Everyday Bhakti: Your Pilgrimage To The Heart

In this first day of our course, Jai will open with an invocational prayer to the Guru – that aspect of the Infinite Spirit that guides us from darkness to light. Jai shares with us how he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, and encourages us to find our own guru within and around us. Jai gives us an imaginary destination for the pilgrimage - A High Himalayan Peak - and asks us all to set an intention for our journey. He introduces us to the first mantra of our trip together: Om Guru Om.

Every morning brings us a new opportunity to experience life in a new way and to reset our compass for the day. In this session, Jai will introduce us to a morning mantra and prayer and share with you some of his morning rituals. He will also tell several inspiring stories, including some of his personal experiences with Siddhi Ma, and the story of Sri Ramanujacharya, who founded of one of the great schools of Bhakti Yoga in India.

In this third day of our course, Jai will share with us how the repetition of mantra is one of the main pillars of Bhakti Yoga. He will introduce us to some of the main deities of the Hindu Pantheon, to the mantra Ram, and to the power of uttering this name. Jai will briefly introduce us to the great epic tale known as The Ramayana, and we will have the opportunity to enjoy his passion for this ancient story.

In this session, Jai will share with us some stories that will illustrate what Seva (Service) means within the path of Bhakti and the importance of helping others while offering your actions to God. He will share some lessons he learned from his spiritual mother, Siddhi Ma, on the need to set aside dedicated time to nurture and nourish our inner beings and our connection to the divine. We will also learn about Seva from a story of the great Lord Shiva and his celestial friend, the ever - wandering musician, Sage Narada.

In this fifth day of our course, we will deepen our understanding of Bhakti Yoga. We will dive into the story of Jai’s first meeting with his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, in 1971; and Jai will share how Maharajji infused his heart with Bhakti. We will learn about the great influence and impact of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in Jai’s growth as a sacred musician, and how ‘Khansahib’ conveyed that every single note is both an expression of God and a pathway to God. Jai will share with us the prayer ‘Twameva’, and its important meaning in our day to day lives.

In this episode, Jai shares with us some of his thoughts about the need to develop the rarely used muscle of patience. He explores the need to surrender deeper and deeper to the divine will. Remember, no matter what is going on in your life, no matter whether you feel like it or not, just stay consistent with your practice, whatever that may be, and do not demand immediate results.

“Love Everybody and Remember God!” This is something that guru, Neem Karoli Baba, would often say, as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do. But we know, in our lives, that this is much easier said than done. In this seventh day of our pilgrimage, Jai will bring forth more stories and reflect with us on the meaning and concept of Karma Yoga. He will share examples of lives lived in total service by speaking of Siddhi Ma, Bharat (Rama’s younger brother) and Hanuman. These stories will give us strength and support to love more and serve more.

In Bhakti, we hope to stoke that inner fire, and make our longing so intense that God must come to us and bless us with his presence. In this eighth day, through his own personal experiences, Jai will introduce us to Vrindavan, Yamuna Devi, and to the Divine Lovers, Radha and Krishna. He will explain the sacred ‘Maha Mantra’ in very human terms and guide us in a chant.

In this ninth day of our pilgrimage, we will discuss the concept of taking refuge and what that means to a bhakta’s heart. This place of refuge can be our innermost soul sanctuary; the seat of the divine. Or we can seek refuge in a saint, a guru, a God, practice or a quality. Jai will introduce us to his dear friend Shyam Das, who’s life was an adventure in Bhakti, and who’s core practice was taking refuge in Hari. He will also tell some stories about the great 19th century saint, Sri Ramakrishna, and share some of that master’s teachings on taking refuge in the Divine Mother.

We've reached the very top of the highest Himalayan Peak in our pilrimage. And what do we find? That we are on the shore of a vast ocean. So the end of our journey is just the beginning of our next journey. And, really, it’s not a disappointment. It is actually a great joy, because we know we can continue together on this amazing adventure called Bhakti; we can journey deeper into our hearts; fully express our passion and love of life; and sing our way into the world of the spirit. On this final day, join Jai in singing a mantra that will carry us and envelope us through the uncharted landscape of our dreams.