The Jnana and Bhakti Paths Explained: Breaking Through the Veil of Separation
It has been said that if you see the Buddha on the road to kill him. However, this is a stage specific teaching, and only relevant towards the end of seeking. Initially, having a devotional practice, to the Buddha, Shiva, God, or any other object of devotion, can be very powerful and is an invitation from Grace. It is typical for the seeker to follow a path of devotion after having a heartfelt and even life changing experience that reveals that there is a God, a Divine Presence. Their spiritual path then takes them ever deeper into this union. The Jnani, on the other hand, follows and explores an intellectual path of inquiry to discover the Truth, or meaning of life, wherever that may lead. One can combine both paths, but often there is a leaning towards one of the paths, Bhakti or Jnana. In the end, however, both paths converge, as the seeker gets ever closer to awakening. This can especially be a difficult time for the Bhakta who was blissfully enjoying their devotional practice. However, when duality is fully 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.
When the seeker approaches the end stages of searching, this is a time to go inward, to trust one's own inner teacher, as no outside authority can put a final end to seeking. This is because the teacher will always, and can only be Consciousness, which is a reflection of you as Consciousness. Thus, true recognition can only come from within, which is the Source of all other and knowing, and even the path of seeking. It is when the veil of separation is fully seen through that we awaken to our own Buddha-Nature, our God-Essence: the Heart of Consciousness that we all are. This is killing the Buddha. But, Freedom is just that. It is to no longer grasp or push anything away, which paradoxically includes our object of devotion. Once the veil of separation is seen through then one can return once more to a devotional practice if there is a calling to do so. It just won’t be separate one doing the practice, it will be Consciousness experiencing another aspect of Consciousness, which was always the case anyway.
Comments
Naveen
02/24/2010 8:25am
Buddhism says everybody embrace the buddha to finally disfigure the Buddha from within...but on the Contrary Vedic India says every aspirant create his own unique Buddha which will sail beyond the Buddhist Reference of Buddha.
If someone finds his/her way to the window of enlightenment, the Buddha (that aspect of the Ego that is still doing the searching) must be eliminated before the person is finally available to experience the fullness of life.
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