What help us to know ourselves what things are not helping factors, and how we can analyse ourselves from the outgoing faculties and intellect is a practical subject. This is truly called spirituality.
Sant Kirpal Singh

What is love

­From the book "Morning Talks", written by Sant Kirpal Singh

1968-01-25, Delhi, Sawan Ashram
Talk available as mp3 at audio.sant-kirpal-singh.org


What is ­love? Every­body ­says ­that I ­love ­God, I ­love ­the Mas­ter, ­but ­what is ­love? ­Love is ­the ­fruit of a ­tree. It is ­the ulti­mate ­goal, ­which devel­ops ­and  ­comes up ­within us. We ­should ­love ­God ­with ­all ­our ­heart, ­with ­all ­our ­soul, ­with ­all ­our ­strength. Is ­the ­heart ­one or ­two? ­The ­heart is ­only ­one, ­and ­you ­can ­only ­give it to some­body ­whom ­you ­love. If ­you ­give ­away ­your ­heart to some­body, ­then ­what ­remains ­with ­you? ­You ­will ­think in ­the ­same ­way ­that He ­thinks, ­not in ­your ­own ­way. ­This is ­the ulti­mate ­goal. ­Lord ­Krishna ­said, "O my dis­ci­ple, ­the ­heart is ­only ­one ­and ­that ­Lord ­Krishna ­has ­taken ­away". If ­your ­heart ­has ­already ­been ­given to ­the ­God-in-­man, ­then noth­ing ­remains to be ­given sep­ar­ately to ­God. So ­first, ­our ­heart ­should be ­whole, ­not ­broken ­into ­pieces. ­When it is com­plete, ­only ­then ­can ­you ­give it.
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Our Mas­ter ­was ­once giv­ing a ­talk, ­and He ­said, "­All ­right, if ­any of ­you ­can ­give ­your ­heart, ­you ­can go ­straight to ­heaven." ­One ­man ­stood up ­and ­said, "­Well, I ­give my ­heart". ­The Mas­ter ­asked ­him, "­Have ­you con­trolled ­your ­heart?" "No", ­replied ­the ­man. "­Then ­how ­can ­you ­give it?" ­said ­the Mas­ter. ­You ­can ­only ­give some­thing ­which is ­under ­your con­trol, ­that is in ­your pos­ses­sion. ­The ­heart is ­led ­away by ­the out­go­ing facul­ties ­here, ­there ­and eve­ry­where. ­Unless it is con­cen­trated, ­how ­can ­you ­give it? We ­have no con­trol ­over ­our ­heart. It is ­dragged ­away in so ­many ­ways.

