An experience in receiving
You’ll notice something very interesting when reading your dinner bill Karma Kitchen. There isn’t one!
Karma Kitchen, inspired by the folks at Seva Cafe, is more than just a dinning experience - it is an experiment in giving.
Via KitchenKarma.org
When you dine at Karma Kitchen, you don’t pay for your meal. Run mostly by volunteers, our meals are cooked and served with love, and offered to the guest as a genuine gift; to complete the full circle of giving and to sustain this experiment, we leave it to the guest to pay it forward, expressing their goodness in whatever way they wish.
One of the lovely volunteers/servers behind Karma Kitchen is none other than Nipun Mehta. Nipun is a two time YJA/Jaina Keynote speaker in addition to being the founder of Charity Focus.
Nipun recently blogged about the very powerful but modest opening day at Karma Kitchen. Here is something he shared that pretty much sums up the larger purpose behind Karma Kitchen in a nutshell:
As a young couple was leaving, I asked them, “So how would you describe this evening to a friend?” Spontaneously, Josh responded, “It was an experience in receiving. You know, in our culture, we don’t know how to receive and that’s probably the reason why we don’t give enough. When you have an authentic experience in receiving, you naturally have gratitude and you will inevitably pay-it-forward.”
Simply beautiful.
About Jain Diaries
Jain Diaries is a blog by YJA about Peace, Compassion, and having a good time. Written and edited by youth just like you. Enjoy!