Experiences Of Love In Buddhism And Other Religions

[Joop50]

I have been to some religeons and teachers who had a kind of message, searching for that what would give an answer to the agitation in me.

I became very sceptical and critical on all these spiritual movements. And I did all the meditations, yoga and trainings but I've never found satisfaction until about 6 years ago I've found what I call now my teacher.

I was always focussed on messages, things, wich should be very special and should be intelligible.

The first time I met this teacher, something really strange happend, wich I do not explane now but it made me going to his meetings more times.

Anyway slowly there originate a feeling in my heart area wich I can debscribe as oppressive and opened up, released at the same time and there was a feeling of love, beyond words..

I've never felt this Love before, it was the Love for That what we call Awareness, the Ultimate Truth, and it never left me.

I've studied the books, I did my meditations and it became bigger and bigger sometimes it ended in bliss.

It was not only me who experienced this Love, I noticed it to many people near this teacher. And later I found out there were many more teachers who teach this Nonduality.

I wonder is there any experiences like this known in Buddism, as special the Theravada Buddism these days.

I ask this because what I read in the threads here it is all about knowledge about the works and not about how to practice it, to surrender.

If I am wrong, excuse me.

[camerata]

I ask this because what I read in the threads here it is all about knowledge about the works and not about how to practice it, to surrender.

If I am wrong, excuse me.

You can't take this forum as being representative of Theravada Buddhism in general. We have non-Buddhists, partial Buddhists, agnostic Buddhists and Buddhists of every different type here (but no Thai Buddhists!). So the discussion tends to be on whatever people are interested in.

The practice is set out in the Pali Canon, so naturally there is a lot of discussion about what the texts mean. Personally, when I want to know about the deeper aspects of the practice, such as meditation, I read a book about it written by someone experienced or ask a monk.

[phetaroi]

You can't take this forum as being representative of Theravada Buddhism in general. We have non-Buddhists, partial Buddhists, agnostic Buddhists and Buddhists of every different type here (but no Thai Buddhists!). So the discussion tends to be on whatever people are interested in.

I'm sure this is not what you meant, but if this forum was representative of Thai Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism, we'd be spending a lot more time talking about "phii" and Hindu gods, etc.

[Brucenkhamen]

From a Theravadin perspective I think we'd need to differentiate the blissful feeling of love that you felt and how it changed your life.

I think some Theravadins do have experiences similar to what you describe with their teachers though they wouldn't be encouraged to make much of it in the way a guru lineage would.

So we'd be encouraged to see feeling as feeling, something that is impermanent, not ultimately satisfying, not me, and not something to get attached to or base your spiritual life on.

What is more significant is how it changed your life, and the real test of that is when the feeling is gone what is it that you are left with that better enables you to deal with the uncertainties of life.

[Xangsamhua]

Joop50:

I've never felt this Love before, it was the Love for That what we call Awareness, the Ultimate Truth, and it never left me.

I've studied the books, I did my meditations and it became bigger and bigger sometimes it ended in bliss.

You are blessed to have had this awareness experience and that it remains with you. It seems you've found the right teacher.

Brucenkhamen's response states the Theravada position admirably, that:

we'd be encouraged to see feeling as feeling, something that is impermanent, not ultimately satisfying, not me, and not something to get attached to or base your spiritual life on.

History, East and West, does not lack stories of people who have been filled with inspiration, overwhelming experiences of love, and whose lives have been changed permanently as a result. William James's Varieties of Religious Experience records many of these and he restricted himself to the world of Christendom.

Of course, they were all interior experiences, none that could be proven to a skeptical audience to be other than something taking place in one's own consciousness, but they were undeniable to those who spoke of their experience and whose lives changed as a result. Objectively, one could conclude that they were deluded, but that can't be proven either.

It seems that Theravada, like Roman Catholicism, doesn't really encourage people to seek after spiritual experience or heightened consciousness via the primary medium of a guru (as in Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism) or scriptural texts (as in Islam and Evangelical Christianity). Rather, Theravada envisages growth in awareness as inseparable from the context of the Sangha and the whole body of Dhamma (as Catholicism grounds its spirituality in the Church and Tradition as well as the scriptures).

Edited September 28, 2010 by Xangsamhua

[Joop50]

Thank you, Brucenkhamen and Xangsamhua for your serious response. Now I look back to my writing, I think I made it to personal. Your quote and comment are absolutely right, Nonduality tells the same and I described the experience as feeling but I cannot describe it otherwise, it only opened the Heart (for ever).

To Petharoi, You are right, it was not what I meant and I do not understand Camerata's response. Don't you mean "if this forum was NOT representative of Thai Buddhism?"

Although Nondualism is coming from and it has the Sanscrit meaning of Advaita, there is no need to know anything of Indian God's, but the stories about for instance Krishna and Aruna get more clear, that I must admit.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Joop50

[camerata]

You were suggesting that in this forum we discuss "knowledge about the works and not about how to practice it" as if that were typical of Buddhists in general. I'm just pointing out that the forum members here aren't typical Buddhists (or necessarily Buddhists at all), so the discussions aren't limited to the practice of Dhamma.

[Joop50]

Thanks Camerata, indeed I was in the presumption that this forum, "Thai Buddhism" was pointed to Theravada Buddhism, now I see it is (much) more elaborate.

I am not such a long time on this forum, but what I generally read here is more pointed to the knowledge and not to the Heart experience. That's why I asked for some experiences.

I see my writing above about this is somewhat over-simplified and perhaps my view on it might be limited,