The Path to Loving Without Attachment: Insights from a Yogi

Love is a profound emotion that often intertwines with attachment. But can one truly love without being attached? This question delves deep into the nature of love and spirituality. In this blog post, we'll explore how to cultivate a love that transcends attachment, inspired by the teachings in a thought-provoking video.

The Nature of Attachments

There is no end to the attachments we can have. Once love is universally embedded in everything, attachment to any specific thing diminishes. Love and attachment are different; specificity kills it; choice making is destructive. It seems impossible to love in the mundane world without attachment, and many people run away from love. But as a yogi advances and becomes love itself, there is no limit to how many they can love.

Love and Spirituality

Many sanyasis, who renounce their families and try to love God, find this challenging. Every human being carries the soul, Antaryamin, which is part and parcel of God. If I cannot love people, it follows that I am not in love with God. True spiritual advancement is shown in loving everyone because everything has the essence of God. This distinction highlights the difference between love and attachment.

The Question of Specific Love

People often ask, what about my love for my spouse, my father, my children, or my friends? These relationships are unique. While there is a universal undercurrent of love in my heart, my love towards my spouse, children, parents, and friends will vary. The undercurrent remains the same, but the expression differs in each situation.

The Analogy of Electricity

This concept is like electricity. When it passes through light fixtures, it gives us luminosity. Through a fan, it provides air. Through an air conditioner, it cools; through a heater, it warms. A toaster oven and a refrigerator use the same current, yet express it differently. Similarly, how we direct our heart's attention toward different people is unique. Love toward a guru or God will evoke different emotions, illustrating the difference between love and attachment.

Embracing Attachments

There is no harm in having many attachments. Why not love each tree, each flower? There is no end to the attachments we can have. Once love is universally embedded in everything, attachment to any specific thing diminishes. Specificity and choice-making can be destructive.