The people of India has been seeking the face of God (Brahman) in Creation since time immemorial. "By the Yoga of meditation and contemplation the wise saw the power of God, hidden in the creation." (Penguin Classic, Svetasvata Upanishad, p85) Creation is seen as an emanation from Brahman, part of his being --"Glory be to that God who is in the fire, who is in the waters, who is in plants and in trees, who is in all things in this vast creations." (Svetasvata Upanishad, p88)

But if the human Self (Atman) is divine, why is it so difficult to achieve union with Brahman?

In yogic philosophy, the true Self, the divine Self is obscured by "ignorance" meaning that it has become identified with the physical body, with our possessions, with our thoughts, with our personalities. So to discover the true Self the soul must go beyond sense knowledge, analogical reasoning and abstract thought. "He [Brahman] comes to the thought of those who know him beyond thought, not to those who imagine he can be attained by thought." In realizing the true Self and union with Brahman man begins to experience joy, peace and harmony with other creatures in the universe. "We might describe it as a sudden, intense, and joyous perception of God immanent in the universe; of the divine beauty and unutterable power and splendour of that larger life in which the individual is immersed, and of a new life to be lived by the self in correspondence with this now dominant fact of existence." (Web ebook: Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism p. 130) In the final stage of Indian spiritual tradition the mystic can express Braham by negation. Brahamn is Unborn, Undying, Unchanging, Unmoving, Unmanifest, Immeasurable, Invisible and Infinite. The only positive quality he can attach to Bahaman is existence, or Pure Being. (Deepa Chopra, How to Know God, Runnig Press, Philadelphia, 2000, pp. 88-89)

 

Lao Tsu, the 6th century mystic of China describes the process thus: "Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind rest at peace. Ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of a nature. ... Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao. Being at one with the Tao is eternal. And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away." (Tao Te Ching, 16)

Those who have achieved union with Brahman in this life merge with the Divine Being at death like a drop of water in the vast sea of Eternal Consciousness. Personal identity is lost. The universe and God are One. All is One. This is Pantheism. The mystic experience is valid but the metaphysical conclusions reached are in error.

Despite or because of its pantheistic perspective reading the Upanishads can help us realize how wonderful God manifold presence in his creation is. But the story does not end with the Upanishads because God entered his creation by taking on the form of man as St. John tells us, "And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:14) He brings to an end the fear of Reincarnation as stated in the Upanishads, "When he is seen in his immanence and transcendence, then the ties that have bound the heart are unloosened, the doubts of the mind vanish, and the law of Karma works no more." (Mundaka Upanishad, Part II, 2)

 

6. The Human Face of God