A Corollary of Ajahn Brahm’s Teachings

This is a theory of pain and love, an emotional equation of sorts. It posits that the amount of love experienced will be directly proportional, will grow in the same amount as, the pain experienced in the effort to maintain the relationship. If your loved one hurts you, abuses you, and the trust remains intact, the equation holds true. If the trust is broken, the equation will not hold. A person acting out of malice will have broken this trust requirement.

Equally true, if you love someone deeply, then the pain experienced over the loss of that person will be very great indeed. Most of us realize this immediately. We may not realize that sometimes when our love was not as great as we imagined it to be, then the pain experienced at the time of loss will not be so great, regardless of expectations.