God Is Love

[Guest guest]

>From Sai Memories website.

 

God is Love and Love is God

 

 

Swami often tells us that "God is Love and Love is God," but we

misunderstand his meaning. We want love with conditions. (You give

to me and I'll give back to you but is that love?) It's the way

human nature responds to the meaning of the word. But there is a

higher love. Spiritual love doesn't ask for rewards or payment.

Spiritual love knows only abundance. By giving and sharing with

others, true love replenishes and fulfils itself naturally.

 

I found this wonderful chapter in 'Glimpses of the Divine', the

author Brigitte Rodriguez is a permanent lady living in Puttparthi

where she has enjoyed Swami's physical presence for over a decade. I

highly recommended her book to anyone wishing to learn more about

Sathya Sai Baba in a deeply sensitive way.

 

 

"God is love and love is God," says Baba. But what is love? Love is

a word that is hopelessly misused and misunderstood. Does not love

basically signify a need of some kind, your love of this person of

that thing to satisfy your need? The love between a man and woman

satisfies the need, each for the other, whether it be physical, or

companionship, or comfort, or another need. If there is no longer

any need, love can turn to indifference, perhaps even hatred. Why do

people, married or otherwise, change partners so often, particularly

in the West? For the simple reason, I think, that they no longer

seem to satisfy each other's particular needs.

 

God's love has nothing to do with this worldly concept of love -

love which always expects something in return for what is given.

God's love is love for love's sake. It is without the slightest

trace of self-interest. It is unconditional; it can also be cold as

ice. This can occur, whether consciously or unconsciously, when our

ego gives us an inflated sense of our importance, then God's love

freezes. "God's love," it has been said, "can be conceived only as a

state of fullness, wholeness holiness - no words can be adequate. It

is the very soul of the entire universe."

 

Such love is manifested today here on earth as it was in the days of

Christ, but now this love is supported by a tremendous power and

dynamism. It penetrates all that comes in contact with it. It

changes ugliness to beauty, darkness to light, ignorance to

knowledge, selfishness to goodness, and awakens in every being the

awareness of God's presence. Baba could be adequately described

as "the Hope of Humanity." He is initiating a new world order, and

this is done solely by the majesty of the love that flows from him.

 

 

******

 

Baba says,

 

 

"The whole world is bleeding because of its lovelessness." Today,

scientists and leaders of nations have forgotten the true values of

life and the real good of the world. They are obsessed only with

material progress. Unless they are awakened to the spiritual values

of life, there cannot be any peace and prosperity in the world.

Without spiritual bases, even if people have eyes they are blind,

even if they have ears they are deaf, even if intellectually

brilliant they are insane. Spirituality alone confers true vision

and makes us full and wholesome."

 

-'Glimpses of the Divine'

 

by Birgitte Rodriguez

[Guest guest]

hastasana wrote:

 

"God is love and love is God," says Baba. But what is love? Love is a word that

is hopelessly misused and misunderstood. Does not love basically signify a need

of some kind, your love of this person of that thing to satisfy your need? The

love between a man and woman satisfies the need, each for the other, whether it

be physical, or companionship, or comfort, or another need. If there is no

longer any need, love can turn to indifference, perhaps even hatred. Why do

people, married or otherwise, change partners so often, particularly in the

West? For the simple reason, I think, that they no longer seem to satisfy each

other's particular needs.

Sai Ram.

 

LOVE is the most misused word in our common verbal vocablary.

 

The bond of love has been existant in all members of the family since families

came about - between Husband and Wife it is called 'infatuation'. Love for

parents is respect and love for God is devotion.

 

Whenever Swami refers to LOVE - it is the highest, purest and selfless

variety.  I recall Swami having said that individual love is like the electric

bulb in a room - the light is restricted by the walls of the room. Then higher

then this is the Moon - its light is not restricted - but it is hazy. The

highest is the SUN - whose light removes all darkness. Individual love is

electric bulb, human love is like Moon shine and Gods love is like Sun shine.

In the same line Swami has also said - You give love where it is your duty to

give love - electric bulb; you give love to all even when it is not your duty -

its like moon light - and you love ALL - that is Divine - that is Sun Light.

 

In regard to west and misplaced infatuations - Swami has said that in the west

they change partners as they change bush-shirts. All this is making the

institution of marriage weak - we are seeking hapiness of the spirit by a

debased physical way with a body that is afflicted with pain and disease and is

on a constant perpetual degradation.

 

When the AIDS virus first came up and the reasons for getting afflicted by it

made public - The Reverred Pope John Paul II said that AIDS was the punishment

of the immoral. But what was the reaction of our leaders, instead of making the

people to heed and understand spirituality and divine teachings  - they planted

condom factories in every town.

 

Sai Ram - Be happy

 

JP

www.sailopics.com