Weekly Words of Wisdom
chosen by Lama Surya Das
for Dzogchen Center

20 November 2000

    To make your holidays more spiritually meaningful, here are
    SURYA DAS'  10 TIPS FOR MAKING HOLIDAYS MORE SACRED

1.    Generosity -- donating, gift-giving, volunteering, reaching out
(calling, writing, acknowledging), cultivating general cheerfulness;

2.    Share a prayer or inspirational poem or quote with someone;

3.    Give yourself a gift -- it could be material, or just a gift of time
and space for some inwardness and reflection, for some noble silence and
solitude;

4.    Do inspirational reading; I like to read the Gospels around Christmas
time;

5.    Plumb the meaning of the particular holiday and season, and your
locale and environment;

6.    Connect with someone you have difficulty relating to -- for example,
finding some common ground to talk about or something to like about a family
member you usually have difficulty with at holiday gatherings;

7.     Do some charity work, serve food  at a shelter, provide food or
clothing  for those in need, make hospital visits or visit the elderly or
shut-ins;

8.    Winnow down one's Christmas card list, gift list, and list of
obligations; simplify your holiday scheduling, emphasizing quality time and
connectedness  rather than quantity; make group meals and holiday
decorations more personally and familially meaningful;

9.    Share some form of spiritual practice with others -- mates, children,
loved ones or friends and kindred spirits (group prayer, meditation,
pilgrimage, carolling, etc.);

10.  View spiritual videos at home. Some of my favorites, which I actually
own and share with friends every year or two, include Little Buddha, KUNDUN,
Gandhi,  Greatest Story Ever Told, and Sister Wendy in Conversation with
Bill Moyers.

Back to Weekly Words of Wisdom Archive