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Feeling God’s presence – part 2

Does this mean our situation is hopeless and we can’t perceive Him at all? On the contrary this is a perfect platform to realize God. In recognizing our limitations we are setting the stage for Lord to descend to our hearts. Humility makes the heart soft, and if the soil is fertile, a seed can grow luxuriantly. Similarly the seed of love grows in a heart that accepts God’s supremacy and one’s own insignificance.

Paradoxically, it’s when humility becomes our second nature that we realize God is the closest person we have in our life. The Upanishads, through an analogy of two birds on the same branch, describe that the soul and God live together in the same heart. While one bird- the living entity- is busy eating the sweet and bitter fruits of this tree, the other bird- God- is witnessing its ordeal and waiting for the suffering bird to turn to him.

Even if your lover intimately embraces you in the privacy of your room, he or she isn’t as close to you as the Lord who’s right in your heart, witnessing everything you do, say and think. He’s just a moment’s thought away. But that thought is not material; it’s imbued with humility and sincere petition. It’s founded on an awareness of one’s insignificance in this cosmos. That ‘smallness’ is our strength; it helps us grow in our relationship with God.

Feeling ‘small’ helps us tune into God as He reveals Himself through a variety of ways. For example in a heart that’s humble and grateful, witnessing an act of kindness would instantly fill our consciousness with rich emotions. Or if you are on a sea shore and watching the sunset, it could mean nothing to you. But for one who’s ‘tuned in’ he’d see God’s presence, as the orange ebb envelops the sky. This is the beginning of God realization, also referred to as brahman realization in Vedic scriptures.

At this stage one learns to see God in his or her daily activities, and God becomes inseparable from one’s life. A humble devotee wouldn’t seek a life without God. Aiden Tozer said, “Trying to be happy without a sense of God’s presence is like trying to have a bright day without the sun”
Being ‘small’ sets the stage for the second key- receiving God’s love
‘Present’ to receive God’s love

Daksha further reveals that to receive God’s presence in our consciousness we need to dis identify with the mind. Presently for most people, the identity of the self is so intertwined with the mind that they are unable to see their existence as separate from the mind.
God’s complete realization happens when we go beyond the three stages of the mind.

To be continued…

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