When striving to cultivate gratitude, we often attempt to look at the things that are good in our life and see those things as gifts. But such a vision can make our gratitude conditional to our finding gifts in our life. 

But we may go through phases when we feel that all our gifts are being taken away and that we are plunged into situations that seem like curses — how, then, can we cultivate gratitude? By seeking a deeper vision of life, wherein we see life itself as a gift. 

A little contemplation, possibly assisted by our scientific knowledge of the universe around us, can help us appreciate how our very life is a miracle, in whose occurrence we had very little, if any, hand. And this miracle begins right from our conception. The journey of the sperm in the mother’s body till it reaches the egg is so perilous that the success of the journey is itself miraculous. Similarly thereafter, throughout our life there are so many miraculous arrangements by which we are provided the universal necessities for living such as air, light, heat, water and so forth. Apart from these gifts, Gita wisdom explains that our very life, specifically our life in the human form, is a precious opportunity for us to dramatically progress in our spiritual evolution toward life and love eternal.

When we thus learn to see the ground of our existence itself as a gift, then even if on that ground, gifts seem to go missing, gratitude won’t go missing in our heart. By persevering gratefully through such dark times, we can find inner contentment (Bhagavad-gita 17.16), and evolve toward a higher, deeper, richer understanding of our place and purpose in the universe. 

One-sentence summary:

To cultivate gratitude, seek not just to see the gifts in our life; seek to see our life itself as a gift.

Think it over:

  • What’s wrong with basing our gratitude on the gifts present in our life?
  • How can we see life itself as a gift?
  • Have you had any moments when you realized that life itself is a gift?

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17.16: And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one’s existence are the austerities of the mind.

From gifts in life to the gift of life

To know more about this verse, please click on the image