Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Jan 9, 2022 16:43:18 GMT -6
Radhe Radhe!
Dandavat pranam!
Adwaita Das-ji (Edwin Bryant, PhD) just announced a course he is going to run on the Bhaktirasamrita Sindhu. Please see below...
****************************
Greetings, friend and fellow sådhakas.
I am delighted at the outpouring of interest in a svådhyåya on bhakti yoga. Let's do it: we live for this.
Our course text will be a translation of the 16th century Sanskrit Bhaktirasåm®itasindhu - the Ocean (sindhu) of the nectar (am®ta) of the ecstasy (rasa) of bhakti. This was composed by Rüpa Gosvåmî, who received the teachings directly from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was pivotal to a 15th century resurgence of Krishna bhakti in the North of India (we will also read the sikßå߆haka, the '8 verses of Instruction,' which were the only writings penned by Sri Caitanya). This 'Ocean' is divided into four quadrants, each with four 'Waves.' We will read the first, the Eastern Quadrant (EQ), which contains the teachings on the practices of bhakti yoga and the ensuing states of love of God, and is the most important Quadrant for understanding bhakti.
While this course will feature Krishna bhakti, the essential generic elements of pan-ˆΩvarabhakti that the text outlines will nonetheless be applicable to other forms of bhakti - ¸aiva and ¸akta - even as each tradition will add its very distinctive flavorings to the basic bhakti infrastructure. I suggest that it is most profitable, spiritually, to go deep into one specific bhakti tradition, rather than jump about superficially between many (and it is probably better in terms of spiritual depth to study with a teacher devoted to the practice of one particular tradition from within, rather than someone adopting an outsider's theoretical lens and surveying a surface level panorama of traditions from without).
The Eastern Quadrant of the Bhaktirasåm®itasindhu guides us in how to perform 'pure' bhakti - viz, not bhakti seeking anything from IΩvara/Bhagavån, including mokßa itself, other than pure selfless love of God. So, in 'Wave' 2, the largest section of the EQ, we will encounter the 64 primary practices of bhakti. In Wave 3, the text will then proceed to analyze the various ensuing internal states of Bhagavån-centered devotional moods, bhåva. These eventually culminate in the highest states of love of God, prema outlined in Wave 4 (all this somewhat parallels Patanjali's schematization of the various states of åtman-centered samådhis, culminating in nirbîja). So this is a theologically rigorous scholastic text, but one written by a fully accomplished practitioner, Rüpa Goswamî, who is deemed by the tradition to have attained the highest prema - a wonderful combination of the intellect and the devotional heart (to which bhakti svådhyåya aspires).
This svådhyåya will consist of 6-8 sessions, depending on how much time we find ourselves requiring, January 21st - February 28th (or March 11th). The time will be as always, Friday 6.00-8.00 pm EST, followed by questions/discussion (and sometimes kîrtan). As always, the course is by voluntary donation. The segments for the six sessions (which may likely expand to 8) will roughly be as follows:
Jan 21. First Wave: General characteristics of bhakti (including the trivialization of mokßa).
Jan 28. Second Wave: Sådhana bhakti. Definition of sådhana and eligibility for vaidhi bhakti (rule based bhakti).
Feb 5. Second Wave: Sådhana bhakti (cont.). The 64 practices of vaidhi bhakti.
Feb 12. Second Wave: Sådhana bhakti (cont.). The 64 practices of vaidhi bhakti.
Feb 19 Third Wave: Bhåva bhakti.
Feb 26 Fourth Wave: Prema bhakti. We will also read the eight verses of the sikßå߆haka, noted above.
The text can be downloaded from the website <edwinbryant.org>. under the svådhyåya link in the header. The link to the workshop is there too, as is the link for donations.
Sorry for the length of this. A reminder will be sent out the day before the first session, but then there will be no subsequent emails connected to this svådhyåya course (unless something comes up and a session needs to be cancelled). Anyone wishing to have their name removed from this mailing list, please go onto the website under the same svådhyåya link and add your name in the place indicated there for removal. All the information about this workshop posted on that same link, so may I humbly request you to please check that first before emailing for info that is posted there - we all know how challenging it can be to keep up with masses of emails, and semester is starting soon. (And there are loads of other courses there under the 'Yoga Philosophy Course Videos' link, which are all available for free/by donation (and I'm delighted to see some of you have taken up Sanskrit).
I'm excited to walk ever deeper with you into this wondrous place of Vraj bhakti, my own personal tradition of 45 years. All best for the New Year!
