Atheist: You seem to believe that God exists. Then you should be able to show me God.
Theist: Sorry, I do not 'posses' God as if God were an object; so I can not 'show' God to you.
Atheist: Do you know what God is?
Theist: For me, this world is God in manifest form. When we see the world, we don't see God and when we don't see the world, we will see God. It is like water - when it is liquid, it is not ice and when it is ice, it is not liquid!
Atheist: But what exactly are you pursuing?
Theist: My belief, what sages have been saying for eons, is that the phenomenal world is not real; it is an illusion. One must not get entrapped by it; one must make the effort to get away from it's allure. So, I am not not 'pursuing' anything that I can show you. Rather, I am trying to get away from what is unreal in order to experience the real.
It is like seeing the reflection of the sun in water and believing it to be the sun. Only when you turn your eyes away from the water and towards the sky will you realize that the sun is up there. Or like believing that the image in the mirror is you and then turning away from the mirror to discover who you truly are.
Atheist: But isn't that naive? What if you are chasing a mirage in your search for an imagined God?
Theist: A dear chases a mirage because it 'sees' water when it is thirsty. I am not 'seeing' anything in the distance. I am simply disillusioned by what I am experiencing with my body, mind and ego in the physical world. It is so evanescent and transitory, yet so engaging. My mission is to get away from it in the faith that it will lead me to something better, something real and absolutely true. It is when you are immersed in worldly ways, that you are chasing a mirage!
Atheist: I can't take your word for it. Give me some proof of God's existence.
Theist: When you ask for proof, you mean the 'triputi' of seer (you), the seen (God) and the process of seeing. But God does not fit into this kind of 'triputi'. The only way to get proof of God is by merging with God, by becoming God. It is like a salt doll wanting to experience the ocean. The moment it goes for a feel of the ocean, it is no more it's erstwhile limited existence. It becomes the ocean itself.
Atheist: Perhaps, but surely, there must be some other way of convincing me of God's existence.
Theist: I am afraid not. Faith is the only instrument that can give you a measure of God. Nothing else can work. Just like a micrometer and not a foot rule is the right instrument to measure the thickness of a sheet of paper.
Atheist: Okay. Suppose I grant all of what you are saying. But, just consider what happens in case you do not experience God. Would you not then repent for having missed out on what the world has to offer?
Theist: Absolutely not because this world does not charm me anymore. I have nothing to seek in the world of objects. So, there can be no question of 'missing out' on anything. I am distancing myself from it of my own accord.
Taken from "Speaking Tree" section of TOI.
Theist: Sorry, I do not 'posses' God as if God were an object; so I can not 'show' God to you.
Atheist: Do you know what God is?
Theist: For me, this world is God in manifest form. When we see the world, we don't see God and when we don't see the world, we will see God. It is like water - when it is liquid, it is not ice and when it is ice, it is not liquid!
Atheist: But what exactly are you pursuing?
Theist: My belief, what sages have been saying for eons, is that the phenomenal world is not real; it is an illusion. One must not get entrapped by it; one must make the effort to get away from it's allure. So, I am not not 'pursuing' anything that I can show you. Rather, I am trying to get away from what is unreal in order to experience the real.
It is like seeing the reflection of the sun in water and believing it to be the sun. Only when you turn your eyes away from the water and towards the sky will you realize that the sun is up there. Or like believing that the image in the mirror is you and then turning away from the mirror to discover who you truly are.
Atheist: But isn't that naive? What if you are chasing a mirage in your search for an imagined God?
Theist: A dear chases a mirage because it 'sees' water when it is thirsty. I am not 'seeing' anything in the distance. I am simply disillusioned by what I am experiencing with my body, mind and ego in the physical world. It is so evanescent and transitory, yet so engaging. My mission is to get away from it in the faith that it will lead me to something better, something real and absolutely true. It is when you are immersed in worldly ways, that you are chasing a mirage!
Atheist: I can't take your word for it. Give me some proof of God's existence.
Theist: When you ask for proof, you mean the 'triputi' of seer (you), the seen (God) and the process of seeing. But God does not fit into this kind of 'triputi'. The only way to get proof of God is by merging with God, by becoming God. It is like a salt doll wanting to experience the ocean. The moment it goes for a feel of the ocean, it is no more it's erstwhile limited existence. It becomes the ocean itself.
Atheist: Perhaps, but surely, there must be some other way of convincing me of God's existence.
Theist: I am afraid not. Faith is the only instrument that can give you a measure of God. Nothing else can work. Just like a micrometer and not a foot rule is the right instrument to measure the thickness of a sheet of paper.
Atheist: Okay. Suppose I grant all of what you are saying. But, just consider what happens in case you do not experience God. Would you not then repent for having missed out on what the world has to offer?
Theist: Absolutely not because this world does not charm me anymore. I have nothing to seek in the world of objects. So, there can be no question of 'missing out' on anything. I am distancing myself from it of my own accord.
Taken from "Speaking Tree" section of TOI.
This post is copied from Times of India dated 8 Oct, 2011, editorial page column "Speaking Tree". In all fairness to the author, you should have acknowledged the source.
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