Looking at interdependence, we see how things are dependent on many causes, and how things are interrelated. We also see interdependence when we think about how many people are involved with making and transporting all our daily life requisites that we so often take for granted.

It is incredible to take just one object, for instance, our shirt or the place where we live, and trace it back to see how many living beings were involved in its creation. The people who grew the cotton our shirt is made from, those who harvested and transported the cotton, the people who made the cloth, designed the shirt and stitched it. Many people contributed to the existence of the store where the shirt was purchased. When thinking about everything it takes for us to have a shirt, we get a sense of the kindness of all those living beings. Whether they had the intention to benefit us or not, does not matter. What is important is that due to their efforts, we have the things we need to stay alive. That, in and of itself, indicates that we are the recipients of a great deal of kindness.

Understanding that we have received so much kindness spurs our spiritual practice. It makes us feel connected to people and the environment that we all live in. It is that connection of kindness that touches us and makes us aware of our interdependent relationship with all other living beings. We come to see that others not only contribute to our well-being, but we also have the opportunity to contribute to theirs. This makes us more careful with our motivations and our actions. We do not want to harm them, and we want to benefit them because they have been kind to us.

Just as we depend on others for so many things, they too depend on us. We want what we give to others to be motivated by our kind heart and our genuine wish for their happiness and well-being.

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