Love has Wings

I stumbled across a new book this last week that has been really inspiring to me. It's  a woman named Isha who has taken a lot of buddhist philosophies and named it something else and sells it as a method for freedom, enlightenment, etc. She does do a great job of discussing many of the false beliefs that keep us stuck. It's also really simple language and easy to relate to.

Her big theme is that unconditional love for yourself is all you need to be free. The idea is by cultivating unconditional love for oneself, you see that you are complete just as you are and are in need of nothing. This then allows you to approach the world from that perspective without seeking, needing, desiring, striving. It is basically the idea of starting with getting in touch with your buddha nature first and foremost.

I can relate to many of her statements about false thinking and the actions that come from that. It is inspiring to me to see and she also provides antidotes, which I think are invaluable. For example, I see in myself the need to control things, possess things and I see that this comes from fear and an inner lacking. Not seeing myself as complete and needing x, y or z to complete me. Her idea with working with this "lacking" is to see it and choose to go inward and get in touch with my buddha nature and underlying completeness, experience the love that resides there.

I know that this sense of lacking is at the core of much of my discontent and possessiveness. I see it often and am finally choosing to seek out an antidote. I know that with this inner lacking, no external circumstances will fulfill me. Only through healing and seeing my inner completeness will I find inner peace, happiness and serenity.

A similar idea is that we are what we give, not what we receive. We are only dependent on our internal workings for happiness and peace, not external circumstances. So I can love everyone around me and give it away freely without concern as to whether or not it is returned. I am the love that I give and I have an endless supply. There is no need to be needy for love, as I am complete and filled with love myself.