INAUGURATION DAY: TURN OFF THE TV AND TUNE INTO THE HEART WITH JAI BHAKTI™

In response to the level of anxiety friends and family members are experiencing during the transition from President Obama to our new President-Elect, I invite you to turn off your TV today and Tune into the bandwidth of your Heart.

I invite you to join me for meditation and prayer starting at noon (EST). This is a global event: folks from all over the world have responded to my plea to send out peace and love during these divisive times. I will be holding the place of the Heart for us.  

You can find the free meditation instructions I posted on JAI BHAKTI™ back in 2005 here:

In response to the level of anxiety friends and family members are experiencing during the transition from President Obama to our new President-Elect, I invite you to turn off your TV today and Tune into the bandwidth of your Heart.

I invite you to join me for meditation and prayer starting at noon (EST). This is a global event: folks from all over the world have responded to my plea to send out peace and love during these divisive times. I will be holding the place of the Heart for us.  

You can find the free meditation instructions I posted on JAI BHAKTI™ back in 2005 by clicking here .

Let us not be wary.  Let us share the peace and love of our Hearts on this day and always. It's what the world needs now. 

Whether you meditate, pray, chant/sing, or study sacred yogic texts ("unity) for one minute or for hours today, every second of peacefull Heart you send out will have a profound affect on yourself and the world. 

Namo Namah, 

Bhakti

(Donna Lynn Brophy)

Thank you to everyone on Facebook, and Twitter (especially Betty Buckley) for sharing this JAI BHAKTI™ offering with your Friends and Followers.

DONNA LYNN BROPHY SPINAL DISEASES FUNDRAISER!

Please help Donna (aka Bhakti) get the spinal surgery she needs in NYC.

“We can find inspiration in various walks of life. Whenever we see someone rising above their limitations, having the courage to continue to not only be creative in the face of great adversity, but also to excel, these people raise the bar for all of us and seeing them continue to find a way can be tremendously inspiring. Donna is just one of those people. Her passion for music and the guitar has given her the courage and strength to rise above tremendous limitation. And this is how one can change the world for the better. By being an excellent example. You go sister!”
 - Steve Vai
*Guitar Virtuoso (Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, PIL, Whitesnake)
*Four time Grammy Award Winner 
*Symphonic Composer


Donna Lynn Brophy (aka Bhakti) was hit by a car in 1997, resulting in multiple surgeries, including cervical spinal reconstruction in 2005.  Living with spinal cord nerve root injuries and four incurable spinal diseases causes Donna severe chronic pain and has left her virtually bedridden and 100% disabled.

Donna’s insurance no longer covers the cost of her disability and care. Therefore, her family has set up a SUPPLEMENTAL NEEDS TRUST to help provide all the costs that insurance and governmental benefits deny.  This Trust will make it possible for her to have cutting edge surgery in NYC.  These costs are significant, costing tens of thousands of dollars each year.
Please help Donna maintain her current level of care and quality of life.


Donations can be made online through www.gofundme.com/GoBrophy

or by mailing a check to:


Donna Lynn Brophy Supplemental Needs Trust
    P.O.Box 556
    Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927

THANK YOU! 🙏

Forgiveness and Trust

Forgive those who have wronged you;
we are all doing the best 
we can at any given moment.
Never be ashamed for having trusted;
you will be stronger for the lesson inside the pain.

JAI BHAKTI™ Blog: Tapas, Trust, And Grace

Dearest Ones,

I went through a period of profound purification caused by tapas (spiritual austerities) the past two months.

While we go through this heavy, dark period of angst and depression,

the mind is not fickle about helping us forget that the purifying aspects of tapas is not only a part of the 

spiritual journey,

but an essential clearing out of samskaras--old habits/tendencies etched in the fabric

of our subconscious minds.

In the midst of this round of purification,

the elephant I was wrestling in the dark was unadulterated fear.

Fear, in any form,  always comes back to fear of death. Always.

For me, it was not so much my own mortality I was fearing. I made peace with

my mortality years ago. I would have to in order to navigate my way through life

with these spinal cord injuries and severe nerve pain.

A decade ago I used to say I had no fear of death,

I only had fear of living the rest of my life

in this hellish pain.

I was not wrestling with fear of my own death, it was more a fear of those around me dying.

Not being physically able to care for myself compounded the angst. (It's not surprising to me that dealing with unadulterated fear was at the center of my tapasya. In the past ten months, 13 friends and family members have died. Yama's been a busy god of death in my area as of late.)

