Consider, “...charity [or love] is disinterested, seeks no reward...” (Perennial Philosophy, P. 83)

I know what this means, because I know what the words mean. But I can’t imagine what it is like to experience. Until I read this definition of “charity” I thought that I had at times been charitable. But at the least, every occasion of my charitable involved me seeking the reward of being holy or moral.

The following is a wondrous and simple statement and puts a very fine point on the true notion of love: “I love because I love.” It doesn’t say I love because I become loved, or become admirable, or become rich, or anything. It is a very pure statement, and this makes it hard for me to grasp. Can I ever love? I can’t imagine loving or being charitable without some other motive. Even if that motive is as small as loving to feel good or right, it’s still something. In any case it’s not a matter of loving just to love.