Chapter 2

Ok, first things first. When you envision God, what do you see? Do you see God as a physical form, such as you and I appear? Or do you envision purity, non-form, only spirit? Perhaps when you think of God, you don’t picture him as anything specific, but everywhere, and in everything. Spirit within you and in all that is around you.

No matter what you envision, no matter what you see, the one thing that we know for sure is, God is the purest form of any vision that we can ever have. He is love, light, peace, and happiness; perfection, whole and complete.

As I said earlier, one of the best things is each and every one of us is part of that perfection; we are all whole and complete. We are all God walking, as we are directly connected to God.

For some, this concept seems impossible. It is hard to connect God to more than just being in church, prayer, or special holidays. For us to say that we have a direct connection to God is simply unbelievable. Even those that see us as spirit can not accept that that is direct connection to God, as most people tend to think of God as being on the outside, and never within; never who we are.

Those that do recognize that spirituality within either don’t fully understand it, or don’t want to accept it. Rather than accept that we live in God at all times, they prefer to allow the separation. Separate our spirit world, from the world we live in. And sometimes, people can’t allow themselves that.

Others correlate church or other religious places with God. If I go to church, then I am with God. Never would they even think that God is within.

The reason lies in the fact that people perceive the world on the outside to be radically different from the world within. Never putting two and two together; never making the connection. Those that contemplate spirit that is.

Many tend to see God as an outside influence, staring back at us as we pray to him. Never fully realizing that we never have to look far for God, for he is within.

Others prefer the world of practicality, to the world that can be felt and only seldom seen. This is the way the world works nowadays. The proof is in the pudding isn’t it? You’ve got to see it to believe it. So they never attempt to relate the world outside and inside as one, or as two sides of the same coin.

It is upon first experiencing the world outside that we should start experiencing the world inside too, rather than completely abandoning what is within. If things were allowed to be as a natural force, without outside influences, the majority would experience this inner world on their own, never once needing the idea to be introduced. It is only natural that you would look within. It is the society that teaches us otherwise.

Unfortunately that is what most people do nowadays. They experience everything outside, but don’t even acknowledge the existence of a world within.

Although becoming one with the divine has been sought after by people since we started walking around on this beautiful planet of ours. We all know that there is something else out there, yet because of the fact that we don’t put two and two together, we remain disconnected. We continue our search for something else; a lover, best friend, group, or organization. We always want to connect with something or someone, all the while, never fully satisfied.

Why though? How is it that we can be around so many people, and yet still feel so alone? Why are we never at peace? Why does it always seem like something is missing?

It is because, we feel our true self, our spirituality inside of us, but due to several reasons, we don’t accept it, or even realize that that spirituality is what we feel. Our surroundings have conditioned us to forget who we truly are.

So as a result we continue to be disconnected from the true self within. The only thing clear to us is what we see; cars, houses, and any other material that drive us. If we are lucky we have children or some other loved one that we can put to the forefront of our lives. Maybe, if we are even luckier we love ourselves enough to know that we are just as important as another would be, and begin to work on being the best we can be. But sometimes, we don’t even have that. We walk a lonely world, looking for that something to make us feel whole, to take us back to whom we really are.

Many turn to alcohol and drugs to remove the loneliness. These things tend to take us away from the dramas and anxieties of life. They allow us to sit in relaxation and happiness for a short time. This is great, but it is only for a temporary amount of time. It never lasts. You can be in your most tranquil state after having a glass of wine or two. But the second the alcohol wears off, you are back to the same position that you were in, before you drank. Not that I believe there is anything wrong with drinking or drugs; everyone is on their own path to becoming the individual that makes them them. But the fact remains we are constantly searching for a different state; a peaceful calm state that is not arisen normally on a day to day basis. This state is a peaceful knowing, everyday bliss. It is a state of continuous peace that comes when we are directly connected to God.

So what stops us from connecting? What is it that keeps us away from the peace that we are? Why are we suffering?

There is one thing to blame for this; our mind! It causes the illusion of disconnection in the first place.  The mind is a part of you that is not part of you. It is far separate. It is that part of you that argues and projects negativity. God is not mind. God is nothing negative. God is of love; god is love.

Lack of love can equate to fear, anger, anxiety, depression, and hate. All attributes which come from the mind, the body. The mere utterance of these words produces negative feelings within the body. This is of the mind. The mind takes one thought and turns it into feeling. Disconnection comes when one forgets who he really is and allows the mind to take control.

