How do you experience gratitude? Gratefulness, as David Steindl-Rast writes, happens when the heart flows over and must be expressed. Gratefulness arises like the surf or a fresh breath, natural and in accord-a basic, personal awareness that something good has happened. When we look at our lives for these moments, we find them filled with gifts: a sudden smile; caring and being cared for; meeting a teacher of the Dharma; finding our way through the twisted tangles of our greed, anger and ignorance; and, being in the company of good friends and guides. This issue of Mountain Record, we turn toward gratitude as an integral part of spiritual practice. Sometimes it's not so easy-when gratitude is not present, when resentment or bitterness holds sway-and there are Buddhist teachings to help turn and free up these states of mind.

Includes writing by the teachers of the Mountains and Rivers Order, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Sayadaw U Pandita, Jack Kornfield and Jan Chozen Bays.