📖 Day 6 Cookbook Discussion Prompt - BHAKTI YOGA

[Charlie_Winefield]

I’ve recently started attending some Buddhist seminars and retreats with other people my age (a sub-25 group). I can’t quite describe it, but when I’m around them I feel the strongest sense of love, peace and warmth.

It’s a different experience from most of my other relationships. Just so open and awe-inspiring. I think I can get caught in it though, as Ram Dass talks about getting caught in the method. I’ve begun feeling quite attached to this group, but I recognise that it is just a vehicle to open up that awe-inspiring sense of love to the rest of the world around me!

I will keep opening to it and try to shed it’s light on everything else around me

Much love

[David_Burrows]

namaste,
I love my music that I do, my dog, my spouse, my Mom and a couple of friends, and the Lord, Krishna, who gave me life and all these wondrous experiences. “Find the love deep within you,” was a message that came to me through a dream when I was doing mantra reputations in the sufi traditions and prayers but struggling with that. I believe the dream told me that finding the love deep within me was my practice (rather than mantras and prayers). I wrote a song about the love for my dog to the tune of “Nearer my God to Thee.” I call it, of course: “Nearer My Dog to Me” It goes like this:
Nearer my dog to me, nearer to me, his tail wags merrily, nearer to me.
Near my dog to me, his kisses raise me, nearer my dog to me, nearer to me.
I need not walk alone, he is at my side, wherever I may roam, together we stride. Nearer my dog to me, his kisses raise me…
He brings his toys to fetch, over and again, and when my spirit’s low, makes my heart to glow. Nearer my dog to me, his kisses raise me…
And when the path grows dim, he shines forth a light, to love and her me, through the dark night. Nearer my dog to me…
Nearer my dog to me, nearer to me, his smile brings joy to me, nearer to me. He loves me faithfully, and unconditionally, nearer my dog to me, nearer to me
He greets me every day, beaming like the sun, he is my ever friend, we are one. Nearer by dog to me, his kisses comfort me, nearer…
When soon my journey’s done and I lie down, he lays beside me, as I seek life’s crown. Across the rainbow bridge, I join with him, nearer my dog to me, nearer to me.

As I’ve tried to connect with Maharaji, what I’ve come to, through that trying to do so, is there’s unconditional love coming through Maharaji. Just this morning I felt that, in meditation, from the pic of him on my music stand.

[Tony_Roh]

@David_Burrows

Nearer my dog to me, nearer to me, his tail wags merrily, nearer to me.
Near my dog to me, his kisses raise me, nearer my dog to me, nearer to me.
I need not walk alone, he is at my side, wherever I may roam, together we stride. Nearer my dog to me, his kisses raise me…
He brings his toys to fetch, over and again, and when my spirit’s low, makes my heart to glow. Nearer my dog to me, his kisses raise me…
And when the path grows dim, he shines forth a light, to love and her me, through the dark night. Nearer my dog to me…
Nearer my dog to me, nearer to me, his smile brings joy to me, nearer to me. He loves me faithfully, and unconditionally, nearer my dog to me, nearer to me
He greets me every day, beaming like the sun, he is my ever friend, we are one. Nearer by dog to me, his kisses comfort me, nearer…
When soon my journey’s done and I lie down, he lays beside me, as I seek life’s crown. Across the rainbow bridge, I join with him, nearer my dog to me, nearer to me.

i feel the love through your lyrics. very nice

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Gail_Klein

so maybe the love everyone is also part of that self love we so often skip over!

Yes!! Hopefully you will sign up for the next course “The Yoga of Heartffulness” coming out in May. It talks about this.

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@David_Burrows

“Nearer My Dog to Me” It

Love this. And the finding the love deep within. Imagine if we all lived from that place…how it might change our lives and the world. Thanks for sharing!

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Charlie_Winefield

I will keep opening to it and try to shed it’s light on everything else around me

YES! He also says that we have to get trapped!

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Johanna_Martens

From there I can move to other people I love and open to their heart where they are at seeing their inner child vulnerable as I am in that moment,

What a sweet practice and reminder! Thank you!

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

I feel you in this share…feeling that sort of “grok” moment! Thank you for sharing it!!!

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Raleigh_Henshaw

I’ve learned that I can’t close my heart to ANYTHING, without it eventually closing to EVERYTHING. The suggested meditation for today’s lesson was perfect. I actually wept during the session, as Love entered and my heart soften, which is not like “me” and never happened before.

Aversion and rejection are too forms of attachment which I must surrender. Feed deeply Kali Ma… If something isn’t currently “right” for me, I must learn to just release it, without judging, correcting or even forcibly rejecting it.

I love you all, and thank you for being open and available here.

What a great reminder. And thank you for sharing your sweet experience from the meditation. I just hear the Ahhhhh…sooooo off Ram Dass speaking through this.

[Erin_Pillman]

Wow, I love this, thank you so much Raleigh!

Keeping our hearts open truly is SO important.

My favorite part of the New Testament is the Sermon on the Mount, especially the Beatitudes.

One book you might really enjoy is “The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus” by Neil Douglas-Klotz.

