Unconditional Love

Love is our true nature. In this talk and guided practice, we explore the universal truth that we are love. We are born from love, and we exist as expressions of love. Love is a connection that transcends the limited sense of self and is the source of all creativity. To access the deep well of unconditional love that we all have within, we have to allow space for vulnerability, complexity, and forgiveness. This is a 20-minute talk followed by a 20-minute guided meditation on loving-kindness.

Transcript

I had a request to speak a bit about love.

So I'll start with a quote from Rumi.

Your task is not to seek for love,

But merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

Love is our true nature.

It's our natural state.

We are born from love,

And we exist as embodiments of love.

But we often forget.

Being human,

Living our lives,

We all experience moments of pain and difficulty and sorrow.

And all of these experiences are challenging,

And we often will create defense mechanisms.

We create mechanisms to protect ourselves and defend ourselves,

Because we're afraid of being hurt.

We're afraid of those close to us being hurt.

We're afraid of loss.

And so we create these defense mechanisms,

And over time,

That starts to close down our hearts.

These are the barriers that we create that prevent us from experiencing the love that is who we are in our core.

When we become attached to things being a certain way,

When we have desires for things to be different than they are,

When we have aversion that we don't want something or don't want a certain experience,

All of that is vacillations of the mind that are rooted in fear,

That prevent us from experiencing our natural state.

We lose connection to our soul,

To the underlying oneness that we are all always a part of,

That we are born from and into,

And that we are always connected to.

And yet we always have the ability to access this true nature of love within us.

We have the ability to cultivate a greater grounding in that experience of love.

One of the challenges is that love makes us vulnerable.

You know,

When you fall in love,

It can be amazing,

And it can bring forth all of those chemicals of bliss and beauty,

And the world seems magical again.

And yet,

Over time,

That deep opening also makes us extremely vulnerable,

Because it brings up past hurts,

It brings up the traumas from the past.

The more deeply we love someone and the more we open up,

The more it brings up those deep wounds,

Because it's opening those places within us that have been hurt.

In my experience,

This is part of the beauty of loving relationship,

Is that it gives us the opportunity to access those deep places,

To heal those wounds.

Of course,

When they come up,

It's not generally easy,

And we can very easily react and be angry or afraid and project it onto the very person that we love that has opened up those places within us.

And yet,

If we have the wherewithal to be patient with our experience and to experience that which is arising,

It allows us the ability to release it,

To let it go,

And to heal on deeper levels.

In so doing,

We start to systematically remove those blockages that we have built against our nature of love.

Love,

In its essence,

Is the source of all creativity.

In some traditions,

They say that all of existence is birth because of the love of God,

The love of the all,

Of the Da.

And before we start,

We were talking a little bit about how we finally received some rain here in Colorado,

Or at least in parts of Colorado.

And we've been in a drought,

And it's been very dry.

And the rain is a form of love.

When the rain falls,

It gives birth to new life.

It nourishes the plants.

It nourishes us as human beings.

It nourishes the animals.

Without the rain,

Without water,

None of us could exist in this form.

All artwork,

True artwork,

Is an act of love.

It's creativity that springs forth and brings this desire to birth something beautiful into the world as a reflection of the beauty that we perceive in others,

In humanity,

In the world as a whole.

Giving birth to human life is an act of love.

It's the ultimate form of creativity,

Bringing new life into the world.

As I said,

It can sometimes be hard as we grow up to maintain a connection to this deep well of love within us.

And yet we all have experiences of it in different forms.

And I believe that it's a capacity and a capability that has the ability to grow as we grow.

When we're young,

Love can be very simple.

As we get older,

It becomes more complex.

Because all of us,

As we grow,

Are continually becoming more complex beings.

Through the experiences that we have,

Through the difficulties,

Through the joys,

We become more complex because we have new dimensions added to our being,

To our sense of self,

To our personalities.

With practice,

We can open our ability to love more fully,

To love more completely,

Through allowing for greater complexity in ourselves,

In others,

And the world.

In this way,

We move closer to perceiving ourselves as we are and the world as it is,

And our ability to love more freely opens.

It entails being able to embrace the unknown.

And this is where it can become a little bit paradoxical at times because sometimes when we love someone,

We might want to control them,

Not consciously per se,

But we might want them to be a certain way,

So that we have the certainty of that which we love.

We want it to stay the same.

We want our love to stay the same.

And yet,

To truly love means allowing for the unknown.

It means allowing for the other to change in unknown and sometimes unexpected ways,

To allow them to unfold according to their true nature and who they are.

To do so,

We have to be able to forgive.

We have to be able to forgive others for not always being the way we want them to be,

For making mistakes,

For being complex,

For having emotions and moods and being human.

You know,

We might sometimes feel like we just want to feel loved all the time.

And then if the other person isn't acting towards us in ways that we think is an expression of love,

It creates a lot of fear for us.

But as Rumi said,

Our job is not to seek for love.

It's to realize that we are love and to express that love towards others in the world and ourselves,

Regardless of how others might be.

This is where unconditional love arises.

When we allow others to be as they are in the world as it is,

In all of its fullness and complexity,

In all of its joy and pain,

To realize that we can't have a unidimensional experience and be fulfilled,

That our soul,

Our true nature,

Desires complexity.

It's nourished through it.

And it's how we have the ability to continually train ourselves to increase our capacity to love and to eventually extend that beyond our immediate circle and to love even those we don't know or maybe that we don't like.

Because there is a difference.

We can not like or not agree with someone else's actions or words or opinions and yet still love them in their essence,

Seeing that they are a work in progress,

That they are human.

It's the mind.

It is the mind that places judgments,

That wants things to be a certain way,

That craves stability.

Whereas our soul is always touched into the underlying unity that connects all of us,

That sees beyond the differences and distinctions in external forms,

And realizes that we are all connected.

And ultimately this is what love is.

Love is the energy of connection that transcends our limited sense of self.

When we love someone or something,

We're willing to sacrifice what we might want or need for the benefit of the other.

The idea of extending this love is very powerful.

And there's a German philosopher who wrote a book in the 1940s.

His name was Joseph Piper.

He wrote this book called Leisure,

The Basis of Culture.

He was a specialist on St.

Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle.

I love the book because,

Well,

Just the title,

Right?

Leisure,

The Basis of Culture.

He's writing in the 1940s and he's talking about how we're losing a connection to having true leisure because we're becoming,

In the West,

So focused on being productive and being efficient and struggling and working hard.

And he makes a very powerful argument that without true leisure,

Without having time that is unscheduled,

Where we don't have something we have to do or should do,

That we lose the ability to be creative,

To create art and to truly love.

And so in this book,

He talks a bit about love and quotes quite a bit from St.

Thomas Aquinas.

And so I'm going to read a little bit here from the book.

He says,

Why,

For instance,

In the opinion of the average Christian,

Is the love of one's enemies the highest form of love?

Because here,

The natural inclination is suppressed to a heroic degree.

And so conveying this idea that it's held as an ideal because it's so difficult.

And then he quotes Aquinas saying,

It is not the difficulty involved that makes this kind of love so worthy,

Even though the greatness of the love is shown by its power to overcome the difficulty.

But if the love were so great as to completely remove all difficulty,

That would be a still greater love.

And that is true unconditional love.

When we are able to love everyone as they are,

Regardless of what they do.

And realize that they're still human.

That we love so powerfully that we no longer see the outer form of the ego and the mind and the opinions and the actions that we may disagree with.

And we can see beneath that to their true essence,

Which is still love.

In Buddhism,

They talk about how we all have this innate nature of compassion and wisdom and love.

And all of the unskillful actions of ourselves and of others,

All the atrocities that are committed in the world are simply because of the traumas the people have had in the defense mechanisms they created that separate them from their true nature.

As we soften into this place within ourselves and let go of the tension of the defense mechanisms that separate us from it.

It becomes easier and easier to forgive others for being human for mistakes that they make for not being how our mind might like them to be.

It allows us to cultivate skillful means,

The combination of wisdom and compassion,

Where we relate to people at a deeper level.

Where we see where they're at and what they truly need.

Where we see their hurt and their pain,

Their hopes and their dreams,

And we help them move closer to their true nature.

And like water,

Like the rain,

That flows out from us.

And it softens the hardness and others.

It softens the blockages that they've created against experiencing the love that they have within.

And over time,

It allows others to find that place within them.

And for that energy to ripple out.

And just from one person embodying that true nature of love within them from truly loving and accepting themselves and loving accepting others as they are.

It changes the world.

There's a quote from the Dalai Lama that I love.

Speaking of love.

He says that love is the absence of judgment.

Because judgment comes from the mind.

And whenever we're judging someone or something,

We're not accepting it as it is.

We're wanting it to be different.

And so when we're judging,

We're not softening into that place of love within us where we see beneath the form and into the true nature of the other.

And it takes practice.

And being human and having minds will always have moments of judgment.

But as we practice,

Letting go of those judgments as they arise,

It becomes easier to let them go and to continually soften back into that place of love within us.

As I often talk about in my perspective and experience,

This is the essence of the work of meditation is to continually come back to dropping beneath the fluctuations of the mind.

The mind which is drawn by the outer world and wants to change things out there and to settle back into our internal world,

To the universe that we have within that is beneath the fluctuations of the mind where we find that stillness.

And it's from that place of stillness that love and light naturally arise and grow within our experience.

And it really comes down to our focus and our intention.

Because whatever we focus on,

We give more power to,

And it will grow within our experience.

Ultimately everything is impermanent.

We will all die.

The world itself will eventually pass away at some point.

And it's not good or bad.

It's not something that we're meant to try to control.

What we have control over is ourselves,

And what we choose to do with the time that we have,

And with our experiences.

And if we're caught in trying to change or control things to be a certain way,

We're actually doing ourselves a great disservice because we're disconnecting from that place of unity and love within us.

And when we shift to focus on that experience of love,

We actually will grow that ability within us and are grounding in that place.

And love will naturally become more present within us,

Around us,

In our relationships.

Serena,

My dog,

Just sighed.

I can read her mind,

I think she's saying,

Finally,

He's getting it.

Because this is one of the beautiful things that dogs teach us.

They are such a pure embodiment of unconditional love.

You know,

No matter what happens,

No matter what they experience or have to put up with,

They're just always ready to love.

It's amazing and inspiring.

And it's something that we all have access to,

Because it is our true nature.

So,

Let us practice.

If you will,

Find a comfortable posture for meditation.

You can be seated or lying down.

However,

It is most conducive to allowing you to let go of unnecessary tension in the body and come to a place of focus within.

If you are seated,

Check to make sure that your knees are below your hips,

That the fronts of the hips are relaxed and open.

You have a stable base,

With the torso and spine rising up towards heaven with the natural curves.

Check to make sure that the head is situated over the neck and torso and spine,

Not carried forward.

Allow the shoulders to relax back and down.

Whether you are seated or lying down,

Become aware of the natural movement of the breath.

Notice if it is shallow or deep,

Rough or smooth.

And simply observe,

Without judgment,

Enjoying the breath as it is.

As you observe the natural movement of the breath,

Become aware of your torso.

Allow the back to be stable and strong,

So that the front of your torso can soften.

In Buddhism,

They sometimes term this strong back,

Soft front.

With the stability of the back,

Allow the chest and the heart center to continue softening and opening with each breath.

Simply experiencing the moment-to-moment sensations in the body.

And using the breath and your intention to consciously release any blockages,

Tension or guarding from the heart.

Now bring to mind someone that you love deeply.

Be someone who is still alive or someone who has passed on.

Picture them in your mind.

And experience the sensation of love in your being,

Feeling your love for them.

Picture this person in all of their complexity.

All of their changing thoughts and emotions and moods,

All of their mistakes,

All of their beauty.

And feel this love that embraces them in their fullness.

Allow this love to continue softening in your body,

In your heart.

Feel it fully.

Now bring to mind others that you love and extend this love to them in their fullness,

In their complexity.

Loving them as they are.

Allow the circle to begin to expand.

Thinking of people who you like,

Maybe their friends or peripheral co-workers.

And allow this love to extend to them,

Encompass them with this experience of love in all of their complexity and fullness.

Allowing this experience of love within you to grow.

Allowing those who you've brought to mind to be as they are and to love them for the essence of who they are.

Now bring to mind someone or several others with whom you may have difficulty.

They may be challenged and see that they too are human.

That they have their own struggles,

Their own suffering,

And their own unique beauty and love.

And allow yourself to extend this feeling of love to them.

Accepting them completely as they are.

Now bring to mind others that you love and extend this love to them in their fullness,

In their complexity.

Allowing this experience of love to extend to them.

