soteriology
Bhakti
The path of loving devotion and self-surrender to a personal deity as itself sufficient means of liberation — the Gita's 'to those constantly devoted, I come forward as their deliverer,' Kabir's and the Sant poets' love-religion, the devotional stream that parallels Sufi love-mysticism. Distinct from mystical_union (the resulting state), fana_annihilation (the ego's unmaking at the path's end), ladder_of_love (eros staged toward Beauty), and prayer (the practice of address): bhakti names devotion as the soteriological road itself.
74 passages · 7 traditions
christian_mysticism58
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter I-a
“"A Revelation of Love—in Sixteen Shewings" This is a Revelation of Love that Jesus Christ, our endless bliss, made in Sixteen Shewings, or Revelations particular.
Of the which the First is of His precious crowning with thorns; and therewit…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter II
“"A simple creature unlettered.—Which creature afore desired three gifts of God" These Revelations were shewed to a simple creature unlettered, the year of our Lord 1373, the Thirteenth day of May. Which creature [had] afore desired three gi…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter III-a
“"I desired to suffer with Him" And when I was thirty years old and a half, God sent me a bodily sickness, in which I lay three days and three nights; and on the fourth night I took all my rites of Holy Church, and weened not to have lived t…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter III-b
“But in this I desired never bodily sight nor shewing of God, but compassion such as a kind soul might have with our Lord Jesus, that for love would be a mortal man: and therefore I desired to suffer with Him.
THE FIRST REVELATION…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter IV
“"I saw ... as it were in the time of His Passion.... And in the same Shewing suddenly the Trinity filled my heart with utmost joy" In this [moment] suddenly I saw the red blood trickle down from under the Garland hot and freshly and right p…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter V
“"God, of Thy Goodness, give me Thyself;—only in Thee I have all" In this same time our Lord shewed me a spiritual sight of His homely loving. I saw that He is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us: He is our clothing that for…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter VI-a
“"The Goodness of God is the highest prayer, and it cometh down to the lowest part of our need" This Shewing was made to learn our soul wisely to cleave to the Goodness of God.
And in that time the custom of our praying was brought to mind:…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter VI-b
“And therefore we may with grace and His help stand in spiritual beholding, with everlasting marvel of this high, overpassing, inestimable Love that Almighty God hath to us of His Goodness.
And therefore we may ask of our Lover with reveren…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter VII-a
“"The Shewing is not other than of faith, nor less nor more" And [it was] to learn us this, as to mine understanding, [that] our Lord God shewed our Lady Saint Mary in the same time: that is to say, the high Wisdom and Truth she had in behol…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter X-a
“"God willeth to be seen and to be sought: to be abided and to be trusted" And after this I saw with bodily sight in the face of the crucifix that hung before me, on the which I gazed continually, a part of His Passion: despite, spitting and…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter X-b
“And He that made man for love, by the same love He would restore man to the same bliss, and overpassing; and like as we were like-made to the Trinity in our first making, our Maker would that we should be like Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, in…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XIV
“"The age of every man shall be acknowledged before him in Heaven, and every man shall be rewarded for his willing service and for his time" After this our good Lord said: I thank thee for thy travail, and especially for thy youth. And in th…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XVII-a
“"How might any pain be more to me than to see Him that is all my life, and all my bliss, and all my joy suffer?" And in this dying was brought to my mind the words of Christ: I thirst .
For I saw in Christ a double thirst: one bodily; anot…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XVII-b
“Then thought-me: I knew but little what pain it was that I asked ; and, as a wretch, repented me, thinking: If I had wist what it had been, loth me had been to have prayed it .
For methought it passed bodily death, my pains.
I thought: Is…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XVIII
“"When He was in pain, we were in pain" Here I saw a part of the compassion of our Lady, Saint Mary: for Christ and she were so oned in love that the greatness of her loving was cause of the greatness of her pain. For in this [Shewing] I saw…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XIX
“"Thus was I learned to choose Jesus for my Heaven, whom I saw only in pain at that time" In this [time] I would have looked up from the Cross, but I durst not. For I wist well that while I beheld in the Cross I was surely-safe; therefore I…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXII-a
“"The Love that made Him to suffer passeth so far all His Pains as Heaven is above Earth" Then said our good Lord Jesus Christ: Art thou well pleased that I suffered for thee?