So I ­was ­just talk­ing ­about ­love. ­Love is ­the ulti­mate ­fruit of a ­tree. We ­wish, we ­like to ­have some­thing ­but it is ­only a ­wish. ­The ­heart is ­given ­only ­when ­you with­draw it ­from ­all out­side ­things, ­and it is ­under ­your con­trol. So ­there ­are ­steps lead­ing to ­this con­trol. ­What we ­have ­got is ­only – "We ­wish, we ­like, ­let it be ­done ­like ­this or ­that" – ­but it is ­not ­yet ­done. So ­there ­are ­steps lead­ing to ­this ­and ­the ­first ­step is, "If ­you ­love me, ­keep my com­mand­ments". ­What ­are ­these com­mand­ments? "­Love ­thy ­God ­with ­all ­thy ­heart, ­whit ­all ­thy ­soul, ­with ­all ­thy ­strength". ­The ­word "­heart" is ­there. ­With ­all ­thy ­heart, ­not a ­heart ­that is ­cut ­into ­pieces, ­here, ­there ­and eve­ry­where. So ­let it be com­plete, ­first of ­all. We ­love ­God ­out of ­some lik­ing, ­some wish­ful ­thoughts, ­you ­might ­say. So ­the ­ABC ­starts ­from "­Heed my com­mand­ments". ­For ­instance, in ­the ­West, ­when ­the police­man in ­charge ­over ­there ­says "­stop", ­even ­the peo­ple ­stop. I ­saw it ­myself ­when I ­was ­over ­there. If ­the Mas­ter or any­one ­whom ­you ­love ­says "­stop", ­then ­stop ­there, ­don't ­take a fur­ther ­step. ­But do we ­keep ­His com­mand­ments? We ­don't, ­then ­where is ­our ­love? We ­hanker ­after ­love, we ­have wish­ful ­thoughts to ­have ­love, ­but we ­have ­not ­yet ­got ­love. We ­have ­not ­laid ­the ­first ­stone of ­the build­ing of ­love. ­The foun­da­tion ­starts ­when ­you ­keep ­His com­mand­ments. ­Then He ­says, "­All ­right, ­devote reg­u­lar ­time to ­your med­i­ta­tions. ­Weed ­out ­all imper­fec­tions ­within ­you ­from ­day to ­day." We ­say ­that we ­have ­got no ­time to ­keep ­the diar­ies. We ­have ­not ­even ­started as ­yet, ­what to ­speak of ­love. Fur­ther, if we ­wish to ­have ­thoughts of some­body, ­love of some­body, we ­shall ­always be think­ing of ­him. It is ­told of ­one ­Majnu (he ­was a ­great ­lover of ­Laila), ­that ­once he ­was ­seen hug­ging ­the ­feet of a ­dog. ­The peo­ple ­asked ­him, "­What ­are ­you ­doing, ­are ­you ­going ­mad?" "No, no," he ­replied, "I ­have some­times ­seen  ­this ­dog ­going ­into ­the ­street of my ­Laila, ­whom I ­love." If we ­love some­body ­for ­the ­Master's ­sake, or ­for ­the ­sake of ­God, ­this is a ­sign ­that ­you ­are grow­ing in ­love ­for ­your ­Beloved, ­for ­your Mas­ter. ­These ­are ­the foun­da­tion ­stones, ­not ­love as ­yet, ­mind ­that! ­Love is ­given ­away of ­your ­heart. ­The ­heart is ­one ­and ­when it is ­given ­away to some­body, ­then ­what ­remains? Mau­lana ­Rumi ­says, "­When ­you ­have ­accepted ­your Mas­ter ­once ­and ­for ­all, ­even ­the ­Prophet ­and ­God ­both ­are ­there in ­Him". So ­our ­respect ­goes to ­God ­once we ­have ­given ­our ­heart to ­where He is man­i­fested. As I ­told ­you at ­the ­very begin­ning, ­love is ­the ­fruit of a ­tree. ­First we ­start ­with wish­ful ­thoughts, lik­ings, to ­have some­thing by com­par­a­tive dis­crim­i­na­tion, or by read­ing scrip­tures.
