Section 19: Pursuing the God Within
As I wrote this title, an image of a pilgrimage scene in Tibet came to mind. Pilgrims persevere on winding desert roads, bowing down and standing up like waves, demonstrating their devotion and piety through physical endurance and hardship. Traveling from one's hometown to Lhasa is a major event that one must undertake in their lifetime to pay homage to the deity worshipped by their ancestral community.
While I admire the pilgrims, I realize that no matter how much they physically exert themselves, they cannot reach where the deity resides because the deity does not dwell in the material world. Instead, the deity can only be perceived by looking inward, by stopping prostrations, sitting by the side of the road, and contemplating.
No one has truly seen the deity, but our ancestors perceived the deity and worshipped Him. How did primitive humans perceive the deity in their ignorance? It turns out that the consciousness of perceiving the deity comes from the deity.
The consciousness shared by the God with us contains elements of "wisdom" that can help us understand the logic of how God operates in nature and proves the common origin of humans and God.
Apart from humans, no other creatures on Earth possess the intelligence that connects them to God, so it is not necessary for survival. So why do humans possess intelligence? I think it is because the universe needs observers to have meaning, so God shares His wisdom with us.
In addition to wisdom, God also endowed humans with creativity.
People are reincarnated into the world with their seven emotions and six desires. They weave stories within their emotions and are inspired by these stories. Without creativity, there would be no Shakespearean dramas, Beethoven's symphonies, or Van Gogh's paintings, as these are things that cannot be created by the God of nature.
We often hear writers say, "My thoughts are flowing like a fountain!" and painters say, "This is a divinely inspired brushstroke!" But are these inspirations solely personal in origin?
I believe that the consciousness of great writers or artists is connected to the "collective unconscious" and linked to the beauty of God. Otherwise, why would the poems of Li Bai and Du Fu be recited for thousands of years, and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" be loved everywhere?
The desire for "creation," "learning," "performance," and "self-achievement" are all intertwined, and this is the driving force that God has given humanity to develop civilization.
Human beings constantly use these forces to create nations, religions, classes, power, money, technology, business, etc., decorating the material stage with a plethora of colors. We, who come on stage with our seven emotions and six desires, compete among numerous roles. Some pursue endless glory and wealth, while others can only struggle to make ends meet.
Therefore, in the process of competition, God plants the seeds of pure desires in our inner consciousness. However, the fertile soil of our self-consciousness is mixed with the seedlings of wealth, power, selfishness, greed, competition, etc., which gradually grow into a dense forest.
In this forest, each person's life story is nurtured, and stories are the purpose of the universe's existence. Emotions generated by desires such as joy, anxiety, happiness, sadness, admiration, jealousy, gratitude, resentment, satisfaction, disappointment, excitement, anger, pride, inferiority, and more, are the paper and ink that compose the story.
No one else but yourself is qualified to comment on your story, as everything depends on one's perspective. Emotions are not inherently good or bad, as long as they can be controlled.
However, negative emotions generated by the desire for gain and loss are real physiological reactions that can lead to severe imbalance if left unaddressed. This can make us tired, helpless, empty, and even seriously ill. At this point, our most primal instinct seeks peace of mind through God.
Although God is always in our hearts, it is not always easy to connect with Him. The forest of desires and emotions in our hearts separates us from God. To cross the forest and find where God is, we need a "happiness compass." This compass is constructed by installing a "happiness" pointer on the base of "self-awareness."
God is always in the direction of happiness.
We must deeply self-reflect and have the courage to face our own unhappiness or fears. What role am I playing that causes my unhappiness? Is it the role in my work or in my family? Is it the nature of the role or the problems in my relationships? Do I know what I want? Am I living for myself or for the roles I play? Am I trapped in the framework of conventional values?
There are too many aspects to be aware of, so reading some of Adler's philosophy and a few relevant books from Dr. Hsu Tien-sheng can be a helpful guide. Summon up courage and determination, move towards happiness, and have strong faith, as faith will create the reality you desire.
On the way to happiness, you may need to trim some obstructive branches or even vigorously cut down one or two big trees. If you encounter obstacles that are difficult to remove, turn your thoughts, adjust your perspective, and recalibrate the frequency between happiness and obstacles, trying to make them coexist as much as possible.
But at least once in your life, before your dying moments, untie the knots causing unhappiness in your heart instead of abandoning them. Return to your true self, let the God within embrace you, be completely at peace, and prepare to rest.
"Rest" is the perfect ending to a lifetime. In the next life, there will be new desires, new emotions, and new stories.
The soul does not come to this world to eradicate all desires. If that were the case, then the many souls that have reincarnated dozens of times should have already become "sages" who do not indulge in worldly pleasures, but we hardly encounter them in our daily lives. So, each reincarnation is for self-fulfillment, for the story, and for love and happiness, not solely for spiritual cultivation. We abide by moral and legal norms in different times and spaces, without harming others. Muslims may practice polygamy, while some cultures may practice walking marriages, each living their own lives and having their own stories.
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