The Heart of Devotion

Devotion is the Buddha

Devotion is the Dharma

Devotion is the Sangha

Devotion is mother

Devotion is father

Devotion is master

Devotion is purifying 

Devotion is merit

Devotion is the path

Devotion is the fruit

Devotion is the boat

Devotion is the other shore

Devotion is a wish-fulfilling jewel

Devotion is a spell

Devotion is blind

Devotion is awake 

Devotion is direction

Devotion is the means

And devotion is the end

--Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse 

Devotion is a word that can evoke a wide variety of ideas and opinions. Though we may have our reference points and or knee jerk reactions, devotion is a natural quality of the heart that we can nourish and cultivate, and it can benefit us in both our mundane and spiritual lives.

In the Abrahamic traditions, devotion is mostly one of surrendering oneself to an external force or creator. Within the Buddhist traditions, devotion is more connected to our natural capacity for appreciation. 

Appreciation comes from a heart and mind that is curious and open. From an open heart, we engage a process of inquiry to build trust towards the qualities and benefits of the Dharma. Most importantly, this process includes putting the Dharma into practice, as it is impossible to transform ourselves without developing direct experience. 

As we put the Dharma into practice, we begin to see positive changes. Even if we have a simple meditation practice of watching the breath, we can experience its benefits as we start to see beyond the limitations of our temporary habitual patterns. These insights inspire us to deepen our understanding and practice of the Dharma, and we might seek out a teacher or a community to help us expand our knowledge and experience.

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The teacher and community are ultimately not there to spoon-feed or wield power over us. They merely provide a mirror so we can see our reflection. 

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche points out: 

"Our masters and the instructions they give us can be likened to a mirror. What is reflected back to us is our own face, the true nature of mind. Devotion is like light that illuminates the space around us so we can see this reflection. What we see in this mirror, however, is not something outside of us-it is our own genuine heart of enlightenment." 

Over time and as we proceed in our practice commitment, we see that nothing else makes sense to us, no matter how challenging the path forward appears. Nothing else seems to provide the same depth and meaning for us. What started as appreciation and grew into inspiration is now manifesting as confidence. We feel more grounded in our understanding and experience of the Dharma, which brings us great joy and wisdom. 

Eventually, and as experience deepens into realization, unshakeable devotion arises. Unshakeable means free of doubt, as we have tasted the fruit of the Dharma beyond the patchwork of mere conceptual understanding and temporary meditative experience. It is no longer a matter of belief and or experiences that come and go. We begin to experience the stability of directly and non-conceptually knowing the nature of our mind.

Read Also: Our Underlying Wholeness, a Reflection on Buddha-Nature

Ultimately devotion comes down to whether we have confidence in what we are doing or not. Experience and, eventually, realization cannot happen within a heart and mind that is closed. But we cannot jump into devotion blindly. We need to start with a curiosity towards the Dharma and the Buddha's essential teachings, nurturing that until unchanging realization dawns.