The Four Types of Devotees

True devotion does not merely refer to the performance of various religious rituals like singing devotional songs, repeating incantations, engaging in silent or communal prayers or sitting for meditation. Devotion refers to this deep unshakable faith in the Lord. There are four types of devotees: the seekers of boons to relieve their suffering, the seekers of blessings for a full and happy life, the inquirers into the deeper meaning of life, and the knowers of the highest spiritual wisdom.

The first type is one who prays to the Lord when he is in difficulty or undergoing trials and tribulations. It is only at such times that he thinks of the Lord and worships him.

The second type is one who entreats the Lord for the blessings of wealth, position and power. He prays to the Lord for progeny and long life and yearns to gain houses, property, cattle, gold, jewels and such things to serve his fellow man. Most people hanker after worldly boons, not realizing that true wealth is wisdom, that real property is a noble character, that the most valuable jewel is to be immersed in God's love. They are anxious to acquire worldly objects, but do not understand the subtle meaning and deeper significance of all these outer symbols of worldly wealth.

The third type of devotee is ever engaged in inquiry into truth. He constantly seeks to know, 'Where is God? Who is God? How can I reach God? What is my relationship to God? Who am I?' When you enter this stage, you become engaged in all these inquiries in order to gain spiritual knowledge. In the first place, you must try to find out, 'Who am I? Where did this world come from? What is my goal?' You puzzle over these three important queries and try to gain some understanding. You approach great people, listen to their teachings, serve them, and study the sacred scriptures. Through this process, indirect knowledge gets turned into direct knowledge, as the teachings you have heard and studied become your direct inner experience.

Finally, when you have fully absorbed the teachings within yourself, you leave this stage behind and become the fourth type of devotee, the highest knower of truth, the one of abiding wisdom. This wisdom is true spiritual knowledge, the transcendental knowledge. It refers to the experience of unity, the experience of the One without a second.

Excerpt: Sai Baba Gita
Link: http://laluni.helloyou.ws/askbaba/saibabagita/index.html

Fight No More

Your physical body is not different from any other situations or relationships in this world. It can be healed with the power of love. When you think of your body as sick or unsightly, you are in fact judging it and sending it the negative image of your mind. When you devise various ways to fix your body, you are in fact avoiding the real problem, which is the imperfection in your sight. As a result, your relationship with your body could only be described as tiresome at best and at worst a battle, with you condemning it, and it rebelling against you by giving you exactly the opposite of what you want.

You easily forgive others and even some unthinkable circumstances in life, but you consistently failed to give up the habit of harshly judging and criticizing your own physical body. Loving-kindness is only true and lasting when it flows everywhere, without and within. If you can only be kind to others and are unable to be kind to yourself, then such imbalance must be addressed lest you fall heavily to the ground from the fatigue of fighting with yourself.

How can you be kind and loving to your own physical body? The same way when you acknowledge that all other people and events are LOVE in disguise, you must acknowledge that your physical body is also LOVE in actuality.

Say to your body, “Love is Who You Are.”

Especially to the blemishes on your face, the white hairs on your head, the fat on your waist, the discomfort at your back, and the countless other dissatisfaction that you have cursed and fought against ever since you were born, say to them, “Love is Who You Are.” This struggle with your very own physical body must end this moment, for you do have loftier goals awaits your visits and blessings.

When you say to your physical body, “Love is Who You Are”, you are in fact giving it the space and reason to be wholly itself again, functioning perfectly, without your constant interference. When you say to your physical body, “Love is Who You Are”, you are in fact acknowledging the Oneness in you, which sees no distinction between the physical and the spiritual. When you say to your physical body, “Love is Who You Are”, you are acknowledging your own Divinity from head to toes, and this can only be a genuine relief to you finally, after such long fight and struggle.

“Love is Who You Are”, not just spiritually, not just emotionally, but totally and unconditionally, and that, includes your physical body as well. Be at peace with your physical body today and now. Fight no more with it due to ignorance mostly your own. Now you know better, please act accordingly.

Grant your body the Love that you have denied it for so long, yet easily granted to a stranger, and release both you and your body from the fruitless fight and struggle forever. Say to your body, “Love is Who You Are”, and see it reflects the Truth in your eyes. Say to any parts of your body that seem troubling to you, “Love is Who You Are”, and hear their songs of joy. See your body for the Love that it truly is and restore your Vision back to Perfection.

Let go of the fight with the food you eat. There is no need to curse it for making you fat and ill. Say to the food you are about to eat, “Love is Who You Are.” Say to the water you are about to drink, “Love is Who You Are.” Then see them sparkle and shine with the light and energy of LOVE, awaiting your communion and loving exchange. In this way, the eating experience is truly “From Love with Love To Love”.

From now on, for every mouthful that you take, remember the food for the Love that it truly is. Every mouthful is Love meeting Love for the first time and Love reuniting with Love once again.

Anything done without Love is pale and wrong, and anything Love did not do must be done one more time, by Love. Anything not seen as Love or in Love must be seen yet again, until Perfect Vision is achieved and you would see wrongly no more.

