When trying to understand perfect love, one can look for any of these indicators, just to name a few:
Is what you’re doing of benefit to yourself alone, or does it benefit God’s plan as well?
Is what you’re doing bringing you closer to God and those around you, or does it separate you from the two?
Is what you’re doing loving and beneficial to everyone, or is it harmful or injurious?
— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 43)
“How Shall I forgive others?”
“If you never condemned you would never need to forgive.”
– Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom
Source: https://www.inspirationalstories.com/cgi-bin/printer.pl?364
Revenge, hatred, selfishness, dominance, greed … these are what destroy our souls and make unity an impossibility.
— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 43)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive,
For it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Question: Many Eastern and New Age religions claim that all separateness and self-identity is an illusion; What are your thoughts on that?
Answer: I see some of the thinking involved with this kind of outlook as an escape valve to not have to develop ways to transcend the ego/selfishness.
Of course, it’s important to see the interconnectedness of all things; I have had experiences of the interconnectedness of all things as well. But the connections are complex, and need to be seen for what they are. The things that keep us separated in spirit can’t be wished away, but must be understood and righted.
In my view, ego/selfishness can’t be transcended by merely saying that it’s an illusion; it is a willful process which takes unending work―and hard work at that. There are many philosophies and religions, especially trending now in our current age, that want to tell us that all we need to do is acknowledge that we are one with the universe and — Whoola! — that’s it. End of story. The problem is, I don’t recall Gandhi, Buddha, or Jesus claiming that to become unified with God and those around us, or to realize spiritual enlightenment, is such an easy task as to merely say that our apparent separateness is an illusion.
I believe that we are all unified to the Spirit of God on a very basic, fundamental level (as the interconnectedness of all things to the Spirit of God). As I illustrate in my writings, I believe that we are a part of God that God willfully gave to us to be something new and unique. To be whatever we want to be. To share or not share. To raise ourselves to the heavenly heights, or suffer unhappiness in the pits of selfish indulgence.
For me, unity doesn’t mean a loss of identity. We share ourselves with God and all things and they share themselves with us, and in that way we are unified, we are One, but never do we lose who we are. It’s not the losing of self but the sharing of self that makes the whole process of life so beautiful and enjoyable.
Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, but that’s The Truth as I See It.
When the family’s dog died, a mother tried to gently break the news to her little 5-year-old daughter. “We can all be happy now, that little Bo is up in heaven with God.” Replied the little girl: “But mom, what’s God going to do with a dead dog?”
Source: http://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Spiritual_Humor.html
“The only cure for materialism is the cleansing of the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind). If the senses are clogged, one’s perception is stifled. The more it is stifled, the more contaminated the senses become. This creates disorder in one’s life and, consequently, throughout the entire world, and that is the greatest evil of all. In order to protect the world, we must first rid ourselves of defilements.”
– Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace
Source: https://omlc.org/aikido/talk/osensei/artofpeace/28.html
To practice perfect love is to bring about the evolution of your soul. Where once you held a grudge, you forgive instead. Where once you were jealous of others, you’re now content with what you have. Where once there was disappointment, understanding takes its place. Where once you demanded your own way, you’re now willing to sacrifice for the sake of another. Where once you thought only of yourself, you’re now conscious of the needs of others. Where you once took things for granted, you’re now appreciative of what you have. Where once there was hatred and separation, there now is love and togetherness.
— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 42-43)
Perfect love doesn’t discriminate. It thinks of how it can bring joy to that which it encounters. It thinks of how it can share itself with everything else.
— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 42)
“In the end only three things matter: How much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”
– Buddha
Source: https://www.passiton.com/inspirational-quotes/6838-in-the-end-only-three-things-matter-how-much
Mind / Purpose / Truth 