God is the cause of the phenomena of life
God is the cause of the phenomena of life
God is such a loaded word!
Abused and misunderstood over centuries.
Present tense, here and now.
Unaware of the nature of our own mind, we cannot help but to separate God and man, Hu-man.us
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
"Man's device" is your own thinking and feeling on behalf of your "me" that can only live and survive in mental activity.
All our ideas, feelings and thoughts about God are idols -- mental pictures in our finite mind. Idols distract us from the benevolent presence of God.
Not a Santa Claus God elsewhere, but Life itself at the core of your Being, here and now; your eternal source of supply, inspiration, energy, intelligence, imperturbable peace and unconditional fulfilment.
A huge stumbling block is the deep rooted idea that knowing God is dependent on the passing away of existence.
Present tense, here and now.
The "unclean thing" is your own faulty thinking, memory, expectation, worry, anxiety, guilt, shame, blame, attachment to outcome; all the ideas we project and entertain about ourselves, life and God.
In prayer/meditation we rest our attention and let it dissolve in Awareness -- the place of the most high -- in the Presence of God.
Could it be that simple?
Yes!
"Ya but...", our invested and confused personality is afraid to let go of its efforting, doing and trying so hard; until we understand the simple mechanism of identity and suffering in ourselves.
"little child" -- not childish, but hungry to learn; fresh, innocent, asking authentic questions, unburdened by second-hand knowledge and hearsay. Not intimidated by authority.
"kingdom" -- simply being our natural state, free of egoic resistance, in synchronicity with Life/God/Harmony.
"heaven" -- Awareness, inner space, peace, independent of circumstance.