AoA,
The end of the false self spells the end of fear, and the desperate need for power that fearful people cannot help. Power is a form of self-protection, and when fear is gone, there is no need for protection.
The true self is love, and being able to love all the time is the most one could want. The clash between love and power then has no meaning. As Tagore so decisively wrote, “Love is not a mere impulse; it must contain truth, which is law.”
How hard we try to protect ourselves from being hurt emotionally, not realizing the intensity of life we have walled out in the process. It is necessary to defend the heart when it is too weak and frightened to love, yet at some point all that can change. It becomes possible to let love flow when and where it wants. You are able to welcome others, without defenses, without fear, into the expanded space of your own being.
As my friend Chris says, “I was driving down the highway looking for the exit when I noticed an unusual sensation in my chest. It began as a warm or tingling feeling, which I recognized from meditation. Generally the feeling is pleasant but temporary. Now it began to intensify, and instead of physical warmth, wave after wave of emotion started to sweep over me.”
“It was love, but much purer and more concentrated love than I had ever felt…my heart was unfolding like a flower…I was having the most wonderful experience of my life.”
I felt the tender affection of someone who has not torn down the walls of pain but flown over them.
The end of the false self spells the end of fear, and the desperate need for power that fearful people cannot help. Power is a form of self-protection, and when fear is gone, there is no need for protection.
The true self is love, and being able to love all the time is the most one could want. The clash between love and power then has no meaning. As Tagore so decisively wrote, “Love is not a mere impulse; it must contain truth, which is law.”
How hard we try to protect ourselves from being hurt emotionally, not realizing the intensity of life we have walled out in the process. It is necessary to defend the heart when it is too weak and frightened to love, yet at some point all that can change. It becomes possible to let love flow when and where it wants. You are able to welcome others, without defenses, without fear, into the expanded space of your own being.
As my friend Chris says, “I was driving down the highway looking for the exit when I noticed an unusual sensation in my chest. It began as a warm or tingling feeling, which I recognized from meditation. Generally the feeling is pleasant but temporary. Now it began to intensify, and instead of physical warmth, wave after wave of emotion started to sweep over me.”
“It was love, but much purer and more concentrated love than I had ever felt…my heart was unfolding like a flower…I was having the most wonderful experience of my life.”
I felt the tender affection of someone who has not torn down the walls of pain but flown over them.