How to self-love?

[roopepa]

So, today I realized how important self-love is. This might be the biggest insight I've ever had. Basically, self-love is what I've been looking for all these years. It's the only thing that actually makes sense. Learning to love oneself is the most important thing in life.

Life is not about relationships. It's not about carreer. It's not about enlightenment. It all boils down to self-love. It's something you can't lose, it's the rock-solid foundation of everything in your life. There is nothing as worthwhile to do.

So I'm looking for ways to fall in love with myself. I want to give my whole life for this. Any tips, techniques, exercises, perspectives? How does love even happen? What does it mean to love?

Also realized that for some reason, love widens your perspective and expands your consciousness. Don't know why this happens but it seems to be the case. Be more loving towards yourself & the world and see how your mind expands. It's like magic. Can anyone explain why this is?

[Moksha]

Enlightenment is love. Self-hatred is one form of suffering caused by identifying with the conditioned mind. Once you realize that you are not your conditioned mind, and practice dissolving the addictions that pull you into your own head, you will realize that you already love yourself and everyone else.

[roopepa]

@Moksha I'm tired of thinking about enlightenment and "once I'm awake there will be love". I just want to love myself as I am, and where I'm at. I don't think that has anything to do with enlightenment per se.

[Moksha]

5 minutes ago, roopepa said:

@Moksha I'm tired of thinking about enlightenment and "once I'm awake there will be love". I just want to love myself as I am, and where I'm at. I don't think that has anything to do with enlightenment per se.

As long as you are completely identified with your ego, you will never experience enduring Self-love. Enlightenment is a journey, not an event. Even after you first realize that you are not your ego, it is very likely that you will move into and out of ego for a long time. But even that first step of realization is enough to feel a degree of Self-love.

[roopepa]

@Moksha Okay, thanks.

[yetineti]

2 hours ago, Moksha said:

As long as you are completely identified with your ego, you will never experience enduring Self-love. Enlightenment is a journey, not an event. Even after you first realize that you are not your ego, it is very likely that you will move into and out of ego for a long time. But even that first step of realization is enough to feel a degree of Self-love.

This was good. ‘I’ think I’m at that in and out stage rn. Lotta of swings of ego backlash and then super selfless ness

[Nahm]

3 hours ago, roopepa said:

I just want to love myself as I am, and where I'm at.

 

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” 
― Rumi

“Knock, And He'll open the door
Vanish, And He'll make you shine like the sun
Fall, And He'll raise you to the heavens
Become nothing, And He'll turn you into everything.” 
― Rumi

[VeganAwake]

See how 'you' were born into a family  which was conditioned by the  environment around them and so on to the beginning of time.... it's completely radical and unfathomable... I mean look at it...we are literally a product of existence.

Its a truly unknowable and unexplainable happening... the real and unreal.

What's not to love ❤ regardless of circumstance.

The unconditional love of everything exactly the way it is because it is what is.

 

[roopepa]

@Nahm Seeking, knocking, becoming...

I'm just gonna go ahead and love myself right now.

[Someone here]

@roopepa well the thing is you can't force love.  Love has to be a genuine force. A lot of people are depressed suicidal..etc . They don't love who they are. Because we have expectations of what we should be and how the world should be etc. You can't really love yourself or the world unconditionally. If you did you would be dead. You obviously need to hate hunger if you wish to survive as the illusory organism that you think you are. What you can do is approach higher and higher levels of unconditional acceptance and love for yourself and the world by getting rid of the expectations and what you think you should be to be worthy of love. You won't be perfectly self- loving as long as you think you are a self. Because the very force that drives the movement of your life is "there is something wrong somehow with My current situation and I gotta go do something". But you can be more self-loving by seeing through this conditioning. 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Someone here

[nistake]

7 hours ago, roopepa said:

@Moksha I'm tired of thinking about enlightenment and "once I'm awake there will be love". I just want to love myself as I am, and where I'm at. I don't think that has anything to do with enlightenment per se.

As soon as you realize that enlightenment is not about arriving at a certain point in the future, you'll able to 'practise' love as well.

It's not that easy to embody this as the mind always is searching happiness/love/freedom in the future, but as you peel off the layers from your conditioned mind, it becomes easier and easier  (I also need to "work" on this).

