Most people in this world feel the need to be Loved by seeking Love from other people who seem not Loving. In truth, Love is never found in people we thought can give us Love, but within ourselves who is the only source of Love.
This is why the Buddha instructs people to seek the Dhamma within, just as the same way Christ told us to find the kingdom of God within. Once we realized that we are the only reliable person from where Love comes, we will cease to find people who can Love us. As a consequence, Love becomes so natural that it binds people without effort. Love manifest in all relationships. Only by giving Lovingkindness to the world that you will gain all the Lovingkindness you can experience. By accepting people as they are, even if you find them ungrateful, you are beginning to Love. Here lies the paradox: The more you give Love, the more Love comes to you.
Love cannot exist without understanding. They are inextricable from each other. Love is understanding, expressed. Love is something vague and subject to misinterpretations. Understanding, on the other hand, is a specific expression of Love. It is not an interpretation or definition of Love. Understanding is the nature of Love as it sees differences and situations without any judging. It is the nature of Love sans all experiences that keeps us from Loving.
Those people who Love but do not understand can be seen and understood in two ways. First, they seem to interpret that their actions are expressions of Love. In principle, those actions are only interpretations of Love. Still, they have done things out of, ironically, not understanding Love. But deep beneath it comes the second one: That even they claim that their actions are coming from Love, with suffering as an outcome, still they are in their greatest opportunity to Love. The Buddha said this is akin to a lotus that grows from the mire, and once it blooms, the mire cannot anymore touch it again. The mire of suffering and misunderstanding is the fertile ground of Love. A friend who seemed not to know how to deal with a lot of misunderstanding told me her story. I simply advised her that all her negative experiences and obstacles may stop her from Loving, but they always remind her to Love.
You can read Thich Nhat Hahn's Being Peace, and there you will find that Nirvana or enlightenment is a state of Loving understanding. You cannot help but Love if you really understand. You can gauge your own awakening by the extent of your deep understanding. In the process, we will find that Love is something not sought from anyone else, but emanates from our inner consciousness. When we begin to understand, we begin to Love.
photo by coee
"Negative experiences and obstacles
may stop us from Loving,
but they always remind us to Love."
Those people who Love but do not understand can be seen and understood in two ways. First, they seem to interpret that their actions are expressions of Love. In principle, those actions are only interpretations of Love. Still, they have done things out of, ironically, not understanding Love. But deep beneath it comes the second one: That even they claim that their actions are coming from Love, with suffering as an outcome, still they are in their greatest opportunity to Love. The Buddha said this is akin to a lotus that grows from the mire, and once it blooms, the mire cannot anymore touch it again. The mire of suffering and misunderstanding is the fertile ground of Love. A friend who seemed not to know how to deal with a lot of misunderstanding told me her story. I simply advised her that all her negative experiences and obstacles may stop her from Loving, but they always remind her to Love.
You can read Thich Nhat Hahn's Being Peace, and there you will find that Nirvana or enlightenment is a state of Loving understanding. You cannot help but Love if you really understand. You can gauge your own awakening by the extent of your deep understanding. In the process, we will find that Love is something not sought from anyone else, but emanates from our inner consciousness. When we begin to understand, we begin to Love.
photo by coee
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