The Philosophy is Kindness

"This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy.  Our own brain, our own heart is our temple, the philosophy is kindness."  - Dali Lama

My friend Kaye shared this quote with me this morning, I have thought about it all day......it's almost too simple isn't it.......the philosophy of kindness.  Treating everyone( no matter the color, creed, race, religion, rich, poor,)with kindness.    It seems easy to talk about beliefs, but treating everyone with kindness, can we do that?
Even if they are so different that they scare us, even if they hate us, even if they smell, or they act "funny" or they don't think like we do, can we treat them with kindness?  Do unto others.....can we?

My father told me to work out my own salvation because I questioned his and my mom's religion so much......it seemed so full of hate, so full of fear, so judgmental...... I read all those words in red, yet it seemed
"their" temple taught everything but those words in red.  I have believed since I was a child, that love and kindness could change the world.....that giving with no expectations was the supreme act of kindness.

Many days I come home exhausted from giving, from sharing kindness.....it's ok, better to be exhausted from
sharing than sick with fear and hate.   My body is the temple......so are we caring for our temple, treating it with respect and love and dignity?  Do we nourish it with good food, pure water, clean air and sunshine, and rest? Or are we  pushing, stressing, it to the breaking point?  Do we give our brains meditation time or do we continue to bombard them with stimuli 24/7 and then wonder why sleep never comes?

The philosophy is kindness......I believe it is that simple......kindness to each other, to ourselves......it starts in our hearts, our brains and we can share it freely.   Kindness.....pass it on.