Life incidents with a mark of Isha

Very recently I was coming with my son from a library on a bike. All of a sudden I witnessed a loud sound of collision. What I saw that a elderly man of around the age of 85 was lying unconcious, gasping for breath while her daughter of age 60 was crying for help. Almost a group of 30 people gathered around the accident victim, to get him to the hospital. But everyone forgot about her daughter who was also in a state of despair. The first thing that came to my mind is that since she is alone, she needs to talk to her close ones by phone. Then a bypasser helped this couple to get on his car, to drop them in the hospital. All those 30 people felt that they have done their job. But what I felt that since the lady was crying inconsolabaly, she might be unable to handle the procedures of the hospital. So I rushed to follow the car. Since it was a goverment hospital, the work was not organised and I helped the lady with all the necessary procedures. Felt that I got in at the right time, right place. The greatest gift I have got from Isha is putting yourself in others place and then decide on where your awareness of the situation takes you. I left the scene when her husband reached the hospital. I could see the tears of gratitude in the eyes of the lady.

In the beginning, When the victim was to be transfered from car to a stretcher, the guards kept shouting at me to make effort to bring the victim out of car. But there was a invisible laughter inside me since the victim was weighing 120 kg while my weight was 35 kg. So i knew how much I could do.

Devotional music

Electrifying Sathsang with Sadhguru

Whatever has happened during these 3 days of sathsang with Sadhguru is indescribable. I have been regularly watching videos of Sadhguru from dvds and youtube. But it was only when I attended the English Sathsang that I came to know that having an direct sathsang with Sadhguru is totally a different kind of experience. Life spent in heaven. Magical spell. Life will never be the same now. I know that. I will always be indebted to Sadhguru. Every step I take, every breadth I take, I only take to feel communion with him. I feel rewarded for my perseverance with practices despite the weakness of energy I suffered. Somehow I knew that if life is to be experienced to the fullest, than he is the door.
Charishmatic Sadhguru. Bliss his nature. Love his clothes. Compassion his blood. Silence his energy. Whatever I say will fall short of what I want to say of him. When he speaks, you can always hear a invisible music of silence behind his words. Today, when you open any religious channels like aastha channel or sanskar channel, you will always find that those fake gurus always need a background music to bring strenght to what they are saying. It is really unbelievable that people are hypnotised by these music-cum-fake gurus otherwise they will be exposed of their emptiness.

Life lived in Isha Ashram is of utmost purity. One can feel it. Somewhere Sadhguru says that once you experience living life with utmost purity, than this being will never settles for lower state of livings. Even animals look for the wellbeing of their family. So what is the difference between them and us. Even we are doing the same. Animal nature is so evolved that there is no evolution within themself. Though they are peaceful but there is no growth. But human nature can never go backward. It can only go forward. And if one decides to pause after experiencing higher states of living, than one is bound to suffer, holding on to the limitations of bondage. If one is to experience blissfullness within himself, then he has to explore all the dimensions of living which Isha offers. I was briefly drawn to the state of emptiness. Not knowing what to do. I took a small step towards that. I enrolled for being part of ISHANGA. I don't know what is this 3 days training about but it says that If you feel that whatever is done in Isha is beautiful, then you will have to keep yourself aside and see that you can live the life with purity. Then purity becomes the centre of living not yourself.