During the purifying process, we tend to feel once removed

from the Self within-- the Atman, our truest and highest Self (aka God, Pure Consciousness, insert your word of choice here ______).

It's not that we forget that the Self/God dwells within the Heart Center,

we simply cannot access this sanctuary freely. Our mind helps us forget the portals of entry, be it chanting, meditating, practicing hatha, kriya, or jnana yoga. We don't feel it's innate pull, the longing to get back. This causes more angst, and, as mentioned above,

the mind is not going to remind you how to access the Self within.

Ha! No.

The ego enjoys dragging us back down

to its state of ignorance.

It's at this time that some lose faith;

they feel forsaken.

It's at this time we must Trust.

If God, in the form of Pure Consciousness,

has created everything, everywhere,

how could God ever leave?

Where could he go that he is not already?

If God is everywhere,

within everything,

He cannot leave.

Hence, there is no "finding" God/The Self within and without,

only discovering and remembrance of That which always was present, even if we weren't.

Once we realize that our angst, depression, and heaviness of Heart

is a causal effect of tapas--

once we remember what we forgot (that we are the Self within),

we sometimes get angry at God for hiding His presence from us.

This is a good time to contemplate the word grace.

The Nataraj, the murti (sculpture) of Lord Shiva dancing while

crushing the ego under foot,

has a five-fold function,

one of them being the ability to veil Himself from us, and

another being the giver of grace that enables us to experience Him again.

At the moment we remember the Self within--

that glorious energy center within that sages, seers, and mystic poets

have aptly coined the ocean of bliss,

that is when we bow our heads below our Hearts

and say thank you. Thank you for taking us back to ourSelves.

As the residual ash of tapas disappears,

we find ourselves back in union with our true nature.

I experienced this today in the form of crying tears of joy

45 minutes into meditation.

I Witnessed myself not as my body,

but as the one who knows I have a body.

Not as the one who is in pain,

but as the one who knows I experience pain.

I became The Witness, experiencing pure awareness.

Jesus revealed Himself in my Heart Center,

along with Hanuman, Krshna, Bade Baba Nityananada, Baba Muktananda, Swami Chidvilasananda Paramahansa; all of the great bhaktas were dancing within,

reminding me they had never left,

but were only shadowed by the ignorance of the small mind.

And so I say Thank You

For showing me what I need to hold on to,

and what I can leave behind.

Thank you for this gift of tapas that felt like hell,

but left me stronger and wiser.

And perhaps chipped away at that pesky ego that keeps me bound.

So Much Love,

Bhakti

Namo Namah

Photo & Essay © 2015 D.L. Bhakti Brophy

All Rights Reserved. Jai Bhakti™

Coping With Change

Sharing our wisdom is an integral part of living a balanced life. I am honored my Guruji has blessed me with the seva of passing along the lessons I have learned throughout the years.

Today I had the great good fortune of sharing these words with a young man on Instagram. They seemed to resonate, so I share them with you.

Namo Namah
Bhakti

June 9, 2015

INSTAGRAM @jai_bhakti
TWITTER @BhaktiBrophy

Sky Gazing: Cloud Lovers Delight

I looked out the window at 4 p.m. yesterday, and this is what I saw.

Glory Be to God!

May you recognize the Lord within and without.

Enjoy your day!

Namo Namah
Bhakti

INSTAGRAM @jai_bhakti
TWITTER @BhaktiBrophy

JAI BHAKTI™ Blog: DIVINITY, FORTITUDE, AND DISABILITY

People often ask how I am able live with the relentless physical pain and disabilites caused by spinal diseases and cervical spine injury:


AREN'T THESE FLOWERS WORTH LIVING FOR?

COMING SOON!

Several months ago, Reverend Harriet Hawkins, from California, U.S.A., interviewed me regarding prayer--if I pray, how I pray, and what I ask for in prayer. These questions opened up an inspiring dialogue (via email) regarding my spiritual practices. The end result is a sermon she gave based on my life story, including the spiritual journey that guided me through four major traumatic experiences from childhood into middle age, and how I turned these experiences into a way to help others.

Reverend Harriet lives 3,000 miles away, and I have never met her in person (she read about my story online), yet her energy is so pure, her mission in life so uplifting and selfless, I bless the day she reached out to me and honor her friendship dearly.

We will be making the audio of this sermon available on JAI BHAKTI™ so others in my position can realize that it IS posibble to live with these diseases (the suicide rate is staggering)--no one ever said it would be easy, but it is possible and worth it.

The sermon also outlines the services I offer free of charge to anyone with disabilities. 

