The Spiritual life, When holiness abounds and is contagious.

Topic Thirty five

When holiness abounds and is contagious.

“Love is not as valuable as freedom is. Love is a great value, but not higher than freedom. So one would like to be loving but one would not like to be imprisoned by love.” p.79

Osho is referring, in this passage, to conditional love and conditional love is always suffocating in the end once the transaction is complete or no further transactions are desired by one of the partners in the relationship.

“I’ve fallen out of love. They are a good person, but I don’t love them any more, I’m sorry to say.” What has happened? The relationship no longer meets the person’s needs and desires and so what’s the point, what’s the purpose? At this point continuing the relationship is done out of duty, obligation, responsibility and abandoning these things engenders guilt. When is guilt the basis of love? Never.

Osho teaches that freedom is a higher value than conditional love.

But what about unconditional love? Unconditional love as compared to conditional love is already imbued with freedom. Unconditional love is shared, no strings attached. Unconditional love is not transactional but the opposite. Unconditional love is always one-sided. It flows from abundance not scarcity. Unconditional love is freeing in and of itself.

Unconditional love is rare and is practiced with intention and a purity which is precious. The person radiating unconditional love does not possess it themselves but is merely a conduit for a magnanimous source. People who radiate unconditional love are “old souls”, very mature, very wise, full of peace and joy. When you are in their presence you know there is something special flowing which is empowering and liberating. Holiness abounds and is contagious.