There is a lovely story in the collection ‘Zen Flesh, Zen Bones’ called ‘If You Love, Love Openly’, which goes as follows:
Twenty monks and one nun, who was named Eshun, were practicing meditation with a certain Zen master. Eshun was very pretty even though her head was shaved and her dress plain. Several monks secretly fell in love with her. One of them wrote her a love letter, insisting upon a private meeting. Eshun did not reply. The following day the master gave a lecture to the group, and when it was over, Eshun arose. Addressing the one who had written her, she said: 'If you really love me so much, come and embrace me now.’
I love this story and receive it as a challenging reminder “to love openly”.
In a similar vein, I’ve been reading a collection of ancient spiritual stories and advices from the Desert Fathers and Mothers, which includes the following piece of advice from Abba Poemen:
Teach your mouth to speak what is in your heart.
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