Does God exist?
There are so many debates lately about
the possibility that God does not exist. The majority of these debates
are rather pointless, as they do not define God itself.
For simplicity and practical reason, we will divide the definition
of God into 2 camps:
Camp A
God the creator, Almighty, worship him. He sent down various books
and prophets. God performed various acts of divine intervention.
If you can prove that the God of Camp A exists then you can also
prove that the Flying
Spaghetti Monster exists.
Camp B
God is everything. God is not a being, God has no sex, and God is
not self-aware. God is a word, or a name, whose definition is all
that is.
God is the name for everything.
Everything exists so God exists. there is nothing to prove here.
So, in conclusion then, God definitely does exist
if your concept of God is that of Camp B.
Camp A on the other had is what all the debate is about and if you
are part ofthis camp read on:.
This is the whole truth. There is no god but God. It is God who
is the Mighty, the Wise One. Say: ‘People of the Book, let
us come to an agreement: that we will worship none but God, that
we will associate none with Him, and that none of us shall set up
mortals as deities besides God.’ (The Koran 3:61)
Translation by N.J.Dawood, Penguin Books, 1993
I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to
another, neither my praise to graven images. (Isa 42:8)
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare
unto him? To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith
the Holy One. (Isa 40:18, 25)
In order to think about God, you may compare him with other beings;
but remember that he is incomparable. In this way you will live
in the house of truth. -Ibn Arabi, "Fusus al-hikam"
From "366 Readings From Islam," translated by Robert Van
der Weyer. Copyright 2000; John Hunt Publishing, United Kingdom.
The outward form of things passes away, but the essence remains
for ever. How long will you be besotted with the shape of the jug?
Cast aside the jug, and seek the water. If you look too closely
at the form, you miss the essence. If you are wise, you will always
pick out the pearl from the shell. -Rumi, "Masnavi"(Ibid)
God, the supreme being, is neither circumscribed by space, nor touched
by time; he cannot be found in a particular direction, and his essence
cannot change. The secret conversation is thus entirely spiritual;
it is a direct encounter between God and the soul, abstracted from
all material constraints. -Ibn Sina, "Kitab al-Najat"
(Ibid)
Our minds naturally imagine things. At our best, we reach into the
realm of words and beyond, and then see images form in our minds.
When we reach beyond our conceptions for the idea of God, we are
in the right place. When we gain a mental image from this process,
that image is not God, it is now become manifestation, it is become
an aspect in the realm of man. Appreciate the images you conceive,
but don't worship them, because they are the fruits of your thinking
not the seeds.
Worship God only. As monotheists, we forsake worship of nature and
mysticism. More subtle is the need to go beyond personal conceptions
of God such as the mother of God, the saints and angels, the son
of God or the personal Jesus. Worshipping finite personal conceptions
of the divine must be outgrown if we are ever to know the only and
true God, even the infinite holy One.
Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you
please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but liberation
will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the
Oneness. -Sankara
"The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus," edited by Timothy Freke,
published by Godsfield Press.
It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony - in the
pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body
and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless.
The prayers of those who are pure in mind and body will be answered
by Shiva, and those who are impure and yet try to teach religion
to others will fail in the end. External worship is only a symbol
of internal worship, but internal worship and purity are the real
things. Without them, external worship would be of no avail. -Vivekananda
"Teachings of the Hindu Mystics," (c) 2001 by Andrew Harvey;
Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Righteousness does not consist in whether you face the East or the
West. (The Koran 2:177)
Translation by N.J. Dawood, Penguin Books, 1993
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall we
do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest
thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. (Luke 18:19)
And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard
and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which
shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not:
for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and
of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. (Rev 22:8,9)
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh
such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23,24)
God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul,
Principle, Life, Truth, Love. Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures (465:9)
GOD. The great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise,
all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth;
Love; all substance; intelligence. (S&H 587:5)
Meditating on these definitions, amplifying the words through devout
study, and putting them into practice in your daily expression will
bring spiritual understanding that acquaints you with the power,
presence and loveliness of God embracing your life.
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I
am God, and there is none else. (Isa 45:22)
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none
else: I am God, and there is none like me. (Isa 46:9)
The infinite singularity of God's oneness includes God's definition
of atomic action - the action of true oneness - "defiant of
error or matter." (Phrase in quotes from "Misc. Writings,"
by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 190:1)
Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have
chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am
he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after
me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. (Isa
43:10,11)
Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord
of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there
is no God. (Isa 44:6)
I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me:
I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: (Isa 45:5)
The wealth of this world consists of treasures to which there are
keys. But blessed is the one whom the Almighty makes a key to the
world of good, but a lock to contain evil. -The Prophet Muhammad,
as reported by Sahl bin Sa'ad
Hadith translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed. Copyright 1999; The Crossroad
Publishing Company, New York.
Tibetan lamas often say: "Not seeing is the perfect seeing."
Strange words, perhaps, but they have a profound meaning. They describe
the advanced meditator's experience of spacious, universal reality,
the experience beyond dualism. -Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction
to Tantra"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001; From "Daily Wisdom: 365
Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, Wisdom Publications,
Somerville, MA; www.wisdompubs.org.
There is a sphere where there is neither earth nor water nor heat
nor air, for it is beyond the field of matter; nor is it the sphere
of infinite space, or consciousness, for it is beyond the field
of mind. There is not the condition of nothingness, neither is there
the state of this world or another world, nor sun nor moon. This
is the uncreated. This condition I call neither arising nor passing
away, neither dying nor being born. It is without form and without
change. It is the eternal, which never originates and never passes
away. To find it is the end of sorrow. -Udana Sutta
From "Buddha Speaks," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000; Shambhala
Publications, Boston.
Honesty can be cultivated by transforming your inner language. For
example, you might think: "I am no good" or "They
are not good." Is this true? For some strange reason, people
want to wallow in the idea of being either the best or the worst.
What is true in this moment? How close can we get to the reality
of our experiences? -Martine Batchelor, "Meditation For Life"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001; Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom:
365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok; Wisdom Publications.
One man believes in existence,
Another says, “There is nothing!”
Rare is the man who believes in neither.
He is free from confusion.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:42
"The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita,"
by Thomas Byrom, 1990; Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston.
“The formless Absolute is my Father, and God with form is
my Mother.” God reveals Himself in the form which His devotee
loves most. His love for the devotee knows no bounds. -Ramakrishna
"Teachings of the Hindu Mystics," (c) 2001 by Andrew Harvey;
Shambhala Publications, Boston.
By honest conduct one achieves honorable eminence,
While corrupt conduct brings one nothing but blame.
Good conduct is the seed in virtue's field;
Wicked conduct's harvest is never-ending sorrow.
-Tirukkural 14:137-138
Excerpted from the Tirukkural, translated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.
Copyright Himalayan Academy Publications, www.himalayanacademy.com
O Krishna, it is right that the world delights and rejoices in your
praise, that all the saints and sages bow down to you and all evil
flees before you to the far corners of the universe. How could they
not worship you, O Lord? You are the eternal spirit, who existed
before Brahman the Creator and who will never cease to be. Lord
of the gods, you are the abode of the universe. Changeless, you
are what is and what is not, and beyond the duality of existence
and nonexistence. -Bhagavad Gita 11:36-37
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Easwaran,
copyright 1985; Nilgiri Press, www.nilgiri.org.
View all problems as challenges. Look upon negativities that arise
as opportunities to learn and to grow. Don't run from them, condemn
yourself, or bury your burden in saintly silence. You have a problem?
Great. More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in, and investigate.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001; Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom:
365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok; Wisdom Publications.
Etc,etc,etc,etc .............
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