Devotion, Gratitude, and Love – Part 1
The revealing of higher consciousness is the flowering and maturity of my years and tears of devotion to God. — Acharya Nityani Devi
In all discussions of sādhana, it’s easy to interpret a statement from either a dualistic or non-dualistic point of view, when, in fact, duality exists within unity. This applies to the topic of devotion to God, as it may appear that we’re devoted to something other, when that’s not the case from a nondual perspective.
We can look at it this way: The relationship between devotion and Oneness is the living experience of immersion into God’s heart. God can be both the sole reality of undivided Consciousness as well as the object of our devotion and longing, and these are not contradictory. God is our essential nature. Any apparent duality dissolves when we recognize that immersion in Oneness is achieved by intense love and bhakti (devotion) — and while the dynamic pulsation between the two experiences contains many stages, it is the permanent establishment in Oneness that ultimately dissolves all duality.
Through the lens of the upāyas we can see that our sādhana is a dualistic dynamic that happens on the field of non-dualistic understanding. The upāyas are the triadic means, or stages, of the expansion of our awareness from limited to unlimited. The first two means, āṇavopāya (the path of effort) and śāktopāya (surrendering to the śakti), are dualistic experiences. We feel: I’m making an effort to be devoted. Or: my effort has opened me to the possibility of offering myself energetically to Oneness by surrendering to the śakti. These phases are normal and natural, and, for most people are the dominant stages of their sādhana.
The highest of the means to liberation is called śāmbhavopāya, which is the path of awareness or the path of Śiva. It is the stage of sādhana in which we become established in the direct experience: I am Śiva. In the full blossoming of that level of consciousness, all duality is directly perceived as happening on the field of unity and there is no longer any separation from God.
Grace and Longing
Our own journey into God’s heart is awakened by the descent of His grace (known as śaktipāta). That awakening happens in varying degrees, but it is always combined with longing, which propels us to find a teacher and practice that can support what is beginning to unfold within us.
Longing manifests as devotion. It is our response to grace, to God calling us home. Devotion is much more than an emotional dynamic. It requires those “years and tears” of unwavering practice, of dismantling all our misunderstanding. It requires, that in the face of all choices, we choose to know God over holding onto our limited understanding of who we think we are. That devotion is forged in the fire of our unwavering decision to love and serve God, and we feel grateful for the opportunity to serve, because that is what frees us from our unwillingness to remain devoted.
Devotion must be actualized by disciplined practice. We must hold on to our intention as we walk through the fire of transformation. As the Bible says: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. That’s the beautiful rasa, or flavor, of devotion. Most of us tend to do our spiritual practice when it feels good, but as soon as the heat gets turned up a bit we back off. We forget that the heat provides the alchemical energy to transform our ego, to free our consciousness from its limitations. This is the very transformation God was intending when he sent the twitter message, “Come home.”
Do You Really Want Freedom?
Our devotion is an extraordinarily powerful response to God. Ultimately, that devotion is God’s devotion to His own freedom, expressing itself as you. So, I encourage you to carefully reflect: How devoted am I? What is it I really want in this life? This must be more than just what you say you want, because devotion is the unconditional offering of ourselves, without thought of price.
Rudi’s mantra I wish to grow was an expression of his devotion. Note that there’s a period at the end of the statement. It’s not, I wish to grow if. . . or when. . . or under these circumstances. If you marinate surrender in devotion, there is a sweetness in that offering.
Devotion is much more powerful than trust because we often think trust must be earned. That may be true in a personal relationship, but what are you going to ask of God so that you trust Him? We normally only trust God when He gives us exactly what we want. In truth, God gives us exactly what we need, but only in the context of our freedom. What we receive may not be what we think we need. Devotion and surrender must include the willingness to understand that our freedom is delivered without regard to conditions. This means that our life does not have to show up in a particular form for us to discover our freedom.
For most of us, our attachment to the form of our life is what prevents freedom from taking place. And so we pray: I want to be free, but we secretly clarify: God, please make it comfortable and look just like I want it to. When grace descends, it is God’s devotion to Himself in you and as you. That devotion to your freedom unfolds from that moment, and whatever unfolds is what you need to truly know God as your Self.
Be conscious. Make the singular choice to live God’s purpose in your life, which is to know absolute, unconditional joy and freedom and to be marinated in divine love. And then the years and tears of devotion are a beautiful experience.