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What is LOVE?
Yama 发表于 2007-07-11 22:27:16
Love is an eternal theme for all human beings, here is a nice article about Love to share（by Swami Krishnapada）. It is long, so enjoy it as i feed you bite by bite and do take your time in repetition and contemplation.
Love & Light to you
Yama
All of us want to be loved with unconditional, eternal love—a love that sees beyond beauty, intelligence or any other superficial quality. We want to be loved simply because we are. At the same time, we all have a natural, innate tendency to share our love with others. This preoccupation with love arises because in reality we are eternal, loving beings whose souls are filled with knowledge and bliss. Although in this physical embodiment we are temporarily covered by material energy, our nature is inherently divine, and we are always seeking the blissful love of the spiritual kingdom where our real fulfillment lies.
But something always seems to go wrong. Despite our constant search, we usually experience disappointment, finding that our experience of love is temporary. Although we may have tried and failed in a variety of relationships, we persist in believing that the right person is out there somewhere. For some mysterious reason, we just never seem to be in the right place at the right time.
Countless people in the world today have never felt truly loved. They have no idea what love really is, despite their deep longing for it. In fact, in everyday relationships, the term “love” has developed too vague a meaning and may even indicate something quite different, such as control of need. For example, the idea of love is often reduced to a mere bodily exchange or to a process of trying to gain gratification from someone else—by force if necessary. This is not love.
The problem arises because we are looking for answers in all the wrong places. A society without a spiritual nucleus lacks the “cosmic glue” to make everything work. Love is this cosmic glue that holds us together as we learn to know and relate to one another and, ultimately, to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Modern society seems to have forgotten this. But deep down, even though the experience of love often eludes us, we know that love is our birthright. It is as if someone were holding something deliciously tantalizing in front of us just beyond our reach. We want it, we know it is available, but we are not quite able to grasp it. So we substitute something else, hoping to find happiness in wealth, prestige or power. Let us look more deeply at how this works by first examining what love is not.
Genuine love is not concerned with personal gain, but rather with the quality of the exchange between those involved. When we think only of ourselves, trying to arrange matters to get what we want, we are not trying to receive anything. Instead, it is an experience of giving and a joyful activity in which each participant strives to share more generally than the other.
This point is particularly relevant for a society that frequently equates love with sex. Sex provides one of the greatest pleasures we normally experience here, and we try to enjoy it as frequently as possible. Practically every major effort to influence our consciousness is based upon trying to entice us sexually. Unfortunately, this attempt to enslave human civilization is succeeding all too well. As we have already seen, countless advertisements today try to stimulate the public’s sexual desire in order to boost sales. Consequently, people focus outwardly and do not attribute value to knowing each other or themselves. In fact, because they cannot get beyond the “body game”, their consciousness remains enslaved and subject to physical passions.
But love has nothing to do with the amount of sexual pleasure we can obtain from another person. Love is not about sex. People often say “Let us make love,” when they actually mean, “Let us have sex.” When we believe that sex is love, then even incest becomes acceptable, because a father who loves his daughter will feel free to approach her sexually. Indeed, all over the world, incest is increasing, and we mentioned earlier how so many of its victims carry tremendous wounds, sometimes for life.
Love has nothing to do with exploitation. It is not a business deal or an accounting system that requires the actions of one person to be balanced by those of another. Instead, love expresses genuine concern for the well-being of others. This is difficult to understand in our “gimme” society, which assumes that people always have ulterior motives for their actions.
We often settle for security relationships, which operate like a business: “You satisfy me, and I will satisfy you.” Unfortunately, as soon as a disturbance arises in our contract, we are ready to seek another relationship. Ultimately, real love has nothing to do with what somebody else says or does. It is based on us—not on the other person—and is an expression of what we are, what we have and what we can share.
When we love someone, we want to do something for that person. If we really care for our husband, our wife, our child or our friend, we will be excited about each opportunity to serve. And once we have rendered service, we will become even more excited, because we will be happy to know we have been able to assist. Whenever a difficulty arises, we will be eager to do something for our beloved to demonstrate our caring and commitment, without expecting anything in return.
