Steadfastness in Love
by Master Lee Feng San Shifu
Translated by Sophia Lui
Edited by Ric Meyers
Has anyone been in love? Spoken words of love? What is love? What is affection? What is romantic love? When I ask, “Can this world exist without romantic love?”, almost everyone thinks it is not possible. Why is that? How do we view romantic love?
When people hear me mention romantic love, they might wonder: “Aren’t you a practitioner of self-cultivation? Why are you not quoting holy scriptures and citing sacred texts instead of talking about worldly matters?”
In fact, it is not a question of whether one is afraid to talk about the topic or not. If it is something that should be spoken about, then it should be spoken about. Others may avoid talking politics or love, but we are going to talk about them. There is nothing that cannot be spoken about. It all depends on how we approach the subject.
Confucius said, “My doctrine is that of an all-pervading unity.” This means that all things are interconnected.
A French writer said, “Even a beautiful romance has lots of ongoing conflicts. But if one remains steadfast, despite such fierce clashes, then this is a most precious love.”
If we think about it, these words make sense and echo the teachings of the Way. When it comes to love or affection, how can there be no conflicts in them? It is just a matter of whether they are big or small ones!
From this perspective, there is going to be a small conflict between two persons, a big conflict within a family, and even a bigger one within a group. So there are going to be conflicts everywhere. But if we think about it, is that not what love relationships are about?
The question is how we can remain steadfast in our love despite frequent arguments, and not give up when the going gets tough. This is where the challenge lies! When something becomes infinitely big or infinitely small, we will not be able to perceive it. This applies to all truths. The problem is that the small does not get small enough, and the big does not get big enough.
So how do we cultivate the self? We have to “turn the big into something infinitely big and the small into something infinitely small!”
If we understand these words, we will feel joy; if not, we will be left dumbfounded. If we can feel joy, and are growing in every way, then, in that very moment, we have already made a big step forward.
“Love is beautiful if, despite countless conflicts, we remain steadfast in our love.” — Lee Feng San Shifu
