LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

July 19, 2016

The Master Jesus, when asked by His Disciples which was the great commandment in the law He replied that the first was to Love God with all your heart……and the second commandment was to LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF. These are the two greatest commandments of the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-4 (King James Version).

Let’s continue spreading Love. We often think about the love connection as the love between a man and woman, or the love between children/family and friends. But love is an expansion of all these things although in different dimensions.

Think about your neighbor, the family that lives next to you on your right and left. They are your physical neighbors, yes. But take it one step further. Anywhere at any given time, the person or persons that is (are) in close proximity to you is (are) considered your neighbor(s). In the spiritual sense your neighbor is the one who occupies the space next to you at any given time, whether it is in the church or temple you worship, the theatre, the movie, or the shopping mall.  And regardless for how long or when, they are all your spiritual neighbors.

Think of how you interact with your neighbors. A simple Good Morning, a genuine smile that comes from the heart, helping an elderly person to cross the street, giving alms to the poor and those in need, feeding the poor and homeless, saying Thank You to the person who serves you in whatever capacity – all these are acts of love that can be shared with our fellow human being and who are our spiritual neighbors. When these acts of kindness are displayed, however random, they cause a ripple effect. 

“Love should be a force that helps you expand your life and bring forth your innate potential with fresh and dynamic vitality,” wrote President Daisaku Ikeda of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhism. (Excerpted from Discussions on Youth Vol. 1 (SGI-USA, 1998). So when we give unconditional love we are in essence expanding our life force as well as the life force of the receiver of that love.

We have forgotten how to be kind and loving to ourselves and others – but there is no rule or law that says we cannot try to recapture the pure essence of love that is imbedded in our DNA. So keep spreading love. GIVE MORE LOVE until it becomes the only epidemic worth catching.