And another excellent book by him is “Prayers of the Cosmos” which focuses on the Lord’s Prayer and the Beatitudes.

Blessings on your journey!

[Angela_Catalano]

This interpretation feels true, I’ve definitely experienced it. Primarily through meditation. Lots of beautiful tears during today’s meditations especially… I notice that sometimes when I’m going through a tough time, if my heart closes a bit to protect myself (such as this month, after breaking up with my longterm partner), then it’s harder for meditations to hit me as deeply. But once they break through that little wall and I can cry and really feel again, I feel so much closer to God and to myself. Tears are definitely a portal for opening my heart, I wonder if anyone else can relate

I love the idea of love going on “gathering power and spreading itself” so beautiful… such a beautiful practice today, thank you

[Caro_Manu]

You are helping me understand my resistance …, articulately, thank you.
Some attach-o-matics in me and or in others tend to

kick in and dam(n) the flow state that felt like love to me. Yet i love my spouse, continue to regenerate the “good” feelings overcoming unpleasant feelings. There is a god/dess who sustains this heartiness. There are good reasons and mutual ethical premises between us yet something beyond our frequent dualistics / dialectics…
Can i cultivate radical acceptance for all beings? Hmm so far, i don’t love all of them all the time. but can live some of them significantly part of the time.

[Lisa_Lupa]

It makes me think of the feeling of simply being ‘on’, when it’s as if your pure feeling of love radiates to everyone you’re in contact with like light or warmth.

[Kimberly_R_Burnitt]

As a karma/bhakti yogi, this resonates fully with me. I was drawn to service in hospice work and in health community. Love is all around and is never-ending and always wins. In the past, I used to take things very personally but really we are all just projecting our insecurities, fears, and unrequited desires upon each other (ego). I’ve learned to quell expectations of people and things and live by example through loving kindness and awareness. Just when we think we can’t get through or past a fear or blockage, we learn the lesson-just love!

[Gail_Klein]

I would love to!

[Louisa_Flynn]

It is such a beautiful description. And I think I know the feeling. For sure. I know too it occurs when I am being brave, and not fearful, staying open, and not closed, etc…

[Harmony_Joy_Groth]

For me, this reminds me of how you love your pets and how they love you back unconditionally. I also started doing volunteer work for hospice; most of my patients have dementia, but I can feel their love through their eyes when I am visiting with them. I firmly believe that eyes are the doorway to someone’s soul. When I do my volunteer work, not only do I feel good for helping brighten up their day it reminds me that we all are the energy. The more I share my light with others, it helps them feel better, and it then, in return, makes me feel better for helping them feel better. It starts to create this continuous cycle of each other shining light and love to one another.

[Kyrie_Joyce]

@Jacquelyn_LSRF

Sometimes, it seems I need to kick them out for a while to be able to hold important self-respect or self-care boundaries, but at some point, when it is time and not forced, I can allow the energy of forgiveness and understanding to flow through and let my heart open again, even if the boundary stays in place.

Thank you for sharing this! And to Gail for her discussion points. I have often in my life, when I would look back on a situation, reflect that perhaps I had loved too easily, too fully, and let someone take advantage of my love, my light, my energy. It is a hard concept to grapple with, because, as with Bhakti Yoga, and with my spirituality and view of the world as needing love, I want to love easily and fully. But it is perhaps more important, definitely of equal importance, to first love oneself, easily and fully, and to be aware of when we need to set our boundaries for self-protection, self-respect, and self-care.

[donna_loney]

Like so many of the posts I have read here, this path is near and dear to my heart - well, it is the way of the heart, how could it not be? My experience of unconditional love, outside of that which is the most familiar and easiest to obtain - that of our pets - is in a Dance of Universal Peace.

The all-encompassing love experienced in particular at the end of each dance (but throughout as well in the glance/gaze of those dancing) can only be compared to the ecstasy that comes right before the meditation ends, when you know the bell is going to ring any moment and only this moment remains in connection with All. Even in Zoom gatherings, I am able to experience the enfolding presence of love in the atmosphere created by the musical harmonies and chants followed by the most delicious silence. I wonder if the meditation was short to begin with if the same depth of love would be gained - actually for me, I think not.

I am one of those who really appreciate Rumi’s words about 1000 times your mind wanders and if it comes back once, then all the other time is well spent. Live for that moment, in that moment, and generate, emanate love and peace knowing that it will be caught as Meyer Baba describes and Joe Miller expounded on - “Realization can’t be taught, it must be caught.”

[Travis_Barker]

For me, many definitions and views ascribed to ‘others’ is often reductive and inaccurate. Moving beyond this othering has been helpful in my practice, but I have yet to encounter much of the union discussed in Ram Dass’ overview of Bhakti Yoga.

Ram Dass frequently spoke of Maharaji throwing obstacles into his path/practice, essentially saying ‘no cheap highs’. Seems key to differentiate yoga that absorbs and cultivates reciprocal conditions that are not just internal forms or attachments. Pure love.

Today’s (3/23) group discussion yielded a lot of insight into the barriers we consciously and unconsciously construct, limiting the apprehension of such love. The reception and reciprocation of love without conditions. Beautiful. Really appreciated the shared meditation.