@Embodied:
Love is a complex word. It can have sexual connotations or just caring for another person, like one’s children. So, kammic effects always depends on the context.
Learn to use Pali words, so that there will be no confusion.
Kama is attachment to sensual desires.
Kamaccanda (kama + icca+ anda) is the worst, being blinded by sense desires and committing immoral acts like rape or sex out-of-marriage. Such acts can lead to birth in apayas.
Kama raga is the next level, where one may enjoy “accepted” sense pleasures, including sex in marriage. A Sotapanna belongs to this category.
Kama raga is reduced at the Sakadagami stage and is eliminated at Anagami stage. Then one does not have desire for sex or “tasty stuff”, even though one will still taste things the same way as any other. It is important to realize that forcefully avoiding such sense pleasures DOES NOT make one an Anagami. One just loses the desire when one comprehends the anicca nature better.
Metta is compassion for all beings, not necessarily for a given person (even though that is fine too). And it has the mundane version (“may all beings be healthy and happy”) and the Ariya version (“may all beings be free of suffering in the rebirth process”). That is a very short description.
ALWAYS try to learn the basics. Once one understand the basic concept, it is easy to remember. Good knowledge of dasa akusala and the concept of “san” is important. Make use of the links in a given post to read related material, as time permits. The post, “User’s Guide to Pure Dhamma Website” and “Pure Dhamma – Sitemap” could be useful in addition to the “Search box”.
I just realized that one issue with new people who come to the website is that these days I am writing mostly advanced posts. So, they may not even realize that material in the older posts and sections have some of these explanations.
These are general remarks that are not directed at Embodied.
Then again, the question about anussati and anupassana had not been discussed earlier. So, I don’t want to discourage asking questions either. Just make some effort to see whether the answer to the question is already there at the website.