Are Love and Understanding synonymous?

[Cannon]

I have heard it claimed here that they are, in fact, the same thing, and that Ra has even said so. I can't find exactly where Ra has said it, however, after searching. It would be very helpful to me if someone were to spoonfeed me on this subject, because if it does turn out to be true, then many doors are opened to me concerning my spiritual progress.

I view love as a form of value system, with that which you love more being of a higher perceived value. If it turned out that the objective standard of loving someone or something is entirely based on how much one understands it, than (to me at least) all things would be of an incredibly high objective value at the very least, even if one loved or understood very little. And then if it were proven that all things were infinite, then all things are of infinite objective value, the only thing preventing you from Loving others infinitely being your lack of infinitely Understanding them.

In the past, I've come to the conclusion that if one were wronged, but then perfectly understood the motivations and circumstances about why they were wronged, then they would instantly forgive those who have hurt them, no matter what was done to them. I see this, if it were true, as a hint at Love being Understanding. Another hint is that I have learned that, the more one learns about a particular subject, the more one values any more new information on it, which could be an example of Understanding being, or least leading to, Love.

[Coordinate_Apotheosis]

Ahh, I think it's a gray area as there's lessons of Love (4D focus) and lessons of Wisdom (5D focus) then there's lessons combining the two (6D Unity focus).

I could see how 6D lessons combining the two could create the perspective of Love and Understanding being synonymous, 6D is a Unity focused density, so Unifying Love with Understanding (Wisdom) might create what it is you perceive that others have also spoken of.  Your own understandings are valid though as you seem to be learning from pondering them.

Thank you for the question~

[xise]

To answer your question: in many cases, yes.

I think more specifically, understanding is a sub-type of love, but love encompasses more just understanding, so they are not truly synonymous. Thus, true and deep understanding springboards into love, but love doesn't necessarily always require understanding, as there are other paths to love. Ra specifically notes that 3D is not one of understanding in reference to the specific causes of events in our reality (yet we can and do still find love for our reality without understanding). However, I think it can be very useful and important in 3D to understand the self and the other self. Ra refers to 4D as the density of love or understanding. Without further adieu, here are the quotations I've found on the subject with some comments (the following is taken straight from one of my posts in this thread):

I believe that Ra calls 4D the density of "love or understanding" for a reason. Many do not appreciate this. While understanding reality may not be possible in 3D, I think understanding others is often possible, and it's an important part of loving others. Understanding why they may have chose the path they did and why they interacted with you the way they did, I've found, is very helpful to coming into acceptance and forgiveness. 


Maybe it could help you, if you haven't tried this sort of approach.

17.11 Questioner: Yes. What I meant to say was can you tell me if Jesus of Nazareth came from the Confederation before incarnation here?

Ra: I am Ra. The one known to you as Jesus of Nazareth did not have a name. This entity was a member of fifth* density of the highest level of that sub-octave. This entity was desirous of entering this planetary sphere in order to share the love vibration in as pure a manner as possible. Thus, this entity received permission to perform this mission. This entity was then a Wanderer of no name, of Confederation origins, of fifth* density, representing the fifth-density* understandingof the vibration of understanding or love.

* This should be fourth. Ra corrects the error in the next answer.

20.35 Questioner: What density Orion entity did the creation of these heads?

Ra: I am Ra. The fourth density, the density of love or understanding, was the density of the particular entity which offered this possibility to those of your first major cycle.

20.36 Questioner: You use the same nomenclature for fourth-density negative as for fourth-density positive. Both are called the dimension of love or understanding. Is this correct?

Ra: I am Ra. This is correct. Love and understanding, whether it be of self or of self towards other-self, is one.

[Infinite]

Understanding because there is no veil and is the first stage or density where there is real spiritual understanding.

In this stretch Ra said "love AND understanding":

As the green-ray cycle or the density of love and understanding

[Nau7ik]

The qualities of the open heart, in my understanding, are as follows:
Unconditional love, understanding, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, harmony, peace, truth, honesty

So yes my friend, understanding is very much a heart chakra quality. I’ve noticed this in my own life. With greater understanding, comes greater acceptance and peace for what is. When you open your heart to another’s pain, for example, one’s heart begins to understand their pain and you naturally feel compassion. The willingness to understand is open heart.

Ra mentions that love and control are polar opposites. Love accepts what is. Control does not accept what is and seeks to manipulate or control it to conform to what that person thinks is acceptable. We can see how many humans are confused in regards to love and control through this example. Love is not controlling. Love is open and free and unconditional.

The negative polarity has an increasingly diminished capacity for understanding as they progress further upon the STS path. The negative polarity rejects the heart, and therefore all of the qualities that the heart represents. We can see that for a 4D negative entity that the qualities of heart are inverted to domination, control, manipulation, hate, anger, rejection.

[Diana]

I think love and understanding go hand in hand (perhaps like the two sides of a coin) until we integrate all aspects of self without distortion. Until then, I see the two as different, yet they inform each other.

To put it simply, from my own limited understanding, love involves unconditional acceptance, manifesting through the green ray but informed by the entire ray spectrum; and understanding involves unconditional acceptance, manifesting through the indigo ray informed by the entire ray spectrum. 

When unconditional acceptance is manifested through the green ray, the entity has opened the heart to all and is not blocking out any information in order to control catalyst—the entity can feel all and is one with all the suffering and pain as well as the joy, etc. Unconditional acceptance in this case is the allowing of all to be acknowledged, felt, and apprehended for what it is, without the filter of judgment.

When unconditional acceptance is manifested through the indigo ray, the entity has opened the intellect to all and is not blocking any information counter to the entity's protective belief system in order to control catalyst—the entity can perceive and apprehend the connectedness of all (and this includes dropping the construct of time), like a giant brain where all the synapses are seen, part of a giant whole infinite existence.

Ideally and ultimately, the two, love and understanding, would be in balance and working in unison. Intellectual understanding needs the depth of feeling and unique qualities of the manifestation of love, the negative charge that allows energy to flow in, creating the connectedness from a feeling perspective; and the understanding of the heart needs the wisdom, the large overview of the indigo view—the positive charge that allows energy to flow out, the detached and nonjudgmental light that shines apprehension on all including the darkness. 

It's not linear. Love and light continue in a game of balance through densities.

[Cannon]

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies.

[Nowheretoday]

I don't think they are as their definition being the same, but in the deeper sense they are.

I believe from love spawn a different set of values like patience, acceptance, compassion, radiance, honesty, etc, and understanding is one of them.
I see understanding as love with some wisdom in it, it requires an intellectual process, knowing or understanding the reasons of why a situation or person is the way it is allows acceptance, thus letting love flow. Although I believe love requires no understanding to flow.

[loostudent]

I think "understanding" in LOO has two meanings:
1. understanding as compassion
2. understanding as wisdom

Ignacio Larrañaga wrote about understanding as one of the paths of forgiveness:

If we could understand, we could not fail to forgive. Think of your "enemy". When your attention is focused on him or her, make the following reflections. Except for extraordinary cases, no one in this world acts with evil intentions, no one is evil. If others offend me, who knows what is happening with them? What seems to be pride may really be shyness. Their attitude toward me appears to be subbornness, but it may be something else: the need of self-affirmation. Their behavior appears aggressive to me; in reality they shout empty threats in order to assure themselves.
If I suffer because of their behavior, they suffer even more. They would like to be at peace with the whole world, and yet they are always in conflict with it. They did not choose this way of life.
After all this, can our "enemy" be that much to blame? Does it make sense to be irritated by behavior they did not choose? They do not deserve rejection but, rather, understanding.