 Question: I am confused about what happens to devotion after awakening. It seems many great teachers still have objects of devotion, such as a beloved teacher or a deity. When the Bhakta realizes All as being One, why doesn't devotion simply fall away like everything else? Answer: The Bhakti Path of devotion is very special indeed. It guides us deeper into union with that Divine aspect of ourselves. There is a yearning to merge with the Divine, a subtle feeling of separateness, as if the Divine or our object of devotion is above us in some way. It's the love affair. Then, during moments of Unity it is known that the Divine is within us, and we are never separate from It. This continues to deepen over time, until there is no separation. As I write in my book, Bringing Home the Mountain-Finding the Teacher Within, "When duality is seen through, there is truly only One. Consciousness is revealed to include all, the manifestation of student, teacher, and even our beloved object of devotion. This is Bringing Home the Mountain, as the Mountain, or God, is always and forever what we have been seeking outside ourselves. In the end, we simply come home to our own hearts and rest in That." There is no need to push away anything, or rush in to "Kill the Buddha." The beauty of the Bhakti Path is to simply see through the illusion of separateness. Once this is seen through, then returning to the Bhakti Path is part of the Divine Play. For example, the holy mountain Arunachala was said to be Ramana Maharshi's one attachment, and certainly his beloved object of devotion. So enjoy this wondrous love affair. It is beautiful. Add Comment Attuning to the Unmovable Buddha Within So, what happens when we are simply engaged in the play of life? Can we still hear the inner dharma bell then, or when life isn’t going the way we had planned? Can we hear it when our heart feels wounded from a loss, or someone’s judgmental comments or harsh words? How do we retain our meditative presence while in the midst of a busy life? 1. See any uncomfortable feelings, sensations of contraction as the inner dharma bell. Instead of turning away and trying to avoid what is happening, turn your attention into the feelings you are experiencing. Feeling thoroughly is the passage to freedom. 2. Breathe. Let in light to places of darkness. Feel the expanse of your own heart. 3. Understand that all that is happening is arising in Consciousness. We, as a separate one, are not creating what is happening, thus do not have control over the situation. All we can do is attune to the space of our own hearts, and be with what is. Action or non-action will then come freely out of this space. 4. Thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations come and go. Relax into what you feel in order to notice subtle fluctuations in your experience. Example: you can’t feel angry or sad all the time, nor always think the same thought. Everything that arises in Consciousness is subject to change. See if you can observe this. 5. Finally, notice what within you stays the same, despite the feelings and thoughts that are arising. Simply attune to your very own sense of awareness. Feel this space expand the more you focus on the present moment. This spacious awareness is your true nature. Relax into the unknown space of the heart, no matter what you are feeling. This is where Truth is revealed. The presence of who we are meets the present moment, |
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