by Marie Laure Ferrari
Hermann Hesse is one of those authors who has greatly inspired me and continues to enlighten and strengthen my thinking to this day.
I must have been thirty-five when I discovered Siddhartha, one of Hesse’s books, a philosophical masterpiece. (https://hesse.projects.gss.ucsb.edu/works/locked/sidd-encr.PDF)
The fictional character named Siddhartha is not the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, but a man in search of enlightenment and self-knowledge, a path he embarks on with his friend Govinda.
At the end of his quest, Siddhartha discovers that wisdom cannot be transmitted from master to student like knowledge gained through the teachings of Buddha, whom he greatly respects, but must be found by oneself.
I felt the desire, and more certainly the need, to reread the last chapter, “Govinda.” Govinda, now an old man, comes to meet Siddhartha, whom he has encountered several times even though their paths have diverged. Siddhartha reveals to him the most powerful of messages, which is that nothing and no one is separate in this world, and that we are all part of the Great Whole. He tells him, in particular, “There is one teaching that will make you laugh, and that is that Love, O Govinda, must rule all. Analyzing the world, explaining it, despising it, may be the business of great thinkers. But for me, there is only one thing that matters: to be able to love it, not to despise it, not to hate it while not hating hating myself, to be able to unite in my love, in my admiration and in my respect, all beings on earth without excluding myself.”
I felt once again the emotion that had overwhelmed me when I first read it. I think I have always known this Truth intuitively, but how often the vagaries of life make me forget it.
Yes, we are part of the Great Whole, and nothing that exists in this world should be excluded, not even the most insignificant blade of grass, for nothing is that does not concern us all. God, Buddha, or the Divine, whatever you call It, dwells in each of us. And no act performed on this earth is foreign to us, for we all participate in it.
Being aware, sometimes, just for a moment, that the worst and the best exist in everyone, makes me humble, strong, and fragile at the same time.
I am reminded of the title of a book, “Love What Is” by Byron Katie; It is so simple and yet so difficult…
Ultimately, There Is Only Love
Pierre Pradervand, from https://pierrepradervand.com/365-blessings-to-heal-myself-and-the-world/
There seems to be a growing unspoken consensus among many spiritual thinkers that, on the home run, the only thing that really matters is: have I grown in love? Have I lived love to the best of my ability? Mary Baker Eddy once wrote that, “The Gabriel of His Presence has no contests. To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness nor death.” What if this were true?
I bless myself in the understanding that, ultimately, the only thing that really matters is my desire and ability to love all.
May my every thought spring from that deep well of love inside me.
May my every word be inspired by the tenderness of love.
May my every act, every deed be motivated by the fire of love.
May I be driven by a deep yearning to be simply nothing but love.
May I learn to see all with the warm eyes of love and may that same love be the basic feeling of my existence at all times and in all situations.
May I respond to any insult, aggressiveness or hate with the equanimity and calm strength of love.
And may the circle of my love reach to the end of the world, holding all in its tender and strong embrace, now and till the end of time.
