“When
you open yourself to the continually changing, impermanent,
dynamic nature of your own being and of reality, you increase your
capacity to love and care about other people and your capacity to not be
afraid.
You're able to keep your eyes open, your heart open, and your mind open.
You're able to keep your eyes open, your heart open, and your mind open.
―
Pema Chödrön,
Practicing Peace in Times of War
We now see that the only way that we could love ourselves is by loving others,
and the only way that we could truly love others is to love ourselves.
The difference between self-love and love of others is very small,
once we really understand.”
― Norman Fischer, Training in Compassion:
We now see that the only way that we could love ourselves is by loving others,
and the only way that we could truly love others is to love ourselves.
The difference between self-love and love of others is very small,
once we really understand.”
― Norman Fischer, Training in Compassion:
Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong
As I've mentioned before, here and elsewhere, I think the Hippies actually had it right. It IS all about Peace, Love, and Freedom.
In the Collective Kensho of that era, many of us had been to the mountain top. There, we were touched deeply by the One Love that permeates and transcends the universe. We saw the Real Deal.
But seeing it -- and even believing in it -- isn't enough.
In the Collective Kensho of that era, many of us had been to the mountain top. There, we were touched deeply by the One Love that permeates and transcends the universe. We saw the Real Deal.
But seeing it -- and even believing in it -- isn't enough.
The task of freeing ourselves to actually BE peaceful and loving human beings became the mission -- and we quickly
learned that it is no mean feat. It takes deep commitment, effort,
discipline, courage and patience.
It takes Practice.
In
the Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist worlds the term "Love" isn't generally
used to refer to the Ultimate State of Being. They approach the
Ineffable with different concepts and understandings. I think that is
actually helpful to us Westerners. We are incredibly sloppy with the
word love. It has a wide range of meanings.
In English, love could be the word that attempts to describe the spiritual glow that emerges from the ethereal domain of unconditional, unselfish agape on the one hand. Or, just as readily, the word could be used to indicate the self-absorbed fiery emotion that erupts from the nether realms of green eyed monsters and wrathful, jealous gods. (It's pretty clear that "I love you so much that I'll kill anyone who looks at you, and then you," isn't exactly what Jesus and Buddha had in mind when they taught about Love.)
It seems that a bit more precision would be helpful.
(READ MORE)In English, love could be the word that attempts to describe the spiritual glow that emerges from the ethereal domain of unconditional, unselfish agape on the one hand. Or, just as readily, the word could be used to indicate the self-absorbed fiery emotion that erupts from the nether realms of green eyed monsters and wrathful, jealous gods. (It's pretty clear that "I love you so much that I'll kill anyone who looks at you, and then you," isn't exactly what Jesus and Buddha had in mind when they taught about Love.)
It seems that a bit more precision would be helpful.