Love is the foundation of power.
-Paul Tillich
Today we're weaving together the wisdom of Buddhist teacher Pamela Weiss with the profound insights of theologian Paul Tillich. Pamela Weiss speaks of the integration of power and love, echoing Martin Luther King Jr.'s words: "Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." This sentiment resonates deeply with Tillich's understanding of love, power, and justice as interconnected forces that shape our human experience and our relationship with the divine. Weiss introduces us to the Buddhist concept of basic goodness - the idea that there's something fundamentally good at the heart of life itself, residing within each of us. This notion aligns with Tillich's view of love as a reuniting power, one that overcomes separation and affirms the inherent worth of all beings. Both Weiss and Tillich challenge us to move beyond simplistic understandings of power. Weiss speaks of power not as domination, but as the capacity to engage skillfully in the world. This echoes Tillich's conception of power as the courage to be, the ability to affirm oneself and others in their essential being. The Buddhist path, as Weiss describes it, is not about becoming a "good meditator," but about alleviating suffering in the world. This practical, compassionate approach to spirituality aligns with Tillich's understanding of justice as the form in which the power of being actualizes itself through love. Weiss introduces us to the archetype of the bodhisattva - a being who embodies the integration of wisdom and compassion, power and love. This figure offers a powerful model for what Tillich might call the "reunion of the separated" - the bringing together of our capacity for clear seeing and our deep care for the suffering of others. Both traditions remind us that true power doesn't come from control or domination, but from presence and awareness. Weiss speaks of "empowering presence" - a state of being where we tap into our true nature. This resonates with Tillich's understanding of power as the ability to affirm and actualize one's essential being. As we navigate the complexities of our world, these teachings offer us a path to integrate love, power, and justice in our lives and communities. They challenge us to move beyond our habitual patterns of control and reactivity, inviting us into a more spacious, compassionate way of being. In the words of Pamela Weiss, "We're looking for that integration, that weaving of power and love, of wisdom and compassion." This integration, this weaving, is at the heart of what both Buddhism and Tillich's theology invite us to explore and embody. As we conclude, I invite you to reflect on how you might bring this integration of love and power into your own life. How might you cultivate an "empowering presence" that allows you to engage with the world from a place of both strength and compassion? And how might this presence contribute to the bending of the moral arc of the universe towards justice?
Where Do We Go From Here? Reflections on Power and Love
A Dharma Talk by Pamela Weiss
We're looking for that integration, that weaving of power and love, of wisdom and compassion.
Meditation Practice
A "Pure Consciousness Experience" (PCE) is a profound and elusive subjective state that offers a unique perspective on the interplay of love and power within our consciousness. During a PCE, an individual's perception of time appears to dissolve entirely, revealing a state of awareness that transcends our usual constructs of control and separation. This heightened state exists independently of specific objects of focus, allowing for a direct experience of what Paul Tillich might call the "power of being." In this state, the experiencer often reports a sense of timelessness and a deep, unfiltered connection to the present moment. This connection can be understood as a manifestation of love in its most fundamental form - not as an emotion or sentiment, but as a reuniting force that overcomes separation, as Tillich describes. The PCE offers a glimpse into a realm where love and power are not opposing forces, but integrated aspects of our deepest nature. Free from the usual mental chatter and conceptual thinking, the mind in a PCE state accesses a different kind of power - not the power of control or domination, but the power of presence and acceptance. This aligns with Buddhist teachings on empowerment through non-attachment and presence. The state is often described as pure, clear, and expansive, offering insight into a form of consciousness that transcends ordinary sensory perception and cognitive processing. In this space, we may discover what Pamela Weiss refers to as our "basic goodness" - an inherent quality that integrates love and power at the core of our being. The PCE thus becomes not just a subjective experience, but a potential gateway to understanding the true nature of love and power as interconnected, rather than opposing, forces in our lives and in the universe.
I intend to nurture the 'two wings' of awareness and kindness in my practice today
