{"id":183,"date":"2011-03-08T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2011-03-08T00:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/haveamagnificentday\/2011\/03\/friendship--the-grandest-expression-of-love.html"},"modified":"2011-11-27T18:46:09","modified_gmt":"2011-11-27T23:46:09","slug":"friendship-the-grandest-expression-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/haveamagnificentday\/2011\/03\/friendship-the-grandest-expression-of-love.html","title":{"rendered":"Friendship -The Grandest Expression of Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Paramahansa Yogananda’s “The Divine Romance<\/em>.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“The relationship that exists between friends is the grandest of human loves.\u00a0 Friendly love is pure, because it is without compulsion.\u00a0 One freely chooses <\/span>to love his friends; he is not bound by instinct.\u00a0 The love that manifests in <\/span>friendship can exist between man and woman, woman and woman and man <\/span>and man.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Love gives without expecting anything in return.\u00a0 I never think of anyone <\/span>in terms of what he can do for me.\u00a0 And I never profess love to someone <\/span>because he has done something for me.\u00a0 If I didn’t actually feel love, I wouldn’t <\/span>pretend to give it; and since I feel it, I give it. I learned that sincerity from my <\/span>Master.\u00a0 There may be some who do not feel friendly toward me, but I am a friend <\/span>to all, including my enemies; for in my heart I cannot have enemies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another.\u00a0 B<\/span>e certain of your feeling before you say to anyone, “I love you.”\u00a0 Once you give your love, it must be forever.\u00a0 Not because you want to be near that person,\u00a0<\/span>but because you want perfection for that soul.\u00a0 To wish for perfection for the loved one, and to feel pure joy in thinking of that soul, is divine love; and that is the love of true friendship.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The relationship between guru and disciple is the greatest expression of love in friendship; it is unconditional divine friendship, based on a shared, singular goal: the desire to love God above all else. The disciple bares his soul to the master and the master bares his heart <\/span>to the disciple.\u00a0 There is nothing hidden between them.\u00a0 Even in other noble forms of friendship there is sometimes diplomacy. But the friendship of the guru-disciple relationship is <\/span>taintless.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“<\/span>If my love can be bribed to compromise itself, then it is not love. If I have to alter my behavior toward you for fear of your reaction, then my feeling for you is not true love.\u00a0 I must be able to speak with you honestly<\/strong>.”
\n<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sri Yukteswar<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

blessings,
\n\ud83d\ude42 Lee
\nThe Mega Coach<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Paramahansa Yogananda’s “The Divine Romance.” “The relationship that exists between friends is the grandest of human loves.\u00a0 Friendly love is pure, because it is without compulsion.\u00a0 One freely chooses to love his friends; he is not bound by instinct.\u00a0 The love that manifests in friendship can exist between man and woman, woman and woman…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":229,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,1,2,7,3],"tags":[9],"class_list":["post-183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-acknowledgement","category-communication","category-personal-growth","category-professional-development","category-relationships","category-success","tag-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nFriendship -The Grandest Expression of Love - Have a Magnificent Day!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/haveamagnificentday\/2011\/03\/friendship-the-grandest-expression-of-love.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Friendship -The Grandest Expression of Love - Have a Magnificent Day!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From Paramahansa Yogananda’s “The Divine Romance.” “The relationship that exists between friends is the grandest of human loves.\u00a0 Friendly love is pure, because it is without compulsion.\u00a0 One freely chooses to love his friends; he is not bound by instinct.\u00a0 The love that manifests in friendship can exist between man and woman, woman and woman…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/haveamagnificentday\/2011\/03\/friendship-the-grandest-expression-of-love.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Have a Magnificent Day!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-03-08T00:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-11-27T23:46:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The MEGA Coach\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Friendship -The Grandest Expression of Love - Have a Magnificent Day!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/haveamagnificentday\/2011\/03\/friendship-the-grandest-expression-of-love.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Friendship -The Grandest Expression of Love - Have a Magnificent Day!","og_description":"From Paramahansa Yogananda’s “The Divine Romance.” “The relationship that exists between friends is the grandest of human loves.\u00a0 Friendly love is pure, because it is without compulsion.\u00a0 One freely chooses to love his friends; 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For 30 years he has studied what motivates human\/spiritual beings. His life passion focuses on inspiring people to grow, awaken and actualize their divine potential. As co-founder of the Power of Acknowledgement organization in the eighties, Lee and his mentor, Michael Wyman shared a powerful technology to uplift people to achieve their dreams. In 1985, Lee and Michael served as motivational coaches for the New York Rangers working directly with Craig Patrick, who was assistant coach on the legendary 1980 US Olympic Hockey team. Lee also founded Insights to Excellence, Inc., a sales and management consulting and training organization. He developed and presented seminars designed to empower people to actualize their full potential, both personally and professionally. Lee's has two passions. As The MEGA Coach, his focus is to inspire people to live the divine plan of their lives. In addition, Lee is a Wealth Advisor in financial services and retirement planning. He provides effective financial solutions that guarantee protection, security and financial freedom. Lee graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Rochester and an MBA in Finance and Human Resource Management from the University of San Diego. Lee uplifts people to make each day a masterpiece. 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