You will not believe that when in the evening on the last day, we were waiting for the arrival of Sadhguru, he came in with a wonderful snake in his hand. What excitement, what celebration of life. Then came the new dose of excitement. Has we were sitting outside spanda hall, in the lawn, it started raining. Everyone sat with utmost silence and ecstasy. Everyone's eyes were meeting each other. And it wanted to celebrate. Everyone started dancing in the rain. Sadhguru asked us if we wanted to go inside spanda hall. And there was a huge uproarious NO. And we continued with our dancing. I started dancing with all the old age people. It brought up all their young memories back in the dancing. Surely they new much better than me. I kept imitating them. Being with each other is a wonderful aspect of living. All boundaries vanish when one is highly energetic.
I remember during the last day of sathsang, we were supposed to wind up the sathsang since people would miss their trains. But the climate inside spanda hall was so euphoric that everyone forgot about the time. It looked like everyone was willing to miss the train. Time did not exist until Sadhguru intervened to wind up the proceedings. While he was leaving, he stood at the side door of the spanda hall and looked at all the devotees with tears in his eyes. Neither any of his devotees can stand the separation. It was a painful experience. I could see the concern behind his tears. It said that time is running is short. Sadhguru is making 100% effort to make people realize their bliss nature and this will be his last birth. But many of his participants, it won't be the same. Many will be left to suffer for 1000's of years in Samsara unless and until they make persistent effort to understand Sadhguru's message behind his words. I will tell you an example why people don't take Sadhguru seriously. On the 3rd day, during the morning session, Sadhguru asked all the participants to maintain silence atleast till 2 pm, unless it becomes necessary to talk. But what i saw everywhere was simply unbelievable. Initially only a few group of people started chatting. Vast majority of people, inspired by these chatters, followed them. Everyone forgot what Sadhguru said. During the Sathsang, everyone were allowed to go outside Ashram. Since the space was wide open, people forgot about Sadhguru. If these same people were enclosed within the Ashram area under the inspecting eyes of volunteers, they would have been silent. It shows that participants are not taking any responsibility for their inner wellbeing. Maintaining silence will take you closer to reality. And when Sadhguru says to be silent upto 2 pm, it does not mean to be silent only for a day. But it has to be practiced everyday. Mindless chatting will only bring more problems. People are not aware that mindless chatting is welling up innumerable and ugly emotions. His tears showed the helplessness of his situation despite his best effort. His love has no boundaries. He wants everyone of us to experience the same kind of bliss. Look at the teacher's of Isha. What grace, what bliss they carry within themself. With not a penny in the pocket. They are living like the creator himself. Their only endeavour is to enrich life around them, wherever they go. Even the president of any country looks a beggar in front of Isha teachers. When I look at my family, barring my son, I am truly disappointed at the way they are living. Holding on to their traditional religion without exploring other dimensions of life.

During the sathsang, the whole group of Isha teachers got together and presented a video of being with Sadhguru on their early days. It was said that when Sadhguru took his 1'st class of Isha Yoga, there were only 15 students who came to learn under his guidance. They had no proper fooding. Even the thatched roofed they prepared, soon collapsed under the heavy rain. Soon they took up to the hills with determination to go with Sadhguru with all kinds of difficulties. And look at todays world. Everyone wants proper facilities to be established in the Ashram instead of realizing that being with master was of utmost importance.
Also in the video they showed what happened to Sadhguru, during the Dhyanalinga Consecration. Usually the word used in India for consecration is "pran-prathistha". That it is creating something with your life energy. In India, temples are created on a weekly basis, with the consecration process under unenlightened saints. What I saw in the video was unbelievable. I understood the true meaning of consecration process, creating something with your life energy. Even before the consecration could start, Sadhguru handed a bundle of instructions to his devotees, which were to be followed in the event of his death in the consecration process. He valued this world more than his life. There were 3 people involved in the consecration process where 1 of them was the wife of Sadhguru, Vijji. During this process, her wife could not hold on to the body. She left the body while attaining Mahasamadhi, which is difficult even for a accomplished yogi to achieve. Sadhguru took the job of his wife in his hands and completed the consecration. But he was hospitalised and doctor had no hope of his survival. Some miracle happened and Sadhguru survived but almost like a living dead body. I saw him actually in the video in his worst condition. He could not speak, so he gave something in writing which he wanted to share with the people. Later on, almost 4 people were needed to carry him to the car, to take him to his residence. If one has not watched this video, then you should press the Ashram people to make arrangements for you. Life will never be the same, once you watch this.

You can also note in the above video where I was witness to the situations when it was raining in the garden as i mentioned in this post and also where Sadhguru got emotional while parting with his followers.
It is so unfortunate that I cannot put everything in writing.........................................................Love you Sadhguru.