Love & Light to you
Yama
All of us want to be loved with unconditional, eternal love—a love that sees beyond beauty, intelligence or any other superficial quality. We want to be loved simply because we are. At the same time, we all have a natural, innate tendency to share our love with others. This preoccupation with love arises because in reality we are eternal, loving beings whose souls are filled with knowledge and bliss. Although in this physical embodiment we are temporarily covered by material energy, our nature is inherently divine, and we are always seeking the blissful love of the spiritual kingdom where our real fulfillment lies.
But something always seems to go wrong. Despite our constant search, we usually experience disappointment, finding that our experience of love is temporary. Although we may have tried and failed in a variety of relationships, we persist in believing that the right person is out there somewhere. For some mysterious reason, we just never seem to be in the right place at the right time.
The World Lacks Love
Countless people in the world today have never felt truly loved. They have no idea what love really is, despite their deep longing for it. In fact, in everyday relationships, the term “love” has developed too vague a meaning and may even indicate something quite different, such as control of need. For example, the idea of love is often reduced to a mere bodily exchange or to a process of trying to gain gratification from someone else—by force if necessary. This is not love.
The problem arises because we are looking for answers in all the wrong places. A society without a spiritual nucleus lacks the “cosmic glue” to make everything work. Love is this cosmic glue that holds us together as we learn to know and relate to one another and, ultimately, to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Modern society seems to have forgotten this. But deep down, even though the experience of love often eludes us, we know that love is our birthright. It is as if someone were holding something deliciously tantalizing in front of us just beyond our reach. We want it, we know it is available, but we are not quite able to grasp it. So we substitute something else, hoping to find happiness in wealth, prestige or power. Let us look more deeply at how this works by first examining what love is not.
* * *
Love is Not About Getting Something
Genuine love is not concerned with personal gain, but rather with the quality of the exchange between those involved. When we think only of ourselves, trying to arrange matters to get what we want, we are not trying to receive anything. Instead, it is an experience of giving and a joyful activity in which each participant strives to share more generally than the other.
This point is particularly relevant for a society that frequently equates love with sex. Sex provides one of the greatest pleasures we normally experience here, and we try to enjoy it as frequently as possible. Practically every major effort to influence our consciousness is based upon trying to entice us sexually. Unfortunately, this attempt to enslave human civilization is succeeding all too well. As we have already seen, countless advertisements today try to stimulate the public’s sexual desire in order to boost sales. Consequently, people focus outwardly and do not attribute value to knowing each other or themselves. In fact, because they cannot get beyond the “body game”, their consciousness remains enslaved and subject to physical passions.
But love has nothing to do with the amount of sexual pleasure we can obtain from another person. Love is not about sex. People often say “Let us make love,” when they actually mean, “Let us have sex.” When we believe that sex is love, then even incest becomes acceptable, because a father who loves his daughter will feel free to approach her sexually. Indeed, all over the world, incest is increasing, and we mentioned earlier how so many of its victims carry tremendous wounds, sometimes for life.
Love has nothing to do with exploitation. It is not a business deal or an accounting system that requires the actions of one person to be balanced by those of another. Instead, love expresses genuine concern for the well-being of others. This is difficult to understand in our “gimme” society, which assumes that people always have ulterior motives for their actions.
We often settle for security relationships, which operate like a business: “You satisfy me, and I will satisfy you.” Unfortunately, as soon as a disturbance arises in our contract, we are ready to seek another relationship. Ultimately, real love has nothing to do with what somebody else says or does. It is based on us—not on the other person—and is an expression of what we are, what we have and what we can share.
When we love someone, we want to do something for that person. If we really care for our husband, our wife, our child or our friend, we will be excited about each opportunity to serve. And once we have rendered service, we will become even more excited, because we will be happy to know we have been able to assist. Whenever a difficulty arises, we will be eager to do something for our beloved to demonstrate our caring and commitment, without expecting anything in return.
* * *
Love Is Not a Feeling
Love Is Not a Feeling
Most of us consider love to be a feeling that ebbs and flows according to the circumstances. But genuine love is not linked to what we feel, nor does it depend on any external conditions. Real love is divine, and cannot exist separately from the sources, which is God.
