Our Noble Living, Noble Caring and Noble Dying team here discusses the importance of pure motivation when care-giving. If we spend some time to consider our motivation, we benefit not only the receiver, but also ourselves.
Pure Motivation: Beginning Your Day
As we care for others, we return repeatedly to the principle of loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta. In this part of the conversation, Tsunma Jamyang emphasizes the importance of starting each day by checking one’s own motivation, and re-affirming the bodhisattva commitment. She suggests that we do this each morning before we engage in any activity.
Then, throughout the day, as we proceed in our work, we come back to that intention. So, we take a few pauses to check in with ourselves and see how we’re doing—and reset our motivation. Some days we may need to do this repeatedly—but that’s okay. When we reset, we’re practicing mindfulness of motivation.
Reflection Exercise
- Also, at the end of the day, we can check in and look honestly at how we acted and spoke during the day.
- When we find that we said or did something unskillful, we don’t need to judge ourselves—but we acknowledge that and make the commitment to do better tomorrow.
- For caregivers, this process helps us center ourselves in the ground of pure motivation.
- Do you see how this builds your sense of dignity?