In Hebrew - וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ ve’ahavta lere’acha kamocha.
Love your friend as yourself is one of the best known phrases from the Bible. But what does it actually mean? There are several meanings depending on your perception of reality:
1. How To Treat Others
Before you cross the barrier you're not aware of your intention so the phrase "love your friend as yourself" can only be understood literally, treat others the way you would like to be treated. If your friend needs a pillow give him a pillow, if someone drops something help them pick it up.
When you first cross the barrier you become aware of your intention for the first time and realize you've been using it at the expense of others. You want to stop harming others so your intention changes from reception to bestowal. "Love your friend as yourself" can be understood to mean do not harm others, "... do to others what you would have them do to you." (Matthew 7:12).
3. Your Friends are Your Intention
When you cross the barrier and become aware of your intention you notice something else, your friends tell the story of your intention.
You're able to make a connection between your friends and your intention. The friends you're surrounded with tell the story of the stages that your intention goes through. So "love your friend as yourself" means that your friends are actually you since they tell the story of your intention.
We are all interconnected in this way. Your friends and I tell the story of your intention and my friends including you tell the story of my intention.
3. God is your Friend
In this world your friends are people you spend time with and know something about. When you reach the degree of "love" where your intention is similar to God's intention, you spend time with God and you know something about Him. You know His intention, He's your friend. The friend in "love your friend as yourself" is God. Love God.
Also, in spirituality when attributes have equivalence of form they become one. When your intention is similar to God's intention you become one with God. You can't tell where God starts or ends and you can't tell where you start or end. "Love your friend as yourself" means love God as yourself because you and God are one.
Copyright © 2011 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used
for any commercial purposes.