Love is not something we can turn on and off like a faucet. In our society, we often do not understand this. A man and a woman may make marital vows, and then change their minds in a few months or years. In such a state of consciousness, we are constantly looking for something outside of ourselves instead of tapping the wellspring of love within. Although we may occasionally be disturbed by someone’s actions, true love remains firm, because it is based on something far deeper than mere sentiment. When love is sentimental, any upset may suddenly turn the object of our affections into an enemy.
Many people have difficulty establishing meaningful relationships with others. Once the initial infatuation wears off, they are disappointed to discover that their relationship was reactive rather than proactive. A proactive person has vision-centered principles and a philosophical orientation, whereas a reactive person is preoccupied with self-centered concerns such as eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Reactive people view everything in terms of personal enjoyment. For them, love is a feeling that enhances their sense of well-being so that, whenever they are not getting what they want, they withdraw.
On the other hand, when we are genuinely loving, we are not concerned with ourselves at all. Love is a verb: we empathize, appreciate, share, help and give. We are not trying to feel good or control the environment to enhance our own pleasure.
Love is not something we can turn on and off like a faucet. In our society, we often do not understand this. A man and a woman may make marital vows, and then change their minds in a few months or years. In such a state of consciousness, we are constantly looking for something outside of ourselves instead of tapping the wellspring of love within. Although we may occasionally be disturbed by someone’s actions, true love remains firm, because it is based on something far deeper than mere sentiment. When love is sentimental, any upset may suddenly turn the object of our affections into an enemy.
Many people have difficulty establishing meaningful relationships with others. Once the initial infatuation wears off, they are disappointed to discover that their relationship was reactive rather than proactive. A proactive person has vision-centered principles and a philosophical orientation, whereas a reactive person is preoccupied with self-centered concerns such as eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Reactive people view everything in terms of personal enjoyment. For them, love is a feeling that enhances their sense of well-being so that, whenever they are not getting what they want, they withdraw.
On the other hand, when we are genuinely loving, we are not concerned with ourselves at all. Love is a verb: we empathize, appreciate, share, help and give. We are not trying to feel good or control the environment to enhance our own pleasure.
* * *
Because love is not defined by our pleasant feelings, pain can be an integral part of love. Although most of us would prefer to experience happiness and eliminate pain from our relationships, this attitude is based on a desire to satisfy our senses. Genuine love can indeed bring us great happiness, yet it can also cause extreme suffering.
If we examine our lives even a little, we notice that our greatest pain has almost invariably come from relationships with those we love. Perhaps we tried to give and were not fully appreciated, or perhaps we wanted to make a loving connection and somehow could not. Who cannot remember the deep hurt of being betrayed, disappointed, neglected or abandoned? At the same time, our greatest happiness has also come from relationships with others. It is a paradox that love, the most healing force there is, can also make us so vulnerable to pain.
In a loving relationship, each difficulty in our lives becomes a challenge to glorify and serve the Lord. When we care about someone, the hard times are wonderful because they demonstrate the need for greater communication. Because our partner did not receive our words or actions in a loving spirit, we see a need for love. This gives us an exciting opportunity to serve and to support the well-being of the other person.
When we are in control, we feel good about everything. But as soon as events do not go as planned, we may become unwilling to accommodate our partner. Whenever we experience doubts about the relationship, we turn away. These doubts may arise because we lack strong faith or feel insecure. Often we project our fears and phobias onto our partner and onto our environment, we may think suspiciously “What do you mean by that?” Some people remain entrenched in a mood of negativity no matter what happens.
Our goal as spiritual warriors is to become so loving that nothing seems to bother us. In this state, we will not be affected by negativity at all. Instead, we will be grateful for negative comments as well as praise, and may even interpret harsh words in a loving way. At first, this may seem naïve. But actually, such behavior reflects strong faith in the Lord and a willingness to share our faith and love with others. All of us actually have the capacity to become so fixed in our love that everything in the environment only helps us to be more loving. This is the mood of a true spiritual warrior.
Love is Not Always Pleasant
Because love is not defined by our pleasant feelings, pain can be an integral part of love. Although most of us would prefer to experience happiness and eliminate pain from our relationships, this attitude is based on a desire to satisfy our senses. Genuine love can indeed bring us great happiness, yet it can also cause extreme suffering.
