violence? Or is there an observation without the word, without the image? To
observe without the image requires tremendous energy. Then you are not wasting
energy by suppressing violence or transforming violence or pursuing an ideal of
nonviolence. That is all a waste of energy.
Now, in the same way let us look at this whole subject of what is called love.
That is, we have looked at what we consider living, which is a shoddy affair, a
battle, and by investigating we have seen that it is possible—not intellectually but
actually—to be free of that conflict. Now, let us inquire deeply into the question
of what love is. Not your opinion or somebody’s opinion or conclusion, what is it
actually now? What is love? Is it pleasure? Is it desire? Is it sex? Is it jealousy,
possessiveness, domination, dependency? Is it? If you depend, then you are
caught in fear. Right? If I depend on my wife because she gives me pleasure,
sexual or otherwise, if I depend on her for comfort, companionship, that
dependency breeds fear, that dependency breeds jealousy, hatred, antagonism,
possessiveness, the desire to dominate. Is all that love? Question it, go into it,
find out.
And is the pleasure that is associated with sex love? Why has sex become so
extraordinarily important in life? Why in the modern world and also in the
ancient world have we made sex into such a colossal affair? Why have we said
that you cannot possibly attain reality, enlightenment, if you are sexual? Let’s
find out.
First of all, you have to inquire into what pleasure is. You see a beautiful tree,
a lovely cloud, the enchanting face of a child, the beautiful face of a man or
woman. You see it. Then what takes place? You see lovely moonlight on the
water, sparkling, with beauty; you perceive it; then, at that moment of
tremendous experience thought comes along and says, “How lovely that was. I
want to repeat it tomorrow.” The thought is the response of a memory. The
experience of seeing that moonlight on the water and the beauty of it has been
recorded, and thought says, “I must repeat that again.” At that moment of
perception of the light on the water there was nothing; there was neither pleasure
nor the demand that it must happen tomorrow. There was absolute realization of
that beauty. Then thought comes in and says, “Let’s repeat it; let’s go back
tomorrow evening and look at that water again.” So that is pleasure, the
repetition of an event which thought has reduced to pleasure so thought can
continue it and give strength to pleasure. You have to understand this, please.
There has been physical pain, a bad toothache, last week. You are frightened
that it will come back again tomorrow or next week, which is the action of
thought. Thought sustains both pleasure and fear. Thought has built this whole
structure of pleasure around love. And therefore all the edicts, the sanctions of
the religions say not to look at a woman, to suppress, control. That’s what takes
place; that’s a battle. Therefore you are wasting energy much more.
So what is love? Is it pleasure? Is it fear? Fear is jealousy, violence. When
you possess your wife as “my wife” is that not violence? And is that love? And
as we asked, why is it human beings have made sex into an extraordinary affair,
that we must not have it or must? Have you ever thought about it? Have you
michael s
(Michael S)
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