Here's a wonderful TED talk by Nipun Mehta, founder of Service Space, on generosity. What do you think of it?
Giving needs to be practiced and developed because our underlying tendency toward attachment, aversion, and confusion so often interferes with a truly selfless act of generosity. An act of giving is of most benefit when one gives something of value, carefully, with one’s own hand, while showing respect, and with a view that something wholesome will come of it. The same is true when one gives out of faith, respectfully, at the right time, with a generous heart, and without causing denigration.
-- a few words on Martine and Stephen Batchelor’s Taupo retreat
In green and yellow like this website, four new car stickers are now available. To get one send a message using the Contact Us page with your postal address saying which one(s) you want.
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We have supported our first teacher. ABET trustee Viv Blackshaw has received $694 towards the costs of bringing insight dialogue teacher Gregory Kramer from Seattle to New Zealand. As trustees it feels really good to know that our efforts in setting up Aotearoa Buddhist Education Trust are bearing fruit.
Launched in September 2009, Aotearoa Buddhist Education Trust has received donations from a small number of people in the first three months, but the extent of the generosity has been both truly heart warming and surprising. We’re aware it will take time for the wider dharma community to become aware of the fact that ABET exists, to see value in the work of the trust, and decide to support it. What has been given, though, has taken the trustees by surprise.
All you social networking people out there will be interested to learn that a group called Aotearoa Buddhist Education Project has been created in Tricycle magazine’s online community. Come on down and network with us!
INSIGHTAotearoa is the monthly newsletter of New Zealand's insight meditation practitioners and communities. Editor Deborah White interviewed the ABET trustees for the October 2009 newsletter. Seeing as we are spread geographically – Vivien is on Auckland’s North Shore, Ramsey is in Wellington, Brigid in Nelson and Christine in Port Levy – she interviewed us by email.