| A science of consciousness must include a clear understanding of love.
Some suggest that "all you need is love," and that this must be "unconditional
love".
Of course love, especially as lovingkindness and compassion, is universally
recognized as a vital part of what all mature healthy humans have in common.
But this is not the only quality necessary for healing, or to restore the
Whole.
In The Three Abrahamic Covenants and the Car-Passing
Trick, and The Foundations of Jewish
Survival, I try to make it clear that each of the three phases of
the Abrahamic traditions necessarily includes the highest qualities of the
other two, while at the same time, each is the primary representative of
only one. So, I associate the conceptual stage with Judaism, and I
identify it embryologically with the seed, and functionally with reason and
law (Torah), the priestly tradition, and integrity. The Christian tradition
is associated primarily with passion, compassion, "good works," and what
the Eastern traditions call "Dharma". Embryologically, it is identified
with the tree that manifests the seed's life-force in the world (the tree
as the cross is the symbol of Christianity). Moslems must submit to
Allah, and let go of their ego and worldly attachments. This is the
function of the fruit, which must let go of the tree to provide the fertile
ground for the next cycle of life. The Moslem covenant specializes
in community and hospitality.
Put simply, Judaism is known for its Torah of integrity, Christianity is
known for its Gospel of love, and Islam is known for its Quran of submission.
Of course, all three phases also include the other two. Jewish tradition
is clear that not only are the law, reason, and integrity essential, but
so too are lovingkindness and compassion for all life, as well as yirat
Hashem -- awe, and submission to God's Will.
Christianity is clear that not only are Christians expected to be loving
and compassionate, but they are also supposed to honor the law (it is said
that Jesus came to fulfill the law), and they can be reborn in their faith
by entrusting their lives fully to their lord.
Islam is clear that not only are Moslems expected to submit to Allah, but
they are also expected to exemplify hospitality, community, and compassion,
and they are also supposed to think and act with honor and integrity.
|
THREE ABRAHAMIC COVENANTS – THREE PILLARS OF LOVE
T R U T H F U L N E S S / L O V I N G K I N D N E
S S / H U M I L I T Y
All three pillars
are essential teachings in each of the three Abrahamic Covenants
|
| |
JUDAISM
|
CHRISTIANITY
|
ISLAM
|
|
OUTER TEACHINGS
|
TORAH
TALMUD |
GOSPELS
BIBLE |
QURAN
BIBLE |
|
INNER TEACHINGS
|
KABBALAH |
GNOSTICISM |
SUFISM |
PRIMARY
ASPECT OF LOVE
EMPHASIZED |
TRUTH
LAW
INTEGRITY
REASON |
GOOD WORKS
LABOR; DHARMA
COMPASSION
EMOTION |
SELF-SACRIFICE
SUBMISSION
HOSPITALITY
ACTION |
|
SYMBOLS
|
LIGHT
Menorah |
CROSS
Star |
STAR & CRESCENT
Green Flame |
EMBRYOLOGY
LIFE CYCLE
ORGAN
|
SEED
CONCEPTION
HEAD |
TREE
GESTATION
HEART |
FRUIT
BIRTH
BODY |
MANIFESTING
PRINCIPLE
|
CLEAR
THINKING |
HARD
WORK |
LETTING
GO |
These days, it is politically correct to suppose that all that a person
must do to make the world better is to act with unconditional love, and submit
to the Will of God. The problem with this mode is that it is often
advocated as enabling a reconciliation among all three of the faiths
that derive from Abraham, when in fact it only represents two, and thus excludes
one.
"Unconditional love" is, as the logicians say, a self-contradiction.
For here we find the adjective "unconditional" as the condition required
for this sort of love. "Unconditional love" is not the higher love referred
to in all of our traditions, but rather a self-defined perspective that politely
overlooks, and then excludes, reason and integrity. Its invocation
is naturally (and often unconsciously) anti-Jewish, because it implies that
reason and integrity, the basis of the law, are not necessary, and because
historically, it implies that the Holocaust was the fault of Jews and others
for not acting with unconditional love towards nazis. "Unconditional
love" is the limited condition of love that mistakenly forgives the
crime while the crime is ongoing. Thus it is the opposite of love,
because it unconditionally encourages continued unloving behavior.
The higher love, the love advocated in all three of the Abrahamic phases,
the love that can be a unifying force, includes not only unlimited compassion
and submission, but it also includes reason, integrity, and context.
Neither the tradition of Moses, nor the tradition of Jesus, nor the tradition
of Mohammed, ever endorsed unconditional love for an adversary while they
were engaged in attack. All require a higher standard of love that takes
into account not only compassion for both the victim and the victimizer, not
only submission to Allah and/or yirat ("awe of") Hashem, and/or
giving one's life over to Jesus, but also consideration for the future, for
both the victim and the victimizer, and for the rest of society.
Compassion and submission without integrity can easily lead to unintended
perversion or unbridled lust. Integrity without compassion and without
submission to God's Will can easily lead to cruelty. Thus, each of the
specialties of each of the organs in the Abrahamic body politic must be fully
engaged by all three.
While "unconditional love" is not unconditional, love as a condition
can be. After all, one of God's Names is Emet -- Truth. Thus,
love of truth is a true form of love.
In all faiths, a saint or tzaddik is known by their lovingkindness.
In the Talmud, a tzaddik is said to have the quality of integrity,
exemplified by the phrase toku k'varo ("their insides are like their
outsides"). The love of the tzaddik is the identity of Beauty
and Truth. |