Volunteering - An ultimate experience

It's really difficult to define volunteering since it carries many values within it. The first and foremost meaning I felt is that I wanted people to know the joy of being with sadhguru. People like Sadhguru are scarce in this world and we have got that job to carry forward the message. Just being with him, I have forgotten my problems and anxiety but now new kind of problems have come in. There is a strong urge within me to work as a full time volunteer but whatever I do falls short of expectation.
Distributing pamplets door-to-door and hanging posters was an extra-ordinary experience. Distributing pamplets was not a simple work but it needed a kind of alertness and intelligence. Many times before approaching anyone, I would check whether he is in a mode of listening. If he is not entangled in any work or if he is calm within himself, then i would approach him and tell him about the program. This way I found many people who were excited to learn about isha yoga. Usually people try to finish off distributing pamplets in a day or 2, feeling they have done the job. But what happens is that in the faster mode of distribution, the pamplets does not reach right kind of people. I succesfully approached a doctor to allow the pamplets to be kept in his clinic. Similarly I approached temples with the positive response.
Hanging posters was an enjoyable experience. There was so much to contemplate before we could decide on which place to hang the posters. Usually we would start off after 9 p.m. Learnt so many things. You will have to find whether large group of people would go through the poster by walk. Is the view clear ? Is it at the junction point ? Have you covered all the area within the 4 km radius of the venue ? How to prepare the posters, so that they can carry a little longer life span than they usually carry ? It s a never ending experience and I am sure that there will always be something new to experience with every volunteering oppurtunity.

Get enlightened on nasal blockage - Effective pranayama

Source : The Divine Romance - Paramhansa Yogananda

Bad colds affect the whole body adversely, and even obstruct the mind so that you cannot think clearly. Colds are extremely disruptive to the yogi's meditation, preventing correct practice of pranayama techniques. Therefore Satan to delight in getting into the nose and throat area. All those who need their voices, such as singers and lecturers, are usually susceptible to throat troubles because they are more or less sensitive about the throat, and this mental fear makes it easy for Satan to establish himself there. So when a cold first starts in the nose, you should arrest it immediately. If you don't, it gradually settles in the throat and lungs. Do you know why ? The heat of the body becomes unbalanced..


Speaking of colds, let me give you some practical suggestion: Gargling daily with a glass of warm salt water is a very good preventive for colds, as are right diet and exercise, and daily sunbath for 10 to 30 minutes (depending on the intensity of the sun and the sensivity of the skin.) If you do get a cold, it is best to stop it while it is only in the nose, before it goes down into the throat and chest. The best way to quickly bring the cold under control is to fast. It will arrest the condition. If you fast for 24 hours, the cold usually goes away. But if the condition is chronic, you must eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, and also have plently of fresh air and sunshine, and exercise. Many people believe in drinking lots of water when they have a cold. This is good, if they have a fever or congestion with thick mucus. Otherwise excess water can make the mucus membrane very active. One of the worst thing you can do when you have a cold is to drink hot beverages. Cold contracts, and heat expands. The heat may feel good for a little while, but it expands the cells and disturbs their normal function. And don't take ice-cold drinks either.


If you get a chest cold, dip a turkish towel in very hot water, wring it out and rub the chest with it. Then wipe the chest area with a dry towel. Repeat this five times, two or three times a day. Keep the chest well covered after each treatment.


In spite of precaution and remedies, colds as well as other disease sometimes lingr, and sometimes they go away quickly. The reason for this is karmic. That is, the state of the body as determined by the law of karma, cause and effect. The cure of a disease depends in great part on one's karmic condition---the sum total of the effects of his past action---plus the antidote taken for that illness Some people think that since our karma predestines us to suffer, we might as well give up and accept the inevitable. But it is not right to be fatalistic. To try to help yourself and then give up when you don't get immediate results is foolishness, because every effort you make will help to break down that karmic pattern. "God helps him who helps himself".

Devotional Music

Inspiring words

Source : Glimpse after Glimpse - Sogyal Rinpoche.

To learn how to die is to learn how to live; to learn how to live is to learn how to act not only in this life but in the lives to come. To transform yourself truly and learn how to be reborn as a tranformed being to help others is really to help the world in the most powerful way of all.

Let us dare to imagine now what it would be like to live in a world where a significant number of people took the opportunity, offered by the teachings, to devote part of their lives to serious spiritual practice, to recognise the nature of their minds, and so to use the opportunity of their deaths to move closer to Buddhahood, and to be reborn with one aim, that of serving and benefiting others.

