Go to the truth beyond the mind. Love is the bridge.

The words of Stephen Levine—“Go to the truth beyond the mind. Love is the bridge.”—speak like a gentle bell ringing across the stillness of the soul. They call us to step beyond the restless chatter of the intellect, beyond the endless debates of thought, into the silent radiance of truth. For the mind is a great servant but a poor master; it divides, measures, calculates, and doubts. But the essence of life cannot be captured in calculation. The deepest truth lies not within the confines of thought, but in the realm that thought cannot touch. And to reach it, Levine tells us, there is only one bridge wide enough and strong enough: love.

This teaching echoes the wisdom of the ancients. Mystics in every tradition have whispered that the heart sees what the mind cannot. The Upanishads of India spoke of the Atman, the eternal self, which cannot be grasped by reasoning but only realized through devotion and love. The desert fathers of early Christianity withdrew into silence, not to sharpen their arguments, but to let the heart open to God. In each case, love became the ladder by which the soul climbed beyond the narrow walls of thought, into the infinite expanse of the divine.

Consider the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Her intellect alone could never have carried her into the slums, where disease and despair covered the streets. If she had relied only on reason, she might have said, “The suffering is too great. The task is impossible.” But love moved her beyond the mind’s protests. Love carried her across the bridge into the deeper truth that each dying beggar was the face of Christ. There, beyond reason’s doubts, she discovered the luminous reality of compassion that transformed not only her life, but the lives of countless others.

The mind fears vulnerability, but love embraces it. The mind seeks control, but love surrenders. The mind builds walls of logic and defense, but love tears them down and opens the heart to connection. When Levine speaks of going “beyond the mind,” he is not condemning reason, but pointing out its limits. Thought may bring us knowledge, but only love brings us wisdom. Thought may build systems, but only love can heal the heart of humanity.

Yet the path is not easy. The mind clings to its arguments, its fears, its pride. To cross the bridge of love requires courage: courage to forgive when wounded, to show kindness when rejected, to remain open when betrayed. But those who dare find themselves on the other shore, where truth shines with a light that cannot be dimmed. It is the truth of unity, the truth that all beings are bound together, the truth that beyond appearances there is only one life, one heart.

The lesson is this: do not become trapped in the prison of ceaseless thought. Use the mind, but know that its walls cannot contain the infinite. When you seek the highest truth, let your guide be love. Let it be love for your family, for your neighbor, for the stranger, for the earth itself. Each act of genuine love carries you a step farther along the bridge, and each step reveals more of the truth that lies beyond the reach of reason.

Therefore, take these actions: when faced with conflict, choose compassion before judgment. When seeking understanding, listen with the heart as much as with the mind. Practice forgiveness, for it is love’s sharpest tool. Practice kindness, for it is love’s daily bread. In silence, allow love to rise within you as a living flame. For as Stephen Levine teaches, the truth beyond the mind awaits, and only love is strong enough to carry you there.