When we are born, we have to trust this world, represented by our mother and father, our relatives, the society in which we grow, and the country where we live. Growing up, we become strong and independent, renouncing everything that, in our opinion, restricts our freedom and everyone whose opinion is in contrary to ours. Choosing the path of confidence, we choose the path of bhakti yoga.
If we join our will expression, our knowledge and our action — ichha, dzhnana and kriya, — by triple approach we will overcome ignorance!
By ignorance, yoga means our incorrect impression of ourselves. Each of us has a Higher Self, which is free, almighty and all-knowing. However, we become accustomed to believing that we are the body, the thoughts, and the emotions, by which we communicate with the world. Our manifestations are restricted and we lose the feeling of freedom and power. This ignorance can be overcome by Bhakti yoga.
Bhakti yoga is the way of “Good Will”!
Sanscrit term for the will expression is “ichha”. If we practice Bhakti yoga we must express our will for the Higher to be present in our life. We make our own rules, invite the Absolute and wait for the reply with an open heart. The Absolute decides whether to play by these rules or not.
We all face obstacles in our life. Most of the time they are determined by the law of reason and consequence. The obstacles appear because we break the rules and regulations, which we set ourselves. By trusting the Universe, we relax. The Universe, in turn, leads us through life, as a caring mother, helping us to straighten out a tangle of the negative karma and sometimes to preserve from inconsiderate actions.
Bhakti yoga — is a skill to trust the universe and to act according to the clues it gives us.
The practitioner’s mind should be purified and perfected by the preliminary practices. The yogi must remember that the logic never contradicts the supreme logic. Therefore, if the universe shows what the next step is, we should be able to act, not being tied to the results of our actions. Misconceptions about the universe and ourselves can confuse the beginner yogi and even scare us, if we are not ready for the change.
In Bhakti yoga, the purpose and the means of achieving it are the same. The activist, the action and the result merge.
The Universe — a wise Absolute, is teaching us. By listening and analyzing everything, which is happening to us, we try to understand and to digest the lesson. Consistently studying the universe using logic, we gain the ability to learn — “jnana”.
Our commitment to continued excellence stimulates our self-improvement. We willingly declare the existence of a Supreme, make new steps towards it, and get new knowledge and methods of cognition. The result of this “triple action” makes us stronger, letting us to reach the communication level “one to one” with the Universe.
Bhakti yoga — the essence of implementing the triple approach: will expression, knowledge and action. A perfect Bhakti Yogi achieves liberation from all personal limitations and learns that there is no difference between the Higher Self and the Absolute.
Show trust and be happy!
Author: Marina Balmush
Editors: А.Zlobin, М.Mamontova
Project curator: А.Zlobin
Translated by: T.Sugrue