Bhakti Yoga - The Path Of Devotion

Adapted from "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Science of Yoga and Kriya"
 
Bhakti yoga is the yoga, of love and devotion. It is devotion to the divine, in whatever form or non-form you care to see
him or her. It can be devotion to truth, God, the Supreme, Brahman, the Absolute Reality or any other name that you want to call the ineffable. It can be devotion to Christ, Buddha. Mohammed, Krishna, Rama, Hanuman, Mahavira, Shakti, Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, Durga, Ahura Mazda or even Zeus if you wish. You can express devotion to any form which you regard as divinity incarnate. It can be a great saint, whether dead or alive. It can be your Guru. The specific form is unimportant It is the devotion that you personally feel that is essential. Without this devotion, whether great or small, it is impossible to practice Bhakti yoga.

Bhakti can easily be labelled blind dogma and in many cases it has degenerated into exactly this. In the past and in the present day, Bhakti has been totally misunderstood and misused. This has led to fanaticism and intolerance. This is not what Bhakti is all about. Bhakti is not something that is easily acceptable to the modern intellectual world. Yet, this is a great pity, for Bhakti yoga is an incredibly powerful method that can lead to higher knowledge and transcendence. Not only this, Bhakti yoga can help you harmonise your life and make life the joy that it should be. People have seen the misuse and corruption of Bhakti and have mistaken this for the essence of Bhakti yoga. Bhakti yoga has vast implications which can transform your life.

If you are sceptical, there is nothing wrong with this; we do not ask you to believe anything that we write with blind acceptance. Why should you? But it is amazing to sec how people charge, and the change does not come through blind acceptance, but through greater understanding and realisation of the deeper significance of Bhakti yoga.

Another tiling to remember is that many great yogis, if not all, expressed Bhakti. This was either their path or Bhakti came as a result of other paths. Some of them could not stop talking; about Bhakti. "Were they misguided? This is most unlikely, since these were the very people who were regarded by others as wise men. If wisdom can lead to Bhakti, or if Bhakti can lead to wisdom, then there must be something behind the path of Bhakti that is not immediately obvious. Furthermore, these great yogis were clear indicators and examples of what the path of Bhakti brings: tolerance, peace, understanding, love of fellow men and many other attributes. It is to these people that you should look if you want to see clear proof of the benefits of Bhakti yoga, not to those who become bigots and fanatics.

What is Bhakti?

Bhakti yoga implies two things: both the path and the experience. A person can be on the path of Bhakti yoga and yet have no positive experience of intense Bhakti. At the same time, a person can experience intense Bhakti and yet not profess to be on the path of Bhakti yoga. Let us illustrate this more clearly by taking two examples:

1. If one is devotionally inclined, then one Can follow the
path of Bhakti yoga. This involves intense concentration of one's entire being on an object of devotion. This method of Bhakti yoga can eventually lead to a transcendental experience of overwhelming Bhakti. Associated with Bhakti is transcendental knowledge Bhakti will become stronger and stronger with time and more experience.

2. If one is not devotionally inclined, then the other paths of yoga can be followed instead. These other paths will eventually lead to spiritual experience. This in turn will automatically lead to Bhakti, for you will realise something that you did not know before. Whichever method you adopt, the result is the same. The paths of the devotional and the non-devotional individuals will eventually join.

Bhakti spans the infinite chasm between mere faith and divine realisation. It also covers the period when the bhakta attempts to live and express this realisation in everyday life Bhakti bridges the abyss between lack of divine knowledge backed by faith, and the personal experience and knowledge of divinity. Bhakti is not a subject for discussion. It must be felt, known and experienced for oneself. Real Bhakti arises spontaneously through higher awareness and knowledge, because of realisation of something not known before.

The Mechanics of Bhakti

The purpose of Bhakti is to develop intense concentration towards one object. This occurs spontaneously if there is a feeling of Bhakti towards that object. All of one's energy is focused in one direction. This in turn leads to higher sensitivity and receptivity of the mind-body to higher forces. One becomes a bhakta through experience and not merely through belief.

This method of Bhakti has been used by many religions, notably Christianity and Hinduism. In these religions, the whole purpose is to encourage the expression of Bhakti in the followers. To do this, specific figures are given as objects of adoration. If this adoration is sufficient, then one can knew intense Bhakti, bliss and transcendental experience. The method and purpose of Bhakti is to take you away from identification with the little "I": the body-mind. The aim is to reduce personal whims, conflicts, disharmony, etc., which tend to imprison and severely limit awareness. The aim is to make the mind a perfect reflector, a perfect mirror of experience.

Bhakti - Balance for the Intellect

Bhakti is an excellent method of providing
 a balance to over-rigid attachment to the intellect. It is great help in removing intellectual constipation and is a means of giving direction and release to emotions and feelings. One of the biggest problems in the modern world is the inability for intellectual people to express their emotions. These emotions become pent-up and suppressed. People forget how to laugh and release their emotions in a positive way and non-destructive manner. Emotions are often expressed in outbursts and violence. The path of Bhakti provides a perfect method of expressing these unruly emotions. Furthermore, the emotions are not only released, they are channelled towards making the mind one-pointed. This is a positive utilisation of emotional forces. The emotions are directed towards the goal of higher awareness and experience. Continued......Bhakti Yoga Part II
 
 
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