Dear Turq - My comments below --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > Despite the fairly obvious self promotion of this article, I like the > distinction it's drawing. Bhakti, in many forms of spirituality -- > especially those that are Hindu-based -- has degenerated so far as to > take on the meaning "sappy, self-indulgent wallowing in emotion." Acting > towards one's guru or favorite deity like a thirteen-year-old with a > crush on Justin Bieber is considered not only normal, but a Good Thing, > a Spiritual Thing. > That's because these people are just starting off on the path, some people are naturally heart-oriented and wallowing in emotion is a very good start. Its a means not the end. Wallowing in self-pity is a natural starting point and shows that you are still attached to your ego, from my experience. As long as you don't medicate yourself and you can go really deep in pain and sorrow you can really touch great depths which can lead to a great purification and this indeed has been my path.
> Similarly, subjective experiences that are presented as "spiritual" and > presented as if they have value tend to often be experiences > characterized by being overwhelmed by (or overshadowed by) emotion. A > follower who bursts into tears at the thought of his or her guru is > considered devoted to that guru, when in fact what the blubberer often > seems most devoted to is the experience of being overwhelmed by emotion > itself. > I'm sure some are but you can't denounce Bhakti Yoga because of this. Just because someone following the Jnana Yoga path is haughty and a show off we can't just dismiss it as false. You would have to forgive this person and assume he is still on the path. > I'm not making a judgment one way or another on this particular guru or > his teaching or anything else about him. I just think he makes a good > point. If bhakti has any value at all, surely it doesn't arise from > becoming a Tammy Baker-like drama queen clone. Don't know who Tammy Baker is but sure if you are just a drama queen/King for the rest of your life and then there are plenty who are drama kings and queens that I have seen myself. > It must be something more> subtle and more balanced and more featureless, very like transcendence > itself. > Very true !!!! Love - Ravi Yogi. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dharmacentral no_reply@ > wrote: > > > > The Difference Between Devotion and Emotion > > > > By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya > > > > "The central message of the Bhagavad Gita, the most important > scripture in all of Sanatana Dharma, is that bhakti, or devotion to the > Absolute, constitutes the most effective and highly recommended path in > all of the Yoga tradition. It is truly unfortunate, however, that > despite the almost universally held importance of bhakti in the history > of Yoga, there seems to have always been a good deal of misunderstanding > on the part of many about what the terms 'bhakti' and 'Bhakti Yoga' > actually mean. I've read even many supposedly knowledgeable authors > mistakenly write that bhakti is to be seen as the 'Yoga of emotion', or > that it somehow precludes any involvement with jnana (knowledge, or > intellectualism), philosophy, or serious Yogic sadhana (practice). In > actuality, nothing could be further from the truth...." > > > > > > VISIT HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS INFORMATIVE ARTICLE: > > > > http://www.dharmacentral.com/forum/content.php?12-Devotion-and-Emotion > > > > > > Please forward this information to all sincere spiritual seekers. Feel > free to publish the entire article on your website, blog, Facebook or > social site. > > > > > > Aum Tat Sat > > >
