Know God not just in Theory but in Truth
God’s existence is not contingent on our awareness or understanding. God remains, whether we choose to acknowledge that presence or not.
Imagine for a moment, the difference between knowing about a beautiful beach from a travel brochure and actually feeling the sand between your toes, the warmth of the sun on your skin, and the sound of waves crashing nearby. That’s a bit like the difference between knowing God in a theoretical or conceptual context, and actually experiencing God firsthand.
When you’ve had that firsthand experience, there’s this ongoing awareness that’s always there in the background, like a song that never quite leaves your mind. It’s a constant reminder of God’s presence, whether your mind is actively thinking about it or not.
But, when you only know God from a theoretical or conceptual standpoint, that background tune isn’t there. Your understanding and relationship with God are purely intellectual, based more on reasoning than on lived experiences.
Now, whether your connection to God is a hum in the background of your mind or a concept you’ve read about, one thing is clear — God’s omnipresence. God is there, whether we’re aware of it or not, whether we understand it or not.
However, there exists a profound, game-changing distinction between merely having knowledge about God and genuinely experiencing God in your life. This is not a simple matter of intellectual comprehension; it is about truly feeling and experiencing his presence.
This fundamental difference can dramatically transform your spiritual journey. It can shift it from being primarily an intellectual pursuit towards understanding the divine, to becoming a path filled with lived experiences that profoundly enrich your faith. It deepens your understanding of God, and fosters a more authentic, personal connection with the divine.
It’s much like the difference between reading about a beach in a travel brochure and actually standing there on the sand, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, hearing the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and smelling the salty sea air. The latter is an immersive, sensory experience that simply cannot be replicated through reading. That’s the transformative power of experiencing versus knowing.
Therefore, while both knowing about God intellectually and experiencing God personally are aspects of spiritual journey, it is the latter that is the real deal and makes all the difference. The beauty of firsthand experience, much like standing on the beach vs. reading about it, is that it immerses us in the reality of God’s omnipresence and deepens our connection with the divine. This experiential awareness is what ultimately fosters a more authentic, personal connection with the divine. It is the transformative power of experiencing God, rather than just knowing about him.
During our spiritual journey, it is not uncommon for us to encounter experiences where we feel a connection with the divine. These experiences can occur either voluntarily or involuntarily, and they often provide us with a deep sense of peace and fulfillment. However, the ultimate objective of all spiritual practice is to cultivate a state of perpetual God-consciousness, a state where we are continually aware of the divine presence within and around us. Achieving this state is the pinnacle of our spiritual journey, the true culmination of years of devotion and practice.
When we manage to reach this level of spiritual awareness, the need for structured meditation sessions dissipates. Meditation no longer becomes an activity that we need to consciously set time aside for, but instead, it becomes a natural and integral part of our daily existence. We find ourselves able to slip into a meditative state at will, without any effort or preparation.
For many years, I was a committed practitioner of meditation, beginning and ending each day with a tranquil session. However, one day I found that this practice seemed to be negatively affecting my inner state. I felt disconnected and inflexible, finding it challenging to interact with others at home and work and to socialize.
A verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam came to mind, suggesting that one day even this habit could be let go. I was initially hesitant, worried about how it might affect my relationship with God — a simple, yet deep concern. Despite my initial doubts, I ultimately felt convinced.
One day, as I awoke and contemplated my usual meditation, I realized I was already in the meditative state, effortlessly — this state is typically called the state of non-meditation. This is when I realised that the purpose of a formal practice of meditation was fulfilled, and such a formal practice was now redundant. Nonetheless, it was the formal practice itself which led me to this state which is also known as Samadhi in the Hindu yogic tradition or Satori in Zen terminology. The freedom I felt from this experience is difficult to put into words, but it’s a freedom I still carry with me to this day, even as I write these lines.
Similar to the formal practice of meditation, the importance of external practices and rituals, such as visiting places of worship like temples or churches, diminishes. This is not to say that we should abandon these practices altogether. If we choose to, we can continue to visit these places of worship. However, they are no longer a necessity because we have discovered the divine within ourselves. We carry this ‘portable heaven’ with us wherever we go.
This internalized sense of the divine, which is the ultimate goal of all religions and spiritual scriptures, eliminates the compulsion to physically visit specific places or follow certain rituals. Whether we choose to engage in these activities or not, it makes little difference to our station. At best, these practices might add a layer of luxury to our spiritual experience, but they are no longer necessary once we have achieved the ultimate goal of God-consciousness and have settled into this state. Our spiritual practice becomes an integral part of our being, rather than a separate activity that we need to consciously engage in.
“Therefore, know God not just in theory but in reality.”
AUM. Peace. Amen.
In love, laughter and light,
The Naive Spiritualist
