Worship God in Spirit and in Truth [The Inner Jerusalem] - Part 4

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Worship God " in Spirit and in Truth " [The Inner Jerusalem] - Part 4

(The Woman of Samaria, Part II)

 

Worshiping " in spirit

and in truth "

 

(p.309) Since the waves of creation distort their oceanic Source in appearance,

but not in essence, the true vision of God lies in the perception of the Spirit

Ocean without the waves of creation--the realization of God as unmanifested

Spirit: the only existing substance, Truth, without the delusion of matter or

phenomena.

 

Jesus said that so long as a devotee's consciousness is limited to manifested

creation and its inherent delusion of separate things, he has not yet attained

the ultimate enlightenment. He remains in delusion, his consciousness absorbed

in ever-changing phenomena. Though God is manifest everywhere, His essence is

secreted behind the veil of Nature's phenomena. The devotee has to lift that

illusory veil and see God first as transcendent 'in' His creation. After that

realization, the devotee can realize God as transcendent 'beyond' manifestation.

 

Unless the devotee is able to perceive the Father of Creation as the

unmanifested Absolute Spirit--pure, ever-conscious Bliss, without delusion's

shadows of imperfect creation--he does not know Truth, the noumenal Substance of

all phenomena.

 

As Absolute Spirit is reflected as God's guiding Intelligence in macrocosmic

creation, so is Spirit reflected in the microcosm of the body as the soul, the

individualized image of Spirit in man. The true worshiper, he who actually

communes with God, who experiences His presence in meditative realization, knows

the truth that his soul and God the Creator are reflections of Spirit.

 

This knowing involves another theosophical nuance. God, the Father of

manifestation, can be known by the soul either by perception of or oneness with

any of His manifested attributes. Spirit, the Unmanifested Absolute, can be

known only by oneness with Spirit.

 

God, in relation to the soul, presumes a duality--the Object to be perceived,

God; and the perceiver or experiencer, the soul. (p.310) The spiritually

awakening man seeks some familiarity, some tangibility, in his relationship with

his Creator. He begins by personalizing God's Presence.

 

Personal attributes and

manifestations of God

 

In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord promises: " In whatever way people are devoted to

Me, in that measure I manifest Myself to them. All men, in every manner (of

seeking Me), pursue a path to Me " (IV:II).

 

The unmanifested Spirit as God makes His presence known to the devotee by

manifesting some attribute of Divinity commensurate with the devotee's

expectation. Jesus taught his followers to think of God as Father. In India it

is more common to speak of God as Divine Mother. Saints of various persuasions

have successfully communed with God by similarly idealizing other human

relations--such as Friend or Beloved. It makes no difference. When I feel the

gravity of wisdom, I speak of God as the Father. When I feel unbounded,

unconditional love I call God Divine Mother. When I feel God as the nearest of

the near, supporter and confidant, I call Him Friend.

 

Thus, it is a misnomer to refer to God always as " He. " It is equally appropriate

to call God " She. " But in the ultimate, God is Spirit, neither masculine or

feminine. Spirit is above any human correlation. Similarly, the soul is neither

male nor female, though karmic inclinations cause it to incarnate either with

the body of a man or a woman.

 

The Second Coming of Christ (The Resurrection of the Christ Within

You) Volume 1, Discourse 18, pg. 309-310

Paramahansa Yogananda

Printed in the United States of America 1434-J881

ISBN-13:978-0-87612-557-1

ISBN-10:0-87612-557-7