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Whom ­should we ­love? ­The ­soul ­should ­love ­God, ­because a con­scious ­entity ­must go to ­all Con­scious­ness. ­That is ­but nat­u­ral. It ­has ­been ­attached to ­the out­ward ­things of ­the ­world ­and ­the ­result is, we ­come ­and go ­where we ­are ­attached. Every­body is con­vinced, ­from ­their ­own ­level of think­ing, ­that ­they ­love ­God. ­God we ­have ­not ­seen, ­but He is man­i­fested in ­some ­human ­body. If we ­say ­that we ­love ­Him, ­then ­our foun­da­tion ­stone ­will be ­laid by keep­ing ­His com­mand­ments, ­first of ­all. Sec­ond, if ­you ­love some­body, ­then ­you ­will ­also ­love ­those ­who go to ­Him. We crit­i­cize, we some­times ­fight, ­even ­with ­those ­who ­are on ­the ­same ­Way as us. ­Then ­where is ­our ­love ­for ­the Mas­ter? ­These ­are ­the step­ping ­stones, ­but ­there ­are fur­ther ­steps. ­When ­you ­grow in ­love ­for ­God or ­the ­God-in-­man (­they ­are ­one ­and ­the ­same), nat­u­rally ­you ­will ­hanker ­after ­Him. ­You can­not for­get ­Him. ­You ­would ­like to ­have ­the com­pany of some­body ­who ­has ­first ­hand expe­ri­ence of ­Him, or ­who ­has ­been ­with ­Him. Fur­ther, ­you ­would ­like to be ­near ­Him, as ­near as pos­si­ble. If ­you ­are ­not ­there, ­but ­you ­hear some­one ­who ­speaks of ­Him, ­your ­heart ­becomes ­full ­and over­flows ­through ­your ­eyes. ­This is a symp­tom ­that ­you ­are grow­ing in ­love ­for ­Him. ­These ­are ­the blos­soms ­which her­ald ­the appear­ance of ­the ­fruit. If ­rain is ­expected, ­first ­you ­will ­have ­clouds. If ­there ­are no ­clouds, ­there ­will be no ­rain. If ­there ­are no blos­soms, ­there ­will be no ­fruit. So to ­develop ­this ­love, we ­must ­first ­obey ­His com­mand­ments, sec­ond ­weed ­out ­all imper­fec­tions ­and ­third ­devote ­time to ­the spir­i­tual prac­tices. ­You ­should ­also ­have ­the com­pany of some­body ­who ­just ­reminds ­you of ­your ­ideal. ­Avoid ­the com­pany of ­all oth­ers in ­whose soci­ety ­you ­are ­attached to ­the ­world or for­get ­Him. If ­you can­not ­have ­the com­pany of ­those ­who ­can ­help ­you to remem­ber ­Him, ­then it is bet­ter to ­live ­alone. ­Live ­with ­the Mas­ters speak­ing ­through ­books, ­through ­the scrip­tures. ­You ­will be bet­ter ­off. A fur­ther sym­bol ­that in ­your ­love ­you ­are draw­ing ­closer to ­Him, is ­that ­you ­will ­feel sep­ar­a­tion. ­You ­will ­hanker to ­see ­Him. ­When ­you ­hear ­about ­Him, ­your ­heart ­will ­become ­full ­and ­tears ­will ­roll ­down ­from ­your ­cheeks. ­These ­are ­the symp­toms to ­show ­that ­the ­fruit is ripen­ing. ­These ­things ­are ­the blos­soms. Ulti­mately, ­when ­the ­fruit ­comes, ­you ­are ­for ­the Mas­ter ­and ­the Mas­ter is ­for ­you. ­These ­are ­the ­steps ­and we ­have ­now to ­judge ­where we ­stand.

