We believe that all living beings and non-living things, fire, water, air, ether, the sun, the moon, the stars, the solar system, the entire Universe, in fact the endless Universes, have been created by god. But who is this God? The aim and purpose of this book is to import divine wisdom to every sincere seeker and to inculcate faith in the existence of the mysterious and invisible Creator or God
God Exists will guide you by scientific and then lead you by the scriptures. This book is meant to enlighten a sincere seeker, regardless of race, religion, caste or creed.
In India, it is often emphasised that philosophy should be not only a view of life, but also a way of Life. Philosophy is of course tatva darsana but its fundamental aspect is dharma-sadhana. The Indian mind is noted for its critical and reflective approach and it is always open to conviction. That is the reason why Indian philosophy presents a vast panorama which includes materialism, idealism, dualism, non-dualism, and realism as well as mysticism.
The concept of God has been the subject of objective analysis among the various philosophical systems. All philosophy is, in a sense, a quest after the Absolute. While some philosophers rest content with a plurality of absolutes, others look beyond them for the One Being, which is the Real of reals – satyasya atya. The purpose of Vedanta is to dispel ignorance and reveal the true nature of the Self as the Absolute. The Upanishads declare: 'The Self is Brahman - ayam atma brahma; that thou art, tat tvam asi, consciousness is Brahman, aham brahmasmi. These constitute the quintessential teachings of the Upanishads.
The Upanishads also teach that despite the apparent differences, the individual soul and the Universal spirit are one and the same reality. Sankara points out that 'when the world of maya is realised to be non-real, and the relational way of thinking is discarded, the absolute Reality stands revealed as the non-dual infinite Consciousness without even the least trace of difference' .
Philosophers point out that the concept of God will have no meaning unless the method to reach Him or to know Him has been found out. This is possible only if you know how to be in tune with Him. Once you are in tune with Him, you can then discover the means of being in communion with Him.
Vedanta philosophy gives us the basic concept of the oneness of God and it is from this perspective that one should look at religion. Let us create an awareness of the existence of God in order that either the fear of or faith in God can compel application of knowledge to the cause of humanity.
Uma Sriram has done a commendable job in bringing out this book, with clear precision, free from philosophical jargon. The topics chosen by her are meaningful and with deep insight she has analyzed the issues, drawing inspiration from the teachings of the saints and seers of India.
I take pleasure in commending this book to one and all who are imbued with the spirit to understand the cultural diversities in the emerging world, as we move towards the next millennium.
Life is a constant struggle for survival. In order to meet the basic needs of the body, viz., food, clothing and shelter, we engage in material pursuits. We direct all our energy towards acquiring them. Our life (education onwards) is planned and directed towards this achievement. In this process we become absorbed in the material life. For most of us, our way of life becomes materialistic, only to cater to creature comforts .. When we are confronted with problems we react upon the environment, making whatever material adjustments we believe may help. Sometimes we come to a point of saying, "Everything I have tried so far has failed. What to do next?" When we become helpless and desperate we begin to question the purpose of life, the meaning of life. "Does God really exist?" we ask. Yet among us, we find a few souls with deeper insight who make these queries through wisdom. Awed by nature's wonders, they seek to understand the hidden intelligence. Who made the flowers so beautiful? How are the petals so perfectly formed? How did they get tinged with such lovely colors? They reflect on the sun, the moon, the stars, the law, order and harmony in nature, the intelligence behind all life and the orderly cosmic existence. Thus some of us at some point of time, some early in life, some a little later, begin to seek the meaning of life and the existence of God.
Soon we discover that the answers to these questions are neither easily received nor easily comprehended.
God and life have remained a mystery for the majority of humanity. But the time has now come for humanity to uncover this mystery because of the great advance of science. Spiritual wisdom seems more fathomable through the scientific discoveries of the 20th century. It is this discovery and the joy that accompanied this knowledge that prompted the author to write this book.
