"My eyes are the eyes through which God sees." -Vilyat Inayat Khan

“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.” -Meister Eckhart

Whether or not you believe in God, you may believe in goodness, truth, beauty, honor and other human values. Humanists and religious people share many values in common. The quotes above may appeal to humanists, since they believe that any would-be God must live and work through humanity.

If there is a God, and God is love, and mine are the eyes through which God sees, when I see myself, I must love myself. When I look at others, I must love them.

When I look at the world through my divine eyes, I must see that the world is good: "Then God looked over all that he had made, and he saw that it was very good!" -Genesis 1:31

I had a yoga teacher who often spoke to her students about their practice as a continual effort to clear the lens of perception, to remove the fog and the dirt, so that we could see clearly. I've heard my pastor say similar things about faith. My father has also spoken to me many times of seeing others through the eyes of love, rather than judgment. The following verses from The Yoga Sutras and the Christian Bible echo these teachings as well as the opening quotes above:

Sutra 1.41 from The Yoga Sutras: Just as the naturally pure crystal assumes shapes and colors of objects placed near it, so the Yogi’s mind, with its totally weakened modifications, becomes clear and balanced and attains the state devoid of differentiation between knower, knowable and knowledge.

1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then, face to face; now I know in part; but then I shall know even also as I am (King James translation).

For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God] (Amplified Bible translation).

The Sanskrit word prema means Divine Love. The Sankrit word maitri and the Pali word metta mean unconditional benevolence. The Greek word for Divine Love is agape.

Would that we could see ourselves, each other and our world through a consistent lens of Prema, Maitri, Metta, Agape.

Your yoga, your meditation, your prayer, your mindful walks, your alone time, your worship...may all of these practices focus your gaze and refine your vision, and may you always see through the lens of love.