Moved by Love, by Vinoba Bhave

I am a man who belongs to another world than this, one that may seem very strange. For I claim that I am moved by love, that I feel it all the time. I do not deal in opinions, but only in thought, in which there can be give and take. Thought is not walled in or tied down, it can be shared with people of goodwill; we can take their ideas and offer them ours, and in this way thought grows and spreads. This has always been my experience, and therefore I do not accept any kind of label for myself.

There is nothing more powerful as love and thought -- no institution, no government, no government, no 'ism', no scripture, no weapon. I hold that these, love and thought, are the only sources of power. You should not expect me therefore to have any fixed opinions, only ideas. I am a man who changes every moment.

I am just one individual; I wear no label, I am not a member of any institution, I have nothing to do with political parties. I do however keep in affectionate contact with the organizations for constructive work. I was born a Brahmin but I have cut myself off my caste. Some people call me a Hindu, but I have made such a repeated study of the Koran and the Bible that my Hinduism has been washed off. People like what I have to say because my work is rooted in compassion, love and thought. I have ideas, but no permanently settled views.

I once saw a portrait of Louis Pasteur, and below it these words: "I do not want to know what your religion or your views, but only what your troubles are. I want to help you to get rid of them." Those who do that are discharging their duty as human beings and that's what I'm trying to do.

-- Vinoba Bhave

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2 Past Reflections

Rick Brooks

Jul 12, 2008

Now this all, Vinoba's and Nipun's thoughts, is insightful. Helpful to me in that I struggle with what some people might call rolling deadlines, constantly evolving questions and observations/opinions that also constantly accumulate nuance and detail as the context changes. Some people who think in different ways from me see this as a "lack of standards" or a digression; inability to stick to the agenda. Trained and used to a more disciplined, sequential and rational mode of dealing with the world and life, they have trouble with such impermanence, and therefore, with me. But I am comforted by what I have read here. Thanks.

Nipun

Jun 12, 2006

When people would go to Ghandi with spiritual inquiries, he would say to go to Vinobha. It stood out that Love is dynamic, it cannot be static. Same with thought. There is a subtle difference between thought & opinion as Vinobha puts it, thought seems to come with awareness of impermanence, and is present for that moment, whereas opinion is more rooted into time, it is more fixed. Paramahansa Yogananda said "The is a fine line between being open and lack of conviction" Swami Vivekananda said (paraphrased) "Surely it is a good thing to be born into a religion, but it is a terrible thing to die in one" My mother said "Your real wealth is not something which you cannot take with you after you die. You real wealth is something that no one can take away from you, your knowledge, your spirituality" A quote from a woman that has worked with people living on the streets for much of her life "I have strong opinions, and I have worked really hard... View full comment

When people would go to Ghandi with spiritual inquiries, he would say to go to Vinobha.
It stood out that Love is dynamic, it cannot be static. Same with thought. There is a subtle difference between thought & opinion as Vinobha puts it, thought seems to come with awareness of impermanence, and is present for that moment, whereas opinion is more rooted into time, it is more fixed.
Paramahansa Yogananda said "The is a fine line between being open and lack of conviction"
Swami Vivekananda said (paraphrased) "Surely it is a good thing to be born into a religion, but it is a terrible thing to die in one"
My mother said "Your real wealth is not something which you cannot take with you after you die. You real wealth is something that no one can take away from you, your knowledge, your spirituality"
A quote from a woman that has worked with people living on the streets for much of her life "I have strong opinions, and I have worked really hard to get them"
Being open once meant to me having much which is kept closed, with a small open doorway into it. A key difference into stepping into greater openness is a feeling of vulnerability .. and yet a sense of greater liberation.
If you really love another person, you will also end up doing quite a lot of thinking of what it must be like to be them.
My practice on how to Love others, is to focus on the life within them which is the same as mine, regardless of whatever differing opinions we may have.
I've noticed when others have differing opinions on something I am secure about within myself, it doesn't phase me. But I get irritated when someone disagrees on something I am not so sure of.
In my experience, the only times people are willing to change their opinion is when they get to a point of feeling about the topic.
Most of the time when we feel something, it is not actually a new feeling, but a trigger from some past conditioning.
Can love be rationalized?
The root of rationalization is the word 'ratio', which means, comparing something to another. Can uncondiotional love be put in ratio? Is it then still unconditional.
What does it mean to be in Love? A friend once observed: 1) There is this Love 2) I am in it 3) You are here with me
How can one convey to another that they are not coming from an argumentative and opinionated mode?
Stillness
Within my own being from observation, the link between Love & thought is sound.
Why does a baby feel love for it's mother?
In response, a poem from Pavi:
My Answer.
For those of you who wonder why
the sky is blue and placed sky-high
For those of you who want to know
how the stream knows where to go
And why the cow has just two horns
and why the nights turn into morns
Listen and I will tell you:
I don't know.

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