A real compassionate idea!
Dear friends,
Sometimes I come across ideas that are kind, compassionate and really warms the heart. Practical and possible too. I like to share these ideas with you. I am sure you will find it of value also. Let me know what you think and what you can do to put this particular idea I share today into action or who you can share it with?
Tsem Rinpoche
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‘Five coffees, please. Two of them for us and three suspended’ They pay for their order, take the two and leave.
I ask my friend: “What are those ‘suspended’ coffees?”…
My friend: “Wait for it and you will see.”
Some more people enter. Two girls ask for one coffee each, pay and go. The next order was for seven coffees and it was made by three lawyers – three for them and four ‘suspended’. While I still wonder what’s the deal with those ‘suspended’ coffees I enjoy the sunny weather and the beautiful view towards the square in front of the café. Suddenly a man dressed in shabby clothes who looks like a beggar comes in through the door and kindly asks
‘Do you have any suspended coffee?’
It’s simple – people pay in advance for a coffee meant for someone who can not afford a warm beverage. The tradition with the suspended coffees started in Naples, but it has spread all over the world and in some places you can order not only a suspended coffee, but also a sandwich or a whole meal.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have such cafés or even grocery stores in every town where the less fortunate will find hope and support? If you own a business why don’t you offer it to your clients… I am sure many of them will like it.
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Coming across this post of suspended coffees truly had me wonder if in Malaysia will come up with this compassionate concept. A suspended coffee is a great way to pay forward for a coffee meant for someone else who cannot afford a warm beverage. Kindness can come in many forms including the purchase of a suspended coffee,
a very good concept indeed. This is a tradition that comes from Naples, Italy, dated in the 20th century. Buying a cup of coffee for a stranger , who needed it especially during cold nights. A simple act of kindness can change someone’s life. To date, many countries in US and Europe have started these compassion concept and had in fact inspired more. Hopefully one day this will happen in Malaysia .
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
That’s a genius idea of Nepalis to come up with a wonderful concept. A beautiful way of dharma, a simple act of kindness shows that we care by the word “suspended.” I haven’t come across any but willing to give a try and do hope to find a loyal coffee shop to treat the same.
Thank you for the thoughtful sharing, It’s very interesting and I enjoyed it.
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When we remind ourselves of our common humanity, inherent value, we will be more compassion and empathy towards others. Love ,compassion and concern for others around us is the real happiness. Wow…. as an anonymous act of charity that is paying the price of two coffees but receiving and consuming only one. A wonderful way to help those who need a cup of warm coffee but not able to pay for it . This tradition of Suspended coffee comes from Naples, Italy and more countries are following the idea as an act of kindness. What if restaurants or coffee shops in Malaysia, as in the cities there a handful of homeless that really need a cup of warm coffee in the cold night.
Thank you for this sharing of compassion.
A very compassionate idea, pay extra so when the unfortunate ones or homeless can have a good coffee which they called it suspended coffee.
Its aims to inspire and spread kindness and humanism through simple, unsung and random act in everyday life. A simple act of kindness can brighten someone’s day, or even save a life. To me it is a wonderful idea to practise kindness by enabling people in need to enjoy a pre-paid coffee, or sandwiches or maybe a warm meal.
There are a number of suspended coffee and is a tradition that comes from Naples, Italy, US and more spreading to other parts in Europe. The message that kindness matters has connected with people across the globe
It will be definitely wonderful if restaurants or coffee shops in Malaysia could start the trend and have the so call suspended coffee.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing
This is a great idea to help those who are homeless and cannot afford to buy food. Not only that it allows customers to practise giving and generousity. Such a wonderful way to cultivate care and kindness to others. Would be really good if more eateries in Malaysia adopt this idea to help more people.
First of all, this is amazing as this idea is extremely kind and thoughtful as these people are realizing that there are people that do not have what we have so the least we could give them a hot drink on a cold day. I am also sure that that having a hot drink makes their day, to experience kindness and compassion to the people that have less. It is extremely kind.