If we examine our lives even a little, we notice that our greatest pain has almost invariably come from relationships with those we love. Perhaps we tried to give and were not fully appreciated, or perhaps we wanted to make a loving connection and somehow could not. Who cannot remember the deep hurt of being betrayed, disappointed, neglected or abandoned? At the same time, our greatest happiness has also come from relationships with others. It is a paradox that love, the most healing force there is, can also make us so vulnerable to pain.
In a loving relationship, each difficulty in our lives becomes a challenge to glorify and serve the Lord. When we care about someone, the hard times are wonderful because they demonstrate the need for greater communication. Because our partner did not receive our words or actions in a loving spirit, we see a need for love. This gives us an exciting opportunity to serve and to support the well-being of the other person.
When we are in control, we feel good about everything. But as soon as events do not go as planned, we may become unwilling to accommodate our partner. Whenever we experience doubts about the relationship, we turn away. These doubts may arise because we lack strong faith or feel insecure. Often we project our fears and phobias onto our partner and onto our environment, we may think suspiciously “What do you mean by that?” Some people remain entrenched in a mood of negativity no matter what happens.
Our goal as spiritual warriors is to become so loving that nothing seems to bother us. In this state, we will not be affected by negativity at all. Instead, we will be grateful for negative comments as well as praise, and may even interpret harsh words in a loving way. At first, this may seem naïve. But actually, such behavior reflects strong faith in the Lord and a willingness to share our faith and love with others. All of us actually have the capacity to become so fixed in our love that everything in the environment only helps us to be more loving. This is the mood of a true spiritual warrior.
* * *
However, even in spiritual circles, people often do not understand how to love one another. Despite a seeming commitment to a spiritual lifestyle, individuals may experience envy and jealousy of their peers. For example, if one person is advancing spiritually, others who are trapped in material consciousness may be unable to feel happiness for that individual. Instead, they become jealous and mean-spirited.
People who worship fame, money and material comforts are attached to temporary aspects of life. Ultimately, they are destined to be unhappy, because everything temporary deteriorates. They are condemning themselves to loss and frustration. This pursuit of selfish pleasure is a general feature of modern Western culture. In the process of climbing our way to the top, we are conditioned to think, “ I only win when you fail.” In order to build ourselves up, we are eager to see someone else’s demise. We may even sabotage a potential rival, believing that this is the way to become successful.
However, we should remember that whenever we feel sad, disturbed and envious of another’s success, we are unqualified for the blessings of spiritual life. In these circumstances, we must work on ourselves to dissolve our selfish motivations, so that eventually we can reach the point of being happy and enthusiastic for the accomplishments of others. We are always enhanced rather than diminished by another person’s growth.
Jealousy and Envy Are Not Love
However, even in spiritual circles, people often do not understand how to love one another. Despite a seeming commitment to a spiritual lifestyle, individuals may experience envy and jealousy of their peers. For example, if one person is advancing spiritually, others who are trapped in material consciousness may be unable to feel happiness for that individual. Instead, they become jealous and mean-spirited.
People who worship fame, money and material comforts are attached to temporary aspects of life. Ultimately, they are destined to be unhappy, because everything temporary deteriorates. They are condemning themselves to loss and frustration. This pursuit of selfish pleasure is a general feature of modern Western culture. In the process of climbing our way to the top, we are conditioned to think, “ I only win when you fail.” In order to build ourselves up, we are eager to see someone else’s demise. We may even sabotage a potential rival, believing that this is the way to become successful.
However, we should remember that whenever we feel sad, disturbed and envious of another’s success, we are unqualified for the blessings of spiritual life. In these circumstances, we must work on ourselves to dissolve our selfish motivations, so that eventually we can reach the point of being happy and enthusiastic for the accomplishments of others. We are always enhanced rather than diminished by another person’s growth.