God is not a person. He is not body or mind. He is spirit, a state of being. He is peace, he is love, he is happiness. And we are a piece of that happiness. We are spirit, just as God is. The only difference is we are composed of a bit more. We have body and mind, where as God does not. He is pure spirit. We have just forgotten along the way. We only need to remember, and then we can connect.

We have mind and body, but God doesn’t need one. Spirit lives on without all of the extras. The mind and the body are necessary miracles for living in this world. They are even more of a miracle if one can integrate spirit into that miracle. Problems lie in the fact that we separate these attributes.

Our mind is the reason that we think we are not connected directly to God. Some call it the ego, but I prefer using the term ‘mind’. The mind’s importance is of great magnitude. It is so powerful, so strong, and so important. It can be so good, yet so bad at the same time. I mean, come on. We need our mind. Our mind allows us to do everyday necessary things; things such as homework, our jobs, walking, talking, eating, and any other thing that requires body. Yet it can go from one place to another, anywhere, faster than anything else. One of Gods greatest glories! But it can also be our biggest downfall. For with the mind, comes sorrow, fear, and disconnection from the only true thing there is; spirit.

God is spirit. Some find this statement hard to believe. The concept of a God without a mind or body is not fathomable. But God doesn’t have a mind or body because he doesn’t need one! He just is; pure spirit.

One of the reasons some do not fully understand this concept is because, we tend to bring God down to a human level. We say he is angry, jealous, and hateful. We put these emotions on him because we just figure, if we are these things than that is he as well. But this is not so. The mind and the body are necessary for the human. They are necessary in order to live in the physical.

As I stated earlier, the mind is a wonderful tool to deduce, systemize, and contemplate. It is necessary to do the every day things that humans do; eat, sleep, and exercise. But to be that image that we were made in, body and mind is not necessary. Remember, these elements are only necessary to live in this world, the physical.

The purpose of the mind is for deduction, systemizing, and contemplation. Why would God need to contemplate? Deduce? Systemize? Only humans need to do these things. God is pure. To be unconditional love, you must not include the mind. The mind is a hindrance.

Let us use Jesus as an example. Many agree to the fact that Jesus was God walking. Jesus did things without thought. He never needed to think about things. He just did them. As Jesus, God doesn’t react, he just is. When one reads about Jesus, all you see are attributes of peace, love and compassion. We are that as well.

Our mind has the power to analyze anything put in front of us. We look at someone and right away, place a tag upon them. We think to ourselves, gosh, “she’s pretty,” or “gosh, those pants are too tight.” Regardless of whether these thoughts are as termed “positive,” or “negative,” it is the mind that creates them.

The mind is working all the time. It never stops. The only time that it stops its analytical function, is when you are sleeping. When you sleep, the mind has no power to analyze. It is resting, along with the rest of your body.

This is why a lot of times, when we are suffering due to whatever reason, a break up, death, embarrassment, we always tend to want to go to sleep. We always want to make it so the mind stops working.

Although we have forgotten who we are, we seem to understand a little bit of what’s going on. Sleep equals peace. What we don’t know, or understand, fully, a lot of times, peace equals God; direct connection to God.

Does that make sense? I mean, peace equals God. When we are at peace, we are one with spirit. Being one with spirit, is being one with God. The mind is no where to be found. At that time, we are one with peace. There is no worry, fear or suffering.

For it is the suffering that disconnects us from who we really are. The problem is the mind never allows us to be at peace. We are lucky to have a few moments, without any type of suffering. Whether it is due to a quarrel with our lover, money problems or something as simple as having to clean our house, peace is not experienced all the time.

In order to connect with God, one must be what God is. What is God again? God is spirit. What are the attributes of spirit? Spirit is love, peace and happiness; stillness. So in order to connect with God on a constant basis, one must always sit in love. No matter what facet of love you choose, being in love is being in God.

You’re probably thinking, “Ok, so what you’re saying is that a person can be without suffering? One can live without experiencing fear and anger on a daily basis?”

Yes! Remember what God is not, and strive to be all that God is. God is love. Become one with God, by becoming one with love. Once you master this, you are no longer a victim of your body, but a product of your own choices, your own resolutions. There are many ways to get in the habit of being one with God all the time. And being one with God, removes pain from the equation.

It sounds wonderful doesn’t it, the fact that we can remove suffering from our lives on a permanent basis?

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).