Loving Ben Roethlisberger, even if...

The media in our culture is so fickle. It teaches our minds to fall out of the state of yoga, which is the cessation of these fickle fluctuations.

Ben Roethlisberger, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is really getting abused. This week, the media is saying that he can't deliver for the fans. We all know that to be untrue since nothing is ever one person's fault but a collective effort by all members of organization.

I sat down the other day to offer my efforts of Tonglen to ease the suffering of my Beloved Ben Roethlisberger. Then I asked, "Ben, can I count on you to e there for us?" After awhile, I got the response: "Lynn, can I count on you to be there for me?"

I am being called on to provide love that is unchanging for Ben. This is Boundless Love. This is the practice of love as taught by the Buddha. We learn to love this way when we learn to look at another person as our self. Everything that manifests itself in the world is a wonder. Practicing seeing things through the eyes of love can help us see ourselves as wonders of life. When we look at the person we love, we can look at him with this understanding.

When we love someone, we feel strong. We feel happy because we have found a companion who can understand us. That is pure and beautiful. We need to practice th is feeling with mindfulness. If we don't take careo f our love, it can easily turn into fickle fluctuations.

We know what to do and what not to do to bring happiness and peace to the other person. This is true love. My practice as a lover of Ben is to never allow any negative words affect my devotion to bringing happiness and peace as energy to him.

The Buddha spoke about four elements that constitute true love:

1. Maitri-- the capacity to be kind and offer happiness.

2. Karuna--the capacity to relieve suffering.

3. Mudita--the capacity to bring joy every day.

4. Upeksha--the capacity of nondiscrimination

Then in true love, there is no discrimination. The pain of the other is our pain; the happiness of the other is our own happiness. If we do not understand our partner, if we do not share in his suffering, this is not love at all. It's just consuming the other person to satisfy our own individual needs.

My relationship with following the career of Ben Roethlisberger is for gaining more insight on boundless love and compassion. First, I learn to love one person with understanding and insight, then expand that love to embrace others. This is boundless love.

Love is no different from meditation. When we meditate, we look deeply inside to our joy and peace, and to embrace our suffering and transform it into wisdom and liberation. The same is true when we practice the art of boundless love. We love Ben Roethlisberger despite what the pundits say.