nn 1,2

1.1.2 devotional

This morning I will speak on the experience of devotion to God. What is it that causes a person to experience a feeling of love and devotion to the Supreme Being? What draws from a human being this emotion, this dedication? Before a human being will experience love for the Supreme, first, they will experience a longing or yearning for something intangible, something more in their life. They will feel as if something is missing, as if there must be some further experience which they can have which will fulfill them. There is a restlessness within, a lack of fulfillment. Then, over time, the human being begins to put some form to this ambiguous feeling, this longing for something more in their lives. They begin to think that this something must have some kind of form which they can find and they set out to find that which is missing in them, to fulfill this feeling that there is something they are longing for, that they desire within themselves, that they do not have.

Now, at first, the human being may try to find this in so many material forms. They may search in work, in family, in relationship, or in pleasure seeking activities. But as they try one, and another, and another, they find that, when they are quiet, this feeling remains in them. And so they search again. Eventually they begin to come to the conclusion that what they search for cannot be found in this earthly life, that there must be something intangible, something more than the pleasures and pains of this worldly existence. Thus, they begin to seek fulfillment in the spiritual realm. They begin to search for the essential experience of Divinity within them. They may attend a church, they may attend the temple, they may begin to follow certain religious practices, or they may find their way to the more esoteric teachings and discover meditative practices.

Thus, they search within themselves in a self reflective process. Doing this, they may glimpse that most precious Being, that Divine Presence. They may perceive the grace of the Infinite in their lives. Some difficult experience may happen and they may perceive how the Divine is intervening to aid them in their suffering. They may come to experience a moment of divine awareness which is transforming. It may happen in any circumstance, under any conditions. But when it happens, then the Divine Entity will become visible to them. It is the very nature of human beings to love that Supreme Being. When that being makes Himself visible to human beings, they naturally feel a sense of impassioned love. They immediately know that this is what they have searched for all their lives; that this is the One whom they are looking for; that this is what has been missing, this is the shelter for them, the home of homes.

And so, seeing that which is great beyond imagining, they are overcome with emotion. They cannot even speak. Tears fall from the eyes and they are overcome. After such an experience, a human being will feel a tremendous love within their heart for God. They will not want anything but to once again experience the vision of that Divine Entity. That is why it is said that devotion is a gift. It is a gift which is given. It cannot be earned. You cannot qualify for this, but it is given to you. The experience of the presence, of the nature of the Divine Being, is given to you. It is given out of love and this gift is called grace. It may come in the middle of adversity; it may come on the mountain top; it may come in service to others; it may come in all manners of setting. But when this experience comes to you, it is the grace of God. And, it is from this experience, that true devotion stems. Once a human being has seen that Greatness, that Divinity, their heart becomes overcome with a feeling of gratitude and a feeling of longing to be in close proximity to such greatness. This feeling is a devotional sentiment. It is a response to the experience of the Divine.

So, human beings are not alone. They are guided by the Divine through thick and thin. They may forget their divine guidance and perceive that they do everything by their own actions. But, sooner or later, circumstance will be such that this longing, this need for something more in their life will come to them. This sense of existential vacuum will develop in the human being because it is the very nature of human beings to search for the Infinite. And so, when this comes, this existential longing, there comes also, the propulsion toward the Infinite. And then, through ideation upon the Supreme, service to suffering humanity, study and the gaining of knowledge, one may slowly inculcate an awareness of the Divine. But, when that Being appears, it is not because of these efforts. It is by the grace of the Divine, by the grace of God that the vision of the Infinite is given to a living being. And the heartfelt response to that vision, which develops within a human being, is the result of this grace.

At first, a human being may love God because they feel that they want Him, they want to possess Him. They want for them self, they want to fill the vacuum within. So they call to Him, "Please Lord, come to me, come to me, save me, save me. Make me happy, make me fulfilled. Save me from the weals and woes of my life." But as they see how great and gracious this Divine Entity is, as they perceive His qualities and characteristics with greater and greater refinement, they become so entranced by His beauty, by His infinite kindness, by his graciousness, that they forget about themselves. They begin to think, "Oh, my Lord is so great, so benevolent, that I only wish to serve Him. I only wish to make Him happy, to ease His load because He is so benevolent and caring to all beings. I will give myself to Him. I will surrender myself to His service." Like this, the feeling of service begins to arise in the human being. The desire to love arises, not for one's own pleasure and fulfillment, but to give to God what one has to give. In this way, the quality of love changes. It matures into something that is more expanded. In this way a human being begins to gain parallelism with the Divine Entity. They begin to adopt the same approach that He has, the approach of benevolence. And in this, they begin to adopt some of His qualities and characteristics.

Through close association with that Infinite Entity, they begin to have some of His same qualities. Their intentions become aligned with His, and so the human being begins to mature into a Divine Being. This potentiality is within each and every person. Do not waste this precious life. Pursue this, for it is the true destiny of every human being.