Entangled with love

Mankind is facing another New Year. In Sri Lanka prayers are offered by people of all four major religions for peace and harmony. Maybe we should, as a nation, take note of the love which is also preached by all religions to unify us.

Starting with Buddhism, the Buddha taught us to see every other human being as ourselves. Treat another the way you would wish to be treated yourself. Buddhist non-attachment does not mean indifference or not being able to have a deep and committed relationship. It only warns us that every relationship is impermanent, that while living with love and happiness we must be aware that it must, it could end any time.

We see a pattern of this in nature. The seed eventually falls from the tree to take root again in the soil in a new form. The word metta means to let joy and appreciation flow out of one’s heart towards another like water gushing out like a spring from the depths of the earth. Karuna means compassion and empathy. Equate -- recognize equality of all lives despite differences in race, creed and caste. This equality descends even, in the Buddha’s eyes, to the lowest form of life like the ant and the mosquito.

Moving onto the Hindu concept on life and love.

Although it is said that a devotee should devote him or herself to one’s favourite deity be it Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Ganesha or any other divine manifestation or any other aspect from the God Almighty himself, it must contribute love, pure, intense to form the measuring rod. To quote: Love is pure, intense, all inclusive

That ever forms the measuring rod.
The nature is beyond human speech and thought -
They thought.
So love’s measuring rod was made.
No Yoga’s power nor sacrifice, nor fierce austerity
Not even the strength of thought profound
They believed
Hath ever found thee -
But if love’s service with a simple heart -
Before thy feet we lay -
Without hatred, discrimination, accepting each cult
As a contribution to thee -
Be it Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Ganesha, including the Buddha -
Each cult, in its way, contributed to thy growth and development -
Initially differing but in the ultimate consummation -
They are akin and alike.
So LOVE is there any point
In a measuring rod?
The Temple, the Mosque and the Church
Are symbols of that one LOVE
For which we fruitlessly search
Until all QUARRELS are done -
And ONE is the world which we see;
We are but a part of the whole:
'Tis clothed with the cloud and the tree:
And justice and Right are its soul.
A drop of rain fell on the sand:
It sighed to be separated from the sea -
For the sea and the sky and land -
Are one in the life which must be.
Moving onto Christianity - to quote
God is LOVE.
Love boundless, unconditional and forgiving - To live with humbleness, to reach out to the poor and desperate. Man is weak and HIS presence is needed to make us strong. He has given us free will to choose whether we need Him in our lives or not. He sent His only begotten son to die on our behalf.