My mantra for the past week has been “I love and accept what is”, but the question occurred to me – what is the difference, what is true acceptance?? In Webster’s online dictionary love is defined as “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person”, attraction and tenderness in a romantic relationship. Acceptance is often interchangeable with approval or being received in the current state of being without expectations for change.
When I was studying philosophy many years ago we began to discuss definitions of love. No one was really ever able to truly define it although some deep interpretations were exchanged. As I have deepened my yoga and meditation practice and actually begun to FEEL love, I begin to believe more that love is acceptance and acceptance is love. As we eliminate expectations of ourselves, our family and the world around us we are more able to be present to what is happening and react in a compassionate manner. It’s not about seeking approval, quite the opposite in fact.
The Dalai Llama says “the more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be” What does freedom arise from? I now feel on a deep level that the more we ‘fight’ for our freedom and try to define ourselves as independent, the less free we truly are. When we surrender to what is, accept fully what is happening around us and within us at any given moment we find true freedom, which may be yet another synonym for LOVE.
Truly these words, love, acceptance, freedom, are extremely limited for concepts that are so expansive and embrace such a totality of being. The best way to understand these concepts is to experience life. Take notice when your heart feels so full that it could just burst, pay attention to what happens on a physical, mental and emotional level when you try to go against the current, be mindful of your presence when you would normally get angry with someone, react irrationally etc but instead you choose to step back and compassionately see the situation with different eyes. This daily practice will begin to show you little by little what these concepts mean to you.
When I was studying philosophy many years ago we began to discuss definitions of love. No one was really ever able to truly define it although some deep interpretations were exchanged. As I have deepened my yoga and meditation practice and actually begun to FEEL love, I begin to believe more that love is acceptance and acceptance is love. As we eliminate expectations of ourselves, our family and the world around us we are more able to be present to what is happening and react in a compassionate manner. It’s not about seeking approval, quite the opposite in fact.
The Dalai Llama says “the more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be” What does freedom arise from? I now feel on a deep level that the more we ‘fight’ for our freedom and try to define ourselves as independent, the less free we truly are. When we surrender to what is, accept fully what is happening around us and within us at any given moment we find true freedom, which may be yet another synonym for LOVE.
Truly these words, love, acceptance, freedom, are extremely limited for concepts that are so expansive and embrace such a totality of being. The best way to understand these concepts is to experience life. Take notice when your heart feels so full that it could just burst, pay attention to what happens on a physical, mental and emotional level when you try to go against the current, be mindful of your presence when you would normally get angry with someone, react irrationally etc but instead you choose to step back and compassionately see the situation with different eyes. This daily practice will begin to show you little by little what these concepts mean to you.
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