Edwin
Dandavat pranam!
Adwaita Das-ji (Edwin Bryant, PhD) just announced a course he is going to run on the Bhaktirasamrita Sindhu. Please see below...
****************************
Greetings, friend and fellow sådhakas.
I am delighted at the outpouring of interest in a svådhyåya on bhakti yoga. Let's do it: we live for this.
Our course text will be a translation of the 16th century Sanskrit Bhaktirasåm®itasindhu - the Ocean (sindhu) of the nectar (am®ta) of the ecstasy (rasa) of bhakti. This was composed by Rüpa Gosvåmî, who received the teachings directly from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was pivotal to a 15th century resurgence of Krishna bhakti in the North of India (we will also read the sikßå߆haka, the '8 verses of Instruction,' which were the only writings penned by Sri Caitanya). This 'Ocean' is divided into four quadrants, each with four 'Waves.' We will read the first, the Eastern Quadrant (EQ), which contains the teachings on the practices of bhakti yoga and the ensuing states of love of God, and is the most important Quadrant for understanding bhakti.
While this course will feature Krishna bhakti, the essential generic elements of pan-ˆΩvarabhakti that the text outlines will nonetheless be applicable to other forms of bhakti - ¸aiva and ¸akta - even as each tradition will add its very distinctive flavorings to the basic bhakti infrastructure. I suggest that it is most profitable, spiritually, to go deep into one specific bhakti tradition, rather than jump about superficially between many (and it is probably better in terms of spiritual depth to study with a teacher devoted to the practice of one particular tradition from within, rather than someone adopting an outsider's theoretical lens and surveying a surface level panorama of traditions from without).
The Eastern Quadrant of the Bhaktirasåm®itasindhu guides us in how to perform 'pure' bhakti - viz, not bhakti seeking anything from IΩvara/Bhagavån, including mokßa itself, other than pure selfless love of God. So, in 'Wave' 2, the largest section of the EQ, we will encounter the 64 primary practices of bhakti. In Wave 3, the text will then proceed to analyze the various ensuing internal states of Bhagavån-centered devotional moods, bhåva. These eventually culminate in the highest states of love of God, prema outlined in Wave 4 (all this somewhat parallels Patanjali's schematization of the various states of åtman-centered samådhis, culminating in nirbîja). So this is a theologically rigorous scholastic text, but one written by a fully accomplished practitioner, Rüpa Goswamî, who is deemed by the tradition to have attained the highest prema - a wonderful combination of the intellect and the devotional heart (to which bhakti svådhyåya aspires).
This svådhyåya will consist of 6-8 sessions, depending on how much time we find ourselves requiring, January 21st - February 28th (or March 11th). The time will be as always, Friday 6.00-8.00 pm EST, followed by questions/discussion (and sometimes kîrtan). As always, the course is by voluntary donation. The segments for the six sessions (which may likely expand to 8) will roughly be as follows:
Jan 21. First Wave: General characteristics of bhakti (including the trivialization of mokßa).
Jan 28. Second Wave: Sådhana bhakti. Definition of sådhana and eligibility for vaidhi bhakti (rule based bhakti).
Feb 5. Second Wave: Sådhana bhakti (cont.). The 64 practices of vaidhi bhakti.
Feb 12. Second Wave: Sådhana bhakti (cont.). The 64 practices of vaidhi bhakti.
Feb 19 Third Wave: Bhåva bhakti.
Feb 26 Fourth Wave: Prema bhakti. We will also read the eight verses of the sikßå߆haka, noted above.
The text can be downloaded from the website <edwinbryant.org>. under the svådhyåya link in the header. The link to the workshop is there too, as is the link for donations.
Sorry for the length of this. A reminder will be sent out the day before the first session, but then there will be no subsequent emails connected to this svådhyåya course (unless something comes up and a session needs to be cancelled). Anyone wishing to have their name removed from this mailing list, please go onto the website under the same svådhyåya link and add your name in the place indicated there for removal. All the information about this workshop posted on that same link, so may I humbly request you to please check that first before emailing for info that is posted there - we all know how challenging it can be to keep up with masses of emails, and semester is starting soon. (And there are loads of other courses there under the 'Yoga Philosophy Course Videos' link, which are all available for free/by donation (and I'm delighted to see some of you have taken up Sanskrit).
I'm excited to walk ever deeper with you into this wondrous place of Vraj bhakti, my own personal tradition of 45 years. All best for the New Year!
Edwin
