So what is God?

[Spirit Seeker]

Give me your honest thoughts on this matter.

I run into a lot of places that claim God is Light, Unconditional Love, Bliss, Peace, all the positive traits one can think of. There's a lot of seekers that are too attached and biased clinging to this particular model and view of seeing God.

I know most hindus here can agree that Brahman is EVERYTHING. Both the Light AND the Dark(whatever your understanding or perception is on this.)

This is not to make a dualistic model on God, but Why separate ? We are A WHOLE Conscious after all, God is Whole is he not?


To Me God(Brahman) is a Nuetral energy. I wouldnt focus so much on Dark oR Light, but why are some seekers choose to focus on limiting a God towards their own conveniences? I know for some paths, during spiritual growth it's easier to work with the positive traits and aspects of God so dont get me wrong.

How do YOU define God, and how does Darkness, Chaos, "Evil"(If one believes in this concept, I dont.) fit into the grander scheme of reality?



Now I dont want anyone to think I'm a 'dark' gloomy person for inquiring, I just realize I as a human being with perceptual limitations while also being a Realist dont want to attach myself on a focused limited projection on the infinite. If that makes sense.

Blessings.

[Hindu33]

Hello,

In my opinion, a more appropriate term would be lord, Isha or Ishvara. He is like a king who rules over all.

[kallol]

Whatever we know today is another step in the journey to realise God. It is difficult to comprehend the higher step knowledges, when we are at much lower steps.

The only way out is to continuously gain knowledge in this subject, analyse, practice and have constant passion to learn more.

Ego is a door closer and as we remove ego, the door opens for more knowledge to come in.

Let us first learn to appreciate that we know very little in this subject. This will imbibe respect for others, who might have some unique knowledge which will help us move up the steps.

Who can give a perfect answer for God ? No definition is enough for defining God.

[jignyAsu]

This is not to make a dualistic model on God, but Why separate ? We are A WHOLE Conscious after all, God is Whole is he not?

To Me God(Brahman) is a Nuetral energy.

Namaste,

My humble thoughts - To consider God (or Ishwara) as an energy or just light, consciousness etc ONLY will actually limit Him, because the quality of intellgence, power etc is being denied, which even we possess.

I believe Advaita only is being referred here in your post. Many notable Advaitis have worshipped a Deity attributing to Him all the positive qualities ONLY. Why worship someone with negative qualities at all or those that can't help?

Worshipping the Vedic deity endowed with positive qualities help to promote discrimination, Vairagya, sense control which are the required prerequisites - a traditional Advaiti would say. Focussing on negative qualities would breed exactly the opposite and has no place in the original Advaita.

After realization, the Advaiti would say that positive qualities (which were taken as the means) and definitely no negative qualities are found in Brahman.

Therefore negative qualities neither form the means nor are found in the end (per Advaita).

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namast�

We know Him/It to be all supporting (ālamba) as He/It is nirālamba or without any support. But to suggest we can even have a name for the Supreme is outside the perview of the ved.The supreme is called tad-ekam or that one. Some call anuttaramūrti or that whose form (mūrti) is the highest reality (anuttara).


But you ask, what do I think the Supreme is ? It is beyond my comprehesion so I depend on those that know this Being by personal experience... the muni's that talk of It say It is a compact mass of wholeness, of consciousness. It is said this way in the mālinīvijayottara tantra:

Pracayaṁ rūpātītaṁ ca samyak turyamudāhṛtaṁ|
Mahāpracayamicchanti turyātītaṁ vicakṣaṇāḥ ||38||

Turya -the fourth state of consciousness-- (turyam) is said to be (udāhṛtam) truly (samy�k) pracaya or the Mass- (pracayam) and (ca) rūpātītam -the state beyond rūpastha or deep sleep- (rūp�-atītam). The wise (vicakṣaṇāḥ) wish (to attain) (icchanti) mahāpracaya the great mass or great fullness, totality - (mahāpracayam) (known as) turyātīta - (meaning) beyond the fourth - (turya-atītam)


And within the ṣaṭtriṁśattattvasandoha śāstra which is a kaśmir śaivism respected work, the Supreme's manifestion is considered the mass (sandoha) of thirty-six (ṣaṭtriṁśat) categories (tattva) that is found in the very name of this āgama.

The beauty of this, the Supreme is also beyond this and recognized as such.The point is, the Supreme cannot not be contained by words or ideas.


Note that kaśmir śaivism is from the non-dual (advaya) viewpoint (darśana). So, When this is discussed ( the Supreme) there is a trika point of view. This means para apara and parāpara. No need to go in to this at this point.

iti śivaṁ