What do you 'do' to understand God?

[Tenzin Javid]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

 

[Rival]

Understand G-d? I could never do that.

Coming close to G-d through prayer, walking, studying, talking with other members of the faith etc.

 

[Lyndon]

Since I see God as the ultimate Dhamma, I might ask you what do you do to understand Dhamma, not so simple, is it??

 

[Geoff-Allen]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

Good questions!

I meditate on kindness & compassion and try to reduce my negative thoughts.

I also try 2 remember 2 be grateful for all my blessings.

Best of luck to you and welcome 2 the forum

 

[Quintessence]

In my path, the gods aren't "beings" that are "out there," they are aspects of reality that are right here, with us, each and every day. This means I see the gods as connected with our day-to-day lives as a matter of course - it is impossible to be unconnected with them. It is, however, possible to trivialize or ignore those relationships, so my path is often about learning to pay attention and not take things for granted. It is things like taking the time to notice the clouds, notice the wind, notice the ground, notice the trees.

Beyond simply paying attention, there are other ways to cultivate relationships with the gods. The best is to spend time getting to know the gods with direct, personal experience. If I want to get to know Storm Spirit, there is nothing that compares to personally witnessing Storm in all of its glory. My second favorite has to be studying the sciences. There is so much fantastic lore and wisdom to be learned by knowing the gods through systematic observations - know Storm Spirit by studying atmospheric sciences, for example. The arts aren't to be underestimated as ways of knowing the gods either, though. Many through the ages have sung of the gods, and in artful ways that get at our relationships with them in ways that the sciences may overlook. And, the arts bring an emotional tenor to the narrative that is the depth of life.

 

[BSM1]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

I think the Buddha's silent sermon with the flower sums it up best.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I work to understand myself and the world around me. If there is a god, and this leads to understanding what that is better, than that's good. If there is a god, and it is beyond our understanding, then that's okay too. If there is no god, that's alright, as well.

If there is a god, and it wants me to understand it, then I expect it will make this apparent at some point. If it doesn't, then it must not be that important to it, or very important for me to do so, either.

 

[BSM1]

I work to understand myself and the world around me. If there is a god, and this leads to understanding what that is better, than that's good. If there is a god, and it is beyond our understanding, then that's okay too. If there is no god, that's alright, as well.

If there is a god, and it wants me to understand it, then I expect it will make this apparent at some point. If it doesn't, then it must not be that important to it, or very important for me to do so, either.

If you are not familiar with the silent sermon of the flower by the Buddha you should look into it. I think you'll get it.

 

[Fire_Monkey]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

For me, the answer is easy. I meditate. Usually, or when I can, when surrounded by nature. The sound of the wind or of running water helps. But I must add.....I do not believe in a personal or biblical God. Meditation instead free my mind from the restraints and limits of ego and self. I am a Pantheists. My God, as you call it, is Nature. I do not believe in intercessory prayer. Only meditation, as a way to clear my mind and merge it with the Tao. The.......Everything. the One Thousand Things. Which cannot be named.

 

[sun rise]

For me, meditate on an image of the Avatar, repeat a name of God, listen to music which invokes God's presence or reminds me of God, go out into nature and see it as the expression of God, do various things which express love and compassion for others and so forth. There are many many approaches.

 

[George-ananda]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

In my non-dual thinking consciousness is only One shining through a myriad of different forms. So to get closer to God/Brahman, we need to quiet our noisy minds to all its ego-centered attention and experience more of our real core which has been described as pure being-awareness-bliss. Meditation and detachment are constructive means to this.

 

[YmirGF]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

When the aspirant is fortunate to experience Oneness that ought to give one all the understanding one should need about god... expectations may be vanquished however...

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

So ...

1. nothing
2. no
3. no
4. no
5. no
6. no

I fully suspect that preternatural agency is inherently 'beyond' understanding and relationship.

 

[Deidre]

I don't know if we're meant to ''understand'' God, but I pray, listen, and experience love for God.

 

[New Age Spiritual Leader]

Good questions!

I meditate on kindness & compassion and try to reduce my negative thoughts.

I also try 2 remember 2 be grateful for all my blessings.

Best of luck to you and welcome 2 the forum

Self.

To understand any "god" - one must do as this one promotes.....the ability to control the Self in any aspect you see fit.

Not one aspect of the above post shows any god assisting.....but it clearly shows the work of someone applying understanding to their self and their faults or accomplishments.

Self is where you will find the answers.

 

[New Age Spiritual Leader]

I don't know if we're meant to ''understand'' God, but I pray, listen, and experience love for God.

...and these are things one does to compensate their denial with not saying....or too afraid to say.....
I don't know".

Self.

 

[ahamtatsat]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

To understand God - you don't "do". You don't think. You don't learn. You don't believe. You don't work. You don't intellectualize.

You simply BE.

 

[DrTCH]

Many years ago, I became convinced of some kind of profound “spiritual reality,” though things in this realm seem to defy scientific analysis and proof (which is no huge surprise, as some things, such as artistic expression, “luminous” or revelatory (or Maslow’s “peak”) experiences (to some extent, correlated with “right brain” thinking and activity) are wholly different in character from those things which ARE easily quantifiable and analyzable. I don't, in this light, buy the conventional idea of God.

Of course, many religious traditions have a “mystical” component which speaks to this “side” of things, far different from dogma and conventional religious faith and practice. I suppose I could add that I have increasingly found myself impatient with religious dogma and rigidity, as well as with lunatic sayings, such as "The beginning of all wisdom lies with the fear of the Lord."

Perhaps I will also mention that the Gnostics had an interesting model (or “taxonomy”). They held that all people belong to one of three categories:

Hyletic—Very practical and mundane in orientation, not very spiritually evolved.

Psychic—Somewhat advanced, but particularly concerned with ESP and psychological principles.

Pneumatic—Primarily operating from a transcendent perspective (but also fully involved in life’s activities) and with plenty of compassion (and fully integrated).

My experience is that most human beings operate on the “Hyletic” level, and cannot readily comprehend or accept anything much beyond that level (and gravitate toward conventional, rigid religious faith)….which I find very limiting.

What seems to work for me are various practices, such as chanting...and "right action" and “right livelihood” (from a Buddhist perspective). ..and sustaining the honoring of all life, and particularly that of "sentient beings."

 

[Deidre]

...and these are things one does to compensate their denial with not saying....or too afraid to say.....
I don't know".

Self.

Denial of what?

 

[fire]

What do you, as an individual do, to understand or become closer to 'God, in the sense that you understand that term to mean? Do you feel heard? Do you feel connected? Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel ignored? Do you strive to make a connection?

In every instance of life we are given examples to understand God, but like a mother to an infant, the infant isn't capable of understanding the mothers proabition against dangerous desires. As adults, most would roll their eyes at this example, subconsciously assuming themselves to be co-equals with god finding it offensive the very thought that God must condescend to our level to enteract on rudimentary levels. Love is universal between god and us, but love has intensity just like light, and though we can see light, we need powerful sunglasses to look directly at the sun.