What is God?
I’ve been a yogi most of my life. I was taught to see God as opposed to having “faith”. But I always enjoy other people’s point of view.
Discuss?
x
Ill never understand peoples need to warship a deadbeat dad.
Oh no, a “god” debate, those are always like train wrecks…
Maybe it secretly stands for “Good Orderly Direction”.
I hear Macs are better than Windows PCs.
Dude…Linux…man, is the one true pathway:)
[quote=“DHCollins”]What is God?
I’ve been a yogi most of my life. I was taught to see God as opposed to having “faith”. But I always enjoy other people’s point of view.
Discuss?
x[/quote]
The God topic usually gets discussed once a year and as you can see many are tired of it. However, I am curious. What do you mean by you have been a yogi all your life. Are you an actual teacher or do you just follow yoga. And what do you mean that you have been taught to see God. How can one be taught to see god. And have you seen God. And if so, what did you see.
I am not asking this to get into an argument. Like you, i enjoy other people■s point of view.
(Excuse the lack of question marks. For some reason I am getting this É when I hit the question mark key.)
God is the answer to all those questions we don’t know, or purposely don’t want to know.
Bet you’ve never discussed God from my perspective. I tell you what I see as opposed to what I believe.
I have no religious beliefs, although I’m well versed with most of the world’s religions. And can discuss them with believers on their own levels. Personally, I was raised as a southern Baptist in Alabama. Even as a child of 5, I KNEW what I was hearing from the pulpit was wrong. So you see, I’ve been at this for a long time. I started to embrace eastern philosophies by age 10. It was finally a rather esoteric form of yoga that “woke” me.
That was decades ago now. The seeking stopped abruptly as did my intense reading about the subject. I’ve been in this steady state ever since. If we use Christian terminology, you would say I entered the Kingdom. God realization. Enlightenment. I’ve only recently begun to talk about it with people. You can imagine what folks think then I tell them I “see” God.
But what if you could? How could you possibly relate such an experience? It’s like trying to describe the color red to a blind person. There is no common frame of reference. So eventhough I can tell you what I see, it wouldn’t make any sense to you. Another problem is there are many things which have no earthly comparison. So conveying the idea becomes impossible. This is why you must work on perception rather than belief.
Religion is built upon nothing but belief. It’s easy to become corrupted or manipulated because there’s no way to validate anything. You have to take the priest’s word for it. Priests are as blind as those they attempt to lead.
“God”, by whatever your definition, is about perception, not belief.
Your human heart is also a sensory organ. The very last thing that matures in a person. This is what sees God. It is by the practice of compassion that this eye begins to open. What is compassion? The ability to see yourself in other things. It can be a parent or a friend or a pet. When they feel pain or pleasure, do you not also? It’s because you have an unseen connection with specific people or things. Divine compassion has no restrictions however. You see yourself in ALL things without exception. Even the perverse and profane. In this state, creation itself becomes your body.
If you’re tuned in this fashion, aware of all of creation, how could you harm any of it? You would feel the pain it feels. The Golden Rule becomes a living realization for such a person.
As for the idea of God being a supernatural being on a throne somewhere, you will find it nowhere but here. In the world of men. The world of belief. The first thing God realization does is lay religious belief in the grave.
My best analogy as to what God “is” would be to compare it to a vast luminous sea of pure consciousness. No shape or form of it’s own but capable of all. This world, this physical realm, exists as a bubble within this sea. Outside the wall of the bubble is the “Kingdom”. The rest of creation.
Yes, it does sound unbelieveable. That’s why you have to see it for yourself. Don’t believe what I say about it. That would put you back in the same boat as religious believers. Work on your compassion. And watch the path magically appear beneath your feet. We all see the same thing in that place where God is known. It is those who have never seen God that have so many different opinions of God.
Come and see.
x
Been there, done that. All is illusion, even your particular delusion.
I’ll paraphrase what you expressed as “god”, and that is nothing less than the unified potential of all of humanity whether made manifest or not.
[quote=“DWhite”]
[quote=“DHCollins”]What is God?
I’ve been a yogi most of my life. I was taught to see God as opposed to having “faith”. But I always enjoy other people’s point of view.
Discuss?
x[/quote]
The God topic usually gets discussed once a year and as you can see many are tired of it. However, I am curious. What do you mean by you have been a yogi all your life. Are you an actual teacher or do you just follow yoga. And what do you mean that you have been taught to see God. How can one be taught to see god. And have you seen God. And if so, what did you see.
