2nd I’d like to share with you another story, a pretty cool story, a story that came from a Buddhist master of mine from China that one time we shared stories together; I told him a Taoist story and he shared a Buddhist story. This is the Buddhist story he told me.

He told me about a little monk, a little child monk, who one time got a common affinity, he was given a seed. The master who gave him the seed said “This is the seed of kindness. Those who have common affinity, the one who have common affinity, as long as they wait for the flower to blossom, they will become Buddha instantly.”

There is something very important for all of us to understand of life and to taste the tranquility of the spirit: Play the cards that god has given you well; play well the cards that god given you…

There is a story that I learned in the past, a story regarding Eisenhower, the World War II general.  When he was very young, a child, he was playing a poker game with his family members.  Several times during the game he got not such good cards in his hand and so he became very unhappy and started blaming and being very impatient.

Love is to love yourself first.  To love your Shen or spirit; then the body will not be needed anymore.  Love is to love our spirit; to be united with spirit – this higher degree of love is for immortality.

To love is to be like a virgin behind the door, peeking to see her loved one: having pure, unconditional, joyful love that is contagious and spreads to the world.  Love is like a goddess with mercy and compassion.  This love is without purpose – it is just the nature of expression.

You must love yourself before you can love others, otherwise love is discounted or it is crippled love, like someone who tries to introduce Fiji apples who's never had an apple.  But each has his own definition of love.  Some put conditions on love:  If you were taller, smarter, whatever, then I would love you.  Some think control is love: you must do what I want for me to love you.  Others want power, domination, and many other extremes.  When love has conditions then it is no longer love.  Love is unconditional.

Taoist put no condition on love.  Love is based on self and others.  If can't love self, then can't love others.  Human nature is to be compassionate, to have mercy and compassion.  That is love.  Human nature is love.