I am so grateful for the expanded understanding of compassion that I have gained from this excerpt. From reading it, I have come to understand that genuine compassion is an expression of the heart, rather than a limited sense of pity that arises in a time of need.
It is a feeling of true connectedness and profound sharing. Through compassion, I can experience that I am one with everything in the space of the heart.
I felt this sort of compassion arise within me as I read this excerpt. I realized that my own feeling of compassion, in that moment, connected me to Gurumayi, and to the father in the story, and to anyone else who might read the excerpt and feel the same way.
It was a blessed sense of oneness.
Havant, United Kingdom
This excerpt brings me back to a transformative experience I had during a
satsang with Gurumayi at Shree Muktananda Ashram. Gurumayi invited the participants to volunteer to introduce the
namasankirtana. As I stood waiting my turn to speak, I looked out at everyone present. I saw them shining brightly like millions of luminous stars!
Ville St. Laurent, Canada
Like all the previous excerpts from Gurumayi’s book My Lord Loves a Pure Heart, this one on compassion has been great prasad for me.
The more I contemplate and give time to digest the content of each of these excerpts, the more I discover how they have slowly been untying the deep- seated knot somewhere within me. I begin to breathe easy and let go; my shoulders begin to relax and tears of love well up. Yes, I am in the moment with my inner Self, with the Absolute.
Nairobi, Kenya
Years ago, while offering seva as an SYDA Foundation staff member, I was standing outside Muktananda Mandir when participants in the Shaktipat Intensive participants emerged from the hall for a pause. The palpable transformation visible on the participants’ faces touched me deeply. Each person was new, and my heart rejoiced in wonder at the glory of the Guru’s grace.
In my life today, I pray that I may deeply honor this gift and blessing of shaktipat by living a fierce commitment to the work of ongoing transformation.
Connecticut, United States
What stood out for me in this excerpt on compassion is how Gurumayi listened when the father told his story again and again, and how each time she experienced another aspect that resonated in her being. It inspires me to stay patient and open when someone repeats the same story to me. Now I understand that in listening attentively and fully, there is always something more to discover—and both of us profit from it!
Lyon, France
Reading Excerpt 8 about the boy’s asking for forgiveness resonated deeply within me because I had a similar experience in a Shaktipat Intensive with Gurumayi.
All my life I had felt misunderstood and unloved by my mother, and rarely communicated with her as an adult. But during the meditation I saw my mother in my inner vision, floating down to me in full lotus posture, then merging with my body. I instantly felt overwhelming love and gratitude for her, so much so that at the pause I rushed to the phone, called her, and said, “I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and what a wonderful mother you were.”
Opening my heart even more, my mother replied (in a very small voice), “I never thought I was much of a mother.” Tears flowed, and I began to see my mother as the whole person and divine being she was. In her final year I was privileged to live with her so that she wouldn’t be alone, and at her passing I felt all the karma just lift away.
California, United States
Last night we were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in a restaurant. Someone stood up and introduced their friend, a woman from Ukraine. I felt a great surge of compassion for her. I could see that she was crying. I went to her and we embraced and just cried together. Words weren't necessary. I felt that we were expressing our love for the people of Ukraine.
When I looked up, I saw God in every shining face.
Ajijic, Mexico
So many things touched me in this excerpt. What touched me the most was this teenager’s dedication to the spiritual path and how important it was for him to put his insights into action.
I learn from this excerpt that I need to get out of my emotional comfort zone to share my love and insights and put them into action. This teenager has shown me that with a little courage, truthfulness, and love, I can make a big difference in my life and those of others.
Unterlangenegg, Switzerland
Somehow this feels like my story, in which I am both the son and the father: I identify with the son’s awakened clarity of vision in humbly asking for forgiveness along with his exaltation in being transformed, as well as with the father’s joy in having a loved one transformed.
After reading this story, I pause and consider the numerous lifetimes of pain and ignorance that we have all endured—until there arrives the saving grace, the ultimate gift of shaktipat, and the journey of returning to God begins. For all this I offer my salutations to the Guru and the Guru’s mission on this earth!
Oregon, United States
During meditation this morning I was aware of a drumming in my heart. My mind was unusually quiet. The tall holly tree in my neighbor's yard appeared before me. In response, recognition and love at seeing it arose in me. To my surprise and delight the holly responded with great love and joy. Through tears of gratitude, I recognized this as a heart-transforming experience of equal vision—God inside seeing God outside.
Later this morning, after opening to the Siddha Yoga path website, I was grateful to have this understanding reflected in the young Siddha Yogi who saw “God in every leaf.”
North Carolina, United States
Realizing one’s own shortcomings or mistakes by following the path of self-inquiry and then asking for forgiveness, as this teenager did, require a great amount of courage. In my experience, I have seen that the veil of ego creates a barrier to asking for forgiveness. I also know from my own life that, on the Siddha Yoga path, all the spiritual practices, teachings, and the Guru’s grace have the power to bring about a transformation which empowers the seeker with courage and inner strength.
In this excerpt, I can see how the Siddha Yoga practices and teachings brought about unity in the family of this young seeker. I was touched by Gurumayi’s compassion in listening to the father with great care, even when he was sharing his joy over and again. Truly, our beloved Guru is an embodiment of love and compassion.
Sydney, Australia