Govind Das came to LMU a couple of Friday nights ago to talk
about Bhakti Yoga. I had gone to his Bhakti
Yoga Shala a week before in Santa Monica and took a yin class taught by his long
lanky Australian wife. The yin
class didn’t really leave any strong impression on me. But the Shala was definitely a hot spot full of young white Westsiders searching for and perhaps
finding spirituality. It was a hub of energy and excitement with beautiful young seekers hanging outside of the space talking about cosmic ideas while other eager
cuties practiced within. An all donation
based studio, there was a box for your money in the back. It was the only studio I’ve ever been to that
I didn’t need to sign an insurance waiver.
Meanwhile a week later at LMU, Govind Das came into class a fit handsome young white
man with light brown dreadlocks in weather worn Indian dress and spoke to a
class of eager yoga students.
Here are my notes from my lecture:
Bhakti comes from the word Bhaj is to join
In Bhakti we Join with Love and Devotion to God
We wish To vibrate in tandem with the universe
We can talk about it but never get to it
A bhakti practices to worship God
Kirtan is singing and dancing ecstaticly. One sings and dances to worship God.
The mind is a terrible and wonderful master
Don’t forget the central truth that god lives in your heart
He mentioned Shraddha but I don’t understand my notes so
here I defer to wikipedia
Shraddha" is a Sanskrit word which has no
equivalent in English, at best it can be understood as faith with love and
reverence. It means devotion or passion towards anything or god.
Shraddha
may refer to:
- Śrāddha (श्राद्ध, shraaddha),
Hindu ritual performed for one's ancestors, especially deceased parents.
- Śraddhā (श्रद्धा, shraddhaa),
the Sanskrit term for "faith", in Hinduism, Buddhism, and
Jainism. Can be a girl's name in countries like India.
Faith is yourself
The great spirit dwells in your heart
A great swami said “The God inside of you and the God in the
universe are one and the same.”
Smaranam – constant remembrance of the divine
I got some help for a hare Krishna website to understand
this concept better:
"Some way or other, if someone establishes in his mind his
continuous relationship with Krsna, this relationship is called remembrance.
About this remembrance there is a nice statement in the Visnu Purana, where it
is said, "Simply by remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead all
living entities become eligible for all kinds of auspiciousness. Therefore let
me always remember the Lord, who is unborn and eternal." In the Padma
Purana the same remembrance is explained as follows: "Let me offer my
respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Krsna, because if someone remembers
Him, either at the time of death or during his span of life, he becomes freed
from all sinful reactions."
Nectar of Devotion,
Chapter 10
"Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam. The word smaranam
means "remembering." If we chant and hear, then remembrance will
automatically come, and then we shall engage in worshiping Krsna's lotus feet
(sevanam). Then we shall engage in the temple worship (arcanam) and offering
prayers (vandanam). We shall engage ourselves as Krsna's servants (dasyam), we
shall become Krsna's friends (sakhyam), and we shall surrender everything to
Krsna (atma-nivedanam). This is the process of Krsna consciousness."
Teachings of Queen
Kunti, Chapter 5
We practice devotion through constant remembrance on the
divine.
Spirit is behind everything.
We need to train ourselves to see.
The yogi uses mantras to help us remember.
We get lost in Maya the illusionary belief that what you see
is all there is.
Yogic practice helps wipe the dust.
Asana/Meditation/Diet/Pranayama help us purify
After yoga class… after fasting … we are more intune with
the energy of the universe
In the bhakti yogic perspective life is beautifully real and
needs to be celebrated.
Bhakta is the devotee
God is your beloved
The philosophy is you
Love God so much you want to serve God. You wish to give yourself in loving
service to God.
The greatest joy is a human being serving a divine in a
loving way. It feels sweet in the heart.
You offer in service to other people. The yoga is total devotional service. You teach as a servant to the Divine.
God lives inside of us. We use deities to remember we have
these qualities inside ourselves. As human beings we tend to forget our divine
qualities.
Ganesh = health, well-being and wisdom,
Hanuman = service
Kali = fierceness
Lakshmi = beauty, grace
Ram= dharma and higher purpose
Ishta Devata
Chose one form of God devote oneself to live at the
highest vibration you can live at
A little more help from the internet on Ishta
Devata
Within Hinduism,
an Ishta-deva or Ishta devata (Sanskrit iṣṭa-deva(tā), literally "cherished divinity"
from iṣṭa "desired, liked,
cherished" and devatā
"godhead, divinity, tutelary deity" or deva "deity") is a term denoting a
worshipper's favourite deity.[1]
It is especially significant to both the Smarta
and Bhakti
schools wherein practitioners choose to worship the form of God which inspires
them the most. Within Smartism, one of five chief deities are selected. Even in denominations
that focus on a singular concept of God, such as Vaishnavism,
the ishta deva concept exists. For example, in Vaishnavism,
special focus is given to a particular form of Vishnu or
one of his Avatars
(i.e. Krishna
or Rama),
and similarly within Shaktism, focus is given to a particular form of the
Goddess such as Parvati
or Lakshmi.
The Swaminarayan
sect of Vaishnavism has a similar concept, but notably differ from practically
all Vaishnavite schools in holding that Vishnu and Shiva are different aspects
of the same God.[2]
Guru
is one who removes the darkness. It can be a person or a universal guide. The
role of the Guru is to point us in the direction we really are.
Yoga
can be thought of as an identity shift.
We take a human body and we get spiritual amnesia and forget we are a
soul. We identify with the material
world and attachments and desires.
Yoga
is a re-identification process.
Bhakti
is traditionally a heart practice. Set up an altar. Have a morning practice.
As
I change the way I look at things, things begin to change
In
all other yogas there is a trying to get somewhere in Bhakti yoga we just give
over to love.
Bhakti
is measured by enlightenment.
The
greatest joy is through service.
Just
becoming a das … a servant of love.
Other
philosophical systems are about trying to will yourself, more is better, deeper
is better in Bhakti there is just service and love.
Kirtan
is to praise. It is the heart beat of
bhakti.
Namasan
Kirtana. Nam = names , San=Congregation
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