[allislove]

13 hours ago, roopepa said:

Learning to love oneself is the most important thing in life.

Yes, but who you are?

13 hours ago, roopepa said:

Be more loving towards yourself & the world and see how your mind expands. It's like magic.

Exactly.

13 hours ago, roopepa said:

Can anyone explain why this is?

Because you are ❤️

[roopepa]

28 minutes ago, allislove said:

Yes, but who you are?

I have no idea but I kinda hope love will show me that.

I don't know who I am. I don't know if there is even a way to find that out. I don't know if there is "an awakening". I don't know if there is a God. I don't know if there is a Truth.

I'm getting tired of thinking and self-inquiring. I'm getting tired of trying to figure myself and reality out. It seems to be leading nowhere.

Might as well just love. 

[allislove]

@roopepa that's a really good position ... rather than holding "I know it all"  

So, I guess, time to relax? ... to enjoy life in simple things.

[roopepa]

10 minutes ago, allislove said:

@roopepa So, I guess, time to relax? ... to enjoy life in simple things.

Yes. Even if I knew all that, would there be something else "to do"?

[Member]

Self love includes your mind AND body, so you have to be careful how you feed them. There is food for thought and food for your body.

Mens sana in corpore sano.

[allislove]

@roopepa 

By saying "holding 'I know it all" I was referring to close-mindedness due to some circumstances.
So, the position: "I have no clue what is going on, just a miracle" is way healthier for a direct investigation.  

45 minutes ago, roopepa said:

Yes. Even if I knew all that, would there be something else "to do"?

If your question implies: "Is there anything else to do except chasing your own tail so to speak?"

I'd say 'no', everything is an expression of Self-Love. The question only are you giving love due to understanding of who you are, or you are needing it due to a misunderstanding of who you are. It's all good in any case  

 

[Moksha]

2 hours ago, roopepa said:

I don't know who I am. I don't know if there is even a way to find that out. I don't know if there is "an awakening". I don't know if there is a God. I don't know if there is a Truth.

I'm getting tired of thinking and self-inquiring. I'm getting tired of trying to figure myself and reality out. It seems to be leading nowhere.

Might as well just love. 

Realizing that you don't know anything is the first step. It is good that you are getting tired of thinking. Your intuition is telling you that thinking is not the answer.

Awakening is just a fancy word for realizing what you already have begun to realize. We are more than our thoughts. Not only is thinking unnecessary, but it is the source of most of our suffering. It promises to give us peace and happiness, but it never delivers. It is voracious, and as long as we identify with it, we will never be free to fully love ourselves.

Practice awareness, without thought. Have you ever experienced something in nature so beautiful that it stunned you into silence? Have you felt awe, connection, tranquility, and joy simply by observing a sunset, the face of a child, or a flower, without thought? That is the path to love.

Edited October 2, 2020 by Moksha

[VeganAwake]

3 hours ago, roopepa said:

I have no idea but I kinda hope love will show me that.

I don't know who I am. I don't know if there is even a way to find that out. I don't know if there is "an awakening". I don't know if there is a God. I don't know if there is a Truth.

I'm getting tired of thinking and self-inquiring. I'm getting tired of trying to figure myself and reality out. It seems to be leading nowhere.

Might as well just love. 

Totally get it, sometimes it feels as if we're taking steps backwards ❤

Sounds like 'you' are on the cusp of recognizing the limitations of listening and identifying with mind. Notice how the mind/ego/sense of self is always dragging us around looking for the grass is always greener on the other side scenario. Notice how even the desire to recognize everything as love is just another egoic desire subtly implying that what's Here and Now isn't already unconditional love or perfection. 

The Mind keeps saying: see what you're seeking is just around the next corner... but the corners never end lol.... it doesn't want to recognize the hamster wheel effect just runs us in circles endlessly.

It's the weirdest thing because in the end, the very energy dragging us around seeking for fulfillment, love and liberation, turns out to be completely unreal. 

When the judgemental seeking energy dies, the concept clouds evaporate revealing the bright, perfect radiance of what was always here just waiting to be recognized.

It's Freedom it's the Kingdom of Heaven it's Paradise.... 

 

[FortisFortunaAdiuvat]

At around minute 8, Leo is guiding you through a simple but effective visualisation. While doing this I realized in which areas I need to give myself more love and understanding.