Describing the Indescribable

Even the most hypocritical religious dogmatist has probably asked himself at some time, "What is God?", and there probably isn't a man on this earth who is so firmly convinced that there is no God that this question has never come to his mind. Here then we have a vital question of universal appeal. Where is our answer? In whom should we place confidence in our search for knowledge of the Divine? No man has failed to feel within himself the need for greater enlightenment, but very few are willing to seek it.

There are a hundred answers to every attempted question and so are there a hundred different religious groups that might answer our original question, but-which answer or answers are right? By what measure are we to judge the authority of our teachers in this most vital subject? The only way to test the theory is to hold it up to experience.

Theory alone is non-productive in any given line of thought. Systematic practice of the theory, however, should produce results in accordance with the prognosis of the theorist. If the theory is truly practiced and then the practice is at last found to militate against the theory, the theory may safely be renounced.

If we were to attempt to follow the many practices propounded by all religious sects, we could devote a lifetime of effort without even scratching the outer surface of the vast number of theories. Hence, our wisest procedure is to eliminate the thought of confirming or denying the validity of all teachings, inasmuch as we are not primarily interested in them. Our first and greatest desire is to determine or negate the existence of this God to which Religion has harnessed her tenets.

When a man looks upon the canvas, Empire State Building or the Golden Gate Bridge, he admires the structure, and perhaps thinks of how skilled the architect must have been. It would be absurd for him to imagine that these structures came about by chance; yet when he looks at the even greater beauty of trees, of stars or of his fellow man, how is he able to imagine that these structures came about by chance? Surely there must be a Divine Creator whose skilled hand i at some time in the past, formed and imbued these things with life and established the order so apparent in the Universe.

It is annoying to a man of reason to meet one of those curious individuals who consistently tries to prove to you that you do not exist. He attacks your existence on the grounds that you, not knowing your origin, are at a loss to prove it. Nevertheless, you are at this moment conscious of yourself, hence at this moment you exist. The paradox of the whole thing is that he, in his very attempt to prove to you that you do not exist, asserts your existence. Knowing of, or realizing your present existence is, as I will show you, all the proof you need that there must also be in existence a God-call It what you will.

This cause cannot be yourself, for you would have made yourself perfect. This cause, then, must be either another finite being or an Infinite being, God. Suppose it were another finite being. Would he not also have need of a cause?

His cause would also need a cause and that a cause, etc., on into infinity. There must have been an Original Cause and as I have pointed out previously, this Cause must have been perfect. What then is a Perfect Cause? It is none other than what we call God. One of the attributes of perfection as we define it is eternal existence.. Hence, God exists eternally. Having, I think, proven the existence of this Creator, let us turn to the problem of the Creation and see if we can ascertain anything as to the nature of God.

Having reflected upon creation, let us now review and see what we have found to be the nature of God. First, we found that he was Infinite; second, we found Him to be Perfect; third, we found Him to be the Universe; fourth, we found Him to be a threefold Force, that is, a Physical, a Mental, and a Spiritual Force. Realizing now that we ourselves are manifestations of God, let us examine the nature of God within us, which has been called the Atman.

The Atman, to begin with, is Eternal. This may be proved in much the same manner as we proved God to be eternal, and may also be proved by science. Science has made the observation that nothing can be created or destroyed So it is with the Atman. Secondly, the Atman is ever-conscious. Let us imagine for a moment that the Atman is not conscious. Would It then exist? No, for the very concept of existence on the mental or spiritual plane, implicitly demands the attribute of Consciousness. We may define consciousness as mental existence.

Lastly, the Atman is Blissful, for how can a thing be eternally conscious, aware of the laws of the Universe and unchanging, yet not be blissful? Bliss is nothing less than spiritual existence. The very notion of instability or change implies a state of restlessness or a lack of blissfulness. As the Atman is defined as eternal, clearly it must be unchanging as the two words are, for practical purposes, synonyms. If the Atman is unchanging, clearly it must be blissful for that is the nature of unchanging Consciousness.

The Atman is the one stable element of ourselves. It is, in the language of the Christians, the Soul. If you will only remember your nature, you will ever be blissful as long as you can link your consciousness with the Eternal Consciousness of the Atman.

That all-sufficient life, primal, life in One, who can regard it without longing, disdainful of all else? Other forms of life are lightless, petty, poor, gloomy, unclean. . . . For evil is here, where life is a copy and mind a shadow. It is there that the Good is, holding all good, the pure Idea itself . . . . . -Plotinus.