Yesterday I met with the Ashram people, work-study group, and staff here at Mount Soma. Someone asked me to talk a bit about Hanuman. I responded with something like this:
Hanuman is the embodiment of devotion. His life is overtaken by Lord Rama. That is to say, He is fully awake to the Divine within. His own Divinity is, of course, One with Lord Rama. All levels of His life are lived in harmony with, in full devotion to, Lord Rama. There is no separation, or one could say there is just enough apparent separation that he can adore His Lord from a distance.
Hanuman is Shiva. ShivaRam is the personification of Shiva and Rama as One. Shiva adores Rama. Rama adores Shiva. The story of Rama and Hanuman, the Ramayana, is the story of existence… of nature… the very subtle and fine mechanics that underlies all of creation. It is eternally lively at every point in creation. It is nature, existence, the mechanic of the universe expressed in personified form.
Ram is the sound that holds all of this in seed form. Ram is the gateway to the fullness that dwells within you and is You. To understand this is to understand the physics underlying all existence, and is yet so much more that just physics. Ram is the science and the heart of all that is. Hanuman and Rama are one, just as the same diamond appears different from various angles, but it is the same one diamond.
There is no end to the exploration of the beauty of nature and structure of existence, the many facets of creation, the beauty of the exploration of ShivaRam… no end to the exploration of the beauty of the nature of Rama… of Hanuman. So exquisite… profound… so beautiful.
I love the perfection and beauty in exploring different facets of creation. The intricacies and how they interweave- it is enrapturing. Maybe it is my Catholic upbringing where one always needs to be ready to grant a bye on making sense rationally, but I especially love the integration of the structure of existence. Left, right, up, down, inside-out… it doesn’t matter, it always makes sense. No pieces missing, no gaps need to be filled. It is perfection in action. Of course, that is after a teacher such as Brahmarshi explains how it all fits together. Thank you for a sublime lesson on Hanuman!
Who is Hanuman? Who is Rama? Is there any difference? It is all so fascinating to think about. Listening to Brahmarshi talk about it all yesterday was so beautiful. These days, you can feel Hanuman coming forth more and more. The qualities of devotion and strength blossoming at Mount Soma. Yesterday’s talk got me thinking about devotion, and how that is what Brahmarshi really wants from all of us. Devotion to Mount Soma… Devotion to the world… Devotion to our Self…
The more I think about this I can really feel how that devotion has grown in the group over the past few years. Slowly but surely we seem to lose more of our small selves to Mount Soma. This process can certainly be challenging, but so freeing, and so magnificent. Such a blessing…
I can only imagine what it will be like a few years from now, and for that matter, a few a months from now. I think Hanuman couldn’t arrive at Mount Soma until our physiological capacity for devotion had grown to a critical mass, and that his coming symbolizes a powerful turning point for all of us.
Jai Hanuman! Jai Guru Dev!
Dave,
Devotion to this or that is such a subtle thing to talk about. I am totally devoted to Mount Soma. It is my life. Yet at the same time, devotion is only to the Divine… bringing the Divine forth. Mount Soma is the method, the vehicle, by which we do that. It may sound to some like I am splitting hairs here, but that subtle distinction is an important one.
I would like my devotion to the truth, divinity, and all who aspire for a consciousness embodying that profound truth to manifest taking some pressure off our esteemed teacher. That is the future, of Mount Soma, as I see it.
Is it strange in any way that on the day this was written, I had finished reading the Gita (for the first time in this life) and picked up the Ramayana as the next book to read. I think Hanuman wants me to read this epic poem. Divinity approaches each person through a path they can best comprehend. I am so grateful that Brahmarshi is leading us there.
Very nice Charlotte,
We could also say that Divinity approaches every person through every pathway eternally, and we follow the one we best comprehend. Or we could say that Divinity does not approach us, it is an open door that we approach from whatever angle we do… some more direct, other quite convoluted. But really, we are sharing the same one idea here, just different ways of exploring that idea.
Enjoy the Ramayana. I am happy for you.
Beautiful – blog and responses. Thank you