By Stephanie Bucklin
There is a kind of love that liberates you. A love without grasping, without fear, without the desperate need for reciprocity. A love that is both infinitely expansive and profoundly grounded. For years, I searched for this love—first through the lens of Buddhism, and later through the teachings of Christ Consciousness. What I discovered is what mystics across time have quietly whispered:
When love is free of fear and free of clinging, it becomes divine.
This blog is the story of how these two ancient streams of wisdom braided themselves into my heart and helped me find a peace I didn’t know was possible.
The Buddha Taught Me to Loosen My Grip
My spiritual journey began with Buddhism. Not the religion, but the practice. The breath. The stillness. The invitation to witness myself without judgment. Before I knew anything about ascension, intuition, or metaphysics, I knew suffering—and I needed a path out of it.
Buddhism gave me language for what I was experiencing, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” —Buddha (paraphrased teaching)
I learned that suffering arises from grasping—from wanting life, people, relationships, and outcomes to be something other than what they are. The tighter I held on, the more I hurt. Through meditation, breathwork, and mindfulness, I found the first great truth:
Letting go is not giving up. Letting go is choosing peace.
The Buddha taught me Metta—loving-kindness not based on desire, attachment, or conditions. The prayer that changed my life was so simple:
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings live with peace.
Including me.
In those early years, I softened. I stopped fighting life. I stopped demanding certainty. And I began to experience the freedom of presence—of being fully here.
Jesus Taught Me to Love Without Boundaries
Years later, when I opened A Course in Miracles, something shifted again—deeply. Suddenly, Jesus was no longer a distant holy figure from my childhood. He was a teacher of radical love. Unconditional love. Love that makes no exceptions. I understood him in a way I never had before—as a bodhisattva, walking the Earth to teach humanity that fear is an illusion and love is the only truth.
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” —Jesus
This isn’t just a verse, it’s instructions.
- Love your enemies—not because their behavior is worthy of love, but because your heart is worthy of peace.
- Pray for those who harm you—not because they deserve your grace, but because hatred poisons your spirit.
- Offer compassion freely—not as obligation, but as liberation.
Through Jesus, I learned:
- Love is infinite.
- Forgiveness is freedom.
- And goodwill (Agape) is the highest spiritual practice.
Love Without Grasping: The Union of Two Paths
As I grew in both traditions, I realized something profound:
Jesus showed us that love was too small; it needed to expand infinitely.
Buddha showed us that love was too tight; it needed open hands.
When you put these together, you get the formula for awakened love:
- Love without grasping.
- Love without fear.
- Love without needing anything in return.
- This is the love that sets you free.
The Good Samaritan teaches us that love knows no tribe or label. Metta teaches us that love knows no clinging or agenda.
Jesus teaches unconditional goodwill. Buddha teaches non-attachment.
Two complementary truths:
Love is infinite, but control is an illusion.
My Awakening Into Divine Love
I found peace in the stillness of Buddhism. I found purity of heart in the teachings of Jesus. And somewhere in the middle, I found myself.
Mindfulness taught me presence. Presence taught me authenticity. Authenticity taught others how to see their own truth.
When I sit with others—whether in coaching, energy work, or spiritual guidance—what they often feel is not me, but the space I learned to open. A space without judgment. A space without grasping. A space where love is unconditional because it is rooted in freedom.
This is what I mean when I say I found Divine Love.
Fear-Based Love vs. Free Love
So many of us grew up in systems where love was transactional:
- Be good, and you get love.
- Meet the expectation, and you get approval.
- Don’t fail, or you lose connection.
This is fear-based love—love with a leash.
But the awakened path reveals two things:
- Jesus: Love is limitless.
- Holding back love only shrinks your heart.
- Giving love expands it.
- Buddha: Clinging kills love.
- Grasping suffocates the very thing we want to preserve.
Between these two teachings is the middle way ~ Love boldly. Hold lightly.
Love With Open Hands
- Love without fear,
- Love without clinging,
- Love that breathes,
- Love that respects freedom,
- Love that is rooted in goodwill and truth.
- Love with palms open.
“Let come what comes. Let go what goes. See what remains.” —Ramana Maharshi
This is the love that awakens you. This is the love that heals others simply by existing.
Complementary Wisdom from Two Masters
Jesus reminds us:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Love is infinite.
Buddha reminds us:
“Attachment is the root of suffering.”
Control is illusion.
Together they teach us:
- Love fearlessly.
- Let go gracefully.
- Trust the unfolding.
- Everything changes.
But love, when rooted in freedom, can hold all change gently.
Conclusion: Radical Love is the Path Home
My journey has been one of peeling back layers of fear, attachment, expectation, and illusion.
Over and over, the message has been:
Pause ~ Breathe ~ Open your palms ~ Let love flow.
Not the love we were taught to earn. Not the love we learned to control. But the love that lives at the center of all things – the love that both Jesus and Buddha pointed toward from different directions.
This is Divine Love. This is Sovereign Love. This is the Love that sets you free. 💕
Namaste,
~S
✨ Step Into Your Own Soul Journey ✨
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