Tuesday, March 6, 2007

1) Basic thoughts

"Blessed is he who knows in truth that we are but tools in God's hands; that it is God who affects within us all ascetic practice and contemplation, virtue and spiritual knowledge, victory and wisdom, goodness and truth; and that to all this we contribute nothing at all except a disposition that desires what is good."

Now, this is a quote, and I think it is from St. Maximos the Confessor, Various Texts on Theology, the Divine Economy and Virtue and Vice, Third Century #28: 580-662 A.D. This is a reference I found for it on the internet, but I didn't write down the reference when I copied the quote, as at the time it was for personal reference, with no thought whatsoever of quoting it to others. Going on from that . . .

The converse is also equally true, and the whole of it means that all in this created universe is predetermined, and we, each of us, are but one singular witness to this. That one singular existence is that which is referred to as "God", and is Infinite Consciousness. That witness is perceiving His/Her/It's creation through the multitude of seemingly individual beings within creation. This creation we experience as individuals is one magnificent image projected within the infinite consciousness of that singular Being, much as thoughts exist within the "individuals' " minds.

This means that you, myself, and each and every aspect of existence is nothing other than the Infinite Consciousness we refer to as "God", manifesting all that "exists" as a sort of thought, and is therefore nothing but that Infinite Consciousness itself. "God".

The sole purpose of all true religions and of all spiritual teachings and practices is to bring the individual to the realization of that Truth, that we are "God". Within the Hindu tradition (properly called "Sanatan Dharma"), this is called "God Realization"; within Buddhism, "Nibbana" (the Pali word - Sanskrit is "Nirvana"); and within Christianity as "Union with God". Other faiths have various other terms for this.

This is the bottom line of all religions and spiritual teachings.

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