Does God really exist? Is there one God or more than one God? If God really exists why doesn't He reveal Himself? What is the purpose and meaning of life? What is Self-realization? The aim of this book is to provide insight into such commonly raised questions. Only the scriptures and great saints can provide convincing answers to these questions. Hence the author has gathered the answers from the teachings of great saints and also from the Vedic scriptures of the Hindus to the extent possible. (No personal ideas of the author have been expressed. )
Although the effort belongs to this ego, the inspiration, the guidance and the knowledge were provided by the masters of wisdom and the Lord Himself.
Effort has been made to present the spiritual wisdom in the simplest possible manner, in order to reach all those who desire to know God. Nevertheless, we must remember that knowledge cannot be acquired without sufficient effort.
However intelligent, qualified, knowledgeable and aged we may be, even to study high school Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics we require preparation of the mind, sufficient motivation and enough effort. Needless to say preparation, motivation and sincere effort will be required to be put in, to understand God.
May the divine grace and blessings flow on all those who seek the Truth.
Humanity has taken a giant leap with the revelations of science in the 20th century. Developments in computer science and satellite technology have revolutionized communications enabling visual images, codes and signals to be transmitted almost instantly to any part of the globe or even into space. This has led to revolutionary developments in all dimensions of life, resulting in the shrinking of the world. Technology also enables robots on the moon to be remote controlled from the earth.
The most profound outcome of these developments is the clear understanding of the inter-connectedness in invisible space.
This aspect of inter-connectedness in space has also been established in another field of science called quantum physics. According to the physicists, when an atom is broken 10 to 100 million times smaller, it is in the form of pure potential energy which is all pervading. This finding reveals that solid matter in another dimension (at a subtler level) exists as pure energy or what appears as energy in one dimension appears solid in another dimension to our senses.
According to Einstein, matter is nothing but energy in a high state of motion. [Energy becomes atoms and then molecules and then matter.] Energy vibrating at an immensely high rate appears as the table or chair or as any solid matter which is nothing but an illusion when perceived through the senses.
One may wonder how the one same energy manifests as varied matter. Scientists say the difference in appearance and properties is specially due to the atomic structure with the positive and negative charges, the different wave lengths and amplitudes. For ego coal and diamond are two absolutely different products of the same element carbon.
Any solid matter, we know from science, in reality is only a bundle of atoms, vibrating at a very high rate. It appears solid due to our limitations in perception alone. Just as a fan in motion appears as a round disc to our eyes, the table or chair appears solid due to our limitations in perception. In reality it is a bundle of atoms with an immensely high rate of vibration.
Thus through science, we are able to look at the world of matter, energy and the microcosm and from a scientific stand- point we can now clearly state that what appears as the world to us is only relative reality (Mithya).
Vedic scriptures go beyond subtle energy and point out that energy that is all pervading is subtle but the subtlest is the Substratum, which becomes energy through vibration or the process of 'becoming'. This Substratum or Spirit from which the entire universe gets created is Brahman or God the Creator. (The idea is difficult to conceive initially because we have always imagined God and judged Him by the standard of our own limited mental capacity.) ,
The Universe, according to the scriptures, is relative reality (Mithya), but Brahman, the Substratum, is Absolute Reality (Satya). In darkness the snake is an illusion, the phantom of the rope. Rope is reality. Similarly the world is the phantom, the substratum is Reality, the only, Truth. The spider creates the web out of material from its own body. The spider is the intelligent cause and the material cause of the web. Similarly, Brahman is the intelligent cause and the material cause of the entire creation.
The spider and the web are dual but in the case of God, He becomes the Universe and all that exists. The world is not different from God. The sentient being and the Consciousness (Chit) is God and the insentient matter (Sat) is also God. Whatever we perceive as the Universe is God. Man in essence is God. The Universe in essence is also God.
The scriptures have all the while been unfathomable but the 20th century revelations of science have taken us closer to God and closer to Reality. Humanity is on the threshold of spirituality
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