If I go into the place in myself that is love, and you go into

Hear the words of Ram Dass, pilgrim of the heart and seeker of the eternal: “If I go into the place in myself that is love, and you go into the place in yourself that is love, we are together in love. Then you and I are truly in love, the state of being love. That’s the entrance to Oneness. That’s the space I entered when I met my guru.” These words are not mere musings, but revelations of a man who surrendered himself to the fire of devotion, and in that surrender discovered the boundless sea where all separation dissolves.

The meaning is luminous: true union is not the meeting of two egos, nor the clinging of two bodies, but the merging of souls in the place of love. Ram Dass teaches that love is not something one gives or receives like a gift passed from hand to hand. Rather, love is a state of being, a sacred space within us that is eternal, pure, and universal. When both souls rest in that space, they no longer experience love as possession or desire, but as Oneness itself. This is no ordinary affection, but the revelation of the divine spark that lives in every heart.

The origin of these words lies in Ram Dass’s journey from Harvard professor Richard Alpert to disciple of his Indian guru, Neem Karoli Baba. In the presence of his master, he was overwhelmed not by intellect or power, but by unconditional love—a love so vast that it erased his fear, his pride, and his separateness. In that moment, he realized that to love another is not to attach or control, but to meet in the boundless space of Oneness. Thus, his teaching arose from lived experience, not theory: from the sacred recognition that the heart, when opened, is a gateway to the infinite.

History offers echoes of this truth. Consider Saint Francis of Assisi, who found in all creation—from lepers to birds—the same divine Oneness. He loved not by calculation, but by dissolving himself into the flow of compassion. Or recall the encounter of Rumi with his teacher Shams of Tabriz. In that meeting, Rumi was consumed by such ecstatic love that he transformed from a scholar into a mystic poet, pouring forth verses that even now awaken the hearts of seekers. In both stories, as with Ram Dass, the meeting of souls in the space of love became the doorway to the eternal.

The danger lies in mistaking love for possession, desire, or transaction. So many cling to others in fear of loneliness, or demand love as though it were a debt. But such love is fragile, for it rests on conditions. The love of which Ram Dass speaks cannot be broken, because it is not given—it simply is. To enter that state, one must lay down pride, expectation, and fear, and choose instead to rest in the quiet flame of the heart where all beings are one.

The lesson for us is powerful: if you wish to know true union, go first within. Seek out the place in yourself that is love, and dwell there. Invite others not into your grasp, but into that sacred space. When two or more meet in that realm, they enter the river of Oneness, where the illusion of “you” and “I” dissolves into the truth of “we.” That is the deepest form of being “in love”—not a fleeting passion, but a timeless state of existence.

Practical action flows from this wisdom. Each day, cultivate silence and presence, and return to your inner space of love through prayer, meditation, or acts of compassion. Approach others not with demands, but with the openness of the heart. Remember that every person carries this same sacred space within them, no matter how hidden. If you can call forth that space in yourself, and they in themselves, you will meet beyond fear, beyond pride, beyond separation.

Take this as a guiding flame: “The state of being love is the entrance to Oneness.” Ram Dass’s words are a reminder that love is not something to chase, but something to become. When you live as love, every meeting is sacred, every bond eternal, and every step a return to the unity from which all life flows.