A Different Gift Guide

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Dear Subscriber First Name,

As we approach the end of year, we are invited to consume and purchase gifts for loved ones, friends, collaborators or clients. While the tradition may be well intentioned, the results of overconsumption on our planet are devastating. So let’s look at other possible options.

In Buddhism, there is a phrase, ‘the seven gifts that require no possessions.’ In Japanese, these are called Muzai no Shichisei. They are:

• Gensei: the gift of gentle eyes, looking at others with kindness.

• Wagansei: the gift of a smile and kind expressions when you meet others.

• Gonjisei: the gift of words, speaking to others with kindness.

• Shinsei: the gift of the skills and services that we are able to offer.

• Shinsei: the gift of our heart, touching others with love.

• Shōyasei: the gift of a resting place, offering others a place to sit and rest.

• Bōyasei: the gift of shelter and lodging, providing others with a room or warm place to stay.

On a website called Zenbird Media, a site for sustainability in Japan, I find the following description of the seven gifts:

Muzai no Shichisei loosely translates as the “seven priceless gifts”. Gifts referring to what we can give to others, and priceless because they don’t require money or material wealth to do so. They include empathizing with others, paying attention to facial expression in communication, communicating by greeting others, offering assistance to others, holding compassion in one’s heart, having the capacity to offer one’s space to others (e.g. offering seats to those who need them), and providing cover when others need them.
From a modern perspective, these are seven simple acts of kindness. So these gifts are really the power to bring happiness to others, even though they cost nothing to do.

This reminds me of the famous quote by the Vietnamese Zen Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh:

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Offering gifts of kindness and presence may not work in all cases. If you absolutely have to purchase something, COMMONS, an app focused on reducing consumption as a way to shrink our personal carbon footprint, has some recommendations when purchasing online in a blog post titled Intention over Impulse. And Zenbird Media, mentioned above, reminds us of the 10 R’s of circularity for sustainable fashion in this article.

There is also the possibility of giving carbon offsets. Despite their controversy, they fund projects that are helping the planet regenerate. Here is a company I support: Wren.co where it’s really easy to gift carbon offsets.

And remember that the job of advertisers is to create dissatisfaction and amplify our feeling of “not being enough” or “not having enough”.
Below are some resources as antidotes to materialism:
– my November blog post titled Allegiance to Gratitude,
– the poem Itadakimasu by John Brugaletta,
– a self-reflection exercise Finding The Gift- Savoring the Moment, and
– a poem of presence by William Stafford.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Anne-Marie
December 6, 2023
(Last week 421 ppm of atmospheric CO2, last year 418, safe level 350)

Self-Reflection: Finding The Gift- Savoring the Moment

Three times a day, or when you notice the urge to consume, stop and ask yourself the following questions. Write the answers in your journal.

– what is the gift that I am receiving right now?
– what action will I take from what I am learning from this exercise?

Poem: You Reading This, Be Ready by William Stafford

Poem: Itadakimasu by John Brugaletta