I said: Yea, good Lord, I thank Thee; Yea, good Lord, blessed ma…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXIII-a
“"The Glad Giver" "All the Trinity wrought in the Passion of Jesus Christ" And in these three words: It is a joy, a bliss, an endless satisfying to me , were shewed three heavens, as thus: For the joy, I understood the pleasure of the Father…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXIV
“"Our Lord looked unto His [wounded] Side, and beheld, rejoicing.... Lo! how I loved thee " Then with a glad cheer our Lord looked unto His Side and beheld, rejoicing. With His sweet looking He led forth the understanding of His creature by…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXV
“"I wot well that thou wouldst see my blessed Mother...." "Wilt thou see in her how thou art loved?" And with this same cheer of mirth and joy our good Lord looked down on the right side and brought to my mind where our Lady stood in the tim…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXVI
“"It is I, it is I" And after this our Lord shewed Himself more glorified, as to my sight, than I saw Him before [in the Shewing] wherein I was learned that our soul shall never have rest till it cometh to Him, knowing that He is fulness of…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXVII
“Often I wondered why by the great foreseeing wisdom of God the beginning of sin was not hindered: for then, methought, all should have been well." "Sin is behovable—[playeth a needful part]—; but all shall be well" After this the Lord broug…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXX
“"Two parts of Truth: the part that is open: our Saviour and our salvation;—and the part that is hid and shut up from us: all beside our salvation" He gave me understanding of two parts [of truth]. The one part is our Saviour and our salvati…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXXI-a
“"The Spiritual Thirst (which was in Him from without beginning) is desire in Him as long as we be in need, drawing us up to His Bliss" And thus our good Lord answered to all the questions and doubts that I might make, saying full comfortabl…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXXIV
“"All that is speedful for us to learn and to know, full courteously will our Lord shew us" Our Lord God shewed two manner of secret things. One is this great Secret [Counsel] with all the privy points that belong thereto: and these secret t…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XXXVI-a
“"My sin shall not hinder His Goodness working....
A deed shall be done—as we come to Heaven—and it may be known here in part;—though it be truly taken for the general Man, yet it excludeth not the special.
For what our good Lord will do b…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XL-a
“"True love teacheth us that we should hate sin only for love." "To me was shewed no harder hell than sin." "God willeth that we endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul, as God loveth it" This is a sovereign friendship of our cour…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLI-a
“" I am the Ground of thy beseeching.
" "Also to prayer belongeth thanking" After this our Lord shewed concerning Prayer.
In which Shewing I see two conditions in our Lord's signifying: one is rightfulness, another is sure trust.
But yet…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLI-b
“God accepteth the goodwill and the travail of His servant, howsoever we feel: wherefore it pleaseth Him that we work both in our prayers and in good living, by His help and His grace, reasonably with discretion keeping our powers [turned] t…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLII-a
“"Prayer is a right understanding of that fulness of joy that is to come, with accordant longing and sure trust" Our Lord God willeth that we have true understanding, and specially in three things that belong to our prayer.
The first is: by…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLII-b
“And if we see that He doeth, and we pray not, we do not our debt, and so may it not be: that is to say, so is it not [the thing that is] in His beholding.
But to see that He doeth it, and to pray forthwithal,—so is he worshipped and we spe…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLIII-a
“"Prayer uniteth the soul to God" Prayer oneth the soul to God.
For though the soul be ever like to God in kind and substance, restored by grace, it is often unlike in condition, by sin on man's part.
Then is prayer a witness that the soul…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLIV
“"God is endless, sovereign Truth,—Wisdom,—Love, not-made; and man's Soul is a creature in God which hath the same properties made" God shewed in all the Revelations, oftentimes, that man worketh evermore His will and His worship lastingly w…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter XLVII
“"We fail oftentimes of the sight of Him, and anon we fall into our self, and then find we no feeling of right,—nought but contrariness that is in our self" Two things belong to our soul as duty: the one is that we reverently marvel, the oth…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LI-a
“"He is the Head, and we be His members." "Therefore our Father nor may nor will more blame assign to us than to His own Son, precious and worthy Christ" And then our Courteous Lord answered in shewing full mistily a wonderful example of a L…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LII-a
“"We have now matter of mourning: for our sin is cause of Christ's pains; and we have, lastingly, matter of joy: for endless love made Him to suffer" And thus I saw that God rejoiceth that He is our Father, and God rejoiceth that He is our M…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LII-b
“And therefore mightily He joyeth in his falling for the high raising and fulness of bliss that Mankind is come to, overpassing that we should have had if he had not fallen.—And thus to see this overpassing nobleness was mine understanding l…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LIII-a
“"In every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall." "Ere that He made us He loved us, and when we were made we loved Him" And I saw that He willeth that we understand He taketh not harder the fall…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LVII-b
“Plenteously and fully and sweetly was this shewed, and it is spoken of in the First, where it saith: We are all in Him enclosed and He is enclosed in us .