We ­should ­not ­hear any­thing ­which is ­not accord­ing to ­the scrip­tures, ­that is ­not in accor­dance ­with ­what ­God ­would ­say, ­even ­against ­any prop­a­ganda ­which ­may be car­ried on. ­You fol­low my ­point? We ­say we ­love ­God, we ­love ­our Mas­ter. ­This is ­all ­right, ­but ­where ­are ­the out­ward symp­toms? ­How ­does it ­start? ­Love is ­the giv­ing of ­your ­heart ­once ­and ­for ­all. It can­not be ­retaken ­and ­given to some­body ­else. We ­can ­only ­give ­our ­heart ­when it ­comes ­under ­our con­trol. We can­not ­give it oth­er­wise. We ­can ­only ­have wish­ful ­thoughts. So ­this is some­thing ­very prac­ti­cal ­that we ­have to ­wade ­through, I ­would ­say. ­Rome ­was ­not ­built in a ­day. ­Love is devel­oped in ­the ­direct com­pany of ­the Mas­ter or indi­rectly ­when ­you ­become recep­tive, ­even ­from thou­sands of ­miles. ­The ­time ­will ­come ­when ­you ­will ­say, "­Who is liv­ing in ­this ­body? Am I?" ­You ­will for­get your­self; ­you ­will ­see ­the Mas­ter in ­there. ­When ­you ­fold ­your ­hands, ­they ­will be ­the ­Master's ­hands, ­not ­yours. So ­love is ­the ulti­mate ­fruit of ­the ­goal. ­That is ­why ­Saint ­Paul ­said, "­God is ­love ­and ­love is ­God". We ­have ­not ­gone ­into ­the ­depths of "­What is ­Love?" ­All ­speak of ­love, ­but ­where do ­you actu­ally ­stand? If a ­man ­says ­that he ­loves ­God ­but ­hates ­his broth­ers, ­that is no ­love. I ­think ­Christ ­said ­once ­that if ­you do ­not ­love ­your broth­ers, ­how ­can ­you ­love ­God, ­whom ­you ­have ­not ­seen? If ­you ­have no ­love ­for ­those ­whom ­you ­can ­see, ­how ­can ­you ­have ­love ­for ­Him ­whom ­you ­have ­not ­seen? ­You fol­low my ­point? ­This we ­can ­watch. A ­man ­can ­have ­self intro­spec­tion ­and ­see ­for him­self. I ­know ­what I am mak­ing ­for my ­own ­Self ­after ­this ­life. Every­body ­can ­know if he ­will sim­ply ­tap ­inside. He ­can ­unravel him­self ­and ­see ­like a ­strict ­judge ­where he ­stands. ­Can we ­boldly ­say, "I ­love my Mas­ter, I ­love my ­God?" ­This  ­ideal ­appeals eve­ry­where, in ­homes, soci­e­ties, coun­tries, ­all ­the ­world ­over.
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These ­are ­the var­i­ous ­aspects of ­love ­that I am explain­ing. Yes­ter­day ­was ­one ­aspect, ­the ­day ­before ­another ­aspect ­and ­today I ­have ­put ­yet ­another ­aspect ­before ­you. So ­from ­today, ­you ­should ­judge ­where ­you ­stand. ­Are ­you ­really lov­ing ­God? ­Are ­you ­really on ­the ­Way? If so, ­then it is ­all ­right. ­That ­you ­can bet­ter ­judge in ­your ­actions, ­not ­talk. As I ­told ­you, ­the ­ABC ­starts ­from keep­ing ­His com­mand­ments. ­These ­are ­the symp­toms to ­show ­that ­you ­are begin­ning to ­love ­God or ­the Mas­ter. It ­all ­starts ­with keep­ing ­His com­mand­ments. "If ye ­love me, ­keep my com­mand­ments", ­Christ ­said. ­Really, ­your ­love ­lies in ­the ­fact ­that ­you ­must be of ser­vice to oth­ers. ­Those ­who ­love ­God ­and ­hate ­their broth­ers ­and oth­ers of ­His crea­tion, ­how ­can ­they ­love ­God? ­This is ­only ­mere ­lip ­talk. Go ­into ­the ­depths ­and ­find ­out ­where ­you ­stand. Lov­ing ­each ­other, sac­ri­fic­ing ­one's ­own ­self ­for ­the ­other, ­this is ­the ­first ­thing to ­show. ­You ­should ­love ­all ­who ­come, ­whether ­they  ­are dis­ci­ples or ­not. ­This is ­the begin­ning of grow­ing ­into ­love. ­Just to ­think ­about it ­won't ­help ­you. ­You ­must ­put ­into prac­tise. ­You ­must ­live up to it. ­Some ­think ­that ­they ­will ­create a ­heaven ­for them­selves by serv­ing ­the Mas­ter, ­but ­you ­can ­create ­heaven ­right ­here by liv­ing hum­bly, sim­ply, lov­ingly, at ­the ­feet of ­the Mas­ter. ­Kabir ­once ­said, "I ­went to ­the ­House of my ­Father ­and ­found ­that He ­was ­not ­there. I ­came to ­know ­that He ­was liv­ing ­with ­the ­Saints ­here on ­earth". ­You ­can ­create ­heaven on ­earth. ­This is ­what is ­meant by "­Let Thy King­dom ­come on ­Earth". It ­can ­come ­only if ­you ­live in ­this ­way. ­Now ­decide, by ­going ­into ­your ­hearts, ­where ­you ­stand. Boast­ing ­won't do, ­you ­must ­prove it by ­your ­actions. ­These ­are ­fine ­details, ­which ­are ­not ­given in ­the ­books. ­Many ­things ­are ­wrought by ­the atten­tion. ­The ­very ­words ­given ­with atten­tion ­can go to ­the ­heart. A liv­ing ­book ­will ­help ­you, ­and ­the Mas­ter is a Liv­ing ­Book. ­

Those ­who ­are cho­sen ­are for­tu­nate. ­They ­should ­prove wor­thy of ­being cho­sen. ­You ­would ­not ­like to ­leave ­the ­heaven at ­the ­feet of ­the Mas­ter ­and go to ­another ­heaven ­above. ­God ­resides in ­the com­pany of a ­Saint.

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