Loving Others.

If you were to ask me to define love I would say, "Compassion." If you were to ask me to define Compassion I'd say, "Understanding."

So how do we cultivate a true sense of love? Well, I can't really tell you anything beyond what my experience has been, so for me it's worked this way. Understanding: For the last 11 years I've dedicate myself to understanding my own heart. That meant (and means) being completely honest with myself. It meant forgiving myself, reminding myself of my true nature and manifesting it in my daily life. It means understanding and accepting that your true nature is a beautiful luminous nature. It means reprogramming your brain! For as much as our society tells us that we're flawed/imperfect/ undeserving, we need to understand that WE ARE deserving, we are perfect.
"Dzogchen: The already self perfected state of our primordial nature, which needs no perfecting, for it has always been perfect from the very beginning, just like the sky."

Once we develop understanding, which is essentially self love, then this magical transformation begins. We begin to understand what the Buddha meant when he said, "See yourself in others then whom can you hurt?"Compassion: When we truly enter a dialogue with our own hearts we begin understand the things that exist beyond our hearts. We begin to understand the heart of others. If I am deserving then everyone is deserving, everyone's true nature is inherently luminous and perfect. Having fully entered our pain, our struggles, our joy, having forgiven & embraced ourselves we are for the first time, allowed to forgive and embrace others.
I know what it feels like to be hurt, devastated, broken. I dove deep into those emotions, felt how horrible they are and because of that NEVER in my life do I want to be the cause of those things in some one else.
Having experienced joy/happiness I want nothing but to help others achieve that joy/happiness.
"Compassion is not true compassion unless it is active." - Sogyal Rinpoche. So practice compassion!

LOVE: Wanting others to be happy and when you're ready helping them achieve that happiness.

For me this is what Loving others comes down to: Understand yourself so that you can understand others, so that you can see yourself in them and therefore want nothing but happiness for every one who surrounds you. Simple? NOT AT ALL but with faith and dedication and a lot of work, the changes are real and lasting. Eventually it becomes part of your nature, just like breathing.

These are the pillars of my faith, no one and nothing shall shake them.

Becoming a Monk. (For those of you asking)

Notice that not once did I make reference to romantic love Sogyal Rinpoche puts it best, "How often attachment is mistaken for love! Even when the relationship is a good one, love is spoiled by attachment, with it's insecurity, possessiveness, and pride..."
Can you express the love I've mentioned above AND be in a romantic relationship. Of course, there's no doubt in my mind that it's possible.
I, myself however, haven't been able to succeed in that aspect and I don't think that right now, that's what I'm supposed to be doing.
I feel my best, my happiest, my most fulfilled when I'm free to express love with out expecting anything in return. Honestly nothing brings me greater joy. I can't begin to express HOW happy it makes me. It's the most genuine feeling I've ever had. Finally, I'm allowed to love with out fear, without attachment, all embracing.
I cannot survive in a life that is devoid of spirituality. Our existence goes far beyond our physical perceptions and all I want is to ground myself in that spiritual nourishment.

I love loving others and I'm not saying that tomorrow I'm going to be bald. I'm saying that I'm slowly beginning to unravel the messages I've been sent through the years. There are really only two possible out comes 1.) Dedicating myself fully to this path. Meaning I become a Monk or 2.) I dedicate myself to this path and become a lay practitioner (which are people who are still allowed to get married be in relationships etc.)
Either way I'm dedicating myself to this path so please be respectful, don't try to convince me or make feel like I'm making the biggest mistake of my life. Dedicating yourself to helping others is never a mistake.

With that I leave you with this,

Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
Sutta Nipata

Mucho amor Y paz,
Iztac Metztli.