Each of his/her four arms represent one of the Four Boundless Attitudes, and each one of her four radiant aspects — peaceful, magnetising, powerful, and fierce — express one of the four modes of compassion.

We might think of Buddhist spirituality as peace-loving, calm, virtuous and nonviolent; but in case of a child or a pet running into the street, the active sides of compassion’s calm heart blaze forth, even as the loving centre remains unchanged. Thus, the selfless Bodhisattva could use force for the greater good, to protect, or to prevent harm and so forth, and need not be passive in the face of danger.

The first arm of Buddhist love is maitri or lovingkindness, a boundless feeling of friendliness and wishing well for others. The second is karuna, or compassion, empathy, being moved by feeling what others feel. The third arm is upeksha, equanimity, recognising the equality of all that lives. This recognition leads to the wisdom of detachment but not indifference, which are its near enemies. The fourth arm is mudita, spiritual joy and satisfaction. This includes rejoicing in the virtue and success of others.

The essence of Buddhist relationship is to cultivate the cling-free relationship, enriched with caring. It is helpful in intimate relationships to communicate honestly, stay present, tell the truth of your experience using I-statements rather than accusations and judgments, and honour the other to show up with an open heart and mind and really listen. — Beliefnet.com