to carry with you at all times…
The principal practices I know for bringing out our natural love and compassion are the Apramanas (Brahma viharas), Tong-len (giving and taking), and the Metta Sutta. Years ago a simpler, less formal practice occurred to me, which I expressed as a poetic thought in my book START HERE – the Path to Awakening
Love is not to get,
nor even to give,
but to notice.
When lonely, we might feel unloved, needing love; conversely when perceiving someone’s need we may focus upon loving feelings towards them. This is love as something we could receive or give. In another poem I say,
When we think of Love
as coming to us,
or given by us,
we tarnish Love
with separation.
…
Any love is Love.
Love is.
The word “love” for most people elicits images of powerful interpersonal connections such as mother and child, romantic lovers, or the love of a pet. In its broadest sense, love appears as the glue that binds us while we’re seeing through the lens of separated-ness. All human consciousness is inflected with love: strong or weak, pure or distorted, love is omnipresent, always. The hermit Julian of Norwich realised this as one of her key conclusions:
Our life is all grounded and rooted in love, and without love we may not live.
The more we keep our eyes open for this truth the more self-evident it becomes. We become attuned to love, expressed in kindness, generosity, caring, even in our occupation, paid or voluntary. Everything we do has a connection with love.
There is an exercise in attention where you ask someone to notice all the red objects around them — suddenly those previously unnoticed things seem to be everywhere. Or for a woman becoming pregnant it seems that everyone they see has a baby or is pregnant. The same effect occurs from seeing the presence of love in the world, we ourselves become ‘switched on’ to love.
The Dharma practice of Buddha smrti, remembrance of the qualities of the Buddha, is essentially the same process. The everyday practice I am suggesting is love-smrti. What we focus upon, we become. Try it.
Pieces of Five 
I love this Five, thank you. 🙋
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So much here, living the truth of love very day. Is this what truth is? The love and compassion these practices seem to manifest. Devotion to practice.
and yet the distorted forms of love can be so subtle…..Maybe, as this insight deepens a shortened form is sufficient.
A course in miracles states, ‘Teach only love’. I wondered how this was possible. Also wondered in the Christian tradition how you could, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.
I wondered practising the Apramanas how there could be ‘equal love for all beings’.
A friend is fond of saying, ‘Always try and respond spontaneously and appropriately’. I wonder how?
Am I love? Or am I ‘ego-ing’? I don’t expect an answer and yet I’ve always felt the answer is love. My head hurts 😂 thank you Five xx
y
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