Four Wisdoms

Here's a passage from Zen Therapy by David Brazier I found very meaningful:

Zen Master Dogen...says that there are four wisdoms: generosity, loving words, goodwill and identifying ourselves with others.

"Generosity" means giving without expecting anything in return. The scale of the gift is not the point. What matters is the boundless mind of giving. All work is an act of generosity if done in this spirit.

"Loving words" means to speak tenderly, full of compassionate respect, regarding others as one would one's own children. To hear loving words spoken brightens the heart. An even greater effect results from discovering that good words have been said about you in your absence. Loving words have a revolutionary impact upon the minds of others.

"Goodwill" means to think of ways to benefit others. Nowadays it is common to scoff at the idea that pure altruism can exist. People say that nobody does anything that is not selfish in the last analysis. This is to misunderstand the situation. Since we are all part of one another, whatever we do for others will benefit us anyway. We do not need to calculate what our benefit will be. We can just act and forget.

"Identification", in the sense in which Dogen is speaking, means not to distinguish between self and others, but simply to be full of great compassion.