Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Healing is your only purpose for being here...", February 7, 2005
We all know Jesus's commandment: Love your neighbors as you love yourself. But while we are all taught this, we are often not taught WHY we should love our neighbor as ourself, or HOW to love our neighbors as ourself. Most of us don't even love ourselves. Collectively, we don't do a good job of loving others unconditionally, because we aren't taught to love ourselves unconditionally.
The things that get in the way, are guilt/blame, fear, projection, unforgiveness, and judgment. We use these against ourselves as much as we do others. When we learn that our self worth is not based on how others respond to us, because we are inherently valuable just the way we are, then we learn to value ourselves. When we love ourselves unconditionally, this in turn naturally leads to compassion for others and the ability to remove our "conditions" that prevent us from loving them.
This book teaches that we choose our experiences in our life by how we choose to act or react, moment by moment. There is a profound cause and effect between our thoughts/beliefs and our moods and relationships. How you interpret your experience is important. Thoughts DO create experience. When you don't understand someone's behavior, do you choose the worst possible explanation? Or do you allow yourself to remain open to other possible explanations or points of view? Our interpretations are often false. There is a wonderful prayer in the book which addresses this:
"Father, I am willing to change my mind about this situation. Please help me see this not through the eyes of fear, but as you see it. Help me see this with equal love for myself and others."
This book states that healing is your only purpose here. The shift from judgment to acceptance is the essence of healing. "Love Without Conditions" will cause you to undeniably see yourself and where you need to do the work. It will then guide you to do the work while supporting you. As you work on yourself from within, you will naturally begin to feel understanding and compassion for your neighbors in their struggle to do the same. We are all in this together. We are all one.
I have read probably 50+ books on spirituality, and this book is one I cannot do without. It is in my personal top 3, along with the second book in this series, "Silence of the Heart," and "Seat of the Soul" by Gary Zukov. You will not be disappointed.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is quietly changing my life., November 10, 1998
By A Customer
As someone who has always had problems with organized Christianity, I approached this book with skepticism. But once I started reading, I found that it cuts straight to the core issues of human existence in a powerful and moving way. The book's key premise is that unconditional love of self and others is the key to ending human suffering. Rather than being presented in a way which is unrealistic or utopian, the cocept is spelled out with great psychological insight and incorporates many ideas I have found in Buddhism and Taoism. The book describes a concrete path for understanding the fear and guilt which keep us from treating ourselves and others with the respect and love we deserve; it teaches us how to really take seriously Jesus' instruction to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in understanding the causes of human suffering and what can be done to leave them behind
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unconditional Love for all time, July 9, 2005
This is one of the most profound books that I've ever had the pleasure to read. The words of Christ are simple, but challenging yourself to live and put them into practice takes time, patience, love of Self, and forgiveness. Jesus peels back the layers of complexity of many religious teachings to demonstrate that the key to happiness and love is to first love your Self.
The words of this book will change the way you see others, the world, and more importantly, yourself. Jesus also provides tools on how to cope with man's everyday fears. Acknowledge them and let them go. Don't try to resist them. Don't try to overcome them. Just be with them. I've put this powerful tool into my own life, and I'm amazed at how I'm now able to acknowledge and be with my own fears. This reduces stress, worry, fear, and helps you to learn to love and communicate with your Self. Isn't it amazing how easily we try to give love to our parents, relatives, husbands, wives, etc., but we never truly attempt to give that love to ourselves? As Jesus says, you must love yourself before you can truly love another. It's all within us.
I've read all four books in this series and I find them to be invaluable. You can read them many times and always come away with something that you missed or overlooked.
These books are very short, but they contain such wisdom and love, that it is as if Jesus has distilled the teachings of the Bible and the other holy books down into these small, simple books.
If you're looking to love yourself, to know that we are never alone, that love and forgiveness are all that is necessary for us to love ourselves and others, then these books will help you.
Forget what you think you know and believe with regard to classic religion. If it is fear-based and control-based and asks you to judge, criticize, and condemn others, then "these are NOT my teachings," says Christ.
This books also helps you to learn to think for yourself as much as love yourself.
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