Why the Monkeys Washed out Their Ears
Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives C01317
“What is love?”
~ Response by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
There are two kinds of love. One kind is to love without understanding, to love ignorantly without knowing why one loves. The other kind is to love with mindfulness and wisdom, to understand deeply what it is to love and why one loves.
The first kind of love happens naturally, instinctually, and it’s necessary that we pass through and experience this ordinary kind of love so that we understand what it’s good for, what its difficulties are, and how to love properly. It’s necessary that we learn through this instinctual love a number of things. This kind of love is necessary for reproduction. It’s through this ordinary kind of love that the species continuous itself.
This ordinary kind of love, if it’s developed on a somewhat higher level, can enable us to solve social problems so that we can live with each other in peace. And this love can be developed higher and higher until it’s a kind of love which is beyond love – a love which is beyond the power of positive and negative. This is the kind of love which is free. Ordinary love is not free – one is still under the power of love and so there is no real freedom. But the other kind of love is free – it’s beyond the power of love. Both kinds of love happen naturally according to the law of idappaccayatā (conditionality), which means that both kinds of love arise through causes and conditions. One should understand both kinds of love, not just one.
In short, love is something which we must conquer. We should not let love defeat us but we should be able to conquer it so that love does not have any power over our hearts or minds.
(From the retreat “Why the Monkeys Washed out Their Ears,” as translated from the Thai by Santikaro)
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Dhamma Questions & Responses sessions were offered by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu in 1990-1991 to foreign meditators attending Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage courses.
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