In the transcendence of the dualistic perception is the profound love which the nondual sages refer to. The Sanskrit term ananda is often translated into English as "bliss," but the bliss is the consequence of experiencing unconditional love: the word unconditional is defined as "absolute." This is love for all that exists: that means the "good," the "bad," and whatever is in between. It means a love that inclusively makes no distinction between what is manifested from moment to moment, and the omnipresent Totality which manifests it.
Ramana uses various words to indicate the ever-present actuality, such as God or Self, that ti which all things owe their be-ing. So he says, " Expansion of love and affection would be a [proper] term for a true devotee of God," or the sublime Presence. But he emphasizes that thjis infinite Presence "is not 'somewhere else', but is inside [as well as outside] of each of us; so, in loving all, one loves only the Self…The individual is not separate from God."
Read More... http://www.livingnonduality.org/blog/2014/04/10/the-meaning-of-love
For both partners, unconditional love means putting the health of the relationship above all else. This is a conscious decision made by both people, and it requires . . .
- regular and open communication;
- a willingness to calmly express concerns or hurts;
- a willingness to make behavior adjustments that don’t compromise your boundaries;
- a willingness to communicate boundaries;
- the ability to accept and even embrace personality differences that don’t compromise the health of the relationship;
- a willingness to continue to work on your own self-awareness and self-esteem;
- complete trust that your partner “has your back” and you have theirs;
- the ability to forgive and forget, especially when forgiveness is requested for flaws and failures and there’s a real effort to make change;
- the firm commitment never to withhold love (or sex or money, etc.) to get what you want or need;
- the desire to express your love with small daily actions and words;
- the decision to let go of the “small stuff” that might bug you so you can focus on the best aspects of your partner;
- the willingness to show extra love and have patience with your partner when they go through periods of difficulty, sadness, or disconnection, knowing it’s a short-lived condition;
- loving the other for the joy of loving, without thought for what you will get in return.
Read more: http://liveboldandbloom.com/11/relationships/unconditional-love-the-key-to-lasting-relationships
What does the word ‘non-duality’ point to?
The world created by thought, the world of words, language, and concepts, is the world of opposites. ‘Up and down’, ‘this or that’, ‘inside and outside’, ‘right and wrong’, ‘black and white’, ‘true and false’, ‘positive and negative’, ‘me and you’ and so on. The world of words, language, thoughts, concepts, is a dualistic world of apparent opposites. But, in reality, do opposites exist?
What we are really pointing to when we use the word ‘non-duality’ is something that goes beyond all of these mind-made opposites. But how can we talk about something that goes beyond opposites, when even our attempt to talk about non-duality is dualistic?
So, what the word non-duality actually means is really very difficult to describe or put into words. In fact, you could say it’s impossible. For we are not talking about non-duality as opposed to something called duality, we are not talking about pro-duality as opposed to anti-duality.In fact the non-duality we speak of is not the opposite of anything. This is impossible to understand logically or rationally. To see what is being spoken of, we must go beyond our ordinary way of thinking and seeing.
‘Non-duality’ is actually a translation of the Sanskrit word ‘Advaita’, which simply means ‘not two’ and points to the essential oneness (wholeness, completeness, unity) of life, a wholeness which exists here and now,prior to any apparent separation. It’s a word that points to an intimacy, a love beyond words, right at the heart of present moment experience. It’s a word that points us back Home. And despite the compelling appearance of separation and diversity there is only one universal essence, one reality. Oneness is all there is – and we are included.
What we are really trying to do when we say ‘non-duality’ is point to life as it is right now, before the appearance of concepts and labels; before thought creates a world of things: table, chair, hand, foot, fear, me, you, past, future. What is life before thought? Can we even talk about that? Is it possible to capture non-duality into words?
When we speak of non-duality it can sometimes seem like we mean ‘anti-duality’, that we are against duality or that it’s wrong or false or even dangerous. This can then lead to dogmatic thinking and religiosity and to the proclamation of rightness: “You are dualistic and I am non-dualistic! I am more non-dual than you!” That is the religion of non-duality. We are more interested in the truth of non-duality
Read More: http://www.lifewithoutacentre.com/writings/what-is-nonduality/
Water in a teakettle must reach 100o C (at sea level) before it will boil.
