Buddha had disciples and he wished to send them out into the world to teach, so he asked them questions to see if they were prepared as he would have them be. “When you go to the East and to the West,” said the Buddha, “and the people shut their doors to you and refuse to speak to you, what will you do?”—The disciples answered and said: “We shall be very thankful that they do us no harm.”—“Then if they do you harm and mock, what will you do?”—“We shall be very thankful that they do not give us worse treatment.”—“If they throw you into prison?”—“We shall still be grateful that they do not kill us.”—“What if they were to kill you?” the Master asked for the last time. “Still,” answered the disciples, “we will be thankful, for they cause us to be martyrs. What more glorious fate is there than this, to die for the glory of God?” And the Buddha said: “Well done!”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 63-64)

It is said that Sultan Mahmud cut a melon and gave a portion of it to Ayaz who ate it cheerfully and expressed his gratitude. When the Sultan ate a little of the same melon, he found it bitter. He asked, “How did you eat such a bitter melon and show no sign of disliking it?” Ayaz answered, “I had eaten many sweet and palatable things from the hands of the Sultan and I thought it very unworthy of me to express dislike on eating a slightly bitter thing today. Thus man, who is immersed in the blessings of God, should not be grieved if he experiences a little trouble. You should not forget the manifold divine bounties.

(Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 184)

Consider how grateful anyone becomes when healed from sickness, when treated kindly by another or when a service is rendered by another, even though it may be of the least consequence. If we forget such favors, it is an evidence of ingratitude. Then it will be said a loving-kindness has been done, but we are thankless, not appreciating this love and favor. Physically and spiritually we are submerged in the sea of God’s favor. He has provided our foods, drink and other requirements; His favors encompass us from all directions. The sustenances provided for man are blessings. Sight, hearing and all his faculties are wonderful gifts. These blessings are innumerable; no matter how many are mentioned, they are still endless. Spiritual blessings are likewise endless - spirit, consciousness, thought, memory, perception, ideation and other endowments.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 236)