We Share One Life, We Are One Life
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*Tyil.pics, Glorious Fall Colors, Flickr
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Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness. It comes from letting the world tickle your heart, your raw and beautiful heart. You are willing to open up, without resistance or shyness, and face the world. You are willing to share your heart with others.
*Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (Buddhist)
There is no fear in love, rather real love casts out fear. For fear arises due to a thought of being punished. The one who fears has not been made complete in love.
*I John 4.18 (Christian)
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Our quote, today, from the immanent Buddhist Chogyam Trungpa, speaks of tenderness. Tenderness does not mean we cannot be strong, assertive, tough. Tenderness is the whole being, the heart, being open to feel the world. You are not shy about being here, for you know you belong, as much as anyone else. And you do not focus merely on sharing things, but sharing yourself, even through sharing things. Even a smile can be sharing your whole being, your entire mystery, with another person. This is a fearless life, not meaning that fear does not show up, at times, however.
The selection from the Christian Scripture, speaks of fearlessness, also. We do not get rid of fear by fighting fear. In such warring fear feeds fear, for we gain energy, though self-defeating, from fearing we cannot overcome fear. The cycle goes on, then, repeating itself. Rather, love untangles the feelings and illusions of fear. We no longer even fear that "God" would or will punish us. That kind of thought simply dissolves in the Light of Love. Then, when fear arises, we return to love. Love, in a mysterious way, takes care of us to the extent we allow love to, through trust. We gladly find ourselves becoming more whole, so more open fearlessly to embrace all things, and to relate with others in our natural strength without dependency, able, then, to give and receive based on our particular way of being ourselves in the world. Then, also, our fearlessness pertains to the fact that we no longer fear being overwhelmed by others, we no longer fear losing ourselves to others. In Kindness, we embrace ourselves fearlessly, and in that embrace we gladly invite others, indeed, everyone, not least those we once judged as too different from us to belong in our heart. This all happens naturally, for love, unlike fearfulness, can only act naturally.
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*Tom Carter, Arati Evening Worship (Kumbh Mela), Flickr
Underlying all forms of worship, all gods and goddesses, is the desire to love and be loved, not that there is some being demanding worship, as though he or she would need such attention. We worship, for the need and will to love is essential to our being and living together kindly and in goodwill. Worship is never a private matter, for that inspiration and action to worship belongs to us all. In worship, true, spiritual worship, I find my heart drawn to the realization, gladsome and freeing, that my heart is everyone's heart and everyone's heart is my heart.
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We are each a lovely, pure Rose, in the Garden of Grace.
*White Rose, Pyogenes..., Flickr
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*You can contact Brian at briankwilcox@yahoo.com. Please keep in mind, when reading from this site, that teachings cover an extended period of years and, therefore, reflect changes over that time.
