What is God? - Prayer

[MM1988]

Leo said the only way prayer as a way to god could work is if its meditative.

The way I think Prayer is supposed to work is more like Bhakti Yoga where you worship an entity. So even if you sit down and you wish for silly stuff, what is this fundamentally? You are surrendering yourself to a higher power. You give up control. I think thats what its about, and not silencing the mind like in meditation.

If you really suffered and you get on your knees with tears in your eyes and just pray to god to take the steering wheel or do something to get your through this, thats true devotion and I think it might be able to trigger a spiritual experience. Of course sitting down 5 minutes and wishing for a sports car wont cut  it.

Edited February 3, 2019 by MM1988

[Preetom]

@MM1988

One is surrendering oneself to a higher entity but yet can't surrender the silly stuff they can asking/begging? That's like the ego has come back through the back door lol

The true Bhakti yoga is not adoration for an external entity but to inquire into the unquestionable, primal love one feels for oneself. It's about following that self-love to it's source.

Asking for stuff to God is spiritual materialism. The first rule of Bhakti yoga is to cut that shit. There is no bhakti yoga before that. Just like there is no Jnana Yoga(self-inquiry) until one isn't open to investigate the possibility that he/she might not be the body-mind.

By this point, prayer and meditation are merged without any distinction whatsoever.

The highest prayer=The highest meditation=Being aware of being aware=Being=I  AM

[Highest]

True meditation and prayer is surrendering yourself to whatever is, surrendering all illusion of control and doership. ''You and I'' are nothing but a puppet under full control anyways. Step the mind and ego aside and let Reality=God do everything, for it already does. It will, in the end, turn out the way it should and ought to be. 

[Jkris]

@MM1988i am not sure why some say bhakthi or absolute faith love towards god or surrender to god is easy way of self realisation. May be some one in the forum can explain what this bhakthi surrender love faith of god or how to proceed in the path. Thumb rule is no expectations from god. 

[Jkris]

@Preetom your explanation seems to remind me what is bhakthi as per sri Ramana maharishi by sri saadhu om. 

[Preetom]

23 minutes ago, Jkris said:

@Preetom your explanation seems to remind me what is bhakthi as per sri Ramana maharishi by sri saadhu om. 

Yes it is!

I'm awe-inspired again and again how things come into pieces from all angles in this direct path.

Surrender(Real bhakti yoga) and Self-Inquiry(Jnana yoga) are 2 names for the same 'practice' of being. The Prema (Dissolution into absolute love) you get from surrender and the Jnana(self-realization) you get from self-inquiry are one and the same outcome.

Self-inquiry chases that knowledge with which everything is known to the Source. That Jnana itself is refracted through the ego as subject-object dualistic knowledge.

While Bhakti is unconditional surrender that takes us to the Source of that unquestionable love we have for our own self, the bliss of our Self. That Love itself is similarly refracted through the ego as our constant sense of lack and subsequent search of happiness outside of ourselves.

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by Preetom

[Jkris]

@Preetom ?