Many times, people use the word "love" but do not understand what it
means. They will say "I love this car" or "I love these shoes", but
that isn't love. You don't love those things -- you "want" or "like"
them or enjoy possessing them. You want to own them or else you wish
guard it possesively. True Love is a gift. It is not something you
buy or sell. it is not something that should be taken lightly nor
should it be taken for granted. it is a gift from the heart. it is
not something that is hoarded. It is the sweetest and most precious
of things one person can give another other than life existance

Sometimes a person might say "I love this girl/boy", but in actuality
they mean "I want this girl/boy". Many of the things in this world --
money, material power, people -- you might want them to belong to
you, but that isn't True Love. You don't love those things -- you
love the idea of ownership of those things. You love what you think
ownership will mean to you. Perhaps having that car means freedom ...
or security ... or some other emotional state ... but ultimately it
is just a desire for whatever that "thing" means to you. Do you love
the girl/boy or do you love what being with that person means to you?
True Love is a gift given to others. Other than the giving of or the
giving up of a life it is the greatest gifts. There is no sacrifice
with True Love. Their happiness brings about your own happiness. It
is important to be clear on the differences in True Love versus
desire for ownership. It is also important to understand that True
Love and romantic love are different things too. Sometimes they are
coupled together, but you can have one without the other.

When True love and material desire are against each other, True Love
will always win. For example, if you truly love someone, and they
would like something that you own, you will gladly give it to them.
True love has no ownership ... it has no self ... no personal
desire ... it is only given as a gift with no expectation or
anticipation of any form of return. It is not something you want for
yourself. There are no attachments, and with no attachments, there is
no pain. If your girlfriend or boyfriend leaves you and you have True
Love for them, you want only what makes them happy, even if it's not
in your personal best interests. Attachments to your best interests
aren't as important to you as their happiness. You are happy if they
break up with you if it will make them happier. If you just have the
love of attachment, or just have romantic love without True Love,
then that loss hurts because you are thinking of your own personal
loss of ownership or attachment with that person. True love is
obviously not as common in today's world. Not there is absolutely no
pain in True Love although that is the goal.  It is just that the
pain comes and goes like the wind and it is not dwelled upon for the
love you have for that other person is so great that not even this
disappointment...this pain of loss...cannot bring it down. True Love
is like the everalasting Tao. It is forever and for always regardless
of any circumstance.

Some people innocently mistake True Love for "Like" and feel it is
interchangable with that word or words like desire, lust and so on. A
person might love their clothes ... or might love practicing martial
arts ... but if their True Love says "I want you to stop those things
and move with me to New York" then you will stop them and move. In
Buddhist thought, the highest level of Love is selfless unconditional
giving. That is why Buddhists meditate -- to understand themselves.
It is their hope that, through understanding themselves, they will
understand the truth of their life. They will see that nothing in
this world is truly ours and that ownership is simply an illusion of
the mind. In understanding the impermanence of things, they divorce
themselves from attachments, perspectives and postition -- they can
achieve "wu ji", or neutrality. Seeing through the illusion of
ownership allows you to give, unconditionally, of yourself to others,
and to demonstrate the qualities of True Love.

now that that has been said. i look forward to seeing Celeste in L.A
and in Las Vegas for the Star Trek Conventions.