Does unconditional love lead one to having no earthly desires?

Question

I never considered it before until I was studying another philosophy, one whose founder had many great one-liners. I found it remarkable but I’m easily impressed, and expect little from life.

Answer 1

As you can see from the answers above, many people redefine unconditional love to perhaps include some emotion that they have felt. This is usually not unconditional love, but a desire for unconditional love.

To love without conditions is considered a ideal goal by many. Others would claim that it is not a goal, but a Path. It does not lead one to having no earthly desires, but rather allows one to release the emotional attachment to earthly desires.

In a practical sense, one cannot love unconditionally without learning tolerance. Tolerance allows acceptance. Acceptance lessens expectations which in turn releases desire.

Most people are too busy building or maintaining their self generated ego boundaries to learn to love unconditionally. They cut themselves off from the Universe with this boundary. They are attached to their personal desires.

Some people relate to something larger than themselves. They allow their personal boundary to dissolve or at least overlap with portions of the Universe. Love is allowed. Desires are released.

Answer 2

I don't think you are easily impressed or that you expect little from life. I expect you have grand designs for life with the hope of finding this unconditional love. I believe you are able to understand what matters most and to recognise the truth when you hear it. That what you expect does not come from earthly desires. I believe this because of the question you have asked.

Have you experience unconditional love from the source of our life? It is always ready for you whenever you take the time to know it. See the answers you have here and realise it is a greater realisation of the purpose of life than any earthly desire. If you search be sure that one day you will know what unconditional and total love for all the world feels like and that can be an overwhelming experience, it settles but never leaves you and grows your understanding.

Earthly desires are here to teach you, when you understand what effect they cause in you, you are learning to understand yourself.

Answer 3

Hi!

Is there another kind of love than unconditional love? Can love have conditions? To love someone is to want what is best for them. A parent may love a child unconditionally, yet still be prompted by love to set boundaries and expectations that equate with an earthly desire for the life, liberty and well-being of their offspring. Being unhappy with someones choices or behaviour does not stop love. Mutual love is a wonderful learning process that enables growth and maturity in a relationship where love adheres regardless.

Good wishes.

Answer 4

'No, not quite.

'Because if that should be all unconditional love does leads us to, then we could find a lot better universe more worthy for our considerations; for unconditional love does nothing if it does not ensure for us foremost that we have a healthy measure of desire to continue in the dynamic state that is the unconditional. Desire keeps us fit to ensure this precision, that we might default to unconditionality again -- a process it is and is our classroom, and laboratory -- a contradictory one; that is Desire's teaching and thus 'will' give us the exam', without which taking our momentum and acuities are halted and dulled; this, a requisite for as long as we wear an earthly raiment.

To have the desireless state means and does bear disinterest (detachment) of the extremes brought to us by living an earthly, or physical, existence. For as long as we walk about the physical realms -- whether in the Milky Way or Andromeda or name it -- our encumbency rests with negotiating matter and energy to help sustain of neutrality in ourselves and thereby the universe at large, which tremendous forces this universe does produce without cessation, for it has to: that is its charter, its signature, its mission. And its permutations are infinite of varieties.

The deeper entreat given by some thinkers and many mystics for us is and was this, -- do not to wipe out desire, no, for you cannot, but be aware of it so as to keep vigilant watch upon that which is a normal accoutrement of the Mind as the receiver and transducer midst the material or spirito-material universes -- that purpose is the Mind's charter: to process the universe's habit to promote lateral movement till we can get this thing of unconditionality finally and reasonably right; this, again, to keep us in shape and on guard.

For we will need this experiential light and sound once we graduate above the spirito-physical realms, as grad' students now finished with this highly complex school, which presently and spatially, Earth, is Here and Now.

Answer 5

I think that without knowing what definition of love you are using I can only go by mine so I first want to say that I believe that love basically means to extend oneself for the spiritual (mental, emotional, physical) growth of another human being, this said I believe unconditional love would be to extend oneself unconditionally for the growth of another and I don't believe that it occurs very often because that is really asking a lot of oneself.

I do wish to have unconditional love for others but I am not that well yet.

To answer the question though, I do not see why we would not still have desires for other experiences in this life, both for ourselves and for those who we love unconditionally or love at all, so no I don't believe so.

Answer 6

I've never believed in unconditional love, not entirely. Even the love of a mother for her child can be beaten down at times. Certainly it is rare, if it does exist.

But I cannot see how this is connected to earthly desires. We all have a physical body, and that body (and the mind living in it) has physical needs and desires. It is reasonable to want food, clothing, shelter, and a reasonable degree of quality in all of these elements. It is also reasonable to want books, pleasures which are not harmful, good friends, and so on. Having unconditional love for another person would mean, I expect, that you also desired these things for your loved one. But I can't see how that would reduce earthly desires, but rather increase them.

Answer 7

We are in our desire body. Unconditional love makes no sense to it. Unconditional love shows no preferential treatment. For instance, there is no actions without it's recipricating, equal and opposite reaction. If one is to obey that law, while the other chooses not to, then the one that was "found worthy" to get such "preferential"
treatment, would come out ahead. If the other chose that way, He would be treated the same. Action, reaction. Cause, effect. There is a science to it. Religion calls it God's law. It's the action and not the person that gets preference. Anyways, about desires,

This type of love doesn't diminish or eliminate desire, but fulfills all desire.

Answer 8

The only unconditional love that is truly unconditional, is the love a mother has for her child. Earthly desires is how she got to be a mother in the first place.....just my opinion of course!

Answer 9

Oh, very good!
Unconditional love is what we are called on to practice in my tradition, Tibetan Buddhism. But because we can arrive at a place where we can have unconditional love for others, even all others, this does not necessarily mean that we have arrived at that place where we turn loose of our grasping at ego and delusions of possession and so on.
Even if one achieves enlightenment there is a fork in the road where one chooses between an altruistic desire and no desire. The altruistic earthly desire is that of the Bhodisattva, who is so committed to helping others to be free from suffering that he or she chooses to return in rebirth again and again to help other beings. That is very unselfish, but could nonetheless still be interpreted as an earthly desire. The arhat path, on the other hand, is complete self liberation, even from grasping at the concept of liberating others.
Beautiful thing about Buddhism, you make the call. There's no one dictating your path to you, and no one threatening you with Hell if you don't choose what someone else tells you to.

Answer 10

I do not know what kind of response I will get but love only comes in the unconditional and it isn't a manifest of emotions and etc, but rather a manifest of inner peace, of internal harmony within mind where all divisions are overcome and the flow of being radiates through the outpour of the center of a mind made whole in unity. It is the manifest of an anointed mind, consider that it is impartial, that it is discerning, that it is merciful, that is both wise and understanding, that it is both logical and intuitive, that it is higher soul perspective to know the condition of another, to see and know that all is GOOD, with such luminous intellect apply to them in the form that can help them. For one to be all loving they must be all knowing.

I so agree with Coyotes answer, it is harmony and oneness of being/mind. Where the male and female within us becomes one flesh, there is no longer the duality of mind but rather this duality has become one on a higher plane of being. I know what I am saying may not be keen to some and may not fit in with their beliefs, but unconditional love, much like truth can not be accurately defined but it is in harmonious being of mind. A conditional mind that is fragmented can be no means express genuine love, you must go through the center dwelling in spirit. But then again, I'm just a passer by.