Unconditional love
The method of attaining the skill which lets one effortlessly fall in love with all beings is counter-intuitive and surprising to most of us. The unexpected vehicle that takes one to this surprising level of affection for others is unconditional self-love.
The method of attaining the skill which lets one effortlessly fall in love with all beings is counter-intuitive and surprising to most of us. The unexpected vehicle that takes one to this surprising level of affection for others is unconditional self-love.
If I remain fond of myself no
matter what I have done and no matter what I am doing, I will soon be in love
with you and everything else.
Unconditional love is not an
obligation; it is not something I “should do.” It is a gift given to me if I
will simply allow it to arise through natural grace.
Original Sin
We
want to know why there is suffering and death. Original sin seems to provide a
rational answer; it says that it is our fault. We want to live forever and the
idea that we made a metaphysical mistake helps us believe that there is a
metaphysical power that will fix that mistake.
Original Sin
It is a powerful idea, and one that I think best be
overcome. We human beings are desperate to make sense of life and the idea of original
sin helps that endeavor.
To be free, I think I need to be free of the idea that life is fair or makes
sense. And also liberated from the idea that it cannot.
We
want to know why there is suffering and death. Original sin seems to provide a
rational answer; it says that it is our fault. We want to live forever and the
idea that we made a metaphysical mistake helps us believe that there is a
metaphysical power that will fix that mistake.
But don’t despair, we can do well without imagining an Original Sin; unconditional
love needs no reason.
The Prodigal Son
In the exoteric interpretation of The Prodigal Son story, upon his
return, the son is forgiven by the father.
In the esoteric interpretation there is no question of forgiveness; the father
has always loved the son unconditionally. Mystical love here, as in the
Zhuangzi, is not a performance-based love.
This unconditional love is an archetypal mystical experience found in many
different religious traditions East and West, and also most recently even in
atheistic mysticism.
In the esoteric interpretation there is no question of forgiveness; the father has always loved the son unconditionally. Mystical love here, as in the Zhuangzi, is not a performance-based love.
This unconditional love is an archetypal mystical experience found in many different religious traditions East and West, and also most recently even in atheistic mysticism.
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