Meditation and Devotion are One and the Same

Devotion

What is devotion? It is the steady flow of love towards God. When your love flows towards individuals or towards transient, worldly things it cannot be called devotion; it is really only a form of attachment. But when your love flows unceasingly towards God, the one unchanging principle behind this world of change, then your love becomes devotion.

Meditation and Devotion are One and the Same

Another way of thinking of this highest form of devotion is as the uninterrupted meditation on God alone. In the popular understanding of the word, meditation refers to concentrating on an object, and through that object reaching a higher state of consciousness. But this is not the correct approach to meditation. True meditation is meditation on God, and only on God. Therefore, meditation and devotion are really the same; both are the process of concentrating on God to the exclusion of everything else, thinking only of him. Without such meditation or devotion it is impossible to realize the constant presence of God everywhere, in everything, and thereby, gain true spiritual knowledge.

You long to enjoy the fruit, but you will not be able to get it without first having the flower. First comes the blossom, then comes the fruit. Devotion is like the flower. Without first developing the flower of unshakable love for God and allowing it to blossom forth, it will be impossible for you to acquire the fruit of spiritual wisdom. This flower of love may express itself in different ways as the following example shows.

The Householder and the Monk

There were two devotees who both had an all-consuming love for God. One was a householder leading a family life and the other was a renunciate monk. The family man felt himself to be the servant of the Lord and always practiced the principle of total surrender to God. The great virtue of the servant stage is that through the practice of humility and surrender, the ego quickly disappears. As long as you have egoism, you will not be able to gain the sacred knowledge of the supreme self.

So, the householder started from the very humble beginning which is associated with "I am your servant, O Lord, I am your instrument", and he expressed his unshakable love for God that way. On the other hand, the monk, expressed his love for God by seeking God everywhere he went, in everyone and in everything he encountered. He would constantly repeat, "Everywhere I look I find only God. Everything I see is created by God and imbued with God. Everyone I meet is but God. I too am truly God."

Because of the different circumstances of their lives, these two individuals adopted different paths to overcome the power of illusion. The householder, by following the path of a servant became smaller and smaller, until he became so small that he slipped through the clutches of that fierce tiger maya, the terrible power of illusion, which had held him in its claws. By losing his ego he became free. For the monk, the shackles of illusion which had been binding him were broken to pieces when he transcended his ego limitations by absorbing himself in the conviction "Everywhere there is only God. All is God. I too am God. I am God." Through their deep love of God, each in his own way was able to transcend the power of illusion.

Excerpt: Sai Baba Gita
Link: http://laluni.helloyou.ws/askbaba/saibabagita/index.html

Worship of God with and without a Form

The Formless takes a Form

For the sake of human satisfaction you give name and form to the Lord. But in reality he does not have any form at all. Yet, he will take on a form so that you can express your devotion to him and worship him, and thereby satisfy some of your spiritual yearnings. Whatever form of the Lord you choose to follow, worship him with a loving heart.

Devotion is not merely repeating the name of God. It is an undying and pure love for God. It is completely selfless in its nature, bereft of any worldly desires. It is pure, permanent and eternal. This divine love should be practiced constantly in your daily life.

Worship of God with and without a Form

As long as you have attachment to your body and remain steeped in body consciousness, you will not be able to understand and reach the formless aspect of the Supreme. You attain the necessary qualifications to worship the formless only after you have overcome your attachment to the body, your attachment to the world, and all your other attachments. Therefore, as long as you identify yourself with the body, and think that you have a particular form, then you must also visualize God with a form. So, you start your spiritual journey by worshipping God in a particular incarnation, having certain recognizable divine qualities. Gradually, after following this path for some time, you can change your practice to worshipping the formless aspect of the Supreme.

Many devotees base their spiritual experiences only on God manifest in name and form. The form and the formless are both essential for a devotee. It is like having two legs for walking or having two wings to fly. To reach the final spiritual goal you must have the two legs of form and formless, putting one in front of the other, with the one leg representing form, taking its support from the other, which is the formless. It is important to realize that the manifestation of the Lord with form is only transient, whereas the formless aspect of the divinity is permanent. It is everpresent and unchanging.

Only the Formless is the Permanent Aspect of the Lord

Consider another example. Suppose you want to teach the word 'chair' to a small child. If you merely utter the word 'chair' it does not become clear to him what its form is. However, you can show him a chair like this and ask him to look it over carefully. While he is doing this you repeat the word 'chair'. Then later on, whenever he sees a chair he will remember the word associated with the form you have shown him and he will repeat to himself 'chair'. The form of the particular chair you used to teach him the meaning of the word may be impermanent. That chair will change, but the word 'chair' and the type of objects it represents will remain. Unless he sees the impermanent form he will not learn the permanent word 'chair'. The permanent element is understood through the impermanent one. Therefore, though divinity is formless, you first have to associate it with a particular form to understand it.

