According to Buddha, These Are the Four Elements of “True Love”
Some people say true love happens only once in a lifetime. But, not many people have actually been able to describe the meaning of “true love”. Is it the same feeling you have when you have a crush on someone at high school?
Or is it similar to close friendships, where you care for the person as a human being at first, and even afterwards you leave space for passion?
One way we can get closer to understanding the meaning of “true love” is actually talking to someone who has already felt it. But even then, we might find it difficult to understand it before experiencing it first.
It seems that there are lessons that can be learnt only through experience. But in order to help us grasp the notion of the term, Buddha has spoken about few components of “true love” that he has realized through his journey through the emotions, experiences and events happening in the world.
These four components Buddha has spoken of are what makes true love different than any other similar feeling. In order to understand the meaning, you need to practice certain things.
1. Give without expecting to receive
True love is definitely not about being selfish and greedy. It’s the complete opposite of that. When you love someone truly, you give and don’t expect anything in return.
You want the other person to be happy and to benefit, so you are ready to give selflessly. If you’re not able to do this for someone you care, you might not be ready to understand the meaning of true love yet.
Giving is a feature of people with big hearts who are ready to experience true love. Start practicing this sooner and you will understand its importance and significance, just as Buddha did.
2. Happiness
Happiness is inimitable feature of good life, just as true love is. These two come together. Positive energy can do wonders and joy is the greatest emotion you can transfer to someone.
The best thing is that anyone can do it. Everyone has the potential to become a source of positive energy and inspiration. Buddha himself has practiced happiness and joy even while doing the most boring routines.
Apart from the positive effect it can have on the others, joy is a key component of the meaning of “true love”. Negative attitude towards life and people will only get you more isolated in your negative thoughts and far from true love.
3. Have passion
Many great thinkers have said that no matter what your job is, you have to give your best every day. Having passion for something you do daily is crucial for living a fulfilling life and loving someone.
When people are not passionate about their job or their actions, it might be a sign that they have made a mistake in the choice of occupation. On the other side, people who have passion for their job, even if that’s an occupation that might seem less important to the others, will achieve great success in life.
With great success comes big happiness, and this results in understanding the meaning of true love.
Whatever you do, be an expert at it!
4. Be kind
Buddha has taught us a great lesson about kindness. From him, we learned that it’s important to be kind to others and to yourself. Practicing kindness is the last key component of true love which Buddha lists for people who haven’t understood the meaning of true love.
Only by being kind we can be loved by someone and only by being kind to ourselves we can appreciate ourselves. Satisfaction comes from ourselves. If we are not able to appreciate ourselves, then how can we expect someone else to appreciate us?
Practicing kindness will show you how beautiful people can be. It will show you that everyone is special and has a different role in the world. Finally, it will help you to grow and become a better person, thus motivating others to improve.
Understanding true love is about understanding these four components. Buddha has many other lessons for personal growth and taking control over one’s own emotions. The meaning of true love is just the start of a greater and more powerful spiritual journey.
This article was originally published by Curious Mind Magazine. Read the original article.