God is unknowable

[dattaswami]

God is unknowable

If you say that He is this and – He is not that, it means
That you have understood God, – None knows God,
Gita says this, – only God knows God, Veda says.
If you say that you know God – you must be God.
You say that you are awareness – and that awareness is God.
Yes, you are only awareness – you know yourself, we agree.
But awareness is not God – since you know awareness, yourself.
Every one is awareness like you, – if God is awareness,
Every body knows God, – then, how Gita said that
None knows God, – then, how Vedas say that
If any body says that he knows God, – he does not know
God at all, if any body says that – he does not know God
He knows God, – this means God is unknowable.

 

[Rick W]

Even the greatest sinner is good if he is His devotee

As time proceeds, he looses interest in himself, – interested in God only.
It is the main part of spiritual knowledge, – which is of three items.
Knowledge of God, path to please God – and soul as non-God item
Constitutes Triputi of divine knowledge, – this turns devotee good.

The knowledge of God avoids crime and corruption in devotee
Similarly the devotee will not be corrupt – by knowing God’s nature.

Ancient kings supported – the propagation of spiritual knowledge.

To propagate spiritual knowledge, – the sin is controlled fully.

Delay in suffering

... he may digest the divine knowledge and transform.

 

[Free]

Just because the Vedas are confused on who God is and is not does not mean that God is unknowable.

 

[dattaswami]

Even angels and sages cannot speak a single word about the n

Just because the Vedas are confused on who God is and is not does not mean that God is unknowable.

Science is very useful in rejecting any non-God item projected as God by the people who are ignorant of science. For that matter, not only science, even angels and sages cannot speak a single word about the nature of God. It is beyond words and can be best explained through silence only. Lord Dakshinamurthy who is considered to be the best incarnation of Shiva in preaching the spiritual knowledge to even angels and sages explains God through silence only (Maunavyakhya prakatita para brahma tattvam). Shankara used here the word Parabrahman and not the word Brahman. Any greatest item in a category can be called as Brahman. Parabrahman is a negative word indicating that God is not Brahman or God is beyond Brahman. Every word is denied in indicating God (Neti neti, Yato vachah.. Veda). The silence of Buddha is also the same. Buddha is also the best incarnation of Lord Vishnu to preach the spiritual knowledge. Science also keeps silent about God.

In the above prayer of Dakshinamurthy, even Shankara told that God cannot be explained by any word. How can you say that Shankara means the awareness or an individual soul is God? If the individual soul is unimaginable, then, you can say that the individual soul is God. You are the individual soul, which knows itself and items other than itself. Awareness cannot be ignorant of itself and other things also simultaneously.

In meditation awareness is ignorant of other things but it is aware of itself. In deep sleep it is neither aware of itself nor aware of other items because it remains as inert energy since the inert energy is not transformed into awareness due to resting nervous system. If you say such inert energy in deep sleep is God, then your argument that awareness is God is contradicted by yourself. You must note one important point here, which is that Shankara used the word Brahman for the individual soul and not the word Parabrahman. Since Brahman means any greatest item in a category, several items can be called as Brahman. Veda, food, life, mind, intelligence, knowledge, bliss, etc were called as Brahman in several places (Brahmaksharasamudbhavam, Annam Brahma, Prano Brahma, Mano Brahma, Vijnanam Brahma, Jnanamantam Brahma, Anando Brahma, etc). All these statements mean that these items are greatest among their own categories. Similarly, the individual soul is greatest among all the items of the creation due to its specific property of knowledge (Jnanitvatmaiva… Gita).

 

[Free]

For that matter, not only science, even angels and sages cannot speak a single word about the nature of God.

And yet you keep saying words about the nature of God. :gah

Your philosophy is very unconvincing, to say the least.

 

[dattaswami]

For that matter, not only science, even angels and sages cannot speak a single word about the nature of God.

And yet you keep saying words about the nature of God. :gah

Your philosophy is very unconvincing, to say the least.

Those properties are not inherent characteristics of God, they are only associated characteristics only.

 

[Rick W]

If you don't know God I think it best you repent and accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. :yes


1Thessalonians 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

2Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

1John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

1John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

 

[Rick W]

Christ himself said we will know God.

John 8:19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.


John 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

 

[Rick W]

Knowing God is one of the basic tenets of Christianity as the above scripture demonstrates.

 

[Rick W]

Over and over again we are told to know God. Scripture is full of this basic of Christian principles.

1Corinthians 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.


Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:


Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

 

[dattaswami]

If you don't know God I think it best you repen....th us[/u]; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

God comes in human form in every human generation to give His presence to us.

 

[Rick W]

John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.


John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.



John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.


John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

 

[dattaswami]

Unimaginable God and imaginable human form

John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.


John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.



John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.


John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The unimaginable God needs the imaginable human form as a medium for expressing Himself to His devotees. In the case of human incarnation of God also, you have only understood the existence of the unimaginable God and you have not imagined the nature of God as in the case of the limits of the Universe. You have only seen that the limits of space are beyond the sight and this does not mean that you have seen the limits of space. In all these examples, Maya (Unimaginable item) exists in the imaginable items to give a proof for its existence just like the unperceivable electricity exists in the perceivable metallic wire to give experience of its existence. The wire with electricity can be treated as the electricity itself and there is no other way than this to perceive the electricity. The electricity has to be treated as the wire containing electricity. But every wire is not electricity.

Therefore, the unimaginable Maya has to be treated as the imaginable world, which shows the unimaginable limits. This does not mean that every imaginable item in the world with definite limits is Maya. Therefore, this world can be treated as Maya (Mayamtu Prakrutim….Gita). Here the word Prakruti stands for the world with unimaginable limits and it does not stand for any imaginable item in the world with definite limits. Similarly, the person charged by God (human incarnation) can be treated as God but not every person. The world with unimaginable limits and human incarnation with unimaginable miracles can be treated as God (Viswam Vishnuh.., Vasudevah Sarvamiti…..) and this does not mean that the world or the human body of human incarnation itself is God (Avyaktam Vyaktimapannam…Gita).