It's also a testament to the unconditional love given by my mother/caregiver, and father.



May you all experience the bliss and love of your Heart and realize this bliss and love to be your True identity.

Namo Namah,

Bhakti



Image ©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy
All Rights Reserved

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG WISHES YOU A HAPPY HANUMAN JAYANTI!

MY BELOVED HANUMAN MURTI

Image ©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy

April 14

Today,

 we celebrate the birthday

of the greatest devotee of God

To ever have walked the Earth:

The son of the wind.

The most beloved bhakta.

He who mistook the Sun

for an orange,

  and played with Surya Das

 as a beloved toy.

He who jumped the ocean

To save Sita from the demon King;

 He who dove to the bottom of the sea

To retrieve Sita's wedding ring.

He who defeated Ravana--

The most fierce,

 ten-headed Rakshasha.

I bow to

Baba 

Hanuman,

  the monkey God

Who returned Sita

To Ram.

Who crushed the rubies

Ram gave him

In his palm.

I bow to

Baba Hanuman,

Who represents

Ananda (bliss)

 and

Caitanya (Pure Consciousness).

I bow to He

who ripped open his chest

to reveal that upon His Heart

an image of Sita and Ram

was etched.

I bow to The Self within

In the form of Baba 

Hanuman.

Jai Sita!

Jai Ram!

Jai! Jai! Jai!

Baba Hanuman!

Stotra and photograph

©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy

Thank you for asking permission

before reposting.  

BHAKTI BROPHY QUOTE No. 9: MAYA

"Maya doesn't stand a chance when faced with the Truth."

~ Bhakti Brophy


©2014
All Rights Reserved

VEDAS: THE SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE

"The original source of knowledge is the Vedas."

~ Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 1

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG BHAKTI BROPHY: THE VALUES I MOST ADMIRE IN A PERSON

This evening I was asked what values I admire most in a person. Here is my response:


"An Open Mind and Open Heart:
The ability to forgive oneself and others.
The ability to Love oneself and others."

Forgiveness and love start right here, right now.



Jai Bhakti!
Victory to Love and Devotion!™
THAT is what my blog is all about,
Hence the name.

Namo Namah, my Friends.
Namo Namah!





©2014 DL BHAKTI BROPHY
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for asking permission before reposting.

BHAKTI BROPHY QUOTE #0.1 "THE CIRCLE"

"Every one of us is the center of the circle." 

~ Bhakti Brophy





©2014
All Rights Reserved

Jai Bhakti™: Bhakti's Sri Hanuman Murti

This is my beloved Hanuman murti.

While studying with him back in 2004, Jai Uttal blessed this murti by having the entire workshop of 30 people sing the Hanuman Chaleesa in his honor. What a fun, glorious memory that is.

The first time I laid eyes on the larger than life murti of Hanuman at my Guru's ashram, I fell at his feet crying tears of devotion. He had such a profound effect on me, yet I didn't know who he was-- I had to ask a Swami, "Who IS that monkey guy?!"

In 2005 I became 100% physically disabled, yet there is nothing I cannot achieve knowing that Hanuman is alive, in essence and spirit, within and without. He is a great part of the fortitude and devotion that sustains my life.

Jai Jai Sita Ram!
Jai Baba Hanuman!

Om Shánti,
Bhakti







Text & Image ©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy
All Rights reserved.


Thank you for asking permission before reposting.

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG: ADVAITA vs DVAITA

Nonduality and duality are two sides of the same coin.

       ~ Bhakti Brophy, 2013

It took me 25 years of study and practice with both nondual and dual teachings to realize this Truth.

At some point in our practices, we discover this Truth, we experience the place where nonduality and duality converge. This seems paradoxical, but then, isn't every great spiritual lesson?

I never quite understood why people put so much credence upon names and labels. The arguments that arise from people fighting over advaita vs dvaita (and these rifts are more apparent today than ever!) are unfortunate, because these teachings are to be used as dharana techniques, if you will. They're a means to an end, they're not the end themselves.

And this Truth is blown wide open once you realize that the nondual IS the dual, and the dual IS the nondual!

Tell me, what is the difference between "Neti! Neti!" (Not this! Not this!) and "Iti! Iti!" (This! This!)?

Study these two terms long enough and you will see the humor in ever seeing separation between the two!




COMING UP NEXT ON JAI BHAKTI™ :

A practical exercise to help you experience the ultimate unity behind Neti! Neti! and Iti! Iti!

Namo Nama,
Bhakti

@BhaktiBrophy
@jaibhakti™




©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy
All Rights Reserved.

