A group of disciples, including Ram Dass and Krishna Das, were with Mahara-ji (Neem Karoli Baba) in India. One day the Saint told them to "meditate like Christ." They looked at one another a little puzzled: "Uh, how does Christ meditate?" The Saint closed his eyes and was perfectly still for about 5 minutes. Finally, a tear fell down his face and he replied: "He lost himself in love."
It's taken me a very long time to come into a state that matches the vibration of that statement. I come to deeper and deeper understanding of that statement. The deepest is the felt understanding.
"Losing ourselves" doesn't sound like such an enlightened thing to do. We wouldn't want to lose ourselves to worry, or doubt, orfear, or drugs. We wouldn't want to lose ourselves in someone else's ideas, or a life we didn't chose. In fact, losing doesn't sound that great.
Remember that the number "0" (zero) came from an Indian idea. Before that, Europeans had no way of demarcating "nothing" as the sum of something. Emptiness, or the total loss of something, is a notion Westerners still have trouble grappling.
Why lose ourselves in love?
Because love is the true state. It is the true identity. The Sat Nam. And it only comes into our awareness when we make space for it.
Love is what is underneath all the layers. Love is what is outside all the layers.
If we can have a practice of connecting with that Source of inner truth, we will make very good decisions in our daily life. We will see through the eyes of Christ that everyone is a diamond underneath. Everyone, at root, is an embodiment of love.
When we "meditate like Christ" we clean the dirt off the diamond. And we feel our true power--which is not dependent on anyone else's actions or behavior.
When we "meditate like Christ" we walk through our life with compassion. Compassion is an understanding that everyone has some clean-up to do. We all do, or we wouldn't be here, right?
Krishna is the personification of this kind of love. Divine, unshakable, invincible, unequivocal love.
Nothing you do will change the diamond you are, though a lot can stop you from noticing.
So, we can choose to start scrubbing, or roll around in the dirt some more.
The New Year is a good time to set some "clean" intentions.
My ideas include:
-Taking 5 minutes each morning to center and do a breathing exercise.
-Making a list of things you are grateful for and re-reading it daily
-Simplifying your diet and drinking more water
-Turning on your TV less often
-Singing along to uplifting music
-Smiling for no intelligent reason
-Meditating
-Service without expectation of reward
-Forgiving yourself each time you forget to choose love over the maya (illusion) of daily "stuff"
In praise of all that is shiny and bright...
(This story is often told by Krishna Das, who learned the art of bhakti kirtan while studying with his master, Neem Karoli Baba.)
Sirgun Kaur is a yogini, writer, and musician. She is based in Santa Monica, CA, where she teaches kundalini yoga to children ages 3-12, leads kirtan, and helps to organize a yoga festival in the Spring and Fall. For more information, you can visit her website (www.sirgunkaur.com), or her blog (www.sirgunkaur.blogpost.com).
SIrgun’s voice is full of SOUL!!! Devotion pours through, the bliss is here~~ I get “lost” in the sweetness and love that pours through her!! Thank you songbird!! <3 & light always!!
A group of disciples, including Ram Dass and Krishna Das, were with Mahara-ji (Neem Karoli Baba) in India. One day the Saint told them to "meditate like Christ." They looked at one another a little puzzled: "Uh, how does Christ meditate?" The Saint closed his eyes and was perfectly still for about 5 minutes. Finally, a tear fell down his face and he replied: "He lost himself in love."
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
Thought this was VERY interesting. xoxo
SIrgun’s voice is full of SOUL!!! Devotion pours through, the bliss is here~~ I get “lost” in the sweetness and love that pours through her!! Thank you songbird!! <3 & light always!!