The Buddha didn’t have a whole lot of advice when it comes to the cupid’s arrow, Whitman’s sampler, dozen red roses kind of love. The tradition is, however, rich in instruction on how to cultivate and appreciate the inherent love, kindness, and compassion that is all around us (if we can wake up and take note of it).

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are six stories from the Tricycle archives on all the kinds of love—romantic and otherwise—that are important in our lives.

Sex, Love, and Buddhism

Do I need to stop having sex to live an enlightened life? How can I have rewarding, non-harming relationships? Longtime Thich Nhat Hanh student Allan Badiner weighs in on these timeless and pervasive questions for dharma practitioners.

Real Love

By switching from being a passive recipient of love to a living embodiment of it, we find real love, writes meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg.

The Joy of No Sex

A lay practitioner reveals one of the most liberating decisions of her life: celibacy.

Love Becomes Her

When we use our attention to touch and open the deeper truth in a person, the source of love is revealed to be within us, and we no longer have to go looking for it somewhere outside.

Love Is All Around

We are naturally endowed with the purest love, compassion, wisdom, and tranquility. In a moment of enlightenment, we notice these qualities have been around us, and within us, from the very beginning, writes professor and Courage of Care Coalition cofounder John Makransky.

5 Perks of Being Married to a Non-Buddhist

Writer, Buddhist, and bartender Brent R. Oliver extols the virtues of finding his perfect match in someone who doesn’t practice at all.