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| ~ ∞ ~ On God, Spirit and Soul 1/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ |
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This chapter focuses on the ideas of God, Spirit and Soul. The discussion we are having in these following few pages will be a challenging one to say the least. Indeed, it is not an easy task in any way. Nevertheless, I have done my best in conveying the underlying message in as neutral way as possible.
Before we bring God into our discussion, let us make one thing clear: it is important to keep in mind that comprehending the message of this book requires no belief or faith, but simply a common sense approach to life and presence in one’s own being.
As an opening remark, it should be stated that there’s no denying that God is present in all that we call life. This statement encapsulates the essence of this book remarkably well, and it should become more obvious as we move forward through this book; and when you have finished reading this book, it is highly probable that you may arrive at the conclusion that everything points to an Intelligently Designed Universe, and that Life really is a Living Miracle.
For curiosity’s sake, it is worth mentioning that in recent years, modern science has discovered that the underlying structural details of the entire universe have been “fine-tuned” toward the goal of producing biological life. Isn’t that, indeed, another way of saying the same – a scientist’s way of coming to terms with the improbable odds of life ever existing at all?
Having said that, we should keep in mind that here, in this book, we use the word ‘God’ to represent whatever we humans collectively conceive the Universal Conscious Presence to be. It is simply a metaphor for the transcendent – pointing to the great mystery beyond the limited human mind.
When we are referring to the concept of a Higher Power or Creator, it is vitally important to remember that this ‘being’ or Essence is known throughout the world by many different names, including God, Goddess, Higher Power, Divine Spirit, Ultimate Being, the Absolute, Lord, Inner Light, Life Source, Allah, Tao, Spirit, the Way, Universal Love etc. Essentially, it matters not what name we call it – in essence, at the deepest level, they all mean the same – see?
By the same token, it is worth noting that throughout the years the word ‘God’ has been misused so much that it has lost its original meaning. Certainly it is the most burdened of all human words, and precisely for that reason it is the most imperishable and unavoidable. Hence it is obvious that this particular word is seen here and there throughout this book. This is because we need a common frame of reference – otherwise we could not transcend beyond limiting beliefs, ideas and concepts.
That said, we can move the conversation forward by pointing out the obvious: humans are curious beings who are always eager to pin everything down, categorize, label, define, or explain that which they don’t understand. This happens even in those situations where they know the odds are clearly against them.
So if someone would try to define, or better yet, explain God – after a long and thorough examination, they would arrive at the conclusion that God is the Eternal Logos*1, through which all things are made, as Divine: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
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*1 The phrase “the Word” is a translation of the Greek word “Logos.”
*1 The phrase “the Word” is a translation of the Greek word “Logos.”
And so you see, God is the Original Thought, from which everything springs forth; from which everything else emanates, on which everything else depends, around which everything else is formed, takes shape, evolves and grows. In other words, God is the Word of Life, that is, Truth, by which The Miracle of Life is made possible. And this, from the human point of view, is the furthest we can go in our attempt to explain God.
Logos is the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.
Logos is the Source of Silence,
the Heart of Life.
Logos is the Source of
Sincerity and Love.
Logos is the Spirit,
the Source of every
Soul and Heart.
Logos is the Source of Truth,
the Source of All Life,
for All Life is Truth. See?
the Beginning and the End.
Logos is the Source of Silence,
the Heart of Life.
Logos is the Source of
Sincerity and Love.
Logos is the Spirit,
the Source of every
Soul and Heart.
Logos is the Source of Truth,
the Source of All Life,
for All Life is Truth. See?
Here it should be emphasized that we all know deep in our hearts that all attempts to define God are but human metaphors; all explanations are but allegories for the mind to conceive God. The problem arises when we start to confuse descriptions and explanations with the actuality of God. One should not make the mistake of confusing the idea with the essence itself. You see, the essence is not the same as the description or explanation of it.
This brings us to an important point: at our stage of spiritual evolution, it is futile to try to explain the true nature of God, apart from saying that God “IS,” and is “ALL THINGS,” which brings us to another important point: explanations, theories and hypotheses alike, are just that – conceptualizations that doesn’t bring us any closer to God.
You see, the human mind can only understand so much, as its ability to comprehend is limited by the walls of its container. To go beyond the thinking mind, one becomes dissolved in something far more powerful – becoming part of something much greater – beyond ourselves; and in this becoming, one is able to pierce the veil between ordinary life and the mysterious regions of the Soul – into greater Innerstanding. And so you see, the transcendent nature of God can only be experienced through one’s innermost being. These following words from Lao Tzu, in Tao Te Ching, encapsulates this ancient insight most eloquently:
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Tao is both named and nameless. As nameless it is the Origin of All Things; as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery; ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations. And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding.”
And now, as we come back to the idea of “Original Thought,” considering the aforementioned discussion, it becomes not only clear but self-evident that because God is the Word of Life, that is, Truth, by which The Miracle of Life is made possible – it means that this thought preceded any other, and it has no beginning nor end; yet, it embraces and contains all things and phenomena found in the universe, including us humans.
Thus, in some explanations God is seen as the circumference which is everything and the center which is nowhere. Everything springs from this singular source, so everything is interdependent and interconnected, which means that everything arises in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions; nothing, therefore, exists as a singular, independent entity.
In other words, the Original Thought is no-thing and every-thing at the same time, and yet it is neither nothing nor everything; although it is beyond the finite and the infinite, it also embraces and constitutes both of them. Hence, the Original Thought is both the cause and effect at the same time, and yet, it is neither. In other words, cause and effect “inter-are.” To give an analogy: this is, because that is; this is not, because that is not; this ceases to be, because that ceases to be.
From this, we can conclude that understanding yourself is the key element in understanding God, for we are created from that Original Thought, after all – which also means that God lives in each and every one of us – as a reminder, we have been gifted with a Spark of Life. This brings us nicely to a discussion about the idea of a Soul or Spirit.
We can start with the following question: Why does it appear to be the case that for some reason it’s difficult for us to recognize that we are perhaps something much more than the physical body we inhabit?
This being the case, we tend to think in terms of a separate and permanent self, which leads us to use the terms “Soul” or “Spirit” in our attempt to describe that which is within our body, that which gives us our personality, that essence which ultimately animates our body – our Life Force. For our convenience, we use those terms interchangeably, without thinking if there is somewhat a difference or not.
Whatever our spiritual views or beliefs may be, one thing is certain: having faith in the Divine, or the universe, or ourselves is a huge blessing in life. Regardless of our differing views, most of us believe in the idea of a Soul or Spirit – the part of us that makes us who we are.
One common element is a belief in an invisible, Divine part of us that lives on in some way even after the body has taken its last breath – a Spark of God that lives within us as a unique expression of the Divine. Against this backdrop, is it so hard to imagine that much like our physical bodies change and evolve over time – so do our Souls? Wouldn’t it make perfect sense, then, that Souls get stronger as they gain experience and grow wiser as they learn through experience; eventually remaining Self-Aware of their True Essence?
From this observation, it becomes obvious that we are more than just our bodies and minds, which is another way of saying that we are essentially Spiritual Beings. Certainly this is not a new idea, but an ancient idea, according to which this inherent, innate essence is the animating force of our essential reality. These following words from Meister Eckhart, crystallizes this ancient insight most eloquently:
The Soul is not in the body; the body is in the Soul.
Another way of saying the same, by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
[ Click » here « to read the next part: On God, Spirit and Soul 2/2 – Prologue: Part VII ]
Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"
