NON-DUALITY
Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries and paradoxes in spirituality and mysticism is the idea of Devotion, Bhakti, and Devotion for a personal God. Speaking from my own experience, moments of True Love for God are THE most sacred and precious memories and moments of my life.
The mystery is this play or Lila between lover and Beloved seems to have an escapable duality built into it. I want to show that NOT to be the case.
First, we have to remember Nonduality is NOT Oneness as that implies its opposite, manyness. Also, Ultimate reality is NOT 'just' the absolute. It is the relative as well, but the absolute and relative are Not 2.
Mystical Oneness is the marriage of the individual soul with the Universal Spirit or God. Atman is one with Brahman. The Individual Self is One with the Universal Self. This is not merely oneness, it is Not 2- ness, in that there is a superposition between lover-Beloved duality on the Relative Side and Absolute and unspeakable Oneness on the Absolute side. It is neither one nor the other, nor both nor neither. Such is the mystery of Ultimate Reality and this same mystery plays at the level of the apparent individual.
In my opinion, Bhakti Yoga, love and devotion IS the best pathless path for most people in this world. Of course if you have the disposition and mental fortitude to do direct inquiry into "Who Am I", that of course is ideal. Or even more ideal is simply recognizing right here and now the Nondual UR that is already and always present. But very few can do the latter practices, which is why teachers of Vedanta (Advaita), Mahayana (Yogachar) and Vajrayana Buddism (Tantra), would recommend preliminary meditations or exercises to prepare and steady the mind. For how can you recognize and realize the great mystery of life if you are always lost in thought?
Many Nondual teachers, like Ramana, recommended most people to practice Bhakti yoga or devotion and do mantra japa (repeating the name of God that is most cherished to your heart - Jesus, Buddha, God, Krishna, Divine Mother, your Guru, etc). Of course great Masters never give instructions en masse, they tailor their recommendations for each individual, but for many people in our modern age that are too much in their heads, Devotion is the best starting point, especially in the beginning, but the love grows and grows up to the end, and never ends!
Devotion focuses and strengthens the mind and gets one into the Heart. In this chapter I want to share 3 main points, the first being the Essential Oneness of Nonduality Vedanta, and Bhakti Yoga. Our guide for this will be the Great Saint Ramakrishna, who's disciple Vivekananda was literally the main founder of Vedanta in the America or at least the first major influence.
Next, I want to share some of Ramana Maharshi's teachings on the Self and the Heart being the 'location' of our Truest Self. Not the Brain, Pineal Gland, Not the Third eye or thousand petalled lotus, but the HEART!
Then I want to conclude, in the spirit of this book, with scientific research from Heart Math to substantiate this. This is exciting research that strongly suggest we should all 'Head for the Heart'.
The mystery is this play or Lila between lover and Beloved seems to have an escapable duality built into it. I want to show that NOT to be the case.
First, we have to remember Nonduality is NOT Oneness as that implies its opposite, manyness. Also, Ultimate reality is NOT 'just' the absolute. It is the relative as well, but the absolute and relative are Not 2.
Mystical Oneness is the marriage of the individual soul with the Universal Spirit or God. Atman is one with Brahman. The Individual Self is One with the Universal Self. This is not merely oneness, it is Not 2- ness, in that there is a superposition between lover-Beloved duality on the Relative Side and Absolute and unspeakable Oneness on the Absolute side. It is neither one nor the other, nor both nor neither. Such is the mystery of Ultimate Reality and this same mystery plays at the level of the apparent individual.
In my opinion, Bhakti Yoga, love and devotion IS the best pathless path for most people in this world. Of course if you have the disposition and mental fortitude to do direct inquiry into "Who Am I", that of course is ideal. Or even more ideal is simply recognizing right here and now the Nondual UR that is already and always present. But very few can do the latter practices, which is why teachers of Vedanta (Advaita), Mahayana (Yogachar) and Vajrayana Buddism (Tantra), would recommend preliminary meditations or exercises to prepare and steady the mind. For how can you recognize and realize the great mystery of life if you are always lost in thought?
Many Nondual teachers, like Ramana, recommended most people to practice Bhakti yoga or devotion and do mantra japa (repeating the name of God that is most cherished to your heart - Jesus, Buddha, God, Krishna, Divine Mother, your Guru, etc). Of course great Masters never give instructions en masse, they tailor their recommendations for each individual, but for many people in our modern age that are too much in their heads, Devotion is the best starting point, especially in the beginning, but the love grows and grows up to the end, and never ends!
Devotion focuses and strengthens the mind and gets one into the Heart. In this chapter I want to share 3 main points, the first being the Essential Oneness of Nonduality Vedanta, and Bhakti Yoga. Our guide for this will be the Great Saint Ramakrishna, who's disciple Vivekananda was literally the main founder of Vedanta in the America or at least the first major influence.
Next, I want to share some of Ramana Maharshi's teachings on the Self and the Heart being the 'location' of our Truest Self. Not the Brain, Pineal Gland, Not the Third eye or thousand petalled lotus, but the HEART!
Then I want to conclude, in the spirit of this book, with scientific research from Heart Math to substantiate this. This is exciting research that strongly suggest we should all 'Head for the Heart'.
“Hridaya” means Spiritual Heart and refers to the very core of your being.
The heart is used in the Vedas and the scriptures to denote the place whence the notion "I" springs. Does it spring only from the fleshy ball? It springs within us somewhere right in the middle of our being. The "I" has no location. Everything is the Self. There is nothing but that. So the heart must be said to be the entire body of ourselves and of the entire universe. So this Heart is pointed out as the seat of the Self. But in truth we are everywhere, we are all that is, and there is nothing else.
The heart is the resting place of the mind. The result is peace. When the mind gets absorbed in the Heart, the Self is realized. Samadhi Habit being with Masters.
Heart Alpha and Omega - is in the Heart and IS the Heart itself (center everywhere circumference nowhere).
The passage from the Heart to the brain might be considered to be through sushumna. The yogis say that the current rising up to sahasrara (brain) ends there. That experience is not complete. For Jnana, they must come to the Heart. Hridaya (Heart is the alpha and omega).
The Source of the "I" or Self/Atman is the Heart - the final goal.
**Sphurana (heart glow) - /sphuraṇa karanā/ pulsate intransitive verb. If something pulsates, it moves in and out or shakes with strong regular movements.
Ramana: A kind of indescribable but palpable sensation in the heart center.
It is a foretaste or forefeeling of Realization.
The heart is used in the Vedas and the scriptures to denote the place whence the notion "I" springs. Does it spring only from the fleshy ball? It springs within us somewhere right in the middle of our being. The "I" has no location. Everything is the Self. There is nothing but that. So the heart must be said to be the entire body of ourselves and of the entire universe. So this Heart is pointed out as the seat of the Self. But in truth we are everywhere, we are all that is, and there is nothing else.
The heart is the resting place of the mind. The result is peace. When the mind gets absorbed in the Heart, the Self is realized. Samadhi Habit being with Masters.
Heart Alpha and Omega - is in the Heart and IS the Heart itself (center everywhere circumference nowhere).
The passage from the Heart to the brain might be considered to be through sushumna. The yogis say that the current rising up to sahasrara (brain) ends there. That experience is not complete. For Jnana, they must come to the Heart. Hridaya (Heart is the alpha and omega).
The Source of the "I" or Self/Atman is the Heart - the final goal.
**Sphurana (heart glow) - /sphuraṇa karanā/ pulsate intransitive verb. If something pulsates, it moves in and out or shakes with strong regular movements.
Ramana: A kind of indescribable but palpable sensation in the heart center.
It is a foretaste or forefeeling of Realization.