We are emotionally attached to so many people including our parents, kids, and friends. If any of these people fall sick, we can feel their pain. We often pray that they do not suffer and that their sufferings are transmitted to us. I am not sure about other animals and plants, but these feelings are typical of human beings. Sometimes we feel a similar connection with the almighty as well. We feel emotionally attached to the "God" or "Goddess" we pray. We call it Bhakti.
However, if we dive a little deeper, we will soon understand that all these emotional attachments are creations of the mind. Our mind has two typical parts. First being emotional and the second being rational. The emotional mind typically operates on memories that are essential for our survival. Parents take care of us in our childhood when we are quite vulnerable and that is the reason all of us have a very special emotional bond with our parents. Similarly, we, as parents take care of our kids when they are very vulnerable. While taking care of them, our "self" gets extended to them and we want to protect them as an extended part of the self. Similarly, we form such bonds with few friends. When we interact with friends in our darkest of times, we form special bondage with such friends. Our emotional mind in all these situations considers parents, kids, and these special friends necessary for our survival and that's why we become emotionally dependent upon these people and even a thought of separation gives us chill.
Now, where does Bhakti stand vis a vis the emotional mind? For most of us, on the path of Bhakti, it is a similar emotional bond with the divine. We feel that we are connected to the God or Goddess we pray and even a thought of separation gives us pain. We feel that God or Goddess will take care of us in moments of difficulty. That gives us a psychological strength. However, it needs to be examined whether Bhakti operates beyond the domain of mind or remains within the domain of mind.
Probably mind is just the tip of the iceberg. Our existence is quite huge. Even within the domain of mind, the conscious mind is just a very minuscule part of the entire mind. If our Bhakti is confined to the conscious mind, in the moments of crisis, when the unconscious mind and fears therein take over our existence, it is very difficult for the Bhakti and faith to withstand. There may be exceptional cases where the emotional bond with the divine is so deep that it has percolated deep down to the unconscious and in the moments of crisis too, the Bhakt has the same level of faith in the divine.
Bhakti, which originates from the mind, remains in the realm of the mind at the end of the day. The Mind is quite divisive. It is the seat of the "ego," and any Bhakti that is a product of the mind will always be egoistic. "I" love "God." When there is "I," where is the question of love? That sense of ego can't disappear at the level of the mind. That requires the complete disappearance of thoughts. As long as thoughts remain, there will always be a sense of "I." This requires awareness of reality beyond the realm of mind and thoughts—a condition in which the sense of "I" melts away, giving way to the observation of reality as it is, without any support from the mind. In that state, when we establish a connection with reality, that connection is not emotional; rather, it is based on complete awareness of reality. Since such a relationship with the divine is not based on any mental story, imagination, or projection, this relationship withstands the test of all crises. Yet, it is probably the most challenging task in this world to move beyond the domain of thoughts. That's quite counterintuitive because almost all of our known existence is within the realm of thought
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