"With the help of devotion, you can soar within." Being aware in the superconscious mind of light there is nothing to worry about; it is you. In love with the inner Self, the monistic expression of devotion, we feel devotion to our own superconsciousness and to the guru for more subtle knowledge. To acquire momentum, to be intensely committed (samvega) our yoga practice has to be a top priority as in Shum, kamsatyeni, the mountaintop perspective.

Master Course Trilogy, Merging with Siva, Lessons 122, 123 Patanjali Yoga Sutras 1.21

Unedited Transcript:

Good morning everyone.

We are continuing in our series, "Merging with Siva" lessons, presenting them in chronological order. We're up to 1960 in the lesson "Love is the Sum of the Law."

"With the help of devotion you can soar within. You can not only pull away detachedly from unwholesome areas of the mind, but it is possible to keep yourself in an inward state of expanded consciousness. What is it all about when we are burdened? This is only the external odic force fields of magnetic energy in the area of the mind called the world and the subconscious. When we are totally aware in this limited state of consciousness, we have the feeling of being burdened. When we are aware in this state of mind, it is impossible to seek out an explanation or to accept an explanation from another. How many times during your life have you explained to your friends who were totally aware in the external area of the mind the reasons for their being there and the way to release themselves from these areas and soar within? You knew they knew what you were talking about, but they wouldn't accept what you had to say, possibly because they hadn't thought of if first. The magnetic areas of the odic force field of the external mind are that strong. They were burdened by the conscious and subconscious limited areas of the mind. Awareness had become submerged..."

So my comment is:

In summary an individual will only change when he or she is ready to change. He'll only move out of burdened areas of the mind when ready to do so. Another person cannot cause someone to move earlier.

And the text:

"...The only real security comes from within. Gain security, and if your security comes from within you, you become unburdened. However, if one gains his security from the external mind, then of course he will not accept help if help is given. What is help anyway, but man sharing with man? Who is the helper and who is the one who is helped? You have often heard teachers say, 'Every time I give instruction, I learn more than my students.' Is the teacher giving the opportunity to the students to learn, or are the students giving the opportunity to the teacher? Obviously, it is quite mutual. Who, then, is the great helper? The external ego does not give us help or assistance. It only ramifies awareness into even more externalized areas of the mind. The mind of light, your superconsciousness, is the only area of the mind where permanent bliss, security and steadfastness occur when awareness flows through it, even in the outer areas of your nature. The mind of light is the only thing that can uplift awareness, shuffling off the burdens of the external mind. It is the great teacher."

So my comment:

A common idea is that security comes from being wealthy enough. Popular idea. If you have enough wealth there will be nothing to worry about. However, there is. Then you can have the new worry of losing the wealth. Whereas in being aware in the superconscious mind of light there is nothing to worry about, you can't lose it. It is you.

Back to the text:

"For eleven years I led a bhakti pilgrimage, a devotional pilgrimage, to the top of Mount Tamalpais in California, the first of every month. I never missed one. The devotees, in looking over three cities with me, could intuit that within each city there were problems. Each home in each city contained an area of the mind that was problem-ridden.

"Those who had the devotion went to the top of the mountain. Hence, the opportunity to expand their awareness for an hour or so and look over the external states of the mind. There they set their pattern for meditation for the ensuing month. It takes great dedication, devotion and bhakti to disentangle awareness from that which it is aware of, to flow into and become aware of expanded areas of the mind. The rewards are great. We are able to look over and through our expanded vision the totality of the exterior area of our mind and intuitively know the answer to the experiences that we are going through..."

So my comment:

Devotion is generally thought of in its theistic expression. The devotee has devotion for a deity such as Lord Ganesha. Gurudeva's use of the term is the monistic expression of devotion. In a few more paragraphs Gurudeva describes this type of devotion as "Yet in love with the inner Self." In other words, we feel devotion toward our own superconsciousness. So taking a look next at Patanjali's Yoga Sutras has some verses that are related.

