Bhakti Yoga
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
This post of mine was originally a response in this thread but I felt it prudent to move my reply as it may have been construed as off topic therein.
@gerry456 said
In that case I would propose that bkakti-yog is intensified or more effective when we have good grounding in hatha yoga or at least when we are more able to detach from the components from consciousness.
Experience in hatha yoga is not necessary. The aspirant needs to build up their love of the divine to the point where the ego can not compete, it is pushed ever to the side, for when this love, being continuous, consumes one's thoughts, one's very being, such a one may then attain by Devotion. In the beginning it is very difficult to even remember that you're supposed to be devoted to something. That is why creating simple rituals to perform throughout the day [hint, hint, Liber CC <eg>, hint, hint] can be extremely beneficial. I have found that likhita japa or written mantra is a fantastic way to instill steady mindfulness of your object of worship. Simply create a mantra or use the name you have for your focus of adoration and write it down on paper, chanting it out loud or mentally as you do so. You do this for either a predetermined amount of time or a set number of sheets of paper. Two sheets worth of doing this, roughly 30 mins., is pretty powerful stuff in this regard (the time period and/or number of sheets work like mala beads). Just be sure to keep your attention to where your pen is at on the paper and concentrate on the meaning of what you are writing as you chant, no looking around or watching the clock. To quote the Beatles: "the love you take is equal to the love you make"--or something like that. The raja yoga techniques of pratyahara and dharana are also invaluable tools for building up the requisite devotion in the beginning as they allow you to focus on thinking of the divine while engaged in other tasks, such as shopping, the job, spending time watching a boring movie with the woman, etc.. You really want to get that drilled in to your mind to think of the divine as often as possible: every waking moment of the day is the bare minimum. The adoration and emotion and renunciation of self (i.e. ego) and all of that jazz will come later, developing constant mindfulness is the first major hurdle. The funny thing about Vivekananda's book "Bhakti Yoga" is that I found it TONS more helpful in making headway in jnana yoga rather than bhakti...
Love is the law, love under will.
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It looks like there are some good tips on Bhakti there man. Cool stuff. Yeah mantras are good to stamp down on ego's blabbering dialogue. Hence the ISKCON (i.e. "Hare Krsna") movement's moniker became........ their mantra, "Hare Krsna"! If you asked people what ISKCON was they wouldn't know it was the Hare Krsna movement lol.
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
@gerry456 said
"mantras are good to stamp down on ego's blabbering dialogue."
Hells yes. The fluency of internal dialogue needs to be reworked by the conscious developing and strengthening of cognitive patterns towards the end of mindfulness of the Divine. Establishing such mental routines is hard though, especially when it comes to the spontaneous reactivity of garnering impression. "Solvitur ambulando."
Love is the law, love under will.
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93
Sorry for such a late bump...
I enjoyed this post and its responses. I can concur to everything that was said herein. I actually gave Bhakti Yoga a la Hare Krishna a try and found it wasn't quite what I was looking for in achieving unity with the divine. More recently, I took a stab at using a Re-constructionist re-approach to Judaism... but alas... I found that I was once more being untrue to myself. Sometimes out spiritual path transcends labels and laws. I think I finally realized that after reading this post, on top of another I had this morning while reading about Pan, oddly enough. And although it's a bit awkward to realize a spiritual awakening in real time, I'm sure you can appreciate it for what it is... an embrace of my Mercurial self... the ever-resistant to stagnation and orthodoxy being that I am. The Chaotes embrace the idea of "paradigm shifting" or "belief as a tool"... I think I'm starting to understand that a lot more now.
Jacob
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In terms of practice I would say that the most influential book that Crowley wrote is "John St. John," IMHO of course. Therein he illustrates how non-conformist one's practice can be so long as it will effect the desired end, which is an unbroken flow of focus on the divine to the exclusion of all other thoughts and considerations. At first the focus is weak and diluted but so long as you persist in pursuing only the Great Work, and that Alone, it will improve. If you intend this in the midst of worldly activity your will of resolve has to be absolute and your attitude to those worldly activities must be one of plenary superficiality. Endeavor to always, and I mean ALWAYS, be focused on the divine.
The methods that Crowley employs, such as mantra, kundalini yoga, pranayama, magic ritual, bhaktic prayer, etc., are like tools to bring the required end about. In this way all of the various yoga techniques/practices are like tools in a toolbox and every aspirant simply needs a particular combination to build their vessel and optimize the propensity towards result before yielding (I call this stage, or at least the one immediately preceding it, "soaking"). All schools of yoga eventually lead to the same "goal." E.g. the techniques of asana, pranayama, and dharana of Raja Yoga are tremendously beneficial to Jnana and Bhakti Yoga.
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@seekinghga said
"
@gerry456 said
"In that case I would propose that bkakti-yog is intensified or more effective when we have good grounding in hatha yoga or at least when we are more able to detach from the components from consciousness."
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Typo. Should've been more able to detach from the components of consciousness