What Exactly Is Love According To Buddhism?

Love according to Buddhism is very different from love according to the western world. In Buddhism it is a pure feeling that you selflessly give to another living being. It comes with total satisfaction, knowing that you have not caused pain or distress to anyone. Instead, you helped bring joy to that other person.

In the West, love is a two-sided concept that always involves another person, mutual feelings and connection. It is two sided because while you have to have the acceptance of the other on the one hand, the other part is focused on you. This means it is a “less selfless” kind of love.

There are two conflicting concepts here. As Sigmund Freud pointed out, the object of love will seek protection, but it will also try to keep love for itself. This can make him a target for insults and attacks when separated from himself.

This happens because your life drive and death drive only exist because of each other. You cannot have love without hate. In the same way, according to psychoanalysis, the life instinct , which seeks to preserve and hold things together, is connected with the death instinct , which seeks to destroy and separate them. In the end they feed each other.

The main characteristics of love according to Buddhism

Love according to Buddhism is completely different from the idea we have in the West. To begin with, a basic characteristic of love according to Buddhism is the ability to feel compassion for the other person. This compassion is what would ensure that all living beings receive respect.

The Buddhist idea of ​​love also says that love should always come from the same place as faith. Its purpose is to clarify and eliminate the suffering so present in the Western idea of ​​love. It is a kind of sincere desire for the well-being of the other, where you share your energy and resources.

Friendship and benevolence as important aspects of love

Love according to Buddhism also has a lot to do with friendship and benevolence. But these aspects should never force you to attach yourself to the other person, which can lead to suffering.

You don’t have to cling to someone to practice love according to Buddhism, because you can’t. Nothing stays in one place forever. Everything changes, everything transforms.

According to Buddhism, we can find genuine happiness and true fulfillment only within ourselves. You can only share this with other people if it is present in you, but even then never completely. This is because dependence is never a part of Buddhist philosophy.

Love according to Buddhism is infinite because the energy it gives you comes from the cosmos, not from you as an individual. If love doesn’t have all the qualities we’ve mentioned here, Buddhism says it’s just a selfish projection of your own needs.

Another characteristic of true love is being happy for the other person. There should be no jealousy at all, just joy for the good of the other. Love must also be balanced and equal so that it does not disturb the soul and turn into dependence.

Practicing true love, as expressed in Buddhism, is not easy. It can be difficult to let go of all that cultural baggage that you have carried with you since childhood. However, sincerely trying is a great way to take advantage of all you have to offer.