On Love

Often in my life I have been asked and I have also asked; why do you love me? One answer was because I took care of her, another answer was because they or I were of good moral character. Sometimes it is because we admire some ones qualities or zest for life, often qualities we feel we are lacking. Then there is the need for some ones charisma or intoxicating energy. But usually love is consistent with a feeling or emotion that involves an external.

Often we say we love someone when we actually see personality traits that we look for and hold dear to us as something “I wont settle for less on”. The problem is that having appreciation or compassion, or admiration should not be confused for love, those feelings are admirable on their own but they are not love. Often we are taught what we should love and cherish, yes perhaps we should cherish these qualities that others tell us to love but they do not stand alone and signify love. To be attracted to, addicted to, taught, guilted, conditioned, or feel we need or are needed is not love. Compassion is compassion, admiration is admiration, desire is desire, appreciation is appreciation, needs are needs, even combined all of these feelings are incredibly powerful yet they are still not love.

Below are some definitions and descriptions of love form various people and spiritual teachers throughout history as well well as my own realization.

In this universe it is love that binds everything together. Love is the very foundation, beauty and fulfillment of life. ~ Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

Love is profound interest! ~ Swami Gitananda Giri

Love is to stand before your Beloved, striped naked of all attributes, so that His qualities become your qualities. ~ Al-Haiiaj

Limited Love asks for possession of the beloved, but the unlimited asks only for itself. ~ Kahlil Gibran

I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.
~ Roy Croft

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
~ The Buddha

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. ~ Mother Teresa

He who wants to do good, knocks at the gate; He who loves, finds the door open. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving. ~ Mother Teresa

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ~ Jesus of Nazareth

It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created for years or even generations. ~ Kahlil Gibran

God and love are identical, and one who has divine love has received God.
~ Meher Baba

'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” ~ Matthew 22:36-40

Try to cultivate love of God. You are born as a human being only to attain divine love.
~ Ramakrishna Paramhansa

Love is that indescribable divine force that attracts us to our divinity and its goal is to merge in divine rapture! ~ Yogacharya Gowrishankarananda

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
~ I John 3:18

All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.
~ The Dalai Lama

If you must be mad, be it not for the things of the world. Be mad with the love of God.
~ Ramakrishna Paramahansa

To love is to recognize yourself in another. ~ Ekhart Tolle

While love can lift us up and carry us on intoxicated wings so too can desire. While love can motivate us to do amazing things and perform incredible feats of bravery so to can fear. While love can make us do amazingly selfless acts so to can guilt and addiction. While love is tender and gentle, so to is compassion. Only upon honest introspection when we really know who we are can we feel our connection to ourselves and the world around us. When we are beautiful human beings when we act and can honestly say that our intentions behind those actions are motivated by a pure heart, then we can begin to love ourselves. Unlike appreciating ourselves love is overpowering, we can actually know how amazingly beautiful we really are, then we love our “Selves”. Lets be clear love is not pride; the difference is love exists outside of ego, ego is created, love is eternal non-changing truth, ego is an illusion. When someone really knows how beautiful we are then they love us. That person must really know who we are so honesty is the most important precept to love, someone can’t love us if they do not know us, know the beauty of our true selves. We/they must also be honest with ourselves/themselves, for if we are not then we cannot love ourselves. Are we living in love with ourselves? Do we see our own true beauty? Do we see our divine beauty and our divine connection? Only when we live in honesty and divine beauty can we know the truth which is love.

This honesty that we talk of is the authenticity that comes from knowing who we really are, our “Self”. When one knows that they are a soul and lives from that state of being it is natural for love to flow from you. Love is an inner experience that changes the perception of all other experiences. Love cannot be given, nor can it be received it can only be radiated from within the lover. Love is contagious, the beloved feels the love of the lover and they experience their own love. Love is a state of bliss and beauty that is natural to the experience of being.

Love ultimately creates within us several qualities. If we are ever to question whether we are experiencing love or are wondering if someone else is then we can look for the manifestation of these soul qualities.

When someone feels love they cannot help but to feel compassion and the power of their compassion overflows from them like light from the sun.

One who is in love becomes selfless and they will do anything for the good of theyre beloved. the higher their love the higher their motivation. Divine love creates a selflessness towards everyone.

Love through selflessnes manifests as ego disolution and visibly appears as humility.

The highest experience of love can be seen in the person who maintains equanimity in all things for they have realized love at all times regardless of circumstances.

When we know love to be a part of us and the essence of our being we become aligned with truth to the highest degree. We are true to ourselves and to others. Divine love has such a purifying effect on us we cannot help but to speak the truth and act truthfully.

Ultimately when we become merged with our divine nature we become an agent of love and we are ever in service to others. we can see this in the lives of various saints who are so utterly selfless they tirelessly serve everyone.

Love is unconditional. if it is conditional then it is not love.

The experience of true love also dissolves fear, attachment,& hatered.

Often when we To cultivate love is to cultivate our divinity and to cultivate our divinity is to cultivate love. When we are sincerely devoted to God we seek him everywhere. When we realize God we see her in everything.