The Lazy Yogi

silentiusman asked: I was reading through your posts and came to the one about God. You mentioned the path of bhakti. What is that exactly ? How does the conclusion that "only god can worship god" work ? These may seem silly but I am curious as to the answer .

It isn’t silly at all, I’m just not the best person to ask. My path has been largely meditative and while I have done my share of communing with deities, it is nothing I feel in a position to teach. 

The idea of spirituality is that all is One and all is Here. When most people think of and interact with God(s), they assume the god is separate and elsewhere. That is a very rudimentary approach to worship. The spiritual path of bhakti operates on another level.

When you approach a god as if you were approaching something separate and Greater than you, you are perpetuating the illusion of Separation. But God cannot exist separate from the Creation because God and the Creation are no different from one another. They are one. 

Therefore, gods are like mirrors. Not mirrors for your ego, your mind, your body, your thoughts, your insights, or anything like that. But mirrors for your Soul, for the Grace of Existence that permeates your body. It is the only part of you that is permanent. In fact, it is the only part of you that is truly You.

In hinduism, you find many different mirrors. But the worshipper and the worshipped are one. The more you become aware of your indwelling divinity, the more sincerely and earnestly you can worship the divine in whatever form you choose. 

Eventually the worshipper understands the unity of the subject and object of worship. Then it is no longer necessary and even the idea of and act of worshipping just falls away. 

Dhyana (meditation) yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, and jnana yoga all lead a spiritual aspiration to the same thing. And if you walk either of the paths deeply enough, the rest cling to you as well. 

Is there any interest in  techniques and perspectives on these paths? I can download a bit from the Great Tao :P

Namaste, brother.