Dear Friends in worship,
In July 2019, many of us in the Jaya Kula community gathered for a retreat dedicated to devotion. We explored both teachings about and practices of devotion in our spiritual traditions.
We were strongly reminded that the greatest teachers of our traditions urge us to honor and respect all forms of worship. Going even further, by their words and way of being in the world, they show us that the closer to knowing the nature of reality one gets, the more one revels in the festival of devotion that is ongoing in myriad forms.
This worshipping worship and devotion to devotion is a natural experience of being moved and gladdened by expressions of worship and devotion in any form, even ones you might feel are limited in some way.
When the heart opens and one sees how things are, all divisions, dogma, disparagement, denigration, and attitudes of spiritual superiority and exceptionalism are dissolved. When worship is happening, there is nothing to do but celebrate.
Jaya Kula’s main purpose is to support people to do spiritual practice. We collectively aim to be a place where self-expressions of worship and devotion are honored and encouraged and where a meticulous and consistent effort is made to understand and realize the great heart of the teachings we love and follow.
While our practice comes from specific traditions in India and Tibet, we try our best to embody this teaching of Anandamayi Ma: that all paths are made by God, are equally good, and perfectly suit the infinite varieties of beings.
With love and respect,
Shambhavi Sarasvati
and the Jaya Kula Board of Directors