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Evoking the power of compassion in us is not always easy. I find myself that the simplest ways are the best and most direct. Everyday, life gives us innumerable chances to open ur hearts, if we can only take them. An ald women passes you with a sad and lonely face and two heavy plastic bags full of shopping which she can hardly carry. Switch on the television, and there on the news is a mother in beirut kneeling above the body of her murdered son, or an old grandmother in moscow pointing to the thin soup which is her only food.........

Anyone of the sight could open the eyes of your heart to the fact of the vast suffering in the world. Let it. Don't waste the love and grief it arouses. In the moment you feel the compassion welling up in you, don;t brush it aside, don't shrug it off and try quickly return to "normal", don't be afraid of your feelings or be embarrased by it, and don't allow yourself to be distracted from it. Be vulnerable : Use that quick, bright uprush of compassion - focus on it, go deep into your heart and meditate on it, develop it, enhance and deepen it. By doing this you will realize how blind you have been to the suffering of the world.

All beings, everywhere, suffer; let your heart go out to them all in spontaneous and immeasurable compassion.

Watching disturbance in mind

Source : Glimpse after Glimpse - Sogyal Rinpoche.

Just as the ocean has waves, and the sun has rays, so the mind's own radiance is its thoughts and emotions. The ocean has waves, yet the ocean is not particularly disturbed by them. The waves are the very nature of the ocean. Waves will rise, but where do they go ? Back into the ocean. And where do the waves come from ? The ocean.

In the same manner, thoughts and emotions are the radiance and expression of the very nature of the mind. They rise from the mind, but where do they dissolve ? Back into the mind. Whatever rises, do not see it has a particular problem. If you do not impulsively react , If you are only patient, it will once again settle into its essential nature.

When you have this understanding, then rising thought only enhance your practice. But when you do not understand what they intrisically are- the radiance of the naure of the mind, then your thoughts become the seed of confusion. So have a spacious, open and compassionate attitude towards your thoughts and emotions, because in fact your thoughts are your family, the family of your mind. Before them, as Dudjom Rinpoche used to say "Be like a old wise man, watching a child play".

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Realizing the view subtly but completely transforms your vision of everything. More and more, I have come to realize how thoughts and concepts are all that block us from always being, quite simply, in the obsolute.

Now I see clearly why the masters so often say "Try hard not to create too much fear or hope", for they only engender more mental gossip. When the View is there, thoughts are seen for they are truly are : fleeting and transparent, and only relative. You see through everything directly, as if you had X-ray eyes. You do not cling to thoughts or reject them; you welcome them within the vast embrace of Rigpa. The thing you took so seriously before - ambitions, plans, expectations, doubts and passions - no longer have any deep and anxious hold over you, for the View has helped you to see the futility and pointlesness of them all, and born in you the spirit of true renunciation.

The difficult human birth - Only an opportunity for transformation

Every spiritual tradition has stressed that this human life is unique and has a potential that ordinarily we don't even begin to imagine. If we miss the oppurtunity this life offers us for transforming ourselves, they say, it may well be an extremely long time before we have another.

Imagine a blind turtle roaming the depths of an ocean the size of the universe. Up obove floats a wooden ring, tossed to and fro on the waves. Every hundred years, the turtle comes, once , to the surface. To be born a human being is said by the Buddhists to be more difficult than for that turtle to surface accidentaly with its head poking through the wooden ring.

And even among those who have a human birth, it is said, those who have the great good fortune to make a connection with the teachings are rare, and those who really take them to heart and embody them in their actions even rarer--as rare, in fact, "as stars in broad daylight". Source : Glimpse after Glimpse - Sogyal Rinpoche.

The craving mind - The real culprit

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche describes a yogi wandering through a garden. He is completely awake to splendour and beauty of the flowers, and relishes their colors, shapes and scents. But there is no trace of clinging or any "after-thought" in his mind.

As Dudjom Rinpoche says:- "Whatever perceptions arise, you should be like a little child going into a beautifully decorated temple; he looks, but grasping does not enter into his perception at all. You leave everything fresh, natural, vivid and unspoiled. When you leave each thing in its own state, then its shape doesn't change, it's color doesn't fade and its glow does not disappear. Whatever appears is unstained by any grasping, so then all that you perceive arises as the naked wisdom of Rigpa(Our original state of mind), which is the indivisibility of luminosity and emptiness.

