The pic above is of a lotus flower, a sacred and meaningful flower to Buddhists and other Eastern Philosophies. The reference to the lotus flower is a wonderful icon that describes the path we take to become enlightened. A lotus flower is the icon of purification of the body, the speech, and the mind; blossoming of insight into the true reality and then into liberation. The lotus makes reference to the path; growing from the mud (otherwise known as samsara), climbing through the muddy water to appear clean on the surface of the water (purification) as a bud, then moving to flower (enlightenment). It’s a wonderful thought, practice that leads to rising from the mud and into the light with purity. You have to give it to us Buddhists for great imagery. Although I think the Hindus have it on us.

Through all this talk of desire and feeling desire and working with desire and transforming desire, I forgot to do one important thing and that’s practice loving-kindness towards myself, metta. So I picked up a book by Thick Nhat Hanh called True Love; A Practice for Awakening the Heart. Less metta and more how to have an open heart for those we love. Without self-love one is not able to give present love to their family.

The book was great, I really enjoyed reading it. From it I took some good mantra’s or thoughts:

The Four Aspects of Love

• Maitri – loving-kindess, ability to bring joy and happiness to the one you love, training to do so is to practice deep looking toward the person you love. Understanding this person is love and without understanding love is not possible.
• Karuna – compassion, not just the desire to ease pain in another but the ability to do so. Deep looking to understand the suffering in another so that you can help the change. Meditation is key as it is the looking into the nature of things.
• Mudita – if there is no joy in love, it is not true love, suffering all the time (in yourself or causing it) this is not love, but the opposite.
• Upeksha – equanimity or freedom, when you love you bring freedom to the person you love, loving in such a way as the other person you love feels free; “Dear one, do you have enough space in you heart and all around you?”

Love for self can be applied accordingly, the same concepts can be applied to the ego-self relationship. Loving another is the fertile ground of study and understanding we Buddhists crave.

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