Thread: What Is Love?
View Single Post
Old 04-02-2008, 07:20 PM   #12 (permalink)
AB517
Senior Member
 
AB517's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,045
AB517 is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Og View Post
Jesus said that you should Hate those that you Love. Luke 14:26-27

Quote:
...the sound of one hand clapping. The answer lies...
AB. There is not an answer to this question That's the point. It's a koam designed to free your mind from the world of categories of though that it is bound in and defined by and connect you to the transcendent root of all things.

Zen teachings tell you to simply consider the question. It's intentionally an absurdity. The result is "Aum/Ohm/Om"... This is about as close as you get to an answer where the Buddhist teachings are concerned.

Ironically, Jesus' comments above, particularly when combined with "Love thy enemy" sound quite a bit like the "one hand clapping" concept. These comments of christ seem to directly illustrate how we are bound to dichotomies such as "love and hate" and "enemies and friends."

Another that should be discarded is that of "you" the creation and "God" the creator. That's what jesus discarded (and thus said "I and the Father are One" in the book of John).

Love/Hate is just another dichotomy. It makes sense that God minded people would consider Love to be divine. They still think of a distinction between people and the divine. The true understanding that Jesus and the Zen teachings point you at is that Love and Hate are all one and inseparable and could not exist without one another. Hitler is as much love as ghandi is love. Just as they are both hate. It is because they are one just as we all are with them.

That's the sound of one hand clapping.
Yep,

You are totally correct about the purpose the Buddhist questioning.
But that’s why I am not a Buddhist; I always give them an answer.
Weather they need one or not.

I do not totaly agree with your last three paragraphs, but the differences are small.

The sound of one hand clapping is the human experience.
love, hate, joy, and sorrow. To that, I agree 100% with you.
AB517 is offline   Reply With Quote