My own experience :-

During a Hatha Yoga program, I was attracted to a beautiful girl. Our eyes met and we were lost to each other. We enjoyed every moment of it. But the moment my mind began to organise tricks to somehow get her, I sensed that I have lost some sacredness in it. My mind was suggesting all kind of ideas like should I suggest myself a bachelor or married despite the fact that I am married. Truly I did not sense any guilt in feeling her. But the only way I could possess her was to be aggressive and that was not in my nature of things. I simply walked off. It was like if existence wants, he will allow us to meet without any effort in our part. It was a beautiful experience.

In one more incident, while I lived in 2nd floor, a female maid servant was living in the 1st floor of my brothers house. Soon we were attracted to each other and there was a silent agreement that nature should take its own course. But during her visit to my house she aggressively demanded something from my father. I could see the aggressive & possesive mind behind the beautiful body. I was able to see the nature of the sex very clearly. It is like you stand in the terrace and you view a beautiful swimming pool. There is a craving to experience it and you decide to take a dive into it. You enjoy every bit of it. Only when you come out of swimming pool, you become aware that the whole field is covered with red and green chillies. And you suffer in unawareness. If one is not meditative, one will hanker for sexual experience again and again, no matter what be the cost. Hankering will awaken jealousy, violence, aggression, anger. Everything is lost in unawareness.

The offer to merge was so open but I decided not to respond to it. She was hurt by my sudden change in behaviour. But it was too late before I realised my mistake. Atleast I will not have to carry all my life.

Living in illusion

So many veils and illusions separate us from the stark knowledge that we are dying. When we finally know we are dying, and all other sentient beings are dying with us, we start to have a burning, almost heartbreaking sense of fragility and preciousness of each moment and each being, and from this can grow a deep, clear, limitless compassion for all beings.

Sir Thomas More, I heard, wrote this words just before his beheading "We are all in the same cart, goint to the execution, how can i hate anyone or wish anyone harm ?" To feel the full force of your mortality, and to open your heart entirely to it, is to allow to grow in you that all-encompassing, fearless compassion that fuels the lives of all those who wish truly to be of help to others.

Source - Glimpse after Glimpse - Sogyal Rinpoche.

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Near Death experience from the above mentioned book

Those who have been through the near-death experience have reported a startling range of aftereffects and changes. One woman said: The things that I felt slowly were a very heightened sense of love, the ability to communicate love, the ability to find joy and pleasures in the smallest and most insignificant things about me....... I developed a great compassion for people that were ill and facing death, I wanted so much to let them know, to somehow make them aware that the dying process was nothing more than an extension of one's life.

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What is our life but a dance of transient forms? Isn't everything always changing? Doesn't everything we have done in the past seem like a dream now? The friends we grew up with, the childhood haunts, those views and opinions we once held with such single minded passion: We have left them all behind. Now, at this moment, reading this book seems vividly real to you. Even this page will soon be only a memory.

Obstacles in the path

The following excerpts are from the book Glimpse after Glimpse by Sogyal Rinpoche :-

When little obstacles crop up on the spiritual path, a good practitioner does not lose faith and begin to doubt, but has the discernment to recognize difficulties, whatever they may be, for what they are - just obstacles, and nothing more. It is the nature of things that when you recognize an obstacle as such, it ceases to be an obstacle. Equally, it is by failing to recognize the obstacle for what it is, and therefore taking seriously, that it is empowered and solidified and becomes a real blockage.

My own experience :-

I have experienced various kind of obstacles in my life, ranging from small to intense. When problems come, it looks like that it will stay here for eternity, making us fearful. But it is actually just a phase, which comes and go. One does not have to do anything. The only thing one can do is to maintain dignified living, not to compromise on the values we have learned in Isha. The bad phase simply passes off, leaving no signature of it behind. Sometimes I wonder that the reason for which I became fearful is still present but the very nature of fear does not stays. It passes off. Only patience, and taking care of the light of love which was burned through Sadhguru's kriya, will help you to tread your path joyfully. Really, if you are in love with Sadhguru, you will pass off the hardest of obstacles in your life. I remember Sadhguru's saying that "Whatever you may do in you life, simply weigh your act whether it is for me or it is against me. A simple sadhana.

Music videos you will love

Bho Shambo Shiva Shambo - Images of Sadhguru and Dhyanalinga

Bhrama Murari - Slokas

George Harrison - Govindam

Make your practice a joyful experience

Quotes from the book "Glimpse after Glimpse" by Sogyal Rinpoche, a tibetan master.

"There are many ways of making the approach to meditation as joyful as possible. You can find the music that most exalts you and use it to open your heart and mind. You can collect pieces of poetry, or quotations or lines of teachings that over the years have moved you, and keep them always in hand to elevate your spirit. I have always loved Tibetan thangka paintings and derive strenght from their beauty. You too can find reproductions of painting that arouse a sense of sacredness and hang them on the walls of your room.

Listen to a cassette tape of a teaching by a great master, or a sacred chant. You can make of the place where you meditate a simple paradise, with one flower, one stick of incense, one candle, one photograph of an enlightened master, or one statue of a deity or a buddha. You can transform the most ordinary of rooms int an intimate sacred space, an environment where everyday tou go to meet with your true self with all the joy and happy ceremony of one old friend greeting another."

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"When I teach meditation, I often begin by saying "Bring your mind home. And release, And relax."

To bring your mind home means to bring the mind into the state of Calm Abiding through the practice of mindfulness. In its deepest sense, to bring your mind home is to turn your mind inward and rest in the nature of the mind. This itself is the highest meditation.

To release means to release the mind from its prison of grasping, since you recognise that all pain and fear and distress arise from the craving of the grasping mind. On a deeper level, the realization and confidence that arise from your growing understanding of the nature of the mind inspire the profound and natural generosity that enables you to release all grasping from your heart, letting it free itself to melt away in the inspiration of meditation.

To relax means to be spacious and to relax the mind of its tension. More deeply, you relax into the true nature of your mind, the state of Rigpa. It is like pouring a handful of sand on to a flat surface, and each grain settles of its own accord. This is how you relax into your true nature, letting all thoughts and emotions naturally subside and dissolve into the state of the nature of the mind."

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My Own experience :-

The first thing I do in the morning when i wake up is take the keys and get ahead towards the temple to fetch flowers. It has been a beautiful experience, making an offering before I start my kriyas. Lighting up a deepam, placing the flowers in the bowl of water so that the flowers can stay fresh for whole day long, lighting up the incense sticks, leaving the place spellbound by the aroma of Sathsang. I always cherish this feeling of sacredness. The only question is that Can we carry this sacredness with us for whole day long? Can we maintain the silence within the disturbance of the noise in the marketplace?

Faith in the guru

The following are the quotes from a tibetan book "Glimpse after Glimpse" authored by Sogyal Rinpoche on the above subject "Faith in the Guru". The book contains golden quotes by various tibetan masters.

"If, at the moment of death, you can unite your mind confidently with the wisdom mind of the master and die in that peace, then all, I promise and assure you, will be well.

Our task in life is to practice this merging with the wisdom mind of the master again and again, so that it becomes so natural that every activity- sitting, walking, eating, sleeping, dreaming and waking - starts to be increasingly permeated by the master's living presence. Slowly, over years of focused devotion, you begin to know and realize all apperances to be the display of the wisdom of the master. All the situations of life, even those that once seemed tragic, meaningless or terrifying, reveal themselves more and more transparently to be the direct teaching and blessing of the master, and the inner teacher."

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When we have prayed and aspired and hungered for the truth for a long time, for many, many lives, and when our karma has become sufficiently purified, a kind of miracle takes place. And this miracle, if we can understand and use it, can lead to the ending of ignorance forever. The inner teacher, who has been with us always, manifests in the form of the "outer teacher", who, almost as if by magic, we actually encounter. This is the most important encounter of any lifetime.

Source ; Glimpse after Glimpse by Sogyal Rinpoche

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Devotion is the purest, quickest, and simplest way to realize the nature of mind and all things. As we progress in it, the process reveals itself as wonderfully interdependent: We, from our side, try continually to generate devotion, which itself generates glimpses of the nature of mind, and these glimpses only enhance and deepen our devotion to the master who is inspiring us. So in the end devotion springs out of wisdom: devotion and the living experience of the nature of mind become inseperable and inspire each other.