Buddha is known to have pointed to 4 aspects or stages of love related to The Four Immeasurables: Love of self is the first aspect, love of others is the second, love for the happiness of others is third, and love of all things in equanimity is the fourth.
Each stage of the following stage requires the preceding stage of love to be put forth. The Golden Rule is one element; love results from loving others as you would be loved. Just contemplate love for yourself, for others, for the happiness of others so they can find enlightenment/dharma -- and all things can change for you and your surroundings.
See the divinity in the relationship between the Sun, Moon, and Earth in the ratio of 108. The diameter of the Earth at the equator is 7926 miles. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times that: about 865,000. The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is 108 times the sun's diameter: 93,020,000 miles. The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 238,800 miles, about 108 times the moon's diameter: 2180.
See the divinity of yourself with all of humanity and all living beings, with the entirety of the planet as equally and divinely balanced. The relationship of the Sun, Earth, and Moon provide for all life and moreover all consciousness on Earth. And the size and distance between the familiar celestial objects are all in the divine proportion of 108. Through this astronomical, divine and miraculous positioning, 108 is symbolic of celestial order and perfection, our microcosmic position in the macrocosm.
108 can be seen as illustrating love; 1 for unification and acceptance, 0 representing that nothing matters compared to love, and 8 representing eternal, immutable compassionate love, no matter what. 108 is the key to metaphysical intuition. 108 links the micro and macro further in its representation of time: 1 for the present, 0 for the past, and 8 for the infinite future.
The Antidote to CorruptionBuddha's dharma lessons are said to be the antidote to the corruptions, in the same way compassionate love counters confrontation.
It's said that Buddha revealed 84,000 lessons in dharma, or 82,000 lessons and that 2,000 more were later added for a total of 84,000 dharmas or meditations -- antidotes to what are called the 84,000 corruptions. His teachings are divided into four parts; 21,000 teachings on each of the three baskets of teaching (Vinaya, Sutra and Abhidharma) and their combination, which counter and cure the gross corruptions of this plane.
There are four types of corruptions; 21,000 of passion, 21,000 of hatred, 21,000 of ignorance, and 21,000 of a combination of the three equally.
Buddha taught that the way out of suffering is not to cause suffering and that the way to happiness is to choose happiness; to cease allowing passion, hatred and ignorance to rule one's consciousness. Question yourself and others acting in these states. These states of consciousness are reflected in the center of an ancient mandala of reincarnation, and in the cycle of Saa' 'sÄ ra (the birth/death cycle) as the passion of the pig, the hatred of the snake and ignorance of the rooster. They are depicted in a cycle, or reaction, chasing each other's tails. The lesson? Instead of chasing tails, be compassionate for all, as 1, exclude 0 living beings from your compassion, and be accepting of infinite (8) alternative compassionate form and function: 108.
The Meditative Value of 10884,000 is 108 multiplied by 777.7777777777777".
7,777 and sevens in multitude are symbolic of angelic being, ascension and transmutation of self into a spiritual being with heightened awareness. And perchance, 7+7+7=21.
There are 84,000 loving ways to counter 84,000 corruptions; 84,000 compassionate forms to choose from, instead of 84,000 causes for suffering. There is always a way to respond lovingly, in angelic being, rather than to react hatefully, in a trained reaction, in accordance to the scripting of another's corrupt play. There is always a way to respond rather than react.
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