L O V E

[Guest guest]

Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal,

 

Share the wisdom of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

 

LOVE

 

5. When someone expresses love to you, what do you do?

 

You feel obliged and bound.

 

You shrink or shy away.

 

You feel foolish and awkward.

 

You try to reciprocate eventhough it is not genuine.

 

You doubt the love expressed and you doubt your own worthiness.

 

You are afraid of losing respect because love does not allow distance and

respect tends to keep a distance.

 

Your ego hardens and does not allow you to receive and reciprocate.

 

The ability to receive genuine love comes with the ability to give love. The

more you are centered and know by experience that you are love, the more you

feel at home with any amount of love being expressed in any matter, for deep

inside, you know love is not an emotion. It is your very existence.

 

Joy is love for what is. Sorrow is love for what is not.

 

 

6. You feel love for someone and they do not accept it. What do you do?

 

Get frustrated.

 

Turn the love into hatred and wish for revenge.

 

Again and again remind them how much you love

them and how little they love you.

 

Become fussy and cranky.

 

Throw tantrums.

 

Feel humiliated and try to protect your respect.

 

Resolve never to love again.

 

Feel hurt and mistreated.

 

Try to be aloof and indifferent.

 

But you have seen that none of these work; they only make the situation worse.

What is the way out of this? How do you maintain your lovingness?

 

Have patience and change your expression of love.

 

Be centered and limit your expression of love. Some times expressing

too much love puts people off.

 

Take it for granted that they love you too and just accept their style

of expression.

 

Genuinely acknowledge whatever love they have for you. This will turn

your demand into gratefulness and the more grateful you are in life, the more

love comes your way.

 

Know that hurt is part of love and take responsibility for it. When you move

away from your center, you will get hurt and the nature of

worldliness is misery.

 

 

7. Being in utter love inspires. It brings confidence in applying

knowledge. The visible sign of utter love is an undying smile.

 

8. Let love be. Do not give it a name. When you give love a name it

becomes a relationship and relationships restrict love.

There is love between you and me. Just let it be. If you give love a

name, such as brother, sister, mother, father, guru -- you are making it into a

relationship. Imposing a relationship on love restricts it. What is your

relationship to yourself? Are you your wife, brother, husband, guru? Let love

be. Do not give it a name.

 

9. When love glows, it is bliss.

When it flows, it is compassion.

When it blows, it is anger.

When it ferments, it is jealousy.

When it is all “no’sâ€, it is hatred.

When it acts, it is perfection.

When love knows, it is me.

 

To be continued. . . .

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry.