Friday

Knowing Love

Love. Calligraphy by Chogyam Trungpa.

I’ve been thinking about love. Rumi, the Sufi poet, says of love, “Sea water begs the pearl to break its shell.” In a different context, the Druk Sakyong, Trungpa Rinpoche, said, “The dralas are eager to fall in love with you. Please relate to them. They won’t want to be around you unless there is a gentle atmosphere.” I have a little piece of paper on which I wrote something Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche said: “Please continue to love the dharma, and take it into your heart. If you love the dharma, anything is possible. If you feel it is your closest friend, there is nothing you cannot do. Even if death comes, it is a big joke. It comes from opening your heart more. The dharma is eager to fall in love with you. If you are capable of opening your heart, the dharma is ready to flood in.”

Clearly these great teachers are sharing something important that they have personally realized. There is an atmosphere that is real and waiting for us, that can take our fear away. Everyone is in turmoil. We’re all in a love crisis, so it makes sense to be kind and come from the heart. Rumi, Trungpa Rinpoche, and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche are saying the same thing. I aspire to open up and know this, too.

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Cynthia Kneen is the author of Awake Mind, Open Heart: The Power of Courage & Dignity in Everyday Life (Avalon, 2002), and the CD course, Shambhala Warrior Training (Sounds True, 1996). Cynthia has taught Shambhala Buddhist programs throughout the mandala for over thirty years and is currently writing a book on business and dharma. Visit her website at www.cynthiakneen.com