I was wondering how others view the concept of love and how you go about expressing it in everyday life. For me this is an area in my life I would like to improve and a little unsure how to go about it without sacrificing all of my own needs. Is it enough to reserve it for a selected few or do we need to extend ourselves further and do more? For those who already extend themselves, do you feel it is making a difference in improving the quality of other peoples lives or does it just make you feel better about yourself? We speak of unconditional love being the answer for all of life's problems, but what does it do for you?
Love and peace to you all, M*
Terms like love, joy, peace etc are so widely used in our life. So when in spiritual contexts they are used there is every possibility these terms would be taken for what we usually denote by them in everyday life.
What we usually mean by "love" is the attachment, fancy, infatuation, urge to possess, dearness, emotional proximity, paternal, maternal or fraternal affection etc. All these are, in fact, qualified by some amount of selfishness. How so ever forcefully a mother proclaims that her love for her child is selfless, it is marked by the feelings of possessiveness and expectations that are, very naturally, a part of such mundane relationships.
But, when "love" as a spiritual experience is considered, it is much different from all those feelings of affection originating from a personal relationship. Hence it is purer and really selfless. Here, love has no reason. It is love not even for love's sake. IT IS LOVE AND LOVE ONLY. A question like "for what sake is this love?" doesn't arise at all. To put it in another way, anything and everything can generate love in a person. It originates from the divine source very much present in the person. Hence the person cannot control or regulate it. Nor can he generate or end it in himself. It is a way the divine source in one expresses Itself.
Such love originates when the consciousness of a person increases as per Hawkins' essay on consciousness. This love is not simply a blessing for the evolved person but also a great influence on others as the flow of energy affects the consciousness of others coming in contact with the evolved person. As Bhagavan says love is the only remedy for all the sufferings in these times.
While coming from India after a wonderful "darsan" of beloved Amma and beloved Bhagavan in 2007 December, I happened to chat with an officer at Changi Airport in Singapore, during my wait to board the next flight to Brunei Darussalam. The chat was just about flight schedule and such commonplace things but as soon as I was about to take leave of him in order to go for some refreshments, I felt a sudden surge of the beautiful feeling within and I grasped his hand for a handshake. The next moment he spoke in a strange and excited voice, "Wow, there is love flowing from you into me!" Folding up his sleeves, with wonder in his eyes, he showed goose pimples on his arms. And with love overflowing, this poor me (ha ha) went to the coffee bar in the airport. Later on return he told methat he belonged to a "budhist" sect and had been doing "kriya yoga" for over twenty years.
Love is a wonderful blessing that God gives us, beloved ones. There is no point thinking what it is, where it leads to or what its use is! IT COMES AND CONQUERS YOU! You can just be there, that is all! Let beloved God bless each one of us to create heaven on earth!
Thanks to the Lord for his wonderful blessing! And thanks to you, beloved angel, M* for starting this wonderful thread!
Venu
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Unconditional love is a myth. We generally love those who are close to us - our family, but even there, there is often discord and right down hatred (but hating is just a thin line away from love). What is love? That's actually real hard to define. But I can tell you it's not mouthing empty words about loving a bunch of strangers around you. Now you obviously do not hate these people, but you do not love them either just because we are told to "love our neighbours" or to demonstrate how enlightened we are. For our neighbours we mostly feel indifference which grows to concern when we hear they have met with some bad luck. We go there, we sympathise, but that is still not love. Some people you dislike on sight - for no reason at all. It does not mean that you wish them harm. Others you like instantly, and hit it off. Then, there's the very very rare when you fall deeply in love at first sight, recognising a soulmate from a previous life.
M. - Venu just did a much better job of trying to define love for you. She has said it all and it's all very very true. So I take back what I said about unconditional love being a myth, let's say it is very very rare and last only a moment. I too have felt what Venu just described for perfect strangers once or twice (except I did not really think of it as love). I remember once in Paris, I looked straight into the eyes of a beggar woman sitting on the stoop in a square somewhere and I was suddenly filled with love (but I must say she somehow reminded me of my mother, though not physically) and I held her hand lovingly whilst I placed the contents of my purse in it.
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The strangest of feelings or the strangest energy rather, pure and unconditional love is never understood as love, my sweet blessed angel! To experience it as well as to recognise it as "love", beloved God's grace is necessary.
A few months back, I happened to meet a former professor of English language and literature, engaged now in what is termed as "theme-centred appoach". It was my first meeting with him. I was introduced to him by an acquintance and we sat discussing about a lot many things including spirituality. In the middle, I remarked about religion as the boat that takes you down the river so as to give you an idea about the beautiful and wonderful world on the other bank. And that most travellers get so fascinated by the journey so that they fall deeply in love with the boat even before it reaches anywhere near the other shore; hence they forget even to have a glimpse of the inspiring scenery on the other side. The professor, a Christian by birth acknowledged it with great appreciation.
I should admit that while the chat touched the realm of spirituality, I happened to be flooding with the wonderful energy of love. Before we parted with a loving embrace, he took my email address. I reached my residence in fifteen or twenty minutes. As usual, I checked my mail and saw his mail waiting for me. It contained the following lines. (He actually had no idea about the spiritual path I have been following or the courses I have attended.)
Dear Venu,
I wanted to overtake you in establishing our e-mail connectivity. Remarkable was the thejus I experienced last evening in your company. Isn't it unfortunate that the world still continues to be what Keats moaned decades ago as one where men sit and hear each other groan?
It was just a few years ago that I chanced upon the origin of the word " enthuse". It was originally "en-theos", meaning to fill with God. Venu, this is what you do so effortlessly and unassumingly. You are a powerful channel, as your name itself indicates.
Warm regards to you on this 24th morning of Feb in this leap year of 2008. Thomas Abraham
Beloved one, we do not know what is really hapening to us every minute. At the same time, we are on a path of wonderful spiritual discoveries. Every second unfolds something marvellous to us in the form of experience. That is what makes this life so wonderful! (And for it, how can a mortal like this poor me ever express the deep gratitude to beloved God?!)
Beloved angels, Narnia and Metamorphictrance! Let us celebrate this life that is the wonderful gift of our beloved Father! Let us rejoice, let us rise in love! Let us sing in praise of our beloved Lord! Where we go or where we come from, which way to go - none of this is a matter to be bothered about. Let us all live in love! As in one of his poems, the beloved poet Rumi loudly states his wondefully unflinching faith in God through the lines that somewhat mean "The one who brought me here, will have to take me back home!" And definitely He will, my beloved ones! Then why should we be bothered? Just enjoy the supreme love, my beloved ones!
Love can be understood when you understand yourself, when there is no image, no anxiety, no insecurity. Until then you just have to embrace it as what you perceive it to be... no one else can be your guide in this matter.
Some of the times I feel the most love is when my life is centered, when my body mind and soul are all one. I guess that could be a part of self oneness to others.
I thought I knew what love was till I read this thread. I know that I love my daughter, and you are right-there are expectations attached to that. Not that I would ever disown her, but it does mean that I have hopes for her.
I have never experienced love for a stranger. I am not sure that I could handle that-it sounds rather overwhelming.
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