Continue to allow this love to expand.

Allow it to grow until it encompasses the entire world.

With all of the billions of people,

All of the animals,

The oceans,

The forests,

The mountains.

Allow yourself to love the earth in its entirety.

With all of its complexity,

With all of the challenges,

With all of its beauty.

And hold the earth with this limitless love that arises in the core of your being.

Softening deeply into your heart.

Bring this loving awareness to yourself.

Hold yourself with this unconditional love.

Seeing your own complexity,

Your own past hurts,

Your own dreams,

Your own unique beauty.

And hold your entire being with this experience of love,

Acceptance,

Compassion.

Feel the stillness within.

Feel the stillness within.

Feel the stillness within.

Come aware of the felt sense of your body as a whole.

Feel the stability beneath you,

Supporting you and holding you up.

And the air around you,

In which you are immersed like a fish in water.

Allow your breath to become a little deeper.

And when you are ready,

Maintain a connection to the stillness and sense of love within.

As you gently and slowly begin to open your eyes,

Taking in the world around you with love.

Seeing the beauty contrasting colors and shapes and textures.

Seeing perfection with everything as it is.

This ability of love is an innate faculty that we all have access to within us.

We simply have to have the commitment,

Dedication,

And courage to open to it,

To be vulnerable to the challenges inherent in living a human life.

And to continually ground in it and allow it to flow through us,

Releasing all the blockages,

Settling into our true nature.

In so doing,

We find the meaning of life.

We find fulfillment in the connection we create within ourselves and to others in the world around us.

We realize that we are all in this together.

But ultimately,

Deep down,

Everybody wants to be happy.

And everybody has unique beauty that they can share with the world when they relax into this true nature within.

Thank you all for joining me today.

Reviews

I went to sleep with a heavy heart, asking for guidance from The Akashic Records. When I awoke this morning, I couldn’t remember a single thing but was somehow almost immediately directed to this channel/medidation, which contained a precise message of wisdom, clarity and gentleness that I was unprepared for! I am blown away! In much gratitude and light 🙏

No words. Yet I write. The beauty and tranquility experienced even in slight opening of the heart, May I hold each and every thing with tenderness, may I be able to truly love as one day when I die, I truly truly leave my physical body in that peace.
Thank you Thomas. Thank you for the most treasured gift of that Unconditional love to flow through us.

Absolutely true and practical!
Thank you for the way you outline important and deep topics. Your appreciation is much appreciated!!!

That was so amazing! Thank you . Just what I needed after a long of trauma and illness in my life. I was really able to feel the love for many, love for myself and release a lot of hurt. ❤️

You have helped me see love like never before. Tears flowed, new awareness penetrated my soul. I cannot thank you enough dear one for this. It came at the perfect time. Love to you!

Thank you Thomas, this is probably my favorite so far . I listened to it for several times now since the release date and I knew this talk touched me really deeply as I remember crying after listening for the first time remembering my parents who both passed away and they taught and showed me what unconditional love means and lately listening to this has given different meaning again to me as I’m on different season of my life compared to 2 yrs ago. I guess this talk will always be relevant. Thank you again for sharing your wisdom. Love and light🙏🏼 ✨Mariza ( ps: been meaning to write a review about this every time I finished listening and finally here it is 😅...)

Listening to you this morning Thomas I deeply experienced the connection between Love and Divine Light. Thank you 🙏 Namaste 💖
…Thank you for directing me to The Light of Divine Love, a very rich offering. I truly appreciate your ability to draw connections between various religious views.
🙇🏻‍♀️ with light and love 🙏

I enjoyed the talk. Much fine wisdom to take in. I will definitely listen to this again. Thank you 🙏🏽

Want to play again tho it’s quite long..well worth the listening

Thankyou Thomas...🙏💙
This is such a beautiful talk and meditation...😌
I even shed a few tears being in the deep feeling of love. Very heartfelt opening...Namaste my friend..✨🙏✨

So beautifully shared- and just what I needed to hear. Thank you 🙏

I’ve discovered your talks and take solace in your wisdom. The timing is perfect in my life.
Deep gratitude for your words and the pace in which they’re spoken 🙏🏻

Thank you Thomas. Embracing even the pain within my body today, as I know you have in the past. Hard work. Lol. I appreciate your guidance.