Steady your Mind by Worshipping the Divinity with Form

Here is a pillow stuffed with loose cotton. What covers this pillow? A piece of cloth. What is the content of this cloth? Cotton. So externally you have a piece of cloth and internally there is the cotton. But, in fact, the internal and the external are both cotton. The formless cotton has taken the form of thread, and this thread has become cloth, and this cloth is covering the formless cotton. Cloth is form and raw cotton is formless. From the formless to the form and then from the form to the formless, these are the transformations that make up divinity. To have a pillow you cannot use the formless cotton alone. So, you must first convert the cotton into cloth and this cloth having form can then cover the formless cotton inside.

In the same way, the divinity in form and in its formless aspect are exactly the same. Both are essential. Through the impermanent form you become aware of the permanent formless. While you still identify yourself in terms of body-consciousness and feel that who you are is related to your body, it will be impossible for you to give up the aspect of form. As your mind becomes steady, rooted in faith, and you move beyond body consciousness, you will be able to experience the permanent formless aspect of the divinity.

Worshipping the Formless God in your Heart

Traditionally, in the worship of the God with form, you may become engaged in many types of ritual worship. You may offer flowers to the Lord, you may bathe his statue with holy water, you may burn incense or use other forms of worship. These will give you some satisfaction. Worshipping the Lord's form externally with various sacred articles yields satisfaction. But, once you establish God inside your heart, then you will worship him through the flowers of your heart. After body consciousness and the delusion associated with it is destroyed, then the divinity that you previously worshipped externally in form, with flowers and various articles of external worship, will now become established in its formless aspect in the depths of your heart, and you will want to worship it with the sweet flowers of your feelings. This will bring true unchanging joy.

As long as you are worshipping the Lord with form, you will use physical flowers such as roses, marigolds and jasmine. These are all impermanent and the body which performs this worship is also impermanent. But if you want to worship the formless God in your heart, then the flowers are different. Those flowers will be permanent. Those flowers are the noble qualities that you develop in your heart and offer to the Lord. They are the flowers of nonviolence, of sense restraint, of truth, of patience and forbearance, of perseverance, of love and compassion, of charity and sacrifice. All these flowers are meant for inner worship. To elevate yourself to the worship of the formless principle, you will have to develop these flowers of the heart and use them in your worship. Then you will experience the ineffable and unchanging joy of the spirit, and enter the path that takes you home to your divine source.

From the Form to the Formless

You commence your journey from the stage of dualism and finally end up in the stage of non-dualism. You start your spiritual practice with the very ordinary type of devotion, worshipping God with form and attributes and using rituals and external forms of worship. But then you quickly progress onto the formless, the absolute aspect of the Divinity. In this way, you initially develop yourself spiritually by being a servant of God, but eventually you become fully identified with God.

Consider, for a moment, a very big circle, and consider that just by its side and separate from it there is another circle, one which is very much smaller. The big circle may be thought of as God, the small one as the individual soul. Here the individual is different and distinct from God; this is dualism. When you bring the smaller circle in so that it lies within the bigger circle, you have qualified non-dualism; now the individual is part of the Divinity, he exists in God. What then is the meaning of the individual becoming totally merged in God? The small circle has to broaden itself and grow bigger and bigger until it has fully expanded to the size of the big circle. At that point the two circles are indistinguishable and man has merged himself into God. This is complete non-dualism.

Excerpt: Sai Baba Gita
Link: http://laluni.helloyou.ws/askbaba/saibabagita/index.html

Dear One, Don’t Cry

Oh, Dear One, don’t cry
We know
We know

Sometimes we are forced to choose
Where no choice seems to be
And must take a path
That leaves us no peace

Sometimes we are forced to face
Some silly man made rules
And it seems that no one knows
And no one we can tell

What to do?
What to do?

If circumstance is beyond you
Then stretch beyond the circumstance
And soar to the edge of infinity
And embrace all sides and be at peace

Wherever you must be
Serve the best you can
But dive deeply into your heart
And hold the world therein

Forgive the silly rules
We are not separate, You and I
You are not this body
And You are not separate from anyone else
Near and dear shall we always be

Oh, Dear One, don’t cry
Let the world be as it may
Wherever you must be, then so be it
Join us in thoughts and in love
We are not separate, You and I

Three Sources of Guidance

God Within	Opening Inward	Subconscious Soul True Self Inner Voice Sacred Heart Divine Child within
God Without	Reaching Upward	Elder Brothers Masters Saints Avatars Divine Will Divine Love
	Expanding Outward	Angels People Situations Nature (animals, plants, stars, etc.) Environment (building, objects, etc.)

· One should become familiar with receiving guidance from all three sources.
· Guidance from all three sources should validate and confirm each other.
· Remember all three sources are ultimately You.

Oracle

Dear God within
Dear God without
Dear Angels everywhere

Thank you for our Oneness
Thank you for the insight
Thank you

Dancing in Time and Eternity

You are a being in time
You are a being of eternity
There is nothing you can do
To change this very fact

Cease struggling against time
Quit fearing eternity
They are your very source
Mother and Father

Until you learn this well
No peace shall befall you
Until you learn this well
You shall never know Yourself