Jnana and bhakti as 1+3 and 1+2 Tuesday, October 24, 2006 |
Using the three perspectives of first (I, me, mine), second (you, we) and third (it, its) person, the relationship of jnana and bhakti becomes quite simple.
Jnana, or love of wisdom, can be seen as a combination of first and third person. It is Big Mind as first person, yet looking at and studying itself as third person.
Bhakti, or devotion, is a combination of first and second person. It is Spirit as first person, yet relating to itself as second person in devotion.
In both cases, there is love: of Spirit as it, an object of study, and Spirit as You, an object of love.
In both cases, there is knowledge: love of knowledge, and knowledge through love.
In both cases, Spirit is exploring itself through devotion and wisdom.
Both cases includes a first person perspective, I as that without an Other.
Jnana and bhakti: 1+2+3
And all are present simultaneously as well.
Spirit as first person, as I without an Other. As Big Mind awakened to its own nature. As the Ground of seeing and seen, inherently absent of any I.
Spirit as second person. Spirit relating to itself as Thou, as the whole of itself, an object of devotion. Spirit relating to itself as other, as a being of flesh and blood, an object of love and compassion. Spirit relating to itself as us, beings of flesh and blood, all divine and human, in it together.
Spirit as third person, as itself as an it, an object of exploration through study, inquiry and wisdom.
Together, there is infinite richness in how Spirit explores and experiences itself.
