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Osho on What is the difference between love and lust, and can lust become love?

What is the difference between love and lust, and can lust become love?

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Lust is the seed of desire, but if you stop at the body, you miss the indweller; used rightly, it can elevate you from flesh to spirit, blossoming into love and devotion.

— Osho
Synthesized from Source definition
Core Insight:
According to Osho, lust is bodily attraction (kama), love is a meeting of minds (prem), and devotion is communion of souls (bhakti). Lust is not bad, but only a seed; if you stop at the body you miss the house's indweller. Used rightly, desire becomes a staircase: from body to mind to soul, ripening into love and, finally, devotion.
Lust is wanting someone's body; love is caring for the person inside; if you keep going deeper, that desire can grow into feeling the divine in them.
Why this matters practically
- Stops you from mistaking quick physical pull for real love.
- Guides you to nurture mind-to-mind connection and empathy.
- Turns relationships into a path of inner growth and spirituality.
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