Neither is a god overseeing and granting favors as we desire nor is the intellect alone capable of delivering the desired result. The result is already existing the moment its need is perceived and the mind knows it. All we have to do is take away the reactive self to allow for the no-mind or consciousness to operate. That’s why it is stated in Zen – every ? has an answer and every answer results in a ? as long as the mind is in operation. The tao of Zen is to reach the no-mind and experience the perfection that inherently exists in creation and which is only clouded by the mind. Coz for the universe to exist cyclically (to avoid stagnation and provide for continuous change which alone gives novelty to things we otherwise will take for granted; in other words uncertainty is the only certain principle in the universe) the resolution of all the constituents of universe need to be in harmony though in pockets it may seem to be in disharmony.
That’s the reason lovers, poets and artists create their own heaven since they live their life in glee abandon with little or no reason, thus limit the rational side of the mind and almost live in no-mind. This is the reason lovers live in a different reality more closer to the source whose nature is love and peace. And so do artists (Monalisa) achieve a surreal but eternal impression whose source is other than just of the mind. It reflects the true harmony of the creation itself. Analysts can then put in reason and find what are the factors contributing to the effectiveness of a creation but let it be understood that the creator himself didn’t put much thought to the metrics of the creation, he just allowed creativity to flow through himself by intuition.
The concept of GOD is needed to nullify the Ego or sense of doing which gets limited to the extent of ones awareness. When the reactive state is taken out we live in the here and now. To be in this state is akin to living like a GOD since the whole creation will be in synchronicity. It only gets better when the seeds of impressions from the past are dissolved by reconciling with them (vipasana uses the observation of body sensations without reaction to clear the mental impressions in the body, while Hubbard found that impressions left while in the womb affect the present personality and these need to be resolved to reach a CLEAR state, past life regression is used to clear the impressions of previous lives in the soul’s ongoing journey and so on). The whole purpose of any method is to release the conditioning of the mind and set it free. Since a free mind can again get sullied, various religions sought different regimes (8 fold path, holy books, Scientology principles, etc.) to maintain the pristine state of the mind.
Here it is to be understood that the religion does not define us, rather, it is a means to stop defining oneself and thus reach Godhood.
Thus fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism in the name of religion or GOD is against the very definition of religion.
Since the essence of all religions is but the same- to reach the religion of humanity, let us endeavor to start the new year 2010 in the spirit of brotherhood. That should be the motto of the 10th year of the 21st century- to progress from one or 1 to Zero or 0 and thus become one with the universe.
