So, I was at my women's spirituality group, and a friend of mine had a deck of cards with different spiritual words on them to meditate/think about. So we decided to pull one card a piece (from anywhere in the deck) and whatever the word is to think about/meditate upon it. It was my turn...and the word I got said, plain as day, in Romanized letters and Devenagari: Bhakti. So, here's my thread topic. What does bhakti truly mean to you? The catch? You may not quote any person, saint, scripture or anything. Truly reflecting, what does bhakti (devotion) mean to you in your life right here and now and reflecting upon what it has meant and continues to mean. Happy reflecting! I will get back with my response once I meditate upon it.
...yeah...I broke my own rules...but I didn't directly quote...so yeah...but just came out. Nonetheless, from my journal: Continued thoughts on the card drawn from the pile... ...so in WIAG on Monday...Nikki has this pile of cards with spiritual words on them and we all drew one as we departed and we were saying we were going to meditate on the word throughout the week. I've been thinking of mine non-stop. My word: bhakti (devotion). Irony? Yes. So, in the last few minutes, I watched the latest installment of BU Today's "How We Pray" series...last time it was a Jewish girl talking about Rosh Hashana...it was nice...but it didn't really touch me too much. Today, it was someone from ISBU talking about Islam and devotion and love for God...perhaps b/c it was on my mind, I found it very very beautiful. So I've been trying to think and reflect on what bhakti means to me. I always think about Mirabai and how she gave up everything and was crazy in love with Krishna...about the gopis, who were the same way. Also, I was reading the Gospel of Matthew earllier in the week...and how Jesus tells people to give up what they have and go to God. I think that perhaps surrender is a great part of devotion. But surrender of what? Not everyone can be a sage in the forrest...perhaps surrender of your ego instead. Laying all you have at the Lord's lotus feet and just loving him. My favourite quote by Ma Indira Devi is that letter she writes where she says that we should just come to God and say I have brought all my troubles because I couldn't fix them myself...but I have come to be with you nonetheless ...I am not perfect and I am caught by the imperfections of the world, my ego, my desires, and my senses...but still I have come to be with you and talk to you and give my love. I think perhaps that bhakti is not perhaps that we always get it right but that we really try...fully and honestly.... to channel the love we have in our hearts to God. That we love unconditionally and then we take that love and we give it to others. Each person has God in their heart, just as I, so let me love them and serve them as I would God. I have responsibilities to perform...so sometimes it seams the best way to be a bhakta is to keep God in my heart always while performing them. Its just those little things...like stopping before you eat to offer your food to God and give thanks. Giving small love to a tree you pass. Talking throughout the day. In religion class we often talk about Eliade and about the difference between the sacred and the profane, but I think that perhaps if we change our mind-set we can see that there is no difference between the sacred and the profane because everything is sacred...its just our minds that put up those barriers because things like churches, mosques, temples, murthis, ect *seem* more sacred because they are set aside for worship; however, I could argue that there is no difference between this tree, my sock, a book, some garbage...its all sacred because it all has some kind of purpose and duty to perform. No, I prob wouldn't offer deepa to a piece of garbage...but its something to think about... how each thing has its place and that is what constitutes its sacrality ... to everything turn turn turn there is a reason turn turn and a time to every purpose under heaven.... I'll prob have more thoughts about this later..but for now, I have to finish folding my laundry, but when I do, I pray that I may do it in devotion...whatever that may mean...I pray I may do it in Love.
Bhakti is ultimately devotion to self. A spiritually awake person is aware of their connection to the whole. For them, they become the all seeing "I". A worldly person thinks more of the individual "I". Their ability to sense beyond their own persona is limited. x
When you say 'all seeing' what do you mean? Do you mean that a spiritually aware person is conscious of everything? If so, this is a mere fantasy.
I don't think you're quite right there...but if you want to think that's so, it's your choice. If it were true then Bhakti could have no significance, as it would be one illusion devoting itself to another illusion.
Interesting topic re: "Bhakti". The Hindus say "Tat Tvam Asi" (Thou Art That). Therefore, the question is: to whom does one perform bhakti to. To whom does one pray to ???...
Extensions of one's self. Therefore, self. Just a round about way of doing so. We love to create. Without doing so, there's nowhere to "go". x
Hinduism speaks of Oneness... Therefore, there is no "one" to pray to... There is no "other" to perform bhakti to...
Not aware of everything, just unlimited access to it. You can focus your awareness where ever you want it to go. The barriers fade away. A worldy person is confined to the inside of their self created cocoon, and this is where their perceptions end. They have a hunch that something is outside of it. They've heard the tales, but have been unable to prove it for themselves yet. The mental concept of their world is all they know. x
This is true for me, but a dualist will have a terrible time wrestling with the creations they have given birth to, then orphaned. There is nothing apart from you. All of creation is your child. x
Yes. If there is only Oneness. How can there be "two-ness"? Therefore, only in maya can duality exist
My take of it would be, Bhakti is impossible to understand, is an acceptance of the total limitation of yourself, putting all faith into a higher power.
Yes, indeed, the "self" is limited, compared to Self. Yet, in essence the "self" is the same as Self. By analogy, it is more a matter of quantity not quality.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains to Arjuna : Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. BG 2-12
OK - so what colour shirt am I wearing today? Such information should be easy if you have unlimited acess to all knowledge.
I don't know what color shirt you are wearing, but I do know that you are just like me, and you are part of Narayana's power that has created this place (world). You may disagree with me, but it is a fact that when a sadhak practices pure bhakti, he does get certain siddhis, but such abilities are lost later on. Just because you are superman, does not mean you are going out of this samsara.
Although, the question was not directed at me, allow to join in. I think, the question of what colour shirt you are wearing is not the right question. Have you clarified which "i" you are referring to? When you have defined which is the real "you", then we can proceed.
