Metaphors

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Wisdom of the Month

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Sages and Such: Excerpt from the book:

PRACTICES FOR LIBERATING BODY AND SOUL; JIVAMUKTI YOGABhakti: Becoming Love Itself

Pantanjali says repeatedly that devotion to God is the most direct path to Self Realization. Devotion to God shows up again in Pantanjali�s second step, niyama, of the famous Ashtanga Yoga plan.

Pantanjali is recommending the kind of faith that comes through complete surrender to God.

Many modern yoga teachers and students content that devotion to God is not important to yoga. They argue that these ideas are religious and that yoga is a philosophy, not a religion. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the yogic scriptures such as the Unpanishads, the Yoga Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita, arrive at your own conclusions.

One who has devotion for God is called a bhakta. It is through the method of Bhakti Yoga that the bhakta attains access to the form of the Divine that resides in his or her own heart. Devotion does not mean blind following. It means conscious seeking after the truth. How does one cultivate bhakti? Start by loving another being who is already near to you, such as your child or partner or friend. Make it a true love, a love that has the power to perceive the essential nature of this being you love. To cause evolution of this prem inside yourself, use kindness. Begin to extend kindness to others who are not so near to you, to beings who don�t resemble you, or who aren�t even born yet.

All relationships are important to the yogic practitioner because they provide an opportunity to feel love. They also provide opportunities to practice humility. Without humility, unconditional love will not arise. Working to perfect the relationships of everyday life helps the yogi to approach the ultimate relationship: the relationship with God.

Relationships can be cool and formal, or neutral, or hot and passionate. But all relationships take commitment and work to result in mutual happiness.

The relationships of life can be categorized as follows:
Servant and Master
Friend and Friend
Parent and Child
Lover and Beloved

These categories exist in ordinary daily life, but for the yogi they also exist in the subtle realms of the soul. According to your temperament and karmic imprints, one of these categories will appeal to you more than the others and dictate what type of relationship you could most readily cultivate with God.

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