* * *
Love must transcend any doubts we may have about the value of spiritual life. Persistent doubts are always detrimental to spiritual advancement, making us vulnerable to materialistic illusions and weakening our alignment with spiritual guidance and protection. This does not mean that we should be blind followers who accept spiritual teachings without question. Doubts naturally arise as we progress along the spiritual path. But to avoid the dangers inherent in prolonged, lingering doubts, we should address each question immediately as it arises. Our sincere inquires can put doubts to rest without leaving an opening for negative influences to lead us astray.
Spiritual life requires great intensity, strong faith and firm conviction. Unresolved doubts make the body and the mind revert to old familiar patterns, behaving just like drug addicts who return to the familiar solace of drugs whenever life becomes difficult. If our faith and strength have vanished, we naturally resort to our previous coping mechanisms to find some comfort.
Indeed, most of us are addicts. We are powerfully addicted to the senses and to out lower nature, which have been our steady companions for a long time. As we develop spiritually, we must be careful not to become too unbalanced, or we may revert to old patterns. That is why we must resolve our doubts as quickly and honestly as possible.
Love Is Stronger than Doubt
Love must transcend any doubts we may have about the value of spiritual life. Persistent doubts are always detrimental to spiritual advancement, making us vulnerable to materialistic illusions and weakening our alignment with spiritual guidance and protection. This does not mean that we should be blind followers who accept spiritual teachings without question. Doubts naturally arise as we progress along the spiritual path. But to avoid the dangers inherent in prolonged, lingering doubts, we should address each question immediately as it arises. Our sincere inquires can put doubts to rest without leaving an opening for negative influences to lead us astray.
Spiritual life requires great intensity, strong faith and firm conviction. Unresolved doubts make the body and the mind revert to old familiar patterns, behaving just like drug addicts who return to the familiar solace of drugs whenever life becomes difficult. If our faith and strength have vanished, we naturally resort to our previous coping mechanisms to find some comfort.
Indeed, most of us are addicts. We are powerfully addicted to the senses and to out lower nature, which have been our steady companions for a long time. As we develop spiritually, we must be careful not to become too unbalanced, or we may revert to old patterns. That is why we must resolve our doubts as quickly and honestly as possible.
* * *
Now that we have seen what love is not, let us look more closely at what love is, and where it comes from. The origin of love can only be found in a place far beyond this material world. In fact, deep love cannot exist independently from the Supreme Lord, because He is the source and storehouse of everything. Those who lay claim to love without a connection to the Godhead may think they have valuable diamonds but are actually in possession of only so much cut glass. Because they lack the essential spiritual connection, in reality they have nothing. Genuinely spiritual people, on the other hand, are automatically loving, because they are conduits for God’s own energy. As they radiate divine love, they naturally share it and help others to connect with it.
Our longing for eternal love is a sign that we are out of our natural state. This temporary earthly condition does not fulfill us, because physical bodies and material interactions always come to an end. We want to be loved eternally, because we are imperishable, spiritual beings for whom love is an expression of the soul.
Ultimately, all major spiritual traditions confirm that we are loving entities who are out of place in the material world. They teach that we have a chance to experience far more love than we normally encounter in our daily lives. As we become more loving and make efforts to serve others, we gradually enter into the realm of divine love. When we offer such genuine love to others, we receive much more in return. Once we develop a deep spiritual connection, we begin to experience the greater pleasures that we had previously anticipated but did not find in material life. We discover a love that is endless, unlimited by time and circumstances and completely fulfilling.
The Source of Love
Now that we have seen what love is not, let us look more closely at what love is, and where it comes from. The origin of love can only be found in a place far beyond this material world. In fact, deep love cannot exist independently from the Supreme Lord, because He is the source and storehouse of everything. Those who lay claim to love without a connection to the Godhead may think they have valuable diamonds but are actually in possession of only so much cut glass. Because they lack the essential spiritual connection, in reality they have nothing. Genuinely spiritual people, on the other hand, are automatically loving, because they are conduits for God’s own energy. As they radiate divine love, they naturally share it and help others to connect with it.
Our longing for eternal love is a sign that we are out of our natural state. This temporary earthly condition does not fulfill us, because physical bodies and material interactions always come to an end. We want to be loved eternally, because we are imperishable, spiritual beings for whom love is an expression of the soul.
