He who receives kindness should never forget it,

but he who performs kindness 

would be wise to forget it.

We should always be grateful for the kindness that others have shown to us. Kindness can relieve our fears and worries, and lessen our suffering. Remembering the kindness of others and how much it meant to us, we will be more inclined to pass it on.

But when we are kind to others, remember it not. Thinking of our kindness to others could allow pride to creep in. We might look down on the person who needed our help—mentally patting that person on her head like we would a child. While we, dwelling on our good actions, mentally pat ourselves on the shoulder. Unaware of the tiny changes within us, we have given pride a home. And there goes our humility.

The Buddha warned us of the four poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, and arrogance. Pride is a slippery slope with the bottom being arrogance. So just as we need to guard against anger arising, we need to also guard against pride.

If something is going to happen . . . (Click image for video)

All that we experience today 

is the result of our past karmas. 

We often accept good results because we feel that we have earned them. But what of our suffering, especially when it threatens to overwhelm us? It’s due to our past karmas. Thoughts of angrily blaming ourselves, of terrible sadness over another insensitive act, of self-loathing. All are suffering. All are painful.The pain we bear is the maturing—the fruition—of past karmas.

We can allow pain to consume us, lashing out in confusion and anger. But it just creates more causes that will lead to further painful results.

More importantly, debilitating emotions will derail us from the path.

But pain need not cause more pain.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, we can try to be grateful, understanding that this is an opportunity to sweep away some negative karma. Everything arises from the mind. So use misfortune to serve us, to clear away some of our negative karma. Viewed this way, adversity can provide us with the opportunity to grow.

And progress.