Easing some Suffering

Yesterday I had the opportunity to ease someone's suffering a little. I knew what I had to do and I was surprised how easy it came once I let go of expecting anything in return. The Buddha teaches that dana, or the paramita of generosity, can only be effective if we give without any condition or expectation. That is not always an easy thing to do. If we really take a close look we can usually find that some quid pro quo is lurking around somewhere. But, if we can give of ourselves freely and without condition or expectation what we have to offer can be accepted just as freely and unconditionally. The result is an easing of the unsatisfactoriness of life for not just the recipient of our help, but our own experience of the suffering of life as well.  Nothing earns merit and can bring us closer to breaking the cycle of samsara than easing the suffering of another selflessly.  It is at the heart of our practice.