LOVE . . . practice and diligence
Truly it is Life that shines forth in all things! / Vast, heavenly, of unthinkable form, it shines forth . . ./ It is farther than the far, yet near at hand, / Set down in the secret place of the heart . . ./ Not by sight is it grasped, not even by speech,/ But by the peace of knowledge, one’s nature purified—In that way, by meditating one does behold Him who is without form. —The Upanishads
It is undeniably certain we are on a journey. At times it is messy, unclear, and downright difficult to discern what the heck is happening in all the fog and darkness surrounding us. Often what is not clear is whether we are headed forward or backward. With practice and maturity I’ve come to the understanding that the steps are always forward no matter how small.
So, what is that all encompassing essence that keeps us moving forward? The sages and spiritual teachers of Truth call it “love”. It is the love that comes from deep inside—like a nugget of gold— and causes us to respond to people and events from a space of calm and purity.
Richard Rohr says:
To love as Jesus loves, we must be connected to the Source of Love.
No doubt this source of love is pure, infinite, and nonjudgmental and everyone has the capacity to tap into it. There is no doubt that it is expressed in justice, equity, compassion, and respect for every human being and creature. There is no doubt if grasped fully and expressed from the heart the world would look a lot different then it does now—so what is missing?
David R. Hawkins suggests that love may be misunderstood when it is interpreted solely as an emotion. He suggests that
. . . . it is a state of awareness, a way of being in the world, a way of seeing oneself and others.
To me this means that love takes practice and diligence. It takes practice in learning from past experiences without shame or guilt and cultivating relationships that are harmonious and meaningful, not for our own selfish aggrandizement, but for the benefit of the greater good. It means that our interactions with people are without hidden agendas and or personal gain. It means living the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
In such behavior we become bridge-builders rather than destroyers. Animators rather than sluggish and apathetic. And our primary intention is to do no harm. In the words of Rumi:
Love is the bridge between you and everything.
These are lived experiences in which we function from a much higher calibration than we can ever imagine. We are in a time of transformation and rebuilding in spite of what it looks like externally. The due diligence it takes to create a new vision in the midst of chaos is an enormous responsibility. It’s messy and often means foraging a path of uncharted territory, ignoring the fear mongers, and other forces not committed to or willing to accept change.
In the process you will find fellow travelers in the most unlikely places and unconventional means. What is necessary is holding a vision of hope rooted in faith with freedom for everyone. It’s a life project and through the dailynprocesses of self-renewal, love, and spiritual practices, we reach a place of transcendence according to Michael A. Singer—
You will become a knower of your soul, a knower of spirit.
Perhaps, there is so much more to living when we consider love as a practice and a constant renewal of our way of being. It’s a moment-to-moment endeavor that draws us into Presence and deeper into our inner essence. Love is never ever really about us, but how we are being with everything around us.
In The Monk Within Beverly Lanzetta has a profound explanation of love
We love the Divine for its own sake. We do not love God because we seek forgiveness or receive gifts. We do not love God on our terms and in our own time. We love because love makes us whole, it is all we are; it is all we wish to be. In love we find Love; we discover the source of Love; God alone. We stretch our love like a sail against the wind and allow the current of our passion to drive us straight into the divine heart.
What a relief when I acknowledge that I’m not totally alone in this practice of loving myself, loving my neighbor, and loving every creature. Imagine how the world would change if each of us could identify that divine spark and live into it nonstop. For love is the wholeness, the bond, the reality we all are seeking. either consciously or not.
Perhaps, this final thought will resonate with you from Ben Okri’s essay “Beyond Words a Secular Sermon” —
We should return to pure contemplation, to sweet meditation, to the peace of silent loving, the serenity of deep faith, to the stillness of deep waters. We should sit still in our deep selves and dream good things for humanity. We should try and make those dreams real. We should keep trying to raise higher the possibilities of this world. Then maybe one day, after much striving, we might well begin to create a world justice and a new light on this earth that could inspire a ten-second silence of wonder - even in heaven.
IMAGINE that. . . we hold our own light that is meant to be shared with others.
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