REBOOT

Hello everyone,  longtime no see. Have been on a hiatus from this blog, though have been writing some poetry and taking photographs in the mean time, which I have been posting in my other blog
LIFE. For rebooting this blog, I have posted a guest piece by my brother. The content is different from my usual posts and I do not vouch the perspective put forth, but I think we should always listen to different voices and point of views. We as society tend to say more and listen. So, enjoy and I will back soon with my own stuff. :-)

A God We can Pray To

The purpose of this short passage is to explore the nature of the Divine Entity that rules the cosmos through benevolence. Sincere efforts to prove the existence of God are beyond the purview of this article. The author would request the skeptical reader to honor the veracity of the personal claim that edifying experiences across almost three decades have convinced the writer of the existence of a Conscious Power moving the universe towards an indiscernible destination. To make a case for a Personal God, I will take up three crucial arguments in favour of my assertion.

The first is the way the individual soul struggles to move closer to the Supersoul. The word “struggle” may appear to be a hyperbole, but it actually reminds the layman of the colloquial adage that says “life isn’t easy”. The intelligent mind can effortlessly come to this conclusion by objectively observing the complexity of the universe. Human affairs have their share of complexities. Many schools of thought seek recourse in the illusion that complexities arise from ignorance of the true self. A few schools in Indian philosophy disregard the complexity of the universe by labeling it as “cosmic delusion” or “Maya”. Most of these schools of thought explore the polarities of real and unreal, knowledge and ignorance, and immutability and transience. What they fail to grapple with is the moral structure of human existence. Some of them see the Creation as an illusion, some as an amoral void. They do not see the opposites of good and evil, right and wrong, and noble and wicked. They evade the issue of making ethical choices. Keen observation would obviously compel any thinking human being to take up the topic of morality seriously. The powers of discretion for making choices are innate in human beings. Atheists obviously would consider it fortuitous, but a man of faith wouldn’t fall into that trap. Atheists and objective speculators mostly see collective morality as a necessity for maintaining the harmony of the human race. The facile collectivism of such zealots fails to see individual growth through the prism of morality. Human beings face choices in life. Sometimes the choices are easy, sometimes difficult. But there is a struggle for a better tomorrow. Each ethical victory empowers the individual to make better choices in life; every defeat reveals a chink in the armour. Every success in the realm of morality takes the individual soul closer to the Supersoul. Greed, lust, and anger are not merely illusory impressions of the mind, but they are real obstacles in the path to salvation. Fear and death are realities that need to be faced, and ultimately defeated, just as they were defeated on the Cross. Now, if the universe was created by an Impersonal Force, the struggle for righteousness would be meaningless. Moreover, the innate power of discretion in humans would amount to naught if the universe were not governed by a Conscious Power. The yearning for redemption becomes real when the individual soul consciously struggles to unite with the Supersoul.

The second argument is finding the correct method of uniting the individual soul with God. Some oriental schools of thought talk about raising one’s consciousness to a higher plane to attain the truth. They contend that the truth cannot be grasped through prayer and penance. They claim that meditation is the only way of uniting the soul with the Supersoul. I would like to offer the reader a guarded glimpse of my spiritual struggle to show that prayer is a superior tool for seeking God. As a teenager, I had experimented with different techniques of meditation to calm my restless mind. But it simply wasn’t working. I felt as if I was groveling in darkness in my sincere effort to see the light. Meditation does have positive effects on the mind and body; there’s no doubt regarding that. It also opens the door of the soul, which was previously confined within the dualities of the material world. But the soul does not seem to be establishing a concrete link with the Supersoul, and the devotee fails to discover spiritual gems below the bodily layer. Through the guidance of sincere devotees, I started praying. Prayer itself has many methods and one of the most effective tools is chanting. Many elevated sects in India practice chanting. Same is the case for many Christians. In fact, many Christian monks keep reciting the Jesus prayer for the entire day - some doing so even while they are asleep. The author has observed a few remarkable men who can easily create a spiritual veneer against the distractions of the material world through chanting. If the efficacy of prayer is established through observation and experience, the devotee can easily realize that there is Someone listening to the spiritual plea. If our hearts are illumined by prayers, a Benign Force is surely shining a bright light upon us. If the Cosmic Force ruling the universe were unqualified, the prayers of the devotee would be dispersed in silent eternity. But a man of faith is sure of the fact that his prayers are being heard because the act of praying itself elevates the devotee’s consciousness to a higher level. Thus, true believers are worshipping a Merciful Observer, not an indifferent force pervading the cosmos.

The third point to be made is the reality of love. We can kneel in prayer only if our hearts are brimming with love. The individual soul can be attracted to the Supersoul through love. Nobody actually teaches us to love our parents, siblings, and friends. It comes from within. Although most human beings prefer to waste the vitality of love through blind attachments and lust, God loves us nevertheless. The narrow mind can never fathom the Infinite Mercy of the True Lover. Once the individual soul perceives the Infinite Mercy shining upon the world, love is expressed in a proper way. You cannot love the Creation without loving the Creator. The Creation is not an illusion to be shunned, it is a reality to be embraced…with love. And we should love the Creator to truly love the Creation. Otherwise, the purity of love is solely directed towards sense-gratification. The struggle of the individual soul to unite with the Supersoul is supported by love. Sensory temptations can be fought with the armour of spiritual love, which brings the soul closer to the kingdom of God. Now, we can only love a Loving God, not an indifferent force in charge of the cosmos. True love manifests in devotional supplications to God, not in psychological exercises. Spiritual struggles devoid of devotion are mere moonshine. Our souls are illumined by love, so it is our duty to love God unconditionally.

Overcoming temptations to love God unconditionally? It is easier said than done. But the struggle is worthwhile…

What are you waiting for?