“‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say.
I say that one a lot.
Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding”
Gratitude is a virtue we can cultivate, but not in isolation. It has to be cultivated together with kindness. These two virtues need each other to be expressions that come from the heart, from our true selves.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu, a prominent Buddhist monk says that "if you want to be genuinely kind, you have to be of actual benefit—nobody wants to be the recipient of “help” that isn’t really helpful—and you have to provide that benefit in a way that shows respect and empathy for the other person’s needs."
He continues saying that the gift we receive in return, when we've been able to be authentically kind to another person, comes from being able to accept that others can be kind to us. And, in offering true kindness to others, we also know the effort it takes. It’s not always easy to be authentically helpful, when kind and unkind impulses may struggle in our hearts, sometimes we make sacrifices. And, we need to trust the recipient of our kindness to make good use of the help. That means that in the end, when we are on the receiving end of kindness, we realize in our hearts there is a kind of debt of gratitude for their sacrifice and trust toward us.
Trust and courage in this intimate aware knowing that rests beyond our thoughts is where true gratitude arises.
Additional Readings
Three Gratitudes - BY CARRIE NEWCOMER - ON BEING SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR https://bit.ly/2FvkE9m
Why a Grateful Brain Is a Giving One - The neural connection between gratitude and altruism is very deep, suggests new research.
https://bit.ly/2D2Wf63