2. INTERESTINGLY, ONE COMMON LINK THAT
CONNECTS MOST HOLY SCRIPTURES OF
RELIGIONS ALLOVER THE WORLD IS…
THE STRESS UPON-GRATITUDE!
LET‟S TAKE A QUICK GLANCE…
3. HINDUISM
“
Whatever I am offered in devotion with a
,,
pure heart -- a leaf, a flower, fruit or water -
- I accept with joy
-Bhagavad Gita
4. HINDUISM
“God has given us the life. He will give us the means of its sustenance.
But He does expect us to perform our work remembering that we
need to express our gratitude. That expression is reflected
through performing our acts as if they were an offering to God.”-
BhagavadGita Adhyaay 3 Shlok 1-43 v2
5. CHRISTIANITY
“ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you….
”
BIBLE :(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
6. BUDDHISM
“ The unworthy man is ungrateful, forgetful of benefits [done to him].
This ingratitude, this forgetfulness is congenial to mean people...
But the worthy person is grateful and mindful of benefits done to
him. This gratitude, this mindfulness, is congenial to the
best people.
” Anguttara Nikaya i.61
7. JUDAISM
“ Be not like those who honor their gods in prosperity and curse them in
adversity. In pleasure or pain, give thanks!
”
-Midrash, Mekilta to Exodus 20.20
8. AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS
“ One upon whom We bestow kindness But will not express gratitude,
”
Is worse than a robber Who carries away our belongings
Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria)
9. ACCORDING TO INDIAN
MYTHOLOGY…
„EKLAVYA‟ THE CHARACTER FROM
THE GREAT EPIC MAHABHARATA ,
CHOPPED OFF HIS THUMB, AT THE
BIDDING OF HIS GURU
DRONACHARYA …
10. BUT, IF ANYONE BIDS YOU TO CHOP
OFF A FINGER …
WILL YOU?
11. YOU WOULD NOT! BUT IF TOLD YOUR FINGER IS GANGRENOUS YOU
WOULD!
IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT BEING RELIGIOUS OR AN ATHEIST, YOUR FAITH OR
LACK OF IT, BEING RADICAL OR RATIONAL…
IT‟S ABOUT BEING ILLOGICAL OR LOGICAL… HAVING AN „ESTABLISHED
REASON‟!
TO ACCEPT SOMETHING NOWADAYS WE NEED LOGICAL, SCIENTIFIC STUDY
TO BACK UP ANY THEORY!
12. SO, THERE HAS TO BE
SOME SCIENTIFIC TRUTH
IN THE POWER OF
GRATITUDE, WHICH
HAS TAKEN ITS
IMPORTANCE
TO A UNIVERSAL LEVEL…
NOW LET‟S SEE WHAT SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS
TO SAY ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!
13. Here‟s an excerpt of an experiment conducted by psychologists,
Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and
Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, on gratitude and its
impact on well-being.
14. In The Experiment…
• A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED INVOLVING SEVERAL HUNDREDS
OF PEOPLE.
• THE PEOPLE WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS.
• ALL THE GROUPS WERE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN A DAILY
LOG.
The difference being…
15. • Group 1- To keep a record of all
events.
• Group 2- To keep a record of
unpleasant experiences.
• Group 3- To make a daily list of things
for which they felt grateful.
16. The results indicated that the 3rd group with daily
gratitude exercises showed
• Higher reported levels of alertness
• Enthusiasm,
• Determination,
• Optimism,
+
• Energy
They suffered less depression and stress, were more likely
to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater
progress toward achieving personal goals.
17. In addition, Dr. Emmons – who
has been studying gratitude for
almost ten years and is esteemed
by many to be the world‟s leading
authority on gratitude!
His book -“Thanks!: How the
New Science of
Gratitude Can Make You
Happier”. is based on
research involving thousands of
people conducted by a
number of different researchers
around the world.
18. Practising gratitude can increase
happiness levels by around 25%.
Moreover, Dr. Emmons‟ research establishes that those who practice
gratitude
• Tend to be more creative,
• Can bounce back more readily in adversity,
• Have a stronger immune system,
• And have stronger social relationships than those who don‟t!
19. In his words… “To say we feel grateful is not to say that
everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we
are aware of our blessings.”
So, are you aware of your blessings?
20. Going back to one of the Holy Scriptures are you strong
enough to “Be not like those who honor their gods in
prosperity and curse them in adversity.
In pleasure or pain, give thanks!”?
