Can God Be Your Romantic Partner?

In this talk, we discuss a very subtle, high-level and easily misunderstood mode of spiritual practice: madhura bhāva, the practice of seeing God as your lover! In Vaishnava literature this is considered the highest mood because it contains all the others and is itself the most refined and passionate of the moods. The whole soul goes to God in fiery yearning! There is actually quite a precedent for this in the Christian tradition. It's called "bridal mysticism." Nuns in the Catholic faith see...