Thank you for a very profound explanation, that I appreciate very much. Without knowing the term Bhakti - it seems that I the last year uncounscious has chosen the traditional Bhakti path. I am very aware of mood-making. But when it comes natural - it feels natural. Not permanant - maybe in the future. Thank you again. Ingegerd
> Bhakti is a Sanskrit word which means devotion, adoration, love or > worship of the Divine or the Guru as a manifestation thereof. It can > also mean the love of God toward the devotee. As a sentiment, Bhakti > can be part of many path,but there is also a specific path called > 'Bhakti Yoga' (Path of Devotion) as opposed to 'Jnana Yoga'(wisdom) or > 'Raja Yoga' (meditation). It is the contention of many Saints like > Ramana Maharshi or Ramakrishna, that all these paths are not > contradictionary, but finally merge into each other.Somebody (I don't > remember whom) once said that while Ramakrishna was a Bhakta on the > outside, he was a Jnani inside, and Ramana Maharshi was a Jnani > outside and a Bhakta inside. A Jnani (Sage, a saint who followed the > path of wisdom) will also, automatically develop devotion, his path is > also a way of surrendering the intellect. So has Ramana Maharshi, who > almost exclusively taught self-enquiry, written many devotional hymns > to Shiva in the form of Mount Arunachala.Besides that, in all Hindu > related faiths, the reverence and adoration of the Guru is prescribed, > independend of the path. > > The Bhakti path explicitely seeks to use emotion to be a way to unite > or come near to God. This usually employs a dualistic conception, > since it is thought, that love requires an object. Yet in the > non-dualistic philosophies, like Advaita, Bhakti still plays a role, > either in the love to the Guru, who is traditionally helt to be an > embodiement of God, or in the form of a Istha-devata, a Form of the > ultimate, especially chosen for worship, which in the case of worship > is identified as the formless Brahman, adopting a form for the sake of > worship. > > Worship can have many forms, almost as many as there are people. > Traditionally Bhaktas (Adherents of Bhakti) will do Japa, i.e. > repetition of the name or names of their chosen ideal. They will sing > Kirtanas (again rythmic repetitions of divine names) and Bhajans > (devotional songs and poems), do pujas (ceremonies similar to the TM > puja) etc. Service is also regarded as a Bhakti practise. > > The Narada Bhakti sutras deline different modes of feeling (Bhavas) > or attitudes of the Bhakta to the deity: > > Servant: the relationship of a servant to a master, like that of > Hanuman to Rama > > Friendship: The relationship of a friend, like that between Arjuna and > Krishna. This relationship is closer than the previous. > > Parental relationship: God is seen as one's child - even closer. > > Husband/wife relationship: God is seen as romantic partner, like in > the case of the Gopis and Krishna. > > At all there are 9 such modes or Bhavas. > > In my references to this topic, I made no proposal for the explicit > path of Bhakti Yoga - contrary to what Barry and others here claimed, > but was referring to the spontaneaus Bhakti that may arise on any path > at any stage, the feeling of adoration and love towards a Guru, the > natural opening of the heart as a mystic process. I was making the > suggestion, that those who had experienced such an opening, would also > recognize it in the expression of others, even if the follow a > different ideal (God/Guru) or religion (Islam). I thought this to be > quite natural among advanced spiritual practitioners. > > Actually most of conventional religion may be termed as a sort of > Bhakti Yoga. > > In terms of TM: Maharishi rarely uses this term but he makes very > definite allusions to the Bhakti path or rather element in his > teaching, when he speaks of 'the finest feeling level', which in his > eyes 'has to be protected'. In Maharsihis philosophy Bhakti plays the > essential role on the path between CC and GC. He also said that the > greatest enemies on the path are doubt, disappointnment, and there was > a third one I forgot. > > You could say: > Karma Yoga > CC > loss of identification with the Doer. (Non- doership > of the Gita) > Bhakti Yoga > GC > Increased perception of the Self in the outside, > the finest relative > Jnana Yoga > UC > Ultimate merging of the Self inside with the Self > everywhere. Seeing everything in terms of the Self. Thus the > fulfillment of Bhakti. > > There is a certain trap in CC: As everything is witnessed, there is a > basic separation between the Self and the world. Action becomes > spontaneus, and there is no incentive to go on. Thats why MMY once > said that rather than dying in CC, one should smoke a cigarette. > Meaning, you can't go further when dying in CC. It is only Love that > can bridge the gap between Self and the world when being in CC. > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! 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