All philosophy or doctrine is open to interpretation. You take a book (Tao Te Ching) that was written in bits and pieces thousands of years ago by Lao Tzu and try and apply it to modern life. It is very difficult, but not impossible.

And in most of these texts, love, in the way we know it, is not mentioned, because it was written during times of war and unrest. Love is a word we apply to a bunch of feelings, but it is society that dictates how those feelings should be measured. You cannot measure love, nor its contents. You cannot hold love up to a microscope and inspect it. Love is slippery and just as soon as you think you have defined it, it changes and morphs into something similar, but not the same. Strange is it not, that we have an easier time of defining and describing hate, loves' polar opposite?

The quote from the Dalai Lama may be true, but in what context was he using it? Was he speaking of obsession? of possession? of self-conceit? I am not disagreeing with you, but having come across a lot of eastern philosophy over the years there is the issue of language, context and interpretation.

In the words of Lao Tzu:

"Tao called Tao is not Tao.

Names can name no lasting name".......

So love is not the same definition for everybody, but that is my point. Is love nameless like Tao? Is it part of Tao? In my mind it is. Everything we feel whether it be good or bad is Tao(the Way). It all equals the sum of all our parts, that is why I believe that love is neither good nor bad, it just is. It is how we live through love that makes the difference.

Thank you for your reply. And everything I say is just my opinion, just my interpretation. And no, I cannot name enlightenment or know its true face, but I do know that enlightenment never stops and true wisdom is never reached, but in knowing that I do not know wisdom means I possess a certain kind of wisdom. I do not seek it, but let it come to me. It is a very hard journey sometimes and I am still learning, so thank you for making me think about it. For someone so young, I think you possess more insight than you realise.

You are loved. I guarantee it.

Michah