God Questions And Answers

[gupt faujaan]

IK OANKAR SATGURPRASAD

I read an article the other day and it answered these questions really

beautifully. Basically God is goodness, God is love and God created

us so

that we may love God. Gurbani says that "Gobind bhau bhagta ka bhukaa"

God is hungry for the love of the devotees.

The article is by Duncan Greenless "The Gospel of The Guru Granth"

How did this universe come into existence?

There was nothing but God. He willed and out of the word which

expressed that Will the universe is being ceaselessy made.

What is God?

The One Eternal and Infinite Unmanifest, who has manifested Himself to

us

through His works. He is the King, Father of All, abiding in all and

also

the Ocean of Pure Being wherein all abide.

Where is God?

He is in all that He has made, as their inmost self.

Is there a special temple for Him?

The whole universe, the heart of each living being, the place where

the

WORD is loved and sung - these are God's temples.

Why does God create the univers?

So that He, being good and by nature the giver of all, may give out of

Himself through its countless forms and that they may all share His

life of

infinite blissfulness.

Does he desire to gain anything through this work?

Being perfect, He can gain nothing for Himself, but he desires

recipients

of His love.

Is matter eternal?

No. Through the action of God's creative power it comes into being and

at

His will it ceases to exist. But its duration is of inconceivably

vast

extent.

Are hell and heaven eternal?

No. Nothing is eternal except God and the

soul which merges into Him.

All

states and planes exist only until He brings the "play" to an end.

Has this universe any real existence?

Being created by the One Supreme Reality, it is a real expression of

His

eternal truth (sat); but as it arises no real independent existence of

its

own. Compared with the Creator it is like "the shadow of a cloud", " a

flying dream of the night".

Is the universe good or bad?

In itself it is good, because it is the visible expression of the will

of

one absolute God : it may become relatively bad for the soul which

chooses

it in preference to Him.

What is sin, or evil?

The deliberate turning from the service of God to the service of the

petty

"self", and the seeking of worldly pleasures for their own sake. Tht

is,

it is the wilful disobedience of what is known to be God's will.

What is man?

The creature or child of God, mortal while he identifies himself with

the

perishable world and body, but with the power of becoming truly

immortal

through union with Him; until then, doomed to wander in the outer

darkness

of the world unable to see and really love Him.

Why did God create man?

So that a living creature might choose to love Him above all things and

so

at last unite with Him and share His glorious , eternal work.

What is the origin of the individual soul?

Like that of a spark from the One fire, a wave arising in the One Sea.

The

soul comes from God, is always really in Him as a partