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A Diverse Devotion

This post is a reflection on a poem by Meera, a 16th-century poet and mystic of India.


 The quality that stands out to me in this poem is devotion. It’s a quality I often envy in other spiritual aspirants, particularly those who have a strong attachment to a particular divine incarnation: Krishna, the Buddha, Jesus. Though I grew up in the Christian tradition, in which personal devotion to Jesus is an essential component, I have not often felt a strong connection to any divine figure. Somewhere in his writings Eknath Easwaran suggests that we abandon the search for our own Divine Ideal and instead place ourselves humbly at the feet of them all, letting one of them choose us instead. I find this advice comforting and have reminded myself of it many times, especially when I feel discouraged about my apparent lack of devotion. Still, it sometimes seems that the Divine Ideals are taking their time making a decision.

 I can say without hesitation, however, that I am devoted to the practice of Easwaran's eight points, and if what Meera says is true--that the teacher is “the path and the goal”--then my devotion to the teachings is equivalent to devotion to the teacher. As Easwaran himself said, “I live in my eight-point program.” By extension, since Easwaran emphasizes the unity of all paths to God, I can say I am devoted to all teachers of the path. This to me is very much in the spirit of Easwaran, who praised his grandmother as his spiritual teacher, Sri Krishna as his Beloved Boss and Gandhi as a prime example of contemporary spiritual genius. He also expressed intense affection and admiration for the Compassionate Buddha and deep respect for Jesus.

 Following the example of my teacher, then, I can embrace my own diverse devotion, and if a particular Divine Ideal deigns to choose me as a devotee, it will be my pleasure to be at His or Her service.
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