The 12 Step Practice
The Art of Giving is a seven essay series, from Scott Walter of Great River Institute. This is essay 4.
The best practice is to look for life to be a way of practicing what you want to be more about - in everything you do.
The 12 Step Practice
First, choose a reason you want to be more about.
Second, find some value you want to improve in that relates to that reason.
Third, Respect that reason by looking for it in your every moment.
Fourth, Appreciate that value by practicing a way to grow that Value in your moment in the matters you are engaging in.
Fifth, look into the moments of your practice and really see what you are giving, relative to that initial reason. Don’t lose your self in excuses that can take you away from what your reason is more about being. Focus on how you are and can give that reason better and find something you can do that will be a better version of the reason itself. Show your Gratitude when you see a way to do that in the actual moment and make an adjustment to support that and to be more like that.
Sixth, take a good, positive look at the particular change you just made and put a Value on it.
Seventh, Respect that more sourceful way of being and look for more of that in your moment.
Eighth, be more about giving that Value and Appreciate a way to be more about it.
Ninth, Give it and grow it in your moment.
Tenth, look for something in what you are now doing that would be the best example of what you want to be even more about.
Eleventh, show your Gratitude for Value and make an adjustment to give and become more like the better version.
Twelfth, Respect the better Value as what you want to be more about and continue the practice as you study life through your givings- which means everything you do and say.
You can even practice by working on the way you do what you do and the way you say what you say. The principles are in your givings and they will reveal the nature of your givings and offer you a way to make improvements; to becoming more in line with what you want to actuate.
Have fun in your practice. If you fall off, start up and run it again. Just put a Value on your practice and Respect the moment as an opportunity to practice. You will discover ways to Appreciate where you are doing well and where you typically fall off of the reasons you are wanting to be more about; and it will give you a way of adjusting your relationship to the moment. Show Gratitude when you have an awareness, or see an example, of the deeper values and versions of your reasons playing in the moment and this will develop a Respect for the nature of the Value of your givings and of Giving itself.
If you continue to Value your practice you will develop a new Respect for the Art of Giving and it will be easier and easier to Appreciate the art when you see it happening in yourself or someone else. If you show Gratitude in those moments, you will focus on the more meaningful Value in the moment. And if you Respect that Value, you will be able to Appreciate and demonstrate Gratitude for the more meaningful things in life.
If you Respect, Appreciate and show Gratitude for those more meaningful Values, you will see how important your way of Giving is to your Reason for being in any moment.
Scott Walter, Sensei
July 19, 2009
The Best Practice
© 2009 by Great River Institute
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Source: Museum Syndicate, c. 1931
This essay is presented by Little Creek Monastery’s Center for Eternal Awareness where achieving a higher perspective is always helpful.