Love
Valentine's Day is coming up, which we are reminded of daily here in the US. It is one of those wonderful ideas which gets hijacked by consumer culture, but we still have an individual choice to apply in a more life-centered way.
Lots of people are writing about love these days, and here is what comes up for me...
Conventional love
One form of love is eros, which is largely (?) based on projections. I see a quality or qualities in another which I (a) am not familiar with in myself and (b) experience an attraction towards. If the other has the right gender and age, I may then experience something I call "love".
It is of course completely dependent on the projection, which in turn is dependent on her continuing to be a good projection object.
It is also based on attraction, which brings with it all the familiar experiences of hope, despair, possessiveness, jealousy, heartbreak, disappointment, and so on.
And it all comes out of a belief in the thought "I".
There is also the brotherly/sisterly love (agape) which seem to have more to do with the affection that tends to come out of familiarity, mutual support and a certain intimacy and sharing of our lives. Eros often mix with and/or turn into agape, and we can experience agape towards anyone in our lives who fit the bill.
Big Mind
As Big Mind, beyond and including all polarities, I am distinct from all characteristics including love. I am and contain all the various forms of love, as I do everything else, but as Big Mind I am not moved by love. I am entirely indifferent and clear.
Big Heart
Big Heart is dependent on two things: of what is awakening to its own nature (Big Mind), and of seeing the suffering of beings. Together, they bring up and out compassion and love for all beings, independent of their characteristics or behavior. It is inclusive and engaged, expressed directly in the world of form.