On being productive and peaceful

We have make a change from wanting to giving in this world.

Written with Kittirat Yothangrong

Our life seems to be a long journey. If we don't have any map to guide us, taking this journey would just be like travelling through a desert. The water of life would be absent leaving us in so much pain and discomfort.

Our craving for technology and competition with others in relationships and the office suppress our ability to find the water of life.

If we can see through our urges for the new mod cons of consumerism and our own competitive nature which is based on ego and greed, we will be able to see so much clearer in our life journey and discover the water of our life. We will be much more peaceful and productive in our everyday life without life's distractions.

This personal disposition will give us clear sight or wisdom to see the true realities facing us. In addition our simple, uncluttered view of life will enhance our love and compassion towards others, where doing something for others will become one of the great pleasures in our life.

Fundamental to developing this outlook on life is asking ourselves why we are born in the first place? We tend to ask what we want from the world, very rarely thinking about what we can give to the world.

We want to be loved. We want to be understood. We want to be listened to. We want to be noticed. We want to be happy, but we equate this happiness to what others can give us. Everything we want comes from others, not ourselves. This is the basic outlook most people have towards life.

However, there is a problem here. Everybody wants something from others, but most people in the world are not givers. So there is a void, an empty space in most people's lives that is unfulfilled. That emptiness in people can be shown in people's dry and hungry faces, where smiles are very rare.

So what can we do in this world if most people want but few people give?

We have to come back and see inside ourselves to find out what we have to do.

We have make a change here from wanting to giving in this world. Thinking about giving will deliver much more contentment than thinking about taking. There are no limits here. It's not just about giving to your family, it's about giving to everybody.

Giving and generosity is like showering water over our heart. People who never give never get this enriching feeling.

When we give something, something comes back to us. It may not be a thing, it is an immense feeling of happiness that opens up our heart and enriches our faces. We can transform the empty desert we are travelling through into a rich and plentiful forest with a new map full of wisdom.

This way we can have a peaceful and useful life for ourselves and others around us all our lives.

Originally published in Ovi Magazine 23rd September 2013

KITTIRAT YOTNANGRONG or Akoi as she is known, is one of the very few people who have been a Buddhist nun and a runner-up in the Miss Southern Thailand Beauty Quest as a “mature” contestant. She is a ‘practical’ vegetarian who believes in herbs, healthy living, and meditation. An avid yoga fanatic, Kittirat is also an organic farmer. She regularly speaks to community groups in Malaysia and Thailand on empowerment, health through herbs, and spirituality.

Click on subscribe so articles can be directly emailed to your inbox: