28 Jan 2008 —
Question
Q40: God hides within?
Question 40:
“Spirituality says ‘God hides within our hearts’. How do you understand this saying?”
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The heart is where Love comes from, and is the source of unconditional love. If we look within our hearts, and open our hearts God will come from within our hearts and illuminate us as well as the world.
If we cultivate love in our hearts Mother will reveal that she herself is in our hearts.
First of all we have to know who are we? We are a part of the parmatma, and when that pure Atma in our Innerself is realized, it is GOD himself. For eg. there is a bar of gold (Paramatma) from that different things are made like necklace, ring, earing etc. (Atma) All these things have different shapes but are made from the same gold bar. Likewise all the living creatures are made from Parmatma and thus we are a part of it.
It is said that a new born child is a replica of GOD it is because the ATMA has just arrived from Parmatma and is fresh. As we grow we get polluted and we become different. When we remove this pollution and see deep within ourselves we will find that everything is there: happiness, sorrow and nothing is outside. Hence GOD is within us we never have to look for him outside.
God is not “hiding” actually. Only because we believe we are the “doer” thereby cloaking God with the dirt of “mind stuff” which are our daily thoughts of I am this and separate from you.
The True Heart is not hidden it is Silent, Patient and Waiting if anything.
When we begin to live and embody Blessed Amma’s Truths, Grace from the Guru awakens this True Heart. May we all smile with adoration of the divine within!
Just as electricity is present in all the gadgets like tv, fridge,airconditioner,microwave etc. God is present within all beings, living and non-living. we get mesmerised with the external forms and miss seeing God in all. the heart denotes the qualities of love, compassion, forgiveness and joy.
Once Amma said (as a joke) that all this happening is because of God, this whole creation is because of God thought about it…
I think, that is why God is hiding. We human beings are like in a cell, a jail, our minds and vasanas may be a reason but still most of us are suffering in one way or other. Now God is in trouble, he thought may be this human beings will make this world a beautiful place.. but.. look at us…
God is afraid to come out 🙂 . he is hiding in the best bunker you can find in this earth, were human beings won’t search and find him… and if we ( i ) find him he will have to answer for all the sufferings that we go through…
i know this is not the reason, but i like it this way.. 🙂
I understand that we need to cultivate the feelings within related to LOVE more and more so the seed of God within can open and grow. Feelings like tenderness, happyness, protection and so on.
I understand it so that our inner self is God. There is no difference between us or God or Master, we are one . Our personal identity is only temporarily keeping us in this world but one day we merge in ourselves, God in us.
I remember a story which I had heard sometime back I would like to share with you all. Ater his creation the GOD wanted to hide somewhere where one could find him with paience and he seeked advice from rishi munis that where should he go and hide, someone said go and hide at Kailash, but GOD was not pleased, some said patalok, some said deep in the ocean etc. But GOD was not pleased. One of the learned old yogi told him I would suggest a place go and hide in the heart of the living creatures, they will search you everywhere in temples, rivers kailash etc. and when only they will know their innerself they will find you there. GOD liked the thought and said from now onwards I will stay in the hearts of people. So GOD is deep inside us.
Gita Quote:
Iswara Sarva Bhuthanaam
Hrudyetherjuna thistathi…
The Lord resides in the heart of all beings …
Just like when a lake gets covered with moss on the surface and nothing can be seen beneath, our minds are busy with egotistic activities building a thick layer of impure feelings, vibrations of the heart, hiding the Pure from our life. If the moss is removed and one looks deeply into the lake the bottom of the lake is clearly visible. If we remove the attachments and desires and purify our minds and the heart, we will experience Amma/ God/ pure Consciousness/ our true Self/ Atma now. Practices like praying, chanting, meditation, selfless-service, compassion, other sadhanas, seem to fit well with the theory of purifying the mind and the heart.
Here is the story, mentioned nicely above by Renuji: http://www.amritapuri.org/teachings/katha/hiding.php
When we see her, or hears her sound… tears overflows through eyes… our heart struggle to receive her love… That Itself!! Amma resides in our heart… The same should be there when we see a beggar strive to relief his a days hunger and thirsty… COMPASSION as amma always reminds us, is gods gift for all living beings.
I am not sure why sometimes it is said that God dwells in the heart and at other times that He hides in the heart. Perhaps if we think of God as hiding in the heart it helds up realise we have to work hard at our spritual practices to reveal Him.
Also spirituality says God is everywhere and there is nowhere where He is not. But then again that He dwells or hides in the heart.
I think the physical heart area of the body is where we really feel pure love. Once I felt a tiny miniature Amma was sitting in my heart. So perhaps this is why it is said God hides within our hearts.
where can he hide?
through the heart (compassion) is how God reveals. we can have all the knowledge of the world’s scriptures, but unless we are expressing, compassion,love and service God is not expressing. God loves.
Like Amma says, God is within us, hiden by a veil of ignorence. Once we remove that ignorance we will see God within us and within everything around us.
god/atman/amma is the cause of our heart beat so we are breathing/living. if we close eyes and try to look within there is only darkness, we dont see anything. so we say god is hidden.
we can say the mind/ego has covered the atman because their size is bigger than the size of the soul.
if we remove this ego/mind the atman/amma/god will be unhidden and we can see their brilliance as we look within.
expecting amma to operate and remove this ego covering especially because we think we are this ego and like to save it all cost.
every night before i slept i pondered where you are,
in my dreams i trod distant lands just to see your face…..
as the winds blows i listened, just to hear your whisper….
in fresh blooms,in autumn leaves,in summer sun, i searched for u,ur sacred presence….
but always my searched ends futile…..
until one day….You found me…….and filled me with a love and bliss i knew not from where….and then i realized you are me and me you….and that it was me in hiding ,not u,that u took so long to find me….love u amma…..
AMMA said “God has no hands, legs, eyes or body other than own own. He moves through our hands, walks with our legs, sees through our eyes, and it is He who beats within the hearts of each one of us”. Hence it is from heart(God) all the goodness, compassion, love and life itself originates.
We are taught, and believe that GOD is the substratum of this universe
So GOD is everywhere in and out. Then why doubt God’s presence in our heart, not only in the heart is he, but within each and every cell. That power alone makes us ask this question, otherwise we are dead no?
AMMA teaches how we can see and communicate with GOD sooner or later if our approach is sincere. Let AMMA lead us.
Om,
i think God doesn’t hide !
we just don’t see Him because there is only God and nothing else.
Om
God is in every bit of the universe and us. He is best expressed from the heart centre through love. His presence is more playful there – like playing hide and seek when He is thought of in the heart.
I like to say that God dwells in the heart of all living beings means resides in the mind of one who has cultivated qualities such as love, kindness, patience, forgiveness, charity etc. So to catch hold of God a beautiful loving heart is necessary. When a spritual individual meets another individual normally we do namaskar by touching our heart, not by touching the head no? From this simple action we can understand that for the God dwelling in your heart i do namaskar by touching the lotus feet of the same God dwelling in my heart.
Yes, Amma says to hear our inner call… i.e. HER CALL…This is true, whenever I make a mistake, I do understand that there was an inner call not to do it in that way… But, sometimes, due to “Vasanas”, not acting accordingly & it ends up in a blunder. Again there is “THAT LIGHT” which hides inside, comes to protect from the consequences. If “THAT” is not there, WHO AM I? An instrument in Her hands….
All the living creatures are made from god and thus we are a part of it.
AMMA teaches if we approach God sincerely with Trust , Love and Devotion or surrender ourself, God will take care of everthing. AMMA said “God has no hands, legs, eyes or body other than own own. He moves through our hands, walks with our legs, sees through our eyes, and it is He who beats within the hearts of each one of us”. Hence it is from heart (God) all the goodness, compassion, love and life itself comes. Nowadays i realize you are with me and i am with in u always
Why should i worry?