Friday, January 12, 2007

God Is, or Isn't, Whatever

The thing about god is that no matter how much we try to define what god is or is not it will not change god. God is. For example, two people could look at a tree and describe its colors and shape and texture and both descriptions will be different. We could argue who is right or who is wrong but this does not change the fundamental essence of the tree or the actuality of its existence. Words, thoughts and opinions cannot change physical reality. God Is.

Take for example the old story of the five blind men and the elephant. Each blind man approached the elephant from a different angle. One felt the leg and thought the elephant was like a tree. One felt the trunk and thought the elephant was like a snake. Another touched the elephant's side and thought it was a wall. The fourth touched the ear and thought it like a fan. The last one touched the tail and thought the elephant was like a rope. In spite of the different views and opinions based on an incomplete picture the essence and reality of the elephant was not changed. The elephant was still an elephant. This does not negate nor invalidate the opinions and views of the five blind men. Their observations were based on personal experience and their conclusions were reached from the information they were given, no matter how incomplete. Such is the relationship between god and man.

Try to find god. Look for god everyday. If you find god, hold on and don't let go. Explore god. As you grow and develop spiritually god will seem to change but god does not change. What changes is our perception of god based on our spiritual state. As we grow god reveals itself according to our ability to comprehend. Not all of us are at the same place spiritually so there appears to be many gods. There is only one god and many ways to see god.

To the religious god is an all powerful being or beings that is responsible for the creation and governing of the earth and universe. To the spiritual, god is a force or an energy that one can align oneself with, become one with to experience personally. To the scientist god is the unifying force behind all reality. The atheist believes there is no god yet god continues. Neither one negates the other, all are valid from one's own perception.

If you believe in god or not, if you believe god is a separate being or that god is a part of everything or that god is everything, if you choose not to believe in god at all, it does not matter. God is. I sometimes hesitate to use the word god but my only other choices seem to be obscure and ancient sanscrit or pali terms that are just as confusing and restrictive in their meanings. As Paul Williams wrote in Das Energi "Sometimes it is enlightening to have a name for God: sometimes it is blinding. If you make a list of words for God you will have a list of all words. You will not have God." God transcends our conceptions, yet god is us and we are god.