Tribute: Love One Another

By Amma Kidd

Excerpted from talk given July 2, 1988 in Yogaville.

The love that Sri Gurudev embodies is so vast—it gives of itself constantly in utter simplicity and humility, limiting itself in so many ways just so that we may learn. For we are Sri Gurudev's devotion. I am sure that the God that he worships and loves, the One that he adores and serves, has all of our faces and our names and our forms and the forms of all created things.

I was shaken by this realization the first time I looked into his eyes. My path instantly opened before me and my life was transformed. This devotion rules all of his actions. All we have to do is to observe the way he enters a room. Whether it is a simple home or a palace, he enters it meekly and humbly, with the quiet, dignified aura of the greatest devotee.

His reverent and devoted manner stays the same whether he looks into your eyes or holds a baby in his arms. All his actions seem to be soaked in reverence and devotion. Even when he thunders he is simply obeying the emergencies of love. His love patiently hears all things, sees all things, feels all things, understands all things, bears all things, and forgives all things. He doesn't only forgive, he completely forgets, immediately. However, he will always remember anything good and beautiful, even though it may seem insignificant.

He will never seek to control or manipulate our emotions and our mind, or impose upon us his advice. He has a deep respect for our free will and he's very delicate and careful about it. He never judges or condemns. He only corrects, encourages and supports. His miraculous presence among us is an open invitation for us to be as he is and to love each other.

The night before he left on a journey to India in the late 1980s, Sri Gurudev gave a beautiful satsang (spiritual discourse). Someone asked, "What is your recommendation for us before your departure?" He repeated two or three times, "Love one another. Love one another." He said it softly, yet earnestly and powerfully, as if to say that this is the essence of his teachings that he wants us to grasp.

One year during our interfaith service, I observed his eyes watering. He later shared that he could not hold back the tears of joy at seeing his spiritual children worshiping and praying together, riding above all man-made differences. The invitation is for us to love one another as he loves us. If he is inviting us to do this it means we have the capacity to do it. It means we can aspire to this. That we don't have to settle for anything less than this.

Love makes all things possible. Sri Gurudev and his teachings are there waiting and calling. It is up to each of us to truly answer that call. Allow him to lead you through glorious portals of love into the higher way of life, the realm of faith. Only this will ensure world peace. Only this will ensure that the seeds Sri Gurudev planted will grow and multiply. Go forth with that love to heal each other and serve each other in a suffering world. This is the greatest tribute we could ever give our beloved Gurudev.

Top