This is a follow-up to Monday’s post (we are one). I’ve since found the book I’d hoped someone had written. In Oneness: great principles shared by all religions Jeffrey Moses shows that the founders of every major religious tradition–among them Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Confucius, and Mohammad–have taught the notion of loving our neighbour.
Why do “we” find it so difficult (impossible) to like, love, accept our neighbours as they are? What makes me constantly judge and discriminate–to like some and dislike others, to hate and fear, include and exclude?
As I look at this list of sayings (rules, guidelines, commandments) from various religious teachers, there’s one which captures all others: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Leviticus, 19:18, a major source of Jewish law). How often have we heard that in one form or another? As I sit with these seven words, something pops: “love … as thyself” it says. Instead of looking for answers “out there” I am directed towards my own heart, at the ways I love (or not love) my/self.
“A man obtains a proper rule of action by looking on his neighbour as himself.” –Mahabharata (the sacred text of Hinduism; with about 1.8 million words in total, one of the longest epic poems in the world).
“Every major religion of the world has similar ideas of love, the same goal of benefiting humanity through spiritual practice, and the same effect of making their followers into better human beings.” –Dalai Lama, religious and political leader of Tibetans living in excile.
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From “Self-love: is it selfish” by Leslie Karen Lobell, M.A. at http://www.enotalone.com/article/1097.html
“When I talk of self-love, I am NOT advocating that we should stop caring for others, and just focus on ourselves. Being in service and giving back to your community is something I believe is very important. Showing kindness to others and demonstrating our caring for our loved ones is a key to having a fulfilling life. However, maintaining a balance is critical. You cannot keep giving to others if you do not give to yourself, first. It is like pouring water from a vessel: you cannot pour and pour without ever refilling it – eventually, it will run dry. Like that vessel, we, too, need to refill, recharge, and re-energize. We need to replenish ourselves, by loving and giving to ourselves.”