And that [enclosing of Him in us] is spoken of in the Sixteenth Shewing, where it sa…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LVIII-a
“"All our life is in three: 'Nature, Mercy, Grace.' The high Might of the Trinity is our Father, and the deep Wisdom of the Trinity is our Mother, and the great Love of the Trinity is our Lord" God, the blessed Trinity, which is everlasting…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LIX
“"Jesus Christ that doeth Good against evil is our Very Mother: we have our Being of Him where the Ground of Motherhood beginneth,—with all the sweet Keeping by Love, that endlessly followeth." And all this bliss we have by Mercy and Grace:…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LX-b
“To the property of Motherhood belongeth natural love, wisdom, and knowing; and it is good: for though it be so that our bodily forthbringing be but little, low, and simple in regard of our spiritual forthbringing, yet it is He that doeth it…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXI-a
“"By the assay of this falling we shall have an high marvellous knowing of Love in God, without end.
For strong and marvellous is that love which may not, nor will not, be broken for trespass" And in our spiritual forthbringing He useth mor…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXI-b
“So willeth He that we do, as a meek child saying thus: My kind Mother, my Gracious Mother, my dearworthy Mother, have mercy on me: I have made myself foul and unlike to Thee, and I nor may nor can amend it but with thine help and grace .
A…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXIII-a
“"As verily as sin is unclean, so verily is it unkind"—a disease or monstrous thing against nature.
"He shall heal us full fair." Here may we see that we have verily of Nature to hate sin, and we have verily of Grace to hate sin.
For Natur…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXIV-a
“" Thou shalt come up above.
" "A very fair creature, a little Child—nimble and lively, whiter than lily" Afore this time I had great longing and desire of God's gift to be delivered of this world and of this life.
For oftentimes I beheld…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXV
“"The Charity of God maketh in us such a unity that, when it is truly seen, no man can part himself from other" And thus I understood that what man or woman with firm will chooseth God in this life, for love, he may be sure that he is loved…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXVIII
“"He said not: Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted ; but He said: Thou shalt not be overcome " This was a delectable Sight and a restful Shewing, that it is so without end . The beholding of…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXX
“"Above the Faith is no goodness kept in this life, as to my sight, and beneath the Faith is no help of soul; but in the Faith, there willeth the Lord that we keep us" In all this blessed Shewing our good Lord gave understanding that the Sig…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXI
“"Three manners of looking seen in our Lord's Countenance" Glad and joyous and sweet is the Blissful lovely Cheer of our Lord to our souls. For He [be]holdeth us ever, living in love-longing: and He willeth that our soul be in glad cheer to…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXIV-a
“"There is no dread that fully pleaseth God in us but reverent dread" For I understand [that there be] four manner of dreads.
One is the dread of an affright that cometh to a man suddenly by frailty.
This dread doeth good, for it helpeth t…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXIV-b
“Desire we of our Lord God to dread Him reverently, to love Him meekly, to trust in Him mightily; for when we dread Him reverently and love Him meekly our trust is never in vain.
For the more that we trust, and the more mightily, the more w…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXVII-a
“"Accuse not thyself overmuch, deeming that thy tribulation and thy woe is all thy fault." "All thy living is penance profitable." "In the remedy He willeth that we rejoice" Our good Lord shewed the enmity of the Fiend: in which Shewing I un…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXVII-b
“Flee we to our Lord and we shall be comforted, touch we Him and we shall be made clean, cleave we to Him and we shall be sure, and safe from all manner of peril.
