Love Your Enemies
Ithaca, NY, 2008
My dear friends,
The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Plain are profound invitations to the transformation of the heart. They challenge us not only to love but to love radically, beyond human inclinations of attachment and aversion. The Bodhisattva path, too, teaches us to cultivate boundless compassion, even for those who harm us. Let us reflect on these sacred words through the lens of both Christ’s love and the wisdom of the awakened mind.
Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you."
- Luke 6:27-28
To love one’s enemy is not passive acceptance of harm but an active cultivation of an unshakable heart. The Bodhisattva sees the enemy as a teacher, revealing the places where patience and compassion must grow. Jesus calls us to break the cycle of hatred, just as the Dharma teaches us to see beyond illusion and respond with wisdom and love.
and from anyone who takes away your coat, do not withhold even your shirt."
- Luke 6:29
Turning the other cheek does not mean submission to violence but rather a refusal to perpetuate suffering. It is the strength of a heart that is free. The Bodhisattva, like Christ, does not retaliate but responds with fearless love, knowing that hatred cannot be ended with hatred, but only with loving-kindness.
and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again."
- Luke 6:30
Generosity is the natural expression of a heart that is unattached. Jesus and the Bodhisattvas remind us that clinging only leads to suffering, while giving freely opens the way to spiritual abundance. True wealth is not in possessions but in the love and kindness we cultivate.
- Luke 6:31
The Golden Rule mirrors the Buddhist understanding of karma: our actions shape our reality. To treat others with love and fairness is to cultivate the world we wish to see, planting seeds of peace that will bear fruit for all beings.
For even sinners love those who love them."
- Luke 6:32
Conditional love is easy, but transformative love embraces even the undeserving. The Bodhisattva’s vow, like Christ’s commandment, is to love universally, without distinction, seeing all as worthy of compassion.
For even sinners do the same."
- Luke 6:33
True virtue arises when we act with kindness without expectation of return. This selfless giving is the hallmark of one who walks the path of Christ and the Bodhisattva.
Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again."
- Luke 6:34
Giving without seeking reward purifies the heart. The true gift is given freely, just as the Dharma is shared without condition. This is the perfection of generosity.
Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High;
for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked."
- Luke 6:35
To love without condition is to reflect the divine nature. Just as the Bodhisattva seeks enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, so too does Christ call us to embody love without limit.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged;
do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven;..."
- Luke 6:37
Mercy arises from wisdom. When we see that all beings struggle with suffering and ignorance, we cultivate forgiveness. Just as Christ and the Bodhisattvas extend compassion to all, so too must we.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap;
for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
- Luke 6:38
The universe reflects back the love we give. When we cultivate generosity, kindness, and mercy, we not only transform the lives of others but also our own. The way of Christ and the Bodhisattva is a path of limitless giving, leading to a heart that overflows with divine grace.
May we walk the path of Christ and the Bodhisattva together, embodying wisdom and compassion in all we do. Let us love without limit, give without attachment, and forgive without hesitation, so that the world may be filled with the light of awakening.