If by "reason" you mean the thinking, discriminating mind, then no. The approach to the divine via the intellect will not lead you directly to it. The authentic spiritual experience lies outside of reason. Listen to the words of the great Christian mystic, Nicholas of Cusa:
"....the place wherein Thou art found unveiled is girt round with the coincidence of contradictories, and this is the wall of Paradise wherein Thou dost abide. The door whereof is guarded by the most proud spirit of Reason, and, unless he be vanquished, the way in will not lie open. Thus 'tis beyond the coincidence of contradictories that Thou mayest be seen, and nowhere this side thereof."
The Vision of God
Now, what may actually happen to someone who seeks the divine essence via of reason, is that the rational mind may, in the process, self-destruct via of its own machinations, whereupon the bag of the ego is burst and universal consciousness floods in. This is the method used in Zen Buddhism via of the koan, where the rational mind reaches a point of impossibility in its attempt to 'solve' the koan, which is an illogical question posed to the student. Phd's have been reduced to tears on their meditation mats in their attempt to 'figure it out', when there is nothing to figure out.
If you think about it, belief is a product of reason, but it is maintained in order to comfort the mind via of emotional and psychological security; as a means of avoiding metaphysical anxiety.
"Do not worry. Yes, there really is a God, and he is in control, whether you think so or not. Just believe and your reward will be in heaven."
The promise of a reward (or punishment) acts as an incentive. In Zen, we call maintaining a desire for such reward a "gaining idea". Such thinking will only keep you further away from the spiritual experience.
You may recall something Jesus is reputed to have said to his disciples; that they seek eternal life within the scriptures, but are mistaken. The scriptures are second-hand accounts about the spiritual experience; they are not the spiritual experience itself. In the same vein, belief and reason are models and concepts about the spiritual experience, but not the real deal. What Jesus was saying, and what belief and reason actually do, is that the cart is being placed improperly in front of the horse.
Get the spiritual experience first; then go read and intellectualize about it with your newly transformed mind. You cannot know the divine essence with the limited, thinking mind. It is not equipped to do so. The mind must first be transformed; elevated, to the level of the divine before it can do so. What this means is that all concepts and beliefs that the thinking mind forms about the divine must be set aside. The mind must be made absolutely still and empty. As someone here pointed out previously, the approach is intuitive, rather than via of logic and reason. The intuitive mind is not the thinking mind. It is an open, empty, receptive and therefore totally attentive mind. In Zen, the thinking mind is referred to as small, or monkey mind, as it is full of chatter, while the intuitive mind that comes into play when small mind is quieted and subdued is called "Big Mind", or universal mind. You do not make it happen; it occurs of its own accord when conditions are favorable. You can create such favorable conditions by breathing and meditation practice.
Just remember that the divine essence is always at hand, always here, complete, in this eternal Present Moment, and nowhere else. Why? Because in the world of the divine, there is no time, no history, and therefore no past or future. There is only Now. To become one with the divine essence is to achieve divine union; to realize that there is no distinction between who you really are and the divine, as compared to what your rational mind tells you who you (and God) are. When this occurs, you will undergo a Spiritual Awakening, and your old ego will dissolve away. In other words, there is an aspect of your nature of which you are not aware. That is your True Nature, but it is asleep. The reason you don't see it is because your thinking mind is always looking and seeking, when what you seek is right before you.
The goal of the Religion Game is Salvation. It provides temporary Security via of Belief and Reason for some future paradise.
The goal of the Master Game is Awakening. It provides Absolute Joy in this Present Moment.
"Belief clings; Faith lets go"
Alan Watts
*****
Short Story
Baby Fish: "Momma, all my friends at school keep telling me about the Sea. What is the Sea?"
Momma Fish: "Well, baby, the Sea is all around you. It is inside you and outside of you."
Baby Fish: (Looking all around) "Where? I don't see any Sea!"
Momma Fish: "You were born into the Sea and will die in the Sea"
Baby Fish: (Still looking) "*Sigh*.. I still don't see any Sea...Oh, well...I guess it just does'nt exist after all!"