And to the people that do get the suspended coffees for the homeless, THANK YOU!!! You are extremely kind and thoughtful people. Even though these people don’t go out to give them food personally because of their personal reason at least they make an effort to help the homeless. The effort is what counts.
So what we should all do now, go outside and drive to your nearest soup kitchen and help in anyway, you can help to pack food, distribute the food or just help cook or whatever. Just do anything to help the homeless in anyway now! It is important to show kindness to the homeless and they are not so fortunate like you and it teaches you compassion. So go and help out today!
Wonderful concept, designed to give a helping hand to someone who might be cold without food and are hungry. To be hungry is not something most of us in the developed countries are used to. It is a basic necessity food, yet many in the world still go without it.
Hope this concept gets spread all over the world.
It is obvious that in todays society, there is so much tensions, pain and unbearable sufferings of modern life. Its obvious that more love and compassion are bound to grow. Therfore, in such an environment like todays tough, mental and modern environment with so much rushing, competing and building of wealth and so forth, the practice of love and compassion is all the more than ever required! Love and compassion can make everyone happy even when alone, and also make one feel wanted and lovely. Most important of all, love and compassion make even the toughest environment “Friendly”. Om mani padme hum.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.It is really a good idea to start it in malaysia.It was really kind of the shop operator too to offer such service to the less fortunate .
It is great to know that there are those who care for the less fortunate in more unconventional way.Allowing them to consume their sustenance in the most decent manner according to their needs,I would think they would only use it as a last resort.
Dear Rinpoche,
This is such a great and wonderful idea!!! It’s great to know that not everyone in this World is cold hearted to homeless and needy people!
This is such a wonderful and great idea and I hope more and more restaurants will adopt the”suspended” system!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this story!!!
Wow! That’s a great idea. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post.
Very good idea and one of the way to help people in need and practice generosity! Thanks Rinpoche for this touching article.
Wow! Is a very good idea ,that way we can share our resources with more people who in need. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this blog post with us.
This is a very kind act, I have not heard of something like this before. Sometimes people can go all the way to help the others while some prefer not to. A small act like this although is very small, but it can help to keep someone warm. This idea is brilliant! Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
Rejoice to the coffeehouse owner and those people that buy the suspended coffee. It might not cost us a lot to do that, but the simple act can bring a smile and warm the heart of the homeless/the poor.
This is really a wonderful way for people to do good deeds. Hope to see more restaurant/cafe in Malaysia can do this too. I have came across a small restaurant run by a buddhist center whereby u eat 1 meal but pay for 2 person. They will keep the meal for any homeless or the poor that walk in. So instead of coffee, they provide food.
But I also have bad experience that even though the food and drink were paid for, but the owner and staff of the restaurant won’t allow the homeless guy to step into the restaurant. Can only take away the food.
wow, this is amazing. This is so kind and somebody gets something that they can’t get. It is extremely kind of the people that do this. If i was somewhere where i can get suspended coffee i would get 1000 suspended coffee and 0 coffee for me. thank you for sharing Rinpoche.
Dear Rinpoche, this idea is so awesome and nice. It will be wonderful if the world is doing this kind of activity, imagine if the world is doing this then the beggars wouldn’t have to worry about having a empty stomach. I can’t wait to have this kind of restaurant in Malaysia.
This is a great idea and can be easily implemented by any shop owner, so any homeless can come in to any shop that supports this and get a free, warm meal or a drink. Hope this idea grows big. We have to find creative ways always to do what we can to give a helping hand.
This is great idea, someone who really cannot pay for a cup of coffee also can enjoy a warm coffee too .So touching moment when see this old man having a coffee. Practice giving and benefit others will make more happiness.Thank you Rinpoche sharing 🙂
Well, i think this is a brilliant idea. Since every one needs to eat, it is more convenient for the busy people to practise generosity by ordering foods for the under priviledge, and on the other side,it is also easier for the poor to go fill their stomach, i hope more cafe and shops can provide this kind of service! Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
Nice to see this idea catching on in different parts of the world.
