A path of devotion

In this article, we are going to explore the topic of devotion. We are going to shed some light on the subtle difference between believing in an idea and being devoted, and also to explore some methods of devotion.

For most of us, we probably grow up with the concept of belief. We have to believe in God. We have to believe that after death, we go to heaven or hell, depending on how naughty we were. Eventually, we hope to go to heaven, to meet God, to have a good incarnation after death, or whatever we fancy. We hope for the best. 

Let's be honest, first of all, this does not satisfy our immediate longing for fulfillment, for God. Secondly, it is quite hard to firmly and fully place our faith and trust into an idea. The idea of the Buddha, of God, of the Guru, the idea of reincarnation, whatever the idea may be. It seems quite impossible to fully surrender to a mere idea.

Why do we have to wait for death, before we can maybe experience fulfillment? Why do we need to wait for heaven, before we can be liberated? Why do we have to wait to be reincarnated into a higher realm before we can be free of suffering? See, all of these ideas are just creating space, creating separation between ourselves and God. Postponing true and lasting peace, and postponing the realization of ourSelf. 

Most ironically, we feed these beliefs, we encourage these ideas, hoping to be free, hoping to attain peace at mind, while in reality, we are distancing ourselves from our Divine Mother. 

The Direct Path

Through our own experience, we know that we feel unfulfilled. The longing for lasting peace, lasting fulfillment is something we know so well, and hoping for the best does not offer us this. Therefore, we can take the direct path, the path of self-inquiry. We check up on who and what we are, until we find the truth hidden within ourselves. Well, we say hidden, but when we see it, we shall see that it is actually quite obvious.

Upon realizing the truth, we can immediately drop the beliefs. As we mentioned in a previous article, the habits of the mind may not let go of the beliefs immediately, but we know that we do not need to cling to them anymore.

Knowing who we are, the seeking stops. We know that God is within us, and from here, we become a Bhakta. 

Bhakti is a Sanskrit word, and it means to be 'devoted to'. Thus, we become a devotee of God. We dedicate our lives to the Truth. We become a Bhakta. 

Devotion to God does not simply mean that we go to church every Sunday, or that we donate a portion of our income to the temple, no. Our devotion doesn't need to be limited to only certain activities. See, when we know that God is within us, when we find our Source within ourselves, our devotion becomes meaningful. 

However, even though we know that we are one with God, that God is not separate from us, this may take time to sink in, to become a reality for us. The mind is so habituated to experiencing duality, that we may not always feel the wholeness of things, even though it is always there.

So, what do we do?

Bhakti all over

We remind ourselves of the words of Lord Hanuman in the Ramayana, "When I don't know who I am, I serve You. When I know who I am, I am You."

Thus, in the morning or in the evening, we devote ourselves to God by taking off the masks and returning to our Source. One way to do this, is through meditation.

Alternatively, we sing, we dance, we cook, we serve, or whatever we do, knowing that God is within us, and we do it with joy, sharing our joy with God. 

Every action done with the body, can be done with devotion. The same with the mind. The mind is not involved in thinking about this and that, but it rests in its Source.

Now, we may think that in theory, this sounds really great, but let's be practical. What about going to school, to work? What about driving on the highway? Here it seems impossible to remain devoted, because we are dealing with so many distractions, so many people, how do we do this? 

God is in all, and all exist within God. So, each person we interact with, is actually an interaction with God. Therefore, we treat everyone with great respect, love, and honesty. We see them for what they are - God in drag, as one teacher used to say. Regardless of who we are dealing with. 

As we do this, our hearts open wider and wider to the Oneness of the universe. Less and less do we see 'others' or 'them' or 'you' and 'me'. Sure, we still communicate in this way, we transact in the Leela, we dance, but not for a moment do we forget who we are. The mind remains absorbed in its Source, in God. It remains devoted to what is True and Real. We participate in the Divine Play, knowing who we are.

In the end, what else is there to do? Everywhere we look, everything we experience, it is all God. When we look without discrimination, we realize that the universe is not full of small, individual parts of God, but that it is a Whole, it is all One. So, who or what else is there to love, to adore, to be devoted to? 

There is only One.
Sab Ek.

"Everywhere we look, everything we experience, it is all God"

Related articles on this blog:

Endless Seeking - 08 December, 2020
How do we find God? - 28 February, 2020
Being here and now - 26 March, 2021