Welcome to Episode 117 of The Daily Vedantic - a free, repeating 2-year course in Advaita Vedanta rooted in the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads. Start with Episode 1 or jump into today’s reflection from wherever you are.

This course is designed as a repeating cycle: a simple, modern, daily practice that builds clarity, discipline, and understanding over the course of 2-years. New episodes drop everyday.

Resources:

• Our weekly newsletter with links, summaries, and events, as well as our 24/7 AI-powered chatbot trained on Advaita Vedanta (and all episode transcripts) that you can use for free, without an account with nearly any question you might have:

• Vedanta Academy online lectures from the ashram:

• Vedanta Treatise, the book that may change everything for you:

• The No Nicknames Gita:

• The Essence of Christ:

• Follow along on Instagram for daily reflections, events, clips from James’ podcast appearances, and live gatherings like our monthly Philosophy Fridays in LA:

Episode Summary:

In this episode of The Daily Vedantic, James explores the profound concept of love within Vedanta, sharing a definition that transcends common notions. Within this timeless philosophy, love is identified as seeing no otherness in the world—an exercise of total identification. James contrasts this with preferential attachment, highlighting the tendency to love based on how someone or something makes us feel. The Vedantic definition calls for complete surrender, not confined to isolated cases or chosen individuals. James reflects on the transformative power of understanding love as sameness, emphasizing the depth and significance this definition brings to the four-letter word. The episode concludes with an invitation to contemplate this profound perspective on love in the context of Vedanta.

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