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BTW, the original "god" in Judaism, Christianity is offshoot off, has no imaging. Just like in Islam, picturing "god" is blasphemy.
Also, "god" as and old man with white beard was depicted as such way before Michelangelo. East Roman empire was full of such images.
CB is right. Simple minds need an "object" of worship, not some vague philosophical concept, understood only by scholars. Human mind is very substantial, so to speak, as that's its function - junction between the physical and "spiritual" components of a human being. That need for objectification of "god" is fulfilled in all kinds of imagery and religious tokens, sold to public. Besides, it's rather a very profitable business.
Simple minds are the best! They are easier to control and and stay in focus. Ramakrshna Paramhamsa, a realized being, was very simple minded and joyful. He was most joyful when worshiping Kali.
Does’nt a Jnani aknowledge the Divinity within? We experience duality while IN advaita. Cant help it as long as we have the body and mind
It's more like what Jim Carey said and that is I'm not moving through the world, the world is moving through me (and not the egoic "me"). Or like Baba Muktananda said "Earth, Moon, Sun and stars revolve inside me". By inference that includes his mind-body complex.
This is another one of those things that's impossible to intellectualize or verbalize. It's quite literally a lived experience. One way to try to rationalize it is it's a shift from identifying with local consciousness (ego consciousness or a reflection of Consciousness itself) to non-local consciousness (Consciousness itself).
It's more like what Jim Carey said and that is I'm not moving through the world, the world is moving through me (and not the egoic "me"). Or like Baba Muktananda said "Earth, Moon, Sun and stars revolve inside me". By inference that includes his mind-body complex.
This is another one of those things that's impossible to intellectualize or verbalize. It's quite literally a lived experience. One way to try to rationalize it is it's a shift from identifying with local consciousness (ego consciousness or a reflection of Consciousness itself) to non-local consciousness (Consciousness itself).
Yes, i agree. However we live the non-duality while we KNOW (jnyan is knowing, after all) the non-dual. Advaita is a state that can be experienced in meditation, when the mind is controlled, as you say and describe. Ultimately though, Advaita is a Bhava, an attitude, an understanding that we realize through duality. We don’t escape duality until our breath leaves the body, and then there is no experience! Only Atma, Shivoham.
Yes, i agree. However we live the non-duality while we KNOW (jnyan is knowing, after all) the non-dual. Advaita is a state that can be experienced in meditation, when the mind is controlled, as you say and describe. Ultimately though, Advaita is a Bhava, an attitude, an understanding that we realize through duality. We don’t escape duality until our breath leaves the body, and then there is no experience! Only Atma, Shivoham.
To portray God Eternal as old, is just a portrayal of this realm in time and space. Where for God's children to enter the presence of God Eternal in the eternal realm, is to enter the Eternal Kingdom with the Priestly Blessing and being eternally new with a name from God Eternal.
You said that you think God is energy, which overlooks that which is perfected in weakness. As the Prophet Elijah learned after he had run from Jezebel's death threat. The Lord said; Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave....
Scientists agree that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Did God create energy? Doesn't seem like it. Also I've noticed that many people use bible passages to answer questions, however I wonder if people could answer those type of questions on their own.
Sure. Still liberation too is an attitude that comes out of realization. There is no escape from the body until the breath leaves it. The reason why even Jivanmuktas such as Jesus, Shankara, Kabir, Ramakrishna, Dayananda all worshiped, and what is worship after all, but the Bhava, the attitude, of duality? Similar to atheism, there is no A-Dvaita without Dvaita.
Do people believe that God is an old man living in the sky?
It has been my perception that such an image is talked about primarily by atheists who wish to mock religion.
I do nto recall ever hearing a Christian to describe God in such a manner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ukrkoz
... The Bible ... does describe His nature in four ways: God is spirit - His nature is not flesh and blood. God is also light - there is no darkness in Him at all. God is also love. Finally, God's nature can be compared to a consuming fire. These four descriptions provide some insights into God's nature and character rather than giving us a definition of Him.
I agree.
Saying that God created man in His image, is not saying that God is a man. The Bible explains to us that man was made in three parts, body, soul, and spirit.
Man lost his spirit during the Fall. Today man is born without spirit and without any connection to God. When we get born again, we receive holy spirit born inside of us, God in Christ, Christ in us. Making us once again body, soul, and spirit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ukrkoz
... God expressly forbids reducing Him to a mere physical, artistic representation (Exodus 20:4-6). No one can box the glory of Almighty God into a picture frame or carve it into some rock. That’s blasphemy.
Sure. Still liberation too is an attitude that comes out of realization. There is no escape from the body until the breath leaves it. The reason why even Jivanmuktas such as Jesus, Shankara, Kabir, Ramakrishna, Dayananda all worshiped, and what is worship after all, but the Bhava, the attitude, of duality? Similar to atheism, there is no A-Dvaita without Dvaita.
Sure there is. One can say there's no escape from a dream until one wakes up, however that is not true. If one becomes lucid (wakes up) within a dream one has in effect escaped the dream while still in it. There's an enormous difference between being in a dream and thinking (hoping!) it's a dream and attaining lucidity within a dream and knowing it's a dream and one is not the dream avatar.
There's an intellectual understanding and there's an experiential knowing. This is a good presentation on the difference. https://youtu.be/Ku8cCrdh4Ic
I certainly don't. Where did that idea come from anyway, and how did that idea start? Does the old man have a white beard and look like Charlton Heston who played Moses in the movies? I think God is energy
Other than the JW man that told me Jesus did return, is in the sky, but we just can't see him, I don't know anyone that would believe anything close to that.
The idea was generated from the Bible which says that Adam, the first man, was made in God's image. The inference is that God is therefore a bipedal, upright walking man with opposable thumbs and two eyes, like the rest of us. It is counter intuitive, but that is the inference. Since God has existed forever, he is depicted as an old man for human understanding, which can't otherwise conceive of God as a shapeless energy life force.
As I'm sure you're aware, that verse is often interpreted in various "spiritual" or allegorical or symbolic ways, as it's rather vague what "in his image / likeness" means exactly. The Bible also teaches that god is spirit and so ... it isn't unreasonable, all things considered, to say that verse teaches that man is like god in the sense that he knows good from evil, or is allegedly immortal or whatever.
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