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  • Loving God

    Greetings all,

    I have been exploring different ways to get closer to God. In Shaolin Wahnam, we get a glimpse of God every time we practice powerful Chi Kung like "Merging with the Cosmos" and "Cosmic Shower." We can read powerful spiritual scriptures like the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita to understand God's message. We can also recite prayers and chant powerful mantras to connect to our respective deities.

    One of the most recent paths I have discovered is called Bhakti Yoga, a spiritual method of loving and unconditionally surrendering to God. The devotee can assume a personal human relationship to God as either a lover, friend or child-parent. Past saints have recommended the child-parent approach where the devotee is the child and God is either the Father or the Mother.

    Although I have yet to fully practice this method, the idea of surrendering to and loving God seems quite powerful and can really open one's heart.

    Here are some inspiring quotes and passages on reaching God through love and devotion:

    Sri Ramakrishna

    If a man prays to Thee with a yearning heart, he can reach Thee, through Thy grace, by any path.
    Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money. But who weeps for God? So long as the child remains engrossed with its toys, the mother looks after her cooking and other household duties. But when the child no longer relishes the toys, it throws them aside and yells for its mother. Then the mother takes the rice-pot down from the hearth, runs in haste, and takes the child in her arms.
    God alone is real, that is to say, eternal; everything else is unreal, because it will pass away. As you discriminate in this manner, let your mind give up its attachment to the fleeting objects of this world. … Attend to all your duties but keep your mind fixed on God. Wife, son, father, mother — live with all of them and serve them, as if they were your very own. But know in your heart of hearts that they are not your own.
    Sri Ramakrishna saw God in everything, with his eyes both open and closed. Bowing before even a fallen woman, he would say, "You are the manifestation of the Divine Mother. In one form you are standing in the street and in another form you are worshiped in the temple. My salutations to you." Seeing drunkards in a grog shop, he would be overwhelmed with divine inebriation. When in a state of divine ecstasy, he would move around with his clothes under his arm like a child. Seeing someone meditating or hearing the chanting of the holy name of God, his mind would become intoxicated, and he would go into samadhi.

    Swami Nikhilananda;Mukerji, Dhan Gopal, II. Sri Ramakrishna, The Face of Silence
    Neem Karoli Baba, Maharaj-ji

    "You said to meditate like Christ. How did he meditate?"

    It seemed as if Maharaj-ji was about to answer, but instead his eyes closed and he sat there completely still, completely silent. It felt like he'd totally disappeared. In all the time I'd been with him, I'd only seen him sitting motionless like this a couple of times before. It was extraordinarily powerful, as if the whole universe had become silent. Then a tear came down his cheek. We were in awe. After a couple of minutes, his eyes half opened and, with great emotion, he quietly said, "He lost himself in love, that's how he meditated. He was one with all beings. He loved everyone, even the people who crucified him. He never died. He is the atman [soul]. He lives in the hearts of all."

    Krishna Das. Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold

    Maharaj-ji was asked what was the best method of meditation. He said, “Do as Jesus did and see God in everyone. Take pity on all and love all as God. When Jesus was crucified, he felt only love.”

    Dass, Ram; Das, Rameshwar. Polishing the Mirror: How to Live from Your Spiritual Heart
    When we asked him how to find God, he said, "Serve people." We didn't understand. So we asked, "How do we raise kundalini [spiritual energy that rests at the base of the spine]?" He said, "Feed people and remember God."

    Krishna Das. Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold
    Best wishes,
    Stephen
    Last edited by DarkCosmoz; 19 November 2013, 01:04 AM.

  • #2
    I have begun replacing the word God with everything that is. I find it quite helpful.

    Loving everything that is,
    Charles David Chalmers
    Brunei Darussalam

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    • #3
      Thanks for starting the thread, Stephen.

      Some of the strongest healing and insight for me has come from meditating on "I completely surrender to unconditional love."

      Andrew
      Love, and do what you will.

      - St. Augustine

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Andrew R View Post
        "I completely surrender to unconditional love."
        That's a wonderful affirmation!
        Sifu Andy Cusick

        Shaolin Wahnam Thailand
        Shaolin Qigong

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        "a trained mind brings health and happiness"
        - ancient wisdom

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        • #5
          Everyone has his or her own way to connect to the all powerful divine.

          To some, God is the Father. To me, She is my Mother. Tara happens to be one of my favorite aspects of the Goddess.

          Below is a video of Krishna Das singing kirtan (call-and-response chanting with an audience) to Tara. In my opinion, Tara is another manifestation of the almighty and compassionate Kuan Yin.

          Krishna Das' Kirtan in Benefit for Tibetan Home of Hope sung to "Heart As Wide As the World" MelodyIn Tibet "Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha"In Sanskrit "Oṃ Tāre T...


          Having been to 2 Krishna Das concerts so far, I can say that he sings purely from the heart to God rather than to the audience. It's truly an experience!

          Best regards,
          Stephen

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