In the Midst of the Heart

There are homophobics and homophobic attitudes in almost every culture. But they are not conservative, nor liberal, nor Buddhist, they are prejudices - views that lead to suffering and away from wisdom and enlightenment.

When the Buddha way is lived, then the merits between one relationship orientation and its alternative are rendered indistinguishable. With a clear and open heart, loving another becomes not a matter of determining which gender the partner is blessed with, but a matter of honoring and keeping faith with them.

Discovering the one who blesses your heart in a deeply committed relationship is not like choosing a name out of the phone book, but one of the deepest mysteries of life. Honoring that love and joyous union, in whatever form it is given to you, is the challenge that we all must take.

Checking to make sure that some pre-made rulebook approves of that partner is not only a false and unnatural love, but also a mark of ignorance upon the holder of that love. Honoring the mate to whom you are joined with is the highest morality and the truest.

The way of love that one is blessed with is not for others to declare to be right or wrong. To do so, is not to follow the Middle Way, but to follow the way of prejudice, censure, and ridicule. If this is the Dharma that some teachers preach, then I wonder what kind of way they are following?