July 6, 2023
In our own daily experience of sleep there is oneness, but without the experience of realization of oneness. The desire to experience it awakens you. When you wake up, the unity is veiled. Sleep (as also peace and happiness that prevail in sleep) is non-volitional. Volition veils. On waking, you seek the experience of oneness, peace and happiness where there is no veil. The world seems to be "the obvious answer". However, neither oneness nor real peace nor lasting happiness are available in the world. You will return to the source (sleep) but this time with full awareness. This is Bhakti Yoga.
Division and devotion prevail all the way in Bhakti Yoga. At the very start, the devotee notices that the mind has cleverly divided the whole world into "what I like" and "what I dislike". Devotion eliminates this by making the mind no-mind but pure love. Hence, the devotee trains himself/herself to like with the mind dislikes (spiritual practice) and to dislike what the mind likes (sensual pleasure). As long as the mind functions creating divisions, the devotee avoids ‘evil actions’(which are found to be pleasure-seeking actions) and resorts to good actions (which aim at the realization of God or oneness). The goal is to eliminate all such division and see God in all.