Helping Yourself by Helping Others (2019) short extract

"The Buddha goes on to say that by helping other people you also help your practice. Unfortunately, he doesn’t give an image, but you might think of when you polish a mirror: As you put energy into the polishing the mirror, your reflection in the mirror becomes brighter. The Buddha talks about four qualities that are important to bring to your relationships with other people that are helpful to you. They’re endurance, harmlessness, goodwill, and a mind of kindness or sympathy. When you develop these qualities in your treatment of other people, those qualities will come back and help your meditation."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Helping Yourself by Helping Others"

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