Thank you for asking permission before reposting. OM Shánti! : )

Bhakti Brophy QUOTE # 3 -- RECONCILING HUMANITY & SPIRITUALITY

Your humanity
will never diminish
your spirituality.



©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG: I KNOW THAT ALREADY!

As mentioned before, I'm taking this wonderful class with my beloved friend Sally Kempton and we're studying texts and concepts I've been working with for well over a decade-- VASHISTA'S YOGA, meditation on Pure Consciousness Awareness, non duality vs duality (I've reached a point where I see absolutely no difference between non duality and duality. At some point we all do, but that's for another time). Two of the passages we are to contemplate are actually the two major concepts at the core of my practice. So, when I sat (reclined) to work with them, my mind kept saying, "I know that already."

When we first met, Sally (going by the monastic name Swami Durgananda at the time) shared a wonderful story with me: her Guru told her to read a particular book and, upon handing her the book, her Guru said, "And don't tell me you know this already." Sally took the book and said, "But I do know this already!" One of my favorite stories! The Guru put Sally's ego in check, as any true Guru does with love for the devotee in his or her Heart. Sally reported that indeed she did have many wonderful new insights upon rereading the book.

I can't recall a time my mind has ever said "I know that already", with regard to spiritual practices. I know there are hundreds of layers to every teaching and I'm always enthusiastic about peeling away these layers and discovering new, deeper truths and meanings. However, this time, whenever I made the intention to work with the assigned passages, my mind kept shutting me down, "I know that already." So I countered my own thought with, "Bullshit. There are so many layers. Look at it from a new perspective."

Same response: "I know this already. These have been my core practices for over 12 years."

Even just reading the passages put me into the most serene meditation on pure awareness. Isn't that the purpose of a dharana technique after all? There arose another conflict: Work with the thought "I know that already" or simply bask in the sweet expansiveness of pure awareness?

I could have continued to sit with the blissful experience of satchittananda, but it wasn't sitting well with me that my mind was convinced "I know this already".  I turned that thought in on itself and contemplated what it means to believe "I know that already" with regard to these teachings.

(Note: If you've been following me on Twitter this month, you'll find several of the teachings on my feed: VASHISTA'S YOGA, On Creation. I didn't know Sally was going to teach these passages in her workshop, but upon reflection, it makes perfect sense, as they are the ones that always resonated most in the beginning of the book, and they are the core teachings of every spiritual teacher/saint/sage I have been studying for the past 26 years.)

I thought of Adi Shankara's beautiful commentary that gold jewelry was at first pure gold, is still pure gold even as a piece of jewelry, and will continue to be pure gold after it is melted down. I then reread the passage by Vashista stating the same metaphor for all that exists. I then said to myself, "I know this already", dropped the question What does it mean to know this already? into my consciousness, and sat in contemplation.

Sometimes when practicing contemplation it can take anywhere from a few seconds to several months for the answers to arise from within. The key is to not force anything, but to sit for awhile, and then get up and go about your life, trusting your intuition to reveal the answer at the appropriate time. (One or two contemplation sessions is enough for the answer to arise; be patient and "don't push the river!")

In today's contemplation, the answer was spontaneous. Here's what bubbled up to the surface from within: 

"If you knew this already you wouldn't still be bound (by thoughts), jackass."


Hahaha! I will admit, this is the first time I've ever received an intuitive response where I've been called a jackass, but truly, jackass is the perfect word to describe a mind that insists, "I know that already." My Inner Guru put my ego in check! Reminds me of Baba Muktananda's famous quote regarding ashram etiquette:  Leave your ego at the door.

Contemplation is brilliant because you get to the Truth and, like today, you kick your own mind's ass. (It is important as a sadhaka to be friends with your mind and remember that the mind is not the enemy. However, it's also important to put it in its place when necessary!)

In this post I hope to illustrate the importance of questioning your thoughts. Questioning your mind. Yes, I am familiar with the passages we are studying, I have worked with them extensively for over 12 years, discovering them in various forms from a multitude of teachers from many different paths. I also instinctively knew that there were more layers and a fresh perspective that could be found if I dug deep enough (the new perspective is fascinating--I will write about that in a future post). I wouldn't have found that perspective if I hadn't done contemplation.

Sally herself told me that having the thought "I know that already" is one of the greatest hindrances to growth. Indeed!

Not only has today's contemplation opened my eyes to many new ways of working with the spiritual Truths we are working with in Sally's class, but in the end I discovered--

There is a difference between knowing and realizing. Even in the context of experiential knowing.


Jai Bhakti!
Much Love to You All.


TWITTER:
@BhaktiBrophy
@jaibhakti



©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy
All Rights Reserved

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG: Raja Yoga: WITNESS EXPERIMENT

Last night, after meditation and while in a state of blissful expansion, I got on Twitter to see if I could engage with a fellow Tweeter who's political views are diametrically opposed to my own without losing my center, the state of expansiveness . His tweets are filled with hatred, and most of what he tweets as fact is simply not true.

Because I was in a state of expansion, I was able to Witness what I was doing while I was doing it. In other words, I wasn't merely reacting to this man's hate-filled tweets, I was watching my every move: metacognition, thinking about my thinking. (I've written about metacognitin many times in the past, please scroll through the archives for more info.)

The reason I did this experiment was because I normally get heated and quite charged when dealing with this kind of person--someone who spews hatred and lies regarding politics and offers no positive solutions.

It bothers me that people buy into so much of the propaganda we call the news. I'm mystified that people cannot intuitively tell right from wrong. (One of the most difficult things to navigate when one is "awake" is recognizing and remembering that others are still bound; compassion is key. After all, ignorance literally means "not knowing".)

My experiment was all about seeing if I could tweet about politics without  losing the state of expansion and, also, discover how defending my view of U.S. politics affects my mood.

What I discovered was that it was totally futile, and perhaps self righteous--even though the tweets were from my heart!-- to try and talk sense into this man. His tweets do affect my livelihood in a roundabout way because he's against helping the sick and elderly, however, everyone is entitled to his or her opinions. 

I also discovered that replying to this man's tweets slowly morphed my state of expansiveness into a state of constriction: from liberation back to Maya, from freedom to the feeling of being stuck.

One of the most important things I learned was 
that countering this man's political views on my Twitter feed offered nothing enlightening to my readers. How could it if the tweets were being offered from a state of constriction? I wasn't so much stating my opinions as I was countering this man's, and that's why I began to lose my center. My reaction to his tweets created the conflict. It's none of my business what he thinks.

Ultimately, I learned that I don't lose my center when discussing politics, but when I get defensive and feel a need to counter with my own point of view. This simply creates more drama, and after 26 years of studying and practicing on the spiritual path, that's the last  thing I'm chasing!

My conclusion to this experiment: 

The only way I can affect a change in this world is to keep an eye on my mood and do whatever needs to be done to cultivate the state of expansiveness.

I will continue to offer wisdom that creates a state of peace and bliss. That's one thing I can do from the confines of my room (virtually bedridden due to spinal injury and spinal diseases).

It is my wish and prayer that everyone, everywhere, experience this level of satchittananda (existence, consciousness, and bliss absolute) in his or her lifetime.

Hari Om Tat Sat!


©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy

VASHISTA'S YOGA: Understanding the Mind

In preparation for a teleseminar I'm taking this evening*, I've spent the month of February studying one of my favorite yogic texts-- VASHISTA'S YOGA (aka YOGA VASHISTA).

I'm one of those bookworms who takes notes in the margins, underlines passages that speak to me, writes my favorite quotes, and their respective page numbers, on the inside cover of the book, the title page, and anywhere else there is free space. My favorite books have dog eared pages and Post-It Notes and bookmarks in enough places to render them useless.

Here's a gem of wisdom I underlined in VASHISTA'S YOGA last year:

Thought is the mind: there is no distinction between the two.

I love this quote. It's so succinct and eloquent in its Truth. It's one of those truths that is so easy to forget. I'm thinking I'd like to have it tattooed on my inner eyelids so I will see it every time I close my eyes.

Or I could just write it on a Post-It Note and stick it on the wall next to my bed. And stick one on my mirror. One on my door. One on my TV. One on my cat...

This quote is one that will certainly free you if you contemplate it daily. VASHISTA'S YOGA is filled with gems like this. 

Here's looking forward to a wonderful three week immersion into VASHISTA'S YOGA, and inquiry into the mind!

Blessings,
Bhakti



*The teleseminar is being taught by my dear friend Sally Kempton. Please visit www.SallyKempton.com for more information.

BHAKTI BROPHY QUOTE No. 462: SHIVA SHAKTI

Shiva is the screen.
Shakti is the movie.


©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy
All Rights reserved

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, DEAR ONES!

May the peace of the Heart

Shower blessings upon you

As we blanket the world

With our Divine Love.


Om Shánti!




So much Love,
Bhakti




©2014 DL Bhakti Brophy
All Rights reserved