Attempting to Define LOVE Through My Framework of Perception

What is LOVE?

This could be the most pertinent and oft-asked question throughout humanity, and experts through the ages from science, philosophy, religion, art, etc. have been trying to answer this question.  Have you actually tried?

There are sayings that one does not understand love unless one has felt the emotional elation of falling in love or the despair of losing a loved one…or the physical pleasure of engaging in love or the physical pains we endure when we love.

“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously

the head, the heart and the senses.”  Lao Tzu

Somehow, perception through ALL of our receptors, the mind, the emotions, and the senses (and not just as a thought) is integral to our understanding.  The broader and more numerous our experiences, the deeper would be our understanding.  The problem with perception is that it is and can only be a subjective process.  This inevitably leads to the infinite number of responses to the same question “What is LOVE?’.  Subjective perception leads to subjective understanding, which leads to many answers at best or confusion or even conflict at worst.

The challenge is to be able to approach the perceiving of something through an objective framework (through universal principles) without defining the subjective.  Only then (do I believe) the subject could begin to perceive what the object would perceive.  I believe that greater awareness is simply subjective perception becoming objective perception becoming objective understanding.

“How can one become enlightened?

One can, because one is enlightened—one just has to recognize the fact.”  OSHO

Recognition is perception.  OSHO would say "Witnessing".  Therefore, Witnessing is a process, the process of conscious perception simply in greater and higher dimensions.  In the highest dimension, the subject(ive) and object(ive) are one.  Let me go a little deeper into this process by introducing to you my framework and providing some definitions.

A Metaphysical Framework of Greater Understanding & Awareness

Conscious Perception: This is seeing, hearing, & feeling rather than merely looking, listening, & touching.  It is perception alert and aware.  It is NOT perception mired by the unconscious or subconscious.  It is difficult enough to consciously perceive what is, impossible if perception ends up what you want it to be or what you are afraid of it to be.  Perception, however, is and can only be subjective because perception can only exist in Duality (contrast): hot/cold, light/dark, bliss/sadness, love/hate, etc.

Dimensions: The easiest way to explain dimensions is through videos found on YouTube.  Please view the following videos before continuing.
1) “Imagining the 10^th Dimension"
2) “Cosmos – Carl Sagan – 4^th Dimension”

In my Framework, I distinguish between Greater Dimensions (X-axis) and Higher (Y-axis) Dimensions.  Based on the “Imagining the Tenth Dimension” video, the difference between the two is as follows:  The first three dimensions can be grouped as moving within “Greater Dimensions”, conscious perception in each successive dimension would allow for a broader perspective without.  On the other hand, while standing from the 4^th dimensional line, the three dimensions below could be grouped as a single point or as one. Therefore, conscious perception from the 4^th dimension is considered having moved to a “Higher Dimension”, allowing for deeper perspective within as it pertains to the dimensions below.  In other words, the 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd dimensions (and all the fractal dimensions in between) can be interchangeable, but together they exist within the higher dimensions, while the reverse order may not necessarily be true.

Let us take the example of physical beauty.  We all know that physical beauty can be influenced by personality (an extra dimension).  Furthermore, the mere acknowledgement that “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” is a step closer to a more objective perception and broader understanding of what is beautiful and what is ugly, albeit because perception remains in duality, the perception in the current dimension remains subjective.

Jumping to a higher dimension, however, one would consciously perceive BEAUTY as the flipside of MONOTONY and realize that beauty/ugly exists within DIVERSITY.  In other words, without DIVERSITY, there would be no beauty/ugly.

While I was living in Korea, people frequently asked me “Do you find Korean women more beautiful or American women?”  My reply ended up being on average, they are the same, but there are many more beautiful American women as there are many more ugly American women.  In fact, in Chinese characters, the literal translation of America is “beautiful country”.  While, the origin of this is controversial, I truly believe that America is called the beautiful country because of its diversity.
Consciously perceiving BEAUTY in a higher dimension (diversity/monotony), the subjective perception of beauty/ugly duality from lower dimensions dissipates.  You may then appreciate or even celebrate the beauty in ugly or ugly in beauty.


