Falling in love with your self

In 2014, while living in the Pa Auk Forest Monastery in Burma, I met a woman, whose perception of herself completely transformed my view on self-love.

Over the years of living in different monasteries, ashrams and meditation centers around the world, I have met some truly beautiful people, but when this woman shared her life-changing story with me, I was truly mesmerized by the radiance of her inner beauty.

We were standing in line for lunch when we first felt inspired to break our silence and get to know each other. We did just that and later on continued to have many more meaningful conversations and shared some of our most profound life experiences.

The most memorable and deeply impactful was her story of falling in love with herself.

She shared with me about how intensely unloving her feelings once were toward herself and her body and how at the point of her deepest despair she was ready to end her life.

She had already made the decision and as she was nearing her end, she felt a deep heartbreak. She was somewhat surprised by this, as she felt no love toward her body. Then, as her heartbreak intensified, it was as if her soul were suddenly removed from her body. This had lent her a new perspective and for the first time in her life she was able to see herself as an outside observer. She began to feel the profound fragility of her existence and something deep within her shifted. At once, all her negative emotions about herself had dissipated. Then, as if by a miracle, she looked at her body and for the first time in her life, she felt such unconditional love and profound appreciation that she could no longer even fathom causing harm to herself ever again. All the parts of her body that she used to consider ugly were suddenly radiating with such light and life! The contempt she once felt for herself was forever gone and all that was left behind was pure unconditional love, for herself, for others and for the whole world.

She described her experience as a type of rebirth, an awakening to her true self. As she spoke of her transformation, I could feel her bright spirit radiating with such profound love. The brightness of her spirit was so awe-inspiring and beautiful, it was infectious. She described this profoundly life-changing moment in her life as a "falling in love with herself". Her eyes sparkled as she spoke of her transformation. She exuded such unconditional love that I could feel the miracle of that moment from her even all those years later.

You see, a type of death did in fact occur in her. It was the death of the old self, the false sense of self, which is unable to see itself through the lens of unconditional love, the light we are all ultimately made of.

I too have experienced a similar type of miracle through a different set of life circumstances and because of the life-changing impact it has had on my life, I can only say that life can be so infinitely beautiful when experienced from the perspective of unconditional love and acceptance.

When we awaken the love within, we awaken the unlimited potential and experience a true miracle on Earth.