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Chapter from the book by Dr.Vladimir Antonov
The Original Teachings of Jesus Christ
Love
Two main postulates of Jesus’ Teachings are the following:
The first one is God-Centredness, i.e. perceiving not oneself but Him as the principal Foundation of the world, as the Goal and Meaning of the existence of everything, dedicating one’s own life to Him, preparing oneself for Mergence with Him, aspiring to this Mergence and helping others on this Path.
The second one is the preparation of oneself for realization of the first point through developing emotional love in relationships with other people, first of all. When this love is developed, it can be directed to God-the-Father. This will ensure a quick advancement to Him and Mergence.
It is very important to understand that Mergence with God-the-Father is Mergence with Him in love, because He Himself is Love, the state of Love. And in order to achieve this Mergence, we have to transform ourselves into Love.
The degree of transformation of oneself (as a consciousness) into the energy of emotional love is the measure of one’s spiritual advancement (given that one possesses also wisdom and the consciousness is large enough). (Sternness and emotional severity of many “pastors” is an indication of the opposite).
Love is not thoughts about good deeds and even not doing deeds that we believe to be good.
Love is emotions, emotional states of the energy of the consciousness.
If one wants to do the deeds of love but is not capable of loving cordially, then it often results in absurdity: in egocentric and pertinacious imposing of oneself, in violence against others, and even in resentment about their reaction: they “don’t understand my love”, “don’t want to accept my care”…
True love is incompatible with violence (except for cases when one needs to protect someone from violence, sometimes by sacrificing oneself, and except for some situations of guiding children and correcting the behavior of mentally ill people); otherwise it becomes not love but ravishment. And no normal person wants such an attitude.
The true love is also not the “stormy” emotions of sexual passion. This is passion, not love.
And, of course, love is not the sheer technique of reaching sexual satisfaction.
The true love is emotions that originate initially in the spiritual heart. The deeds of true love are done under the control of the developed intellect against the background of these emotions.
Emotions are not a product of the brain as materialists taught. Emotions are states of the consciousness. They originate in special energy organs of the consciousness, not of the body.
The brain indeed reacts to emotional states by changing its bioelectric activity, because the consciousness interacts with the body through the brain. For example, under the influence of certain emotions the blood pressure changes, sweat stands out, the countenance changes. But these are not emotions, despite the fact that one may find such statements in textbooks on physiology written by materialists. These are just bodily reactions to emotional states of the consciousness mediated through the brain.
In the human multidimensional organism, there are special energy centers (they are called chakras or dantians) responsible for regulation of the states of the consciousness.
For example, thinking activity is the “duty” of the head chakras. The emotions of anxiety, anger originate in the energy structure of the upper part of the abdomen. And the emotions of love — in the spiritual heart. It is located in the chest and occupies (if developed) almost all its volume.
“Opening the spiritual heart” is the main point on the initial stage of spiritual development. For the majority of people it is the first opportunity to experience what love is, and not just to talk about it. Not before we come to know it, can we understand “on what language” we should talk to God and to those who are close to God. Only since that moment, we become capable of finding harmony in relationships with the world of living nature, with other people. Only then that which is called “spirituality” may arise in us; without it, there can be no spiritual Path.
In old times in the Christian movement a method of “opening the spiritual heart” was developed. It is called Jesus prayer. Some seekers achieved the due result with its help [75]. But the effectiveness of this method was low because of the lack of knowledge about the nature of consciousness and about the structure of the human organism. This is why only a few of those practicing Jesus prayer achieved success with its help, and even if they did — it was only after years of working with it.
Possessing the necessary knowledge and methods, one can achieve the result after a few sessions [6,8,13].
About cordial love, Jesus and His Apostles said the following:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!” (Matt 5:8)
“Enter into your temple, into your heart. Illumine it with good thoughts and the patience and immovable confidence which you should have in your Father.
“And your sacred vessels, they are your hands and your eyes. See and do that which is agreeable to God, for in doing good to your neighbor you accomplish a rite which embellishes the temple wherein dwells He Who gave you life.
“If you wish to accomplish works marked with love or piety, do them with an open heart and let not your actions be governed by calculations or the hope of gain!” (The Life of Saint Issa, 9:12,13,16)
“Our mouths are opened to you, … our hearts have been enlarged!” (2 Cor 6:11)
“Do not look to your own interests but let each of you look to the interests of the others!” (Phil 2:4)
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another! As I have loved you, you should also love one another!” (John 13:34)
“And above all things have fervent love for each other, for love will cover a multitude of sins!” (1 Peter 4:8)
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For they who do not love brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:20)
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. The one who does not love has not known God. For God is Love!” (1 John 4:7-8)
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another… If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His perfect Love is in us!” (1 John 4:11-12)
“God is Love, and they who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them!” (1 John 4:16)
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another” (Rom 13:8).
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I have become as sounding brass… And though I have prophecies, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so as to move mountains, and do not have love, I am nothing. And though I give out all my goods to feed the poor, and though I deliver my body to be burned, but if I have not love, it profits me nothing.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love will never cease to exist. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled (…)(1 Cor 13:1-8)
“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you!…” (Matt 5:44)
“… For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” (Matt 5:46)
“… If you have bitter jealousy and strife (instead of love) in your minds, do not glory and lie against the truth. This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but… devilish (‘wisdom’).” (James 3:14-15)
“They who claim to be in the light but hate their brothers or sisters are in the darkness!” (1 John 2:9)
“Let your love be without hypocrisy! Shrink from evil, cleave to good! Be brotherly loving to one another!…” (Rom 12:9-10)
“… You shall love your neighbor as yourself!…” (Matt 22:39)
“Love your friends!… Protect them like the pupil of your eye!” (The Gospel of Thomas, 25)
“There is no greater love than this: to lay down your life for your friends” (John 15:13).
“… Let My joy remain in you, and let your joy be full! This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you!” (John 15:11-12)
“These things I command you, that you love one another!” (John 15:17).
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