Devotion connotes faith (the belief in something unverifiable) and determination (persistence in the face of all personal cost).
Consciousness
How did I become a faithful devotee of Patanjali, Sachidananda and Amma? Each have helped bring me closer to the essence of who we all are: our consciousness.
I found faith in the existence of God when I realized the reality of our three dimensional nature: we each have a physical body, non-physical thoughts and an immutable, intangible awareness OF our thoughts: our consciousness.
Make no mistake: consciousness is as different from our non-physical thoughts, as our thoughts are from our physical body! Without the awareness OF our own thoughts, WTF would be the point?! We wouldn’t know we’re alive, let alone reading this angry yogi’s rant!
You won’t find consciousness explained in any Western textbook. Your best chances to gain insights into it are the four paths of yoga:
• Raja Yoga – mind-control
• Bhakti Yoga – love, specifically of the Divine
• Jana Yoga – study
• Karma Yoga – service
In the process, may you come to better understand the miracle that each (yes, EACH!) of us is.
Inspiration
Whether fact or fiction, “Ammachi” [one of the texts available at 50% of cost to members of the Yoga Instructors Association] is tremendously inspirational.
Amma was in her early 20’s at this point in her life, and by all accounts a force of nature!!
“One night during Krishna Bhava, Sudhamani [Amma] called her father and told him, “My devotees will come from far and wide. Many of the devotees will settle here permanently.
You will have to face many obstacles, but do not be afraid. Endure everything. Do not take revenge against anyone. Do not be envious. Do not seek anything from anyone. Everything you need will come to you unmasked. Always give part of what you receive in charity.
In time, this place will become a great spiritual center. The little one will travel around the world many times. Though you may have to suffer a lot in the near future, God will always bless you and provide for your needs. Your relatives and even the villagers will hate you and abuse you, but in time they will become your friends. Thousands of My devotees will become like your children. From this day on, the little one is ever pure.” [As though the Divine was speaking about her, through her!]
Once more, Sugunanandan was wonderstruck! His dark blue daughter, who had suffered countless beatings at his own hands, was going around the world?! Why, she had never been as far as Cape Comorin! Thousands of people were coming to [the remote village of] Idamannel? Where on earth would they all stay? The house was tiny! And what was the meaning of her saying that the little one was ever pure?
Though these words left a deep impression in Sugunanandan’s mind, at the time he dismissed them as crazy utterances. Only after years had passed did he realize the absolute truth of what his daughter had said to him that day.”
God bless.