[Sutra 1.21]

tivra-samveganam-asannah

"Samadhi is near to those who are intensely committed to their practice of yoga."

So that's developing the idea of dedication. Gurudeva's uses dedication; this is using commitment. It means the same thing. So 'samvega' is the word that's translated as committed and 'tivra' is intensly, so intensely committed. Beautiful explanation from Hariharananda. He's a commentator that's fairly recent. Modern age commentator, gives this explanation of 'samvega':

"The word 'Samvega' is a technical term in the science of Yoga. We find it in Buddhist literature also. It means not only detachment but also aptitude combined with a feeling of reverence in devotional practice and the resultant ardor to hasten forward. It is like gathering momentum as you proceed. Endowed with latent impression of detachment and full of enthusiasm and energy, when the devotee constantly engages himself with intensity in attaining the path of liberation, he acquires momentum as he advances."

And then my comment of the verse:

In other words your yoga practice has to be important. It doesn't work if, for example, it is the sixth out of seven priorities in your life. First we have to do this, then this, then this and then we do our yoga. It has to be a top priority.

And then we have a Shum word relating to going to the top of the mountain. 'Kamsatyeni', Mountaintop perspective: Looking from the top of the mountain instead of from the side. A very necessary state to attain in order to proceed further within while still able to live positively in the conscious mind. Looking down from a lofty consciousness. Subsuperconsciousness.

And then my comment on that:

One of the abilities available to us once we have freed ourselves of vexations of past and future is to clearly see patterns in our life and in the lives of others. It is the proverbial state of being able to see the forest instead of the trees. In his early teaching years Gurudeva cultivated this ability by taking his devotees on pilgrimage each month to the top of a nearby mountain from which they could look down on the cities below. This practice was helpful in developing the skill of perceiving the overview.

An example of a typical mental pattern that can be seen and then improved upon is the habit of making a decision to pursue a project but then giving it up when the first major obstacle is encountered. Once this tendency to quit is perceived, we can work to create a new habit of persevering in our endeavors even when faced with obstacles.

A second example is the tendency to make resolves to increase our spiritual practices, sadhanas, but then relinquish our commitment after spending time with nonreligious friends. This problem can be overcome by spending more time with spiritual friends and less time with naysayers.

Back to the text:

"This may seem difficult to comprehend, but it is really very simple. When awareness is burdened in the exterior area of the mind, we simply release awareness from that area of the mind that it is aware of. Release the burden--but not by taking on more burdens or trying to find out the whys and wherefores of it all. In other words, we alleviate the pressures of awareness and our nerve system feel because of being involved in the exterior area of the mind and thus become devoted to our own superconsciousness. The power of devotion, love, bhakti, melts the odic-magnetic force fields, releasing awareness to soar into superconsciousness, the mind of light. And then we can focus, superconsciously, from our intuitive state of mind and look at the exterior world from a new perspective, from right within the very core of life itself. It does not take long. It does take one quality though--devotion--found in the yoga called bhakti.

"What is devotion? Devotion involves going deep enough to understand the great principle of the fulfillment of one's duty. Who must be devoted to whom? Members of a family to their temple, a wife to her husband, a husband to his religion, children to their parents, the student to the teacher, the disciple to the guru. No matter what you are studying--mathematics, chemistry, philosophy, cybernetics, sociology, religion, a lifestyle--the professor should represent what you are going to be. This is why you are studying with him. Only through devotion will you be totally aware, open, free, inspired. Only through devotion will you become what you aspire to unfold within yourself." So my comment: In the last paragraph Gurudeva mentions devotion to family members. This is somewhat different than devotion to one's superconsciousness. In addition to love it also involves loyalty. Devotion to the teacher has another aspect which is that it allows for an inner connection through which knowledge is passed in a nonverbal way.

That's one of the limitations of just learning without a teacher that Gurudeva pointed out quite regularly, it's kind of concerned if youth are just learning via computers without a live person that the deeper aspect of the knowledge isn't being absorbed. Requires a living person to pass on that more subtle knowledge.

Thank you very much. Have a wonderful day.