For our courteous Lord willeth that we should be as homely with Him as heart…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXXI
“"God seeth all our living a penance: for nature-longing of our love is to Him a lasting penance in us." "His love maketh Him to long" Our Good Lord shewed Himself in diverse manners both in heaven and in earth, but I saw Him take no place s…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXXII
“"In falling and in rising we are ever preciously kept in one Love" But here shewed our courteous Lord the moaning and the mourning of the soul, signifying thus: I know well thou wilt live for my love, joyously and gladly suffering all the p…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXXIV
“"Charity" The light is Charity, and the measuring of this light is done to us profitably by the wisdom of God. For neither is the light so large that we may see our blissful Day, nor is it shut from us; but it is such a light in which we ma…”
Revelations of Divine Love | Chapter LXXXVI
“"Love was our Lord's Meaning" This book is begun by God's gift and His grace, but it is not yet performed, as to my sight. For Charity pray we all; [together] with God's working, thanking, trusting, enjoying. For thus will our good Lord be…”
← Collapsehinduism6
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VII, Section 1b
“Whichever form (of deity) any worshipper wishes to worship with faith, to that form I render his faith steady.
Possessed Of that faith, he seeks to propitiate (the deity in) that (form), and obtains from it those beneficial things which he…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter IX, Section 1a
“CHAPTER IX.
Now I will speak to you, who are not given to carping, of that most mysterious knowledge, accompanied by experience, by knowing which you will be released from evil.
It is the chief among the sciences, the chief among the myst…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter X, Section 1a
“CHAPTER X.
Yet again, O you of mighty arms!
listen to my excellent words, which, out of a wish for your welfare, I speak to you who are delighted (with them).
Not the multitudes of gods, nor the great sages know my source; for I am in ev…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XVIII, Section 1c
“Agriculture, tending cattle, trade, (this) is the natural duty of Vai s yas, And the natural duty of S ûdras, too, consists in service.
(Every) man intent on his own respective duties obtains perfection .
Listen, now, how one intent on on…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 23
“Or spiritual consciousness may be gained by ardent service of the Master. If we think of our lives as tasks laid on us by the Master of Life, if we look on all duties as parts of that Master's work, entrusted to us, and forming our life-wor…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book II | Sutra 1
“The practices which make for union with the Soul are: fervent aspiration, spiritual reading, and complete obedience to the Master. The word which I have rendered 'fervent aspiration' means primarily 'fire'; and, in the Eastern teaching, it…”
theosophy3
The Secret Doctrine | Page 13 (part 8)
“Although these matters were barely hinted at in " Isis Unveiled ," it will be well to remind the reader of what was said in Vol.
I., pp.
587 to 593, concerning a certain Sacred Island in Central Asia, and to refer him for further details…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 27 (part 5)
“We bow to thee, in the nature of Brahma uncreated, undecaying ( avyaya ), who art in our bodies and in all other bodies , and in all living creatures , and beside whom nothing exists.
We glorify that Vasudeva, the lord of all, who is witho…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 55 (part 2)
“T HE Progenitors of Man, called in India "Fathers," Pitara or Pitris, are the creators of our bodies and lower principles.
They are ourselves, as the first personalities, and we are they.
Primeval man would be "the bone of their bone and…”
biblical2
The Gospel According to John (American Standard Version, 1901) | 14:12-15:3
“[14:12] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.
[14:13] And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,…”
The Gospel According to John (American Standard Version, 1901) | 15:4-15:27
“[15:4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.
[15:5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same be…”
native_american2
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter II-a
“THE FAMILY ALTAR Pre-natal Influence.
Early Religious Teaching.
The Function of the Aged.
Woman, Marriage and the Family.
Loyalty, Hospitality, Friendship.
The American Indian was an individualist in religion as in war.
He had neither…”
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter II-d
“Names of any dignity or importance must be conferred by the old men, and especially so if they have any spiritual significance; as Sacred Cloud, Mysterious Night, Spirit Woman, and the like.
Such a name was sometimes borne by three generat…”
western_esoteric2
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 12 (part 2)
“May the blessing of the Patriarchs and prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and of all the saints of God, be with me for ever ✠ , Amen.
May the blessing of all the heavens of God be with me for ever ✠ , Amen.
May the majesty…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 12 (part 3)
“O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the great living God, Thou hast Performed most mighty miracles by the sole power of Thy most precious Name, and hast enriched the poor most abundantly, so that by force thereof the demons flee away, th…”
zoroastrianism1
Avesta (Gathas) | Ushtavaiti Gatha, Yasna XLIII, Section 1c
“when with the Good Mind's grace Thy Sraosha (Obedience) approached me, (and said): Let the quiet and long-enduring better mind with understanding teach (thee); let not a foremost 5 man p.
106 conciliate the wicked (as sycophant desiring ai…”