Tag: god

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The Rock

The people of the village always approached the master when they had troubling questions. He would always listen and respond to each in a way that brought great understanding and enlightenment.

There was only one topic that he would avoid and that was the topic of God. When people would begin to ask, “Is there a God?” or “Why is God so unfair?” and so on, he would excuse himself and walk away from the conversation.

Then someone asked him, “Why is it that when people start asking you about God, you refuse to answer them?”

“Do you see that rock there by the tree?” said the master.

“Yes,” replied the man.

“Can you tell me why it exists — what is its purpose for being?” said the master.

“Um…no,” said the man.

“Then I trust I have answered your question,” finished the master.

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Be a Mirror

The preacher said, “The best thing that we can do is to leave everything in God’s hands. Realize that only he knows what is best for us. Don’t insist on your way but let God decide your path.”

photo courtesy of aloshbennet, Flickr
photo courtesy of aloshbennet, Flickr

Replied the master, “If I followed your advice, I would wake up everyday and do nothing. What you are seemingly advocating as courageous faith is really a cowardly act of avoiding responsibility. What your God would probably want you to do is to have some spine and own up to the decisions you make. Realize that whatever happens to you is no one’s fault but your own (yes, it’s not even God’s fault even though you’re too afraid to admit that you blame him). Realize too, that nothing is ever good or bad. It is only within a particular situation or frame of reference that they are good or bad for you.”

“This is the key to wisdom: Be a mirror. A mirror reflects but never judges whether what is reflected is beautiful or ugly. It simply shows reality as it is. Be a mirror. Be silent. Judge not.”

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Robbing God of His Glory

The master and his disciples walked past a small gathering. A preacher was in the middle of the crowd and he declared, “We should be dismayed that God is robbed of his glory in this sinful world where people slander him and worship all sorts of idols.”

Photo courtesy of David Sifry, Flickr
Photo courtesy of David Sifry, Flickr

Later, the master remarked to his disciples, “If this God is indeed so great and powerful, I don’t understand how he can be robbed of his glory. Saying that God is robbed of his glory is like saying that you contaminate the entire ocean by pissing on the beach.”

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Surrender

The seeker approached the master and said, “I am ready to give up everything in order to find out the truth about God. I will give up my job, my money, my family, everything. Tell me, what must I do?”

“That is all well and good but there is one more thing you must give up for you to continue you quest,” said the master.

“And what is that?” said the seeker.

“You must give up your beliefs about God,” said the master.

“But why? I am trying to find God and you tell me to give up my belief?” said the seeker. He was shocked at the idea.

The master replied, “Your belief, your concept about God is the very thing that is hindering you from seeing him. Every time you say or hear the word ‘God’, it conforms to what you believe God to be. But a God who is contained in your definition about him is not the real God. A God who can reside in the finite space of your mind cannot be the infinite God.”

“Drop all your concepts of God. See reality as it is, unfiltered by the colored lenses of your beliefs. That is the only time true seeking can begin.” concluded the master.

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A Finger Pointing to the Moon

photo courtesy of scol22, sxc.hu
photo courtesy of scol22, sxc.hu

When the sage points to the moon, the idiot looks at the finger.”

Experts come and study the nature of the finger. They form theories and doctrines around it. They organize the Church of the Finger and create rules and laws about how the finger should point, when it should point and in what angle it should point.

Amidst all this, they do not see the moon.

Scriptures and religions are all pointers. The Bible is not God, and the Koran is not God. People have built entire belief systems and organizations, have fought wars and endured torture and hardships, for the sake of furthering their beliefs.

But they have missed God.