~Srila Prabhupada~Everyone is so afraid of love.
We're afraid we will be hurt, we're afraid we won't love in the right way, or for the right reason.
If you tell someone you love them, they become suspicious.
"What does it mean, what do you expect from me?"......... Like it's an obligation and they might not want to, or be able to, meet the terms.
Love is so powerful, that of course we tend to fear it.
Love is so powerful, that we have to find a way to let it in, embrace it, appreciate it, and use our own natural propensity to love to get us to the point of loving Krishna, entirely and totally.
Loving devotees is a good place to start.
I know I have loved so many devotees in my life, so deeply, that when I think of each of them, I cry, I feel such deep love for them.
Love, admiration, respect, appreciation. Love.
No, they didn't always meet all my expectations, live up to what I wanted from them, or who I thought they were. No, they didn't always make me happy, make me feel good to be around them, they didn't even always help my spiritual life either. At least not in a way that was obvious to me at the time, but in the ultimate issue, everything that happens to us, helps us if we use it to learn what we need to learn, and make advancement.
This deep love for who they are, the devotee, struggling or strong, helpful or not, advanced or beginner, is the abiding and over-riding force in my heart, in my thoughts, in me.
It makes no difference what they are doing today, or what contact I have with them. They can be living lives totally away from the association of devotees, doing whatever they are doing, I still love them.
Why shouldn't I? They are devotees that I served Srila Prabhupada, and Krishna with, and in whatever way, whether I view it as materially negative, or positive, they helped me on my path spiritually. My path to Krishna.
I mentioned this in an earlier post here, where I posted a letter I had sent to someone who was asking me if I would have accepted Srila Prabhupada as my spiritual master if he had not had an impeccable reputation.
I had told them in a previous letter that one of the things I loved most about Srila Prabhupada was that he accepted me despite my lack of qualifications. I don't view it that "I accepted him", I view it that he accepted me.
For the sake of discussion though, I explained to this person that I did not "accept him" based on any qualification that I understood him to have, since I had no idea at that time what "qualifications" he had or didn't have.
It was mainly that I loved him. Yes, that love came from what he was teaching, writing, speaking, but really, for me, the point of surrender was when I met him. I loved him so deeply, instantly.
It's true that love means service, and we gradually learn to serve, assist, in the proper way, but just love alone is what got me, continues to get me, to the point of serving, or even desiring to serve.
Love is the most powerful force in creation.
Love is the souls natural propensity to love Krishna. It's what we are all trying to get back to, as devotees, love for Krishna.
I don't block out or fear loving other devotees. I see it as part of loving Krishna.
I would be entirely lost right now if not for the fact that I love Srila Prabhupada, and always have.