I first heard of this idea about 6 months back from a friend of mine who had a similar experience, as written in this blog post, at a local coffee shop.
I believe people have a compassionate nature within them but many of these people have a difficult time tapping into it. It’s not that these people don’t want to be compassionate, rather its just that we are not socially conditioned to be outwardly compassionate towards less fortunate people. Being outwardly compassionate in public places is a practice on it own.
Every city has its own share of people whom struggle on a day to day basis as well as people who live in abundance. People who have more than enough usually prefer to donate through a charitable organisation which is great but rarely do they get to see the fruits of their giving in front of their own eyes. Many people don’t want to be seen interacting with less fortunate people due to their social status so this is a easy way for them to give and see that other people are receiving due to their own kindness within their local community.
Example: If I suspended a coffee last week and I go back to the same coffee shop this week and I see suspended coffee being given away, I will feel great knowing that someone else suspended a coffee and it made a person happy that needed a warm drink. I could easily relate this to the coffee I suspended the previous week which would make me want to do more of this type of giving.
Now imagine this idea spreading to cafes, food stalls, restaurants, bakeries and other businesses so the less fortunate people have a place to turn to for food and drink and more fortunate people will have outlets to practice generosity in daily life. Wow!
This is a great idea that is easily put into action. Please share it with family, friends and on social media.
I could not imagine being Compassionate getting any easier than this.
Thank you so much Rinpoche for showing us various way to express our caring towards each other.
What a wonderful idea, thank you Rinpoche for sharing and showing us various ways of caring for each other!
This is such a kind and thoughtful idea. I love it! When i was reading this i thought to myself that i actually wanted to be there to watch the beggar get the coffee. And its also good to know that people actually care about others even though they haven’t even met the person.
It’s really a wonderful idea and so heartwarming 🙂 Maybe i can start off from myself and hope it continue from there. Just loving it 🙂 Thanks rinpoche for sharing this fresh concept cheers
Interesting way to benefit the needy without wastage of food and drink. Those in need can easily find what they want in such outlets that probably have signs to inform the public donors and the recipients.
Heartwarming! Thanks Rinpoche for sharing!
This is very clever and compassionate. This should be an option in Malaysia. Maybe a Kechara Cafe in the city can do this if one is built in the future. People can ask for suspended coffee for the homeless in Malaysia.
This is a great idea, and for the receiver, unfortunately they must be brave enough to have the courage to withstand the stares from the patrons at the eatery. However, I think the idea does sell because it gives people a chance to do good at minimal effort.
Nice to see people taking initiative to think about others and do something about it. If you are in a position to do something, then please do, because everyone deserves the right to have a full stomach.
Thank you very much Rinpoche, for sharing this wonderfully beautiful thing! Like the others, i am so touched, and really feel like crying! i am really ‘itching’ to try out the idea here. True, it may not work here at first, but….. who knows, later? What i know though; some locals have the good habit of leaving some money with the local undertaker, to provide a decent burial for any (deceased) needy ones; and yes, often i have seen my local bread vendor giving away breadcrusts to some poor children; and the nasi-kandar seller sells rice with some simple dishes very cheaply to the poor vagrants who come round to his stall. It would be great to try out what Rinpoche shared with us really!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful post, it’s really warm my heart. This is my first time I heard about suspended coffee,This ideas really helping the less fortunately people. I hope that this kind action may apply in many place.
Such a great idea – simple yet profound. It shows us that , if we put our ideas and thoughts where our heart is, then we will be able to bring much joy to those who particularly need it.
Buying coffee in advance for a stranger , who will , for one moment experience a ray of light shining in his dark world.How kind!How caring! Ideas, like these, must spread round the world and garner oceans of support.