Ultimately, all major spiritual traditions confirm that we are loving entities who are out of place in the material world. They teach that we have a chance to experience far more love than we normally encounter in our daily lives. As we become more loving and make efforts to serve others, we gradually enter into the realm of divine love. When we offer such genuine love to others, we receive much more in return. Once we develop a deep spiritual connection, we begin to experience the greater pleasures that we had previously anticipated but did not find in material life. We discover a love that is endless, unlimited by time and circumstances and completely fulfilling.
* * *
Unconditional love, then, is beyond material concerns. It exists in a realm that transcends the mind and the body, and is related to the nature of the soul. Its natural expression is free from limitations of the body such as birth, disease, old age and death. To experience such love, we must set aside our personal desires for sense gratification and give up taking action just to elicit a predetermined response.
Unconditional love must be just that: without conditions, unmotivated and uninterrupted. Such love is beyond any effort to be good, upright, ethical or moral. Many “good” people only do the right thing to gain recognition and approval. In contrast, an action based on unconditional love is one we may know that her child does not want to stop playing to eat dinner. But, undeterred by the child’s anger, she calls him into the house anyway, because she knows he needs nourishment.
The elements that make up the physical world are all part of God’s separated, or external, energies, and not directly related to the deeper aspects of the Divine. Pure, unmotivated love, on the other hand, is transcendental to anything material and can ultimately connect us with the Lord’s potent internal energies.
In Sanskrit, we speak of sat-chit-ananda-vigraha, meaning that the soul is eternally absorbed in the ecstasy of love, permeated with full knowledge and steeped in bliss. Deep love cannot exist without knowledge and appreciation. In the absence of these qualities, love becomes abstract and general. We cannot deeply love someone whom we do not know, even if we have a generally “nice” feeling about that individual. The most we can express is a sense of vague admiration.
The more we know about those we love, the more our love can be deep and substantive. Genuine love is based on an awareness of particular attributes and qualities. When we know the beloved well, we gain a profound appreciation of that person and understand how to serve most effectively. On the other hand, if we do not know much about someone, our unfamiliarity can produce difficulties because we lack the proper understanding to develop effective communication and action. In the same way, we cannot love God without a great appreciation for who the Lord is, what the Lord does and what the Lord desires from us.
Unconditional Love is Spiritual
Unconditional love, then, is beyond material concerns. It exists in a realm that transcends the mind and the body, and is related to the nature of the soul. Its natural expression is free from limitations of the body such as birth, disease, old age and death. To experience such love, we must set aside our personal desires for sense gratification and give up taking action just to elicit a predetermined response.
Unconditional love must be just that: without conditions, unmotivated and uninterrupted. Such love is beyond any effort to be good, upright, ethical or moral. Many “good” people only do the right thing to gain recognition and approval. In contrast, an action based on unconditional love is one we may know that her child does not want to stop playing to eat dinner. But, undeterred by the child’s anger, she calls him into the house anyway, because she knows he needs nourishment.
The elements that make up the physical world are all part of God’s separated, or external, energies, and not directly related to the deeper aspects of the Divine. Pure, unmotivated love, on the other hand, is transcendental to anything material and can ultimately connect us with the Lord’s potent internal energies.
In Sanskrit, we speak of sat-chit-ananda-vigraha, meaning that the soul is eternally absorbed in the ecstasy of love, permeated with full knowledge and steeped in bliss. Deep love cannot exist without knowledge and appreciation. In the absence of these qualities, love becomes abstract and general. We cannot deeply love someone whom we do not know, even if we have a generally “nice” feeling about that individual. The most we can express is a sense of vague admiration.
The more we know about those we love, the more our love can be deep and substantive. Genuine love is based on an awareness of particular attributes and qualities. When we know the beloved well, we gain a profound appreciation of that person and understand how to serve most effectively. On the other hand, if we do not know much about someone, our unfamiliarity can produce difficulties because we lack the proper understanding to develop effective communication and action. In the same way, we cannot love God without a great appreciation for who the Lord is, what the Lord does and what the Lord desires from us.
