Love, 3

A church near my home recently posted this sign:

Pure love drives out fear.

At first blush, this seems like a perfectly ordinary thing to say. Kinda makes sense.

But you might consider the following questions and see where they take you:

• What is pure love?

• What is impure love?

• What is fear?

• How does pure love drive out fear?
  

Comments

[Marcus]

1) Pure love is love untainted with greed, anger, or delusion.
2) Impure love is love tainted with said poisons.
3) This was the trickiest question for me. Fear is, I suppose, made up of delusion, lack of trust, cynicism, habit, suspicion, and greed, manifesting in physical sensations and mental instability. Apply Buddhist terminology here. Experienced more or less, by me at least, daily. Especially in regard to work, money, aging and illness.
4) See below....

Those who dwell in the shelter of Infinite Light,
who abide in the wings of Infinite Love,
Will raise their voices in praise:
"My refuge and my strength;
in You alone will I trust."
For You deliver me from the webs of fear and illusion,
from all that separates and divides;
You protect me as an eagle shields its young,
Your faithfulness is sure,
like an arrow set upon the mark.
I will not fear the shadows of the night,
nor the confusion that comes by day,
Nor the drwams that awken me from sleep,
nor the daily changes that life brings.
- Psalm 91, Nan C. Merrill

[jill i]

I don't think love needs any adjectives, and fear? delusion. may we cut through them all. thanks.