Witnessing: The Most Important Concept

“Witnessing is a happening, a by-product —

a by-product of being total in any moment, in any situation, in any experience.

Totality is the key, out of totality arises the benediction of Witnessing.” -- OSHO

As illustrated in the Diagram, I define Witnessing as the process of Conscious Perception moving along greater and higher dimensions (X & Y axis)—the byproduct being the coming together of subjective aspect closer to the objective aspect (Z-axis).  The steps towards Totality (Objective) rather than Duality (Subjective) are necessary for deeper understanding and greater Awareness.  In the highest dimension, subject(ive) and object(ive) are one—everything is one.

What is LOVE? Revisited

Having defined Witnessing, let us revisit the question “What is LOVE?”

In the most universal form, everything is energy.  LOVE is energy.  In the lower dimensions, we may perceive LOVE as an emotion we feel through the dimensional line of (for instance) desire/aversion.  Imagine that you are a baby and consciously perceive LOVE as an emotion for the first time.  You would not understand what it is at that moment.  Now imagine having consciously perceived an emotion for the second time.  Based in desire/aversion duality, you may begin to understand that one emotion is more desirable than the other.  Through Witnessing in greater dimensions, you may understand better the extremes of emotions and distinguish the energy of LOVE as love & hate.

Imagine yourself now consciously perceiving LOVE in a higher dimension.  You have come to understand that your feelings--joy/sorrow, desire/aversion, peace/anger, sympathy/cruelty, hope/despair, etc.--all really stem from what you would subjectively distinguish as good or bad energy, or love and fear.  Standing from this higher dimension, good or bad becomes your subjective perception.  Love and fear becomes your new duality.  Love & hate, however, become transformed.  They no longer would be seen in duality, but in totality, as opposite sides of the same coin.  Your new understanding and awareness of love/hate becomes objective.

Now imagine still that you consciously perceive LOVE in an even higher dimension.  Whether within your dreams or meditation, you perceive LOVE existentially.  Once again, “LOVE is” or “is not” becomes your subjective perception.  Love and void become your new duality.  Yet both love/fear and love/hate are now seen in totality.  You fear because you love.  You love because you do not accept void, but love/fear is no longer considered good or bad.  It is or is not.

Conceptually, VOID could be understood as a thought or idea.  However, like LOVE, unless you are able to also consciously perceive VOID through your emotions and senses, your thinking of VOID would be just superficial.  VOID can indeed be perceived!  How?  Buddha was known to have consciously perceived all his previous lives.  Some consciously perceive the afterlife.   In meditation or dreams, you could transcend time.  Dreams have been said to be simulations of what could have been or what could be (4^th thru 6^th dimensions in the video).  Now your emotions can accompany you in your dreams, but your body (senses) can only exist in the lower dimensions.

However, if you dream of being in a fight, your body may actually throw a punch.  Similarly, if you Witness VOID in your dreams, perhaps by Witnessing the afterlife or prior lives, upon waking, you may conscious perceive of extreme “stillness” in your body.  Whereas your body is full of hormones and chemicals flowing during your active day, upon perceiving VOID, none of that may be flowing in your body.  The conscious perception through your senses of what is not there in your body is physically perceiving something akin to VOID (death of the body).

Remember, perception only exists in duality, and because of duality, when you perceive VOID through all receptors (your head, your heart, your body), you simultaneously perceive your existence outside of this physical world.  After that, life/death, love/fear, love/hate are no longer viewed as separate.  They are viewed in Totality.  Your understanding of them has become objective.

How do I know that?  All “enlightened” people describe the same thing.  Yet enlightenment is not a mystical state of existence that only happens to “special” persons.  Everyone is enlightened.  Few have recognized that fact because few have Witnessed that fact.

In summary, what is the path towards enlightenment?  It is the process of Witnessing.  It is the process of conscious perception through greater AND HIGHER dimensions!  That is it (I believe).  There is no mystery behind it.  Unfortunately, we have been so trained, indoctrinated, manipulated to perceive in such narrow ways that we are blind to higher dimensional perception.  But once Witnessing happens, your world would change--be enriched.