* * *
With all the Hollywood depictions of sentimental love so prevalent in our mechanized society, many of us have difficulty understanding the true meaning of spiritual love. We have little opportunity to go beyond a bodily relationship or to view others as anything but extension of ourselves. These approaches to love are so pervasive that they even affect our attitude toward God. We have a tendency to think of the Lord as someone who can fulfill our personal desires, and so we have no interest in serving Him selflessly in an unmotivated, unconditional way.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam, an ancient and extremely sacred Vedic scripture, describe an assembly of yogis and great mystics from many different paths who assembled long ago in a forest in India known as Naimisaranya. They came together to address the question: “What is the highest human activity?” These yogis were eager to discover the most expedient processes for attaining the highest level of spiritual development. They were prepared to stay together and ponder the question for years if necessary, until they could come to some satisfactory conclusion. Despite the fact that they came from many different traditions, they all shared the common goal of wanting to experience the greatest spiritual truths.
In the midst of this gathering appeared one very unusual pure devotee of the Lord by the name Suta Goswami. He was so oblivious to the material world that he wore no clothes, and he was so profoundly entranced with thoughts of the Lord that people thought he was a madman. Despite his appearance, the sages at the assembly understood that this strange person was an extraordinarily great spiritual being.
The seekers at the assembly had a deep level of sincerity. In any spiritual gathering, the sincerity of the speakers and that of the audience are extremely important. This extraordinary being was completely selfless and unmotivated. He did not come to the assembly to impress anyone, nor did he come under any particular protocol. He simply wandered into the environment, where he found the yogis determined to know the truth and ready to perform any ritual, practice or study that might help them discover it.
What eventually emerged from the meeting was the understanding that spirituality is never a matter of one creed or dogma versus another. The wandering sage did not dwell on such temporary conceptions, nor did imply that one teaching was higher than any other. Instead, he spoke of the importance of knowledge, service and love of God beyond any externals, explaining that love and service form the true foundations for self-realization. When we love God unconditionally, we do pray for relief from anxiety, distress or frustration. Such prayers are not indicative of high-level devotion. Instead, we need to learn how to share our love by offering unmotivated, uninterrupted service.
A Gathering of Sages
With all the Hollywood depictions of sentimental love so prevalent in our mechanized society, many of us have difficulty understanding the true meaning of spiritual love. We have little opportunity to go beyond a bodily relationship or to view others as anything but extension of ourselves. These approaches to love are so pervasive that they even affect our attitude toward God. We have a tendency to think of the Lord as someone who can fulfill our personal desires, and so we have no interest in serving Him selflessly in an unmotivated, unconditional way.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam, an ancient and extremely sacred Vedic scripture, describe an assembly of yogis and great mystics from many different paths who assembled long ago in a forest in India known as Naimisaranya. They came together to address the question: “What is the highest human activity?” These yogis were eager to discover the most expedient processes for attaining the highest level of spiritual development. They were prepared to stay together and ponder the question for years if necessary, until they could come to some satisfactory conclusion. Despite the fact that they came from many different traditions, they all shared the common goal of wanting to experience the greatest spiritual truths.
In the midst of this gathering appeared one very unusual pure devotee of the Lord by the name Suta Goswami. He was so oblivious to the material world that he wore no clothes, and he was so profoundly entranced with thoughts of the Lord that people thought he was a madman. Despite his appearance, the sages at the assembly understood that this strange person was an extraordinarily great spiritual being.
The seekers at the assembly had a deep level of sincerity. In any spiritual gathering, the sincerity of the speakers and that of the audience are extremely important. This extraordinary being was completely selfless and unmotivated. He did not come to the assembly to impress anyone, nor did he come under any particular protocol. He simply wandered into the environment, where he found the yogis determined to know the truth and ready to perform any ritual, practice or study that might help them discover it.
What eventually emerged from the meeting was the understanding that spirituality is never a matter of one creed or dogma versus another. The wandering sage did not dwell on such temporary conceptions, nor did imply that one teaching was higher than any other. Instead, he spoke of the importance of knowledge, service and love of God beyond any externals, explaining that love and service form the true foundations for self-realization. When we love God unconditionally, we do pray for relief from anxiety, distress or frustration. Such prayers are not indicative of high-level devotion. Instead, we need to learn how to share our love by offering unmotivated, uninterrupted service.
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