 Prosperity: The Courage to Commit to Compassion  |
All gifts come from God, all gifts go to God. If you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God at all.
Dasvandh is the giving of a tenth of one’s income. The key word is “giving”. Something that is given voluntarily, with no expectation, is a gift. The act of giving is an inherently joyful act. The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) has taught us that in Sikhism, man is always gifted by God, and to be able to see God in all we should share these gifts of God.
To give voluntarily is to have no fear of the consequences. To give is to engage in the sharing of joy. One has no fear of deprivation, so there is a sense of joy in sharing. Fear takes away joy and happiness and is very diminishing.
How to get rid of fear? Develop a commitment to compassion, to be able to see God in all. It can take courage, and often in this American society, we have been taught to live our lives in a constant state of low to high level fear. This is not how we should be living. When one becomes fearful, one of the first things to leave is compassion, compassion for yourself and others.
When you make a conscious decision to develop compassion and you act on it with conviction, the world does become a better place. When you open your heart to compassion, volunteering and service, that energy circulates! It acquires its own momentum, and more and more people begin to follow suit. When you give your money to the community, it too begins to circulate, for money, as a convenient tool of commerce, is meant to circulate. It is also a type of energy. Energy is meant to keep moving! As you develop more compassion, you will find that fear goes away, and a balanced discernment takes its place.
There has to be balance in our lives, and maintaining that balance can be difficult at times. Those times are when we can ask others for help. In asking others, we are asking God, and God is always giving! When we really see God in all, through compassion, volunteering, service and balanced living we will never lack for anything! The process starts with Dasvandh, and there are no limits!
“When people are committed, their character and their exalted self will come out; their manners, kindness, compassion, and service will come out.” 3/10/98, Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan)