Ideas about God.

Virtual and Non-Virtual Reality.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” – Albert Einstein

Is Einstein’s statement true? In a certain sense it is and the reason, when thoughtfully considered, is that we are sentient beings. Broadly speaking, sentience denotes beings-with-consciousness, in some contexts, life itself. Some may argue, quite convincingly, that “yes, but we are fundamentally spiritual beings equipped with perceptual qualities.” I would not argue against this, and even so, our receiver of the spiritual source of all still must be perceived in one way or another. This is a case of a message and how a message is received. 

Unfortunately, for the most part, our receiver becomes clouded with a host of biases, preconceived beliefs, and ideas that sway the clarity of the message. The Psalms say, “Be still and know I am God,” Bodhidharma defined Zen as “Not thinking” and Jesus noted, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” The task is to not tamper with the message but instead to refine and clear out the receiver. 

One of the most profound mystics of all time was a Christian mystic by the name of Meister Eckhart who said this about God and ideas about God:

“To be full of things is to be empty of God. To be empty of things is to be full of God. Man’s last and highest parting occurs when for God’s sake he takes leave of god. St. Paul took leave of god for God’s sake and gave up all that he might get from god as well as all he might give—together with every idea of god. In parting with these he parted with god for God’s sake and God remained in him as God is in his own nature—not as he is conceived by anyone to be—nor yet as something yet to be achieved, but more as an is-ness, as God really is. Then he and God were a unit, that is pure unity. Thus one becomes that real person for whom there can be no suffering, any more than the divine essence can suffer.”

Until our hearts are pure, Einstein’s statement remains true and we will live in a perceptible and virtual world of illusion. Afterward, we will move beyond rational based perception and see God, who looks like nothing and everything at the same time.