Principle # 1
It seems to me that this principle is the building block, the cornerstone for all that follows. If the first is true, all the others seem possible. [Try it yourself -- read through each of the principles, following each one with the phrase "...because the essence of our being is love."]
The dictionary defines the word 'essence' (not a word we use much in ordinary conversation) as "an indispensable, intrinsic property; that which characterizes and identifies; the most important element; that which is inherent and unchanging in nature; the fundamental property of a thing; a basic, defining trait." By this definition, then, we infer that the indispensable intrinsic property of our being is love; that which characterizes and identifies us is love; the most important element of our being is love; the inherent, unchanging nature of our being is love; the fundamental property of our being is love; the basic, defining trait of our being is love.
Why is it, then, that we are so afraid to look within? How is it we spend practically all of our time and attention focused on trying to find love outside ourselves (calling it by any number of names: success, attention, wealth, respect, security, etc.)?
For any kind of answer, we must turn to the heart. The mind has endless arguments against this principle (What about serial killers? What about the guy who cut me off in traffic? Does this mean even my mother-in-law?), but love is a radiance which can be felt and experienced perhaps most strongly in the context of an open heart. The limitless acceptance, the lack of fear and judgment, the ever-welcoming presence of that place we call the heart brings the reality of love into our experience.
It is impossible to explain or define the non-physical reality of the heart, but we all intuitively know this place. It is the place from which compassion and wisdom spring (as opposed to pity and intellect, which are mental in nature). It is the place from which unbelievable courage and unshakable integrity come. It is what enables prisoners in Nazi prison camps to say to their tormentors, "We want nothing for you but that you recognize your own goodness." It is the consciousness that allows Martin Luther King to say, "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality."
It is within the heart that we recognize there is no separation; it is within the heart that we see beyond behavior and the judgments of the mind to the essential goodness of each one; it is within the heart that we move from communication to communion, to a place beyond words, where all contradictions are reconciled, where all longings come to rest, where our safety and innocence are guaranteed. Stephen Levine says,"Love is the natural condition of our being which is revealed when all else is relinquished; the shimmering awareness which receives all things with equal openness and regard."
What is it that must be relinquished for us to become aware of our own loving nature, not to mention that of others? Certainly our attachment to our favorite judgments and perceptions, as well as our addiction to fearful and guilty thoughts. To experience our true nature requires that we become aware of the nature of the thoughts we tend to support with our energy and attention. What assumptions are we making? Which perceptions and judgments have become so habitual that we confuse them with reality? What fears arise when we consider acknowledging the essential worth and goodness of every person? Why do we cling so tightly to certain judgments? Observing the contents and activities of our minds with acceptance and compassion (instead of judgment and criticism), allows our hearts to open to more and more of our essential nature. Experiencing the love that is our defining characteristic means we must look beyond the evidence provided by our single mind and ask Universal Truth for a new perception--of others, of the situation, of life, of the world, of ourselves.
This is not a principle that can be taught, but it can be experienced. We can open the door to our heart and all that lies within. We can let all the noise and busy-ness of the mind, all the raging emotions of the belly, come home to rest in the quiet radiance and limitless acceptance of the heart. We can allow ourselves to become acquainted with the Presence of Love that dwells ever and always within our deepest self.
offered by Carolyn Blankenship, 1995
check out Practice Execises on this principle
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