf You Feed

An elder Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person too," he added.

The Grandchildren thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."