Thoughts of God

 Created in the divine essence, Created in the shape of God.

     

 eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.(1 Timothy 1:17).

 
   Perception and Cognition defines our realities.  Our mind develop our own truth and beliefs. If we are a piece of the divine essence shaped from God; does this mean God is the flow of our consciousness and thoughts? Does this mean we ourselves are God? Since the beginning of human existence we have been curious about the truth behind existence. Religion and spirituality have and still are one of the greatest paths to self discovery.

Rig Veda creation story
between (1500-1000 B.C.E)

 
 The most ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas clearly define God as "Changeless, formless, and ever perfect".  The ancient texts state,"He permeates all external laws and manifests throughout the universal life forces- the sea, the earth, the mountains" -Rig Veda 4.40.5.  Hinduism as we know it started to develop between 500 B.C.E and 300 C.E, modern Hinduism believes in a one true God called Brahman. Brahman is said to take many forms, the most common and well known forms are Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Most Hindus believe that Brahman is present in every person as the eternal spirit or soul (called Atman). Brahman pervades the whole Universe, and is symbolized as the sacred syllable Om(or Aum). This sacred syllable can be found in many beliefs, such as Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism, Om is considered to be the universal name of the lord and that it surrounds all of creation.  

Siddhartha practicing the art of stillness

   There is an old Buddhist story of a man called Siddhartha. Siddhartha underwent one of the most well known spiritual journeys of human history.  His story is considered to be one of the greatest stories on the path of a Buddha, yet Siddhartha never considered himself to be a Buddhist. He chose to abandon all beliefs and instead focus on the journey of self discovery. Siddhartha practiced the letting go of all material things in order to better understand the beauty of life.  “Siddhartha has one single goal-to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow-to let the Self die. No longer to be Self, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought-that was his goal.”  -Herman Hesse, Siddhartha  

 "God is beyond all forms of life, but also indwells every form of life as there essence; God is both beyond and within" -Eckhart Tolle

  According to Sunni Islam "God is formless and is utterly unlike creation. He is transcendent beyond space and time". There are two Sufi philosophies that prevail on this topic; "Wahdat-ul-Wujord or (Unity of Being) essentially states that the only truth within the universe is God". I feel this one really backs up my view on God being a perception of reality, and personal truth.Another Sufi philosophy states that "Gods essence is seen in all human beings, as if God is the subject and humans the mirror".  We are a reflection of a divine energy, confused and curious we live in a time where the path to God is fogged from the toxic fumes of industry and materialism. Yet the path still remains open to those who crave knowledge and truth. With that i will leave you with one last part of advice that comes from the mind of Siddhartha himself.

  "When someone seeks; then it easily happens that his eyes see only the things that he seeks, and he is able to find nothing, to take in nothing, because he always thinks only about the thing he is seeking, because he has one goal, because he is obbsessed with his goal. Seeking means; having a goal, but finding means; being free, being open, having no goal". -Herman Hesse, Siddhartha