I am not asking this to get into an argument. Like you, i enjoy other people■s point of view.
(Excuse the lack of question marks. For some reason I am getting this É when I hit the question mark key.)[/quote]
To get rid of the E problem, press Control + Shift twice in a row. Or restart your machine, that’d work too probably.
I see where you’re coming from D. Honestly, I do. But I don’t need all of this “god” fluff.
I come at it from a different perspective. I am completely, and totally an Athiest. Some would call me rather aggressive as well, I just don’t have the time, or want, to deal with all that “religion” has done to this world.
We grow up, being taught that we are special, that we are different. But I’ve known since I was little that we are all the same. We are all one. We all feel the same emotions. My friend once told me “we’re all like pizzas, different toppings, but the core, and the idea of us is all the same. Crust, sauce, toppings, etc”. In a sense, we are all “god” But we shouldn’t need the excess fluff. We need to learn to look inside ourselves, get to know us. Once you know yourself, you know the whole world.
Religion, belief, faith, even science, drives us all apart. Has us believing we are different. That is what is wrong with the world today. Once humanity realizes that, and sees it, embraces it. There will be no war, no fights. To see someone suffer is to suffer yourself. But because we have been taught that we’re different, we no longer have that compassion, that empathy for others. If you love and know yourself, truly, you love and know everyone. 
[quote]In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.
Jiddu Krishnamurti [/quote]
All is illusion, as nothing is in a steady state. But when you have nothing but the 5 senses to rely upon, the illusion of physical reality is all you have to work with. It is real from that limited perspective because you know of nothing else. “There is no spoon”. Easy to say. But it’s another story to actually realize it with spiritual sight. Until that occurs, it remains an intellectual concept in the mind. Spiritual sight, direct perception, operates independent of the mind. It is free of emotion or judgement or ego. It is the calm observer sitting in the eye of the storm.
@Bubbasteve,
You will find I’m quite harsh with organized religion, although I do understand the need other people have of it. Atheists are generally well developed spiritually. Much more so than those who follow religions blindly. Instead of driving down the road while blind, you’ve decided to pull over and wait for more input. It is your intellect that is your undoing however. You’re in the same boat as the believers are because you are using your physical senses to try and figure something out that isn’t physical. It takes something more.
Everybody is born with a kind of homing device inside of them that points the way “home”. It’s hardwired into who and what you are. When it begins to function, the world and it’s attractions begin to fade. Most people will embrace religion as a way to deal with this. At least in the beginning. Mostly because it’s the first thing available to them. It permeates all cultures around the world. In the west especially, we see happy and joyful church members on TV. We are a monkey see, monkey do kind of animal and this is why religions attract so many people. Not so much for spiritual reasons as it is for a support group. Those who join religions in their adult years are often bruised and battered by what life has done to them. The church is all welcoming and comforting. A safe port in the storm. But spiritually, they are fed spiritual junkfood and leave with bellies full and satisfied. It’s easy to feed blind people food that doesn’t look good to other’s, yes?
So religion by and large is a social structure much more than a spiritual one. It’s not worthless as it does teach things like compassion and sharing, but most will never rise above what they’re taught. They’re not ripe enough just yet. Christianity especially puts you on hold. “Jesus is coming, be READY!!!” All who have ever adopted this religion have died in that waiting. The path home requires you keep moving. Christians have timed out by the roadside. They’re too busy worshipping the roadsign to notice the path continues.
In fact, the second coming has nothing to do with Jesus. It’s you. You waking up to your own divine nature. You’re traveling this path as an atheist even now. But as they say, the gate is narrow. The razor’s edge. Only a naked soul can fit throught it to the other side. Naked of belief. Naked of identity. Your human self must be left behind. No worry. You’ll come back to it. And the world will be as if new again when you do. You’ll never be the same again. You’ve been to the mountaintop.
And those who live in the valley will think you a fool.
x
[quote=“DHCollins”]@Soggy,
All is illusion, as nothing is in a steady state. But when you have nothing but the 5 senses to rely upon, the illusion of physical reality is all you have to work with. It is real from that limited perspective because you know of nothing else. “There is no spoon”. Easy to say. But it’s another story to actually realize it with spiritual sight. Until that occurs, it remains an intellectual concept in the mind. Spiritual sight, direct perception, operates independent of the mind. It is free of emotion or judgement or ego. It is the calm observer sitting in the eye of the storm.