This is the first time I heard about suspended coffee/food. It is a novel idea. I think this is a good for business because you don’t lose any money but the public may actually perceive the business as socially conscious in serving any customer without discrimination. Also it is a viable for people who are busy but still want to contribute to helping others by buying the food in advance. Other hand this system can also be subjected to abuse where those who afford to buy food still request for suspended food when they order. How do business owners identify those who really deserve it?
is warm and wonderful food atodos here in the city where I live the idea was not accepted by a cultural issue and the lack of information I will insist on the implementation of generosity … is the awakening of Bodhichitta Rinpoche … grateful.
For this awesome idea to work, we need mindful and charitable hearts to pay for the drinks and food, plus we need restaurants or food stalls which are generous and unbiased. Many eating places would not allow the homeless in. In my opinion, the society in general will take sometime to get used to such ideas. But i do hope it will be implemented widely throughout the world !
What a great idea !
Giving with no agenda and care with no boundaries!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post.
Great idea! I don’t think this works here in Malaysia but I love the novelty of the idea. We need something similar that will uplift people, bring people together and create harmony amongst races and religion.
David,
There are quite a few restaurants/cafes who adopted this idea here in Malaysia, especially in Penang. You may google it. However, it is not just coffee, because in this part of the world, the under privileged need food more than coffee, therefore, some of the cafes allows patron to pay for pastas which will be served to homeless or needy.
When a person is hungry, it is the most difficult moment, and when there is hot food, it is the best gift for a person. Once I bought steam bread for a homeless, and when he was eating it, he was tearing.
I know quite a number of stalls in Malaysia do serve food to homeless and less privileged, and most of the stall owners do it quietly and diligently for many many years. These are indeed unsung heroes who help many but they don’t want the fame.
I do hope more and more restaurants/cafes will adopt this idea.
It is very heart warming. I do not mind paying but how many can actually, physically buy and hand it to them or to have actually asked them to sit and enjoy? Thumbs up to those who can provide this kind of service!
Wow…I’m impressed. Heard this on the radio just last week and here I am reading about it again. Thanks Wai Meng for emailing this link to me. Now, when I go to coffee places, I will ask if they have this programme.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing on this effective way of helping the less fortunate people. It is not only creating the cause of happiness and warm feelings for the less fortunate people, but it will also serve the opportunities for many normal people like us to do more charity and spread the love, compassion and generousity in a very convenient and easy method. Simple action yet positive effect in return. I will share it in my Facebook account.
Wow, that’s a very warm hearted action and could easily melt my heart away. Not have I seen so far in KL. I usually go direct, get the foods/ drinks and hand to the beggar. This is definitely a great and meaningful idea which I had shared with a friend, founder of Beans Depot. Hoping she has a successful year 2014 to celebrate with passionate towards coffee and generating more compassion to reach out to others.
Thanks for Rinpoche’s sharing. This is a warmth heart actions which show the care of society. It can create a chance for let everyone can do good deed and show care for those less fortunate . hopefully this idea can be applied in every place.
This is such an incredibly simple idea with nothing extraordinary to do which is out of the way for the donor. They only thing that needs to be done is for the mindful and kindness switches to be turned on. I have seen this at certain 7Eleven Stores before but the idea seemed to have waned off and even when it was practiced, I didn’t see much being bought and given away. Ideas need to be applied consistently before it will begin to work.
An idea such as this would simply go ballistic if practiced pervasively at restaurants/eateries, grocery stores, clinics and even pet shops. But its also correct that it is the store/shop/business owners who will have to start this and keep it going consistently. Who knows, it may even draw in more business because most people would prefer to be kind if its made easy for them.
What a wonderful idea ^.^ . I’m going to give that a try next time I buy coffee. Bring someone a cup of happiness ^^
Wow! That’s wonderful! Reading about it made me feel very touched. I hope we have something like this in Malaysia where the less fortunate will be able to walk in to a coffee shop for a meal without having to beg for one…
awesome