[/quote]
I’ve been down the metaphysical road as well as the religious and find they use the same archetype. Ergo they are the same thing dressed in different clothes.
When you drift off into the something beyond the five senses (magical energy, whatever) you end up back on the same metaphysical road.
We cannot see infrared or ultraviolet rays with our human eyes, yet we know them to exist.
Your five senses are tuned to operate in this world only. They are blind to the rest of creation. The electro-magnetic spectrum extends far beyond the material world. People themselves are like radios. Most are AM with lots of noise in the signal. Then you have sensitives, who have some ability to pick up FM, “psychics”. Then you have people who are like shortwaves. Mystics, holy men, etc.
The AM crowd has a hard time with such people. Look what they did to Jesus.
The purpose isn’t to make you feel inferior to the God realized, but to lift you up to their level so you may experience what they do. Most folks are simply not ready to wake up. They are too immersed in this world and the roles they play here. But for those that are beginning to stir in their sleep, there will always be somebody nearby to assist you. God realization will turn you into the ultimate socialist. A nursemaid to humanity as a whole rather than just certain segments of it. The desires and goals you had earlier in life have been displaced so that you may serve others. When you don’t chase after career and name and fame and wealth, you have an amazing amount of free time.
I like to spend some of mine talking to people just like you.
x
To DH, from a Tin Hatter…Just what the F is your agenda. You are beginning to creep me out.
You scare easily then?
Ever see that famous picture of young boys looking through a hole in the fence at the construction site beyond? That’s the average Joe looking at the world through 5 senses. Got a restricted view.
Imagine if you could push the fence over and see it all at once…
x
Duh…Huh ? Are we gonna spot you on 3rd ave, during a “pineapple express”, in a goretex robe, with your arms outstretched, preaching to the soggy faithful ?
[quote=“DHCollins”]We cannot see infrared or ultraviolet rays with our human eyes, yet we know them to exist.
Your five senses are tuned to operate in this world only. They are blind to the rest of creation. The electro-magnetic spectrum extends far beyond the material world. People themselves are like radios. Most are AM with lots of noise in the signal. Then you have sensitives, who have some ability to pick up FM, “psychics”. Then you have people who are like shortwaves. Mystics, holy men, etc.
The AM crowd has a hard time with such people. Look what they did to Jesus.
The purpose isn’t to make you feel inferior to the God realized, but to lift you up to their level so you may experience what they do. Most folks are simply not ready to wake up. They are too immersed in this world and the roles they play here. But for those that are beginning to stir in their sleep, there will always be somebody nearby to assist you. God realization will turn you into the ultimate socialist. A nursemaid to humanity as a whole rather than just certain segments of it. The desires and goals you had earlier in life have been displaced so that you may serve others. When you don’t chase after career and name and fame and wealth, you have an amazing amount of free time.
I like to spend some of mine talking to people just like you.
x[/quote]
Electromagnetism, radio waves, watching the wind blow in the trees…these things are measurable, quantifiable and as such are part of this material world. What you speak of is whimsey.
Seems you too are just “educated” into a belief system (yogi, prana, all those other mystical buzz words from your particular delusion).
BTW, I have also worked with a stage magician and watched as he used cold readings to make many believe he had psychic powers. I’ve used many of these mentalist tricks to fool others myself.
When you know how the trick is accomplished, it doesn’t seem magical at all. As they say, science and magic are the same thing, however one is addressed through knowledge, the other through superstition.
I don’t preach. I lay my cards on the table and people are free to pick them up or not. No hard feelings if they walk away. I’m not out to save your soul. Just help you answer some questions about things not everybody can talk about.
Nobody likes to be preached at including me. And growing up in the bible belt, I had my fill before most of you. Southern baptist upbringing. Hellfire, damnation, and fried chicken on Sundays. My grandmother would slip me a piece of Juicy Fruit to help me from fidgeting too much. Bored to tears, you know. I did like vacation bibleschool as a child. Got my first kiss there.
But I haven’t been to a church for many years. Yet, I can talk on God or Jesus all day long and never once crack open a bible. I don’t require anything external to me to keep the fire burning. Belief is like a candle in the wind. It has to be guarded and fed to be kept alive. But direct perception is like the sun. It’s just there. Unwavering and illuminating everything.
Nothing is really hidden here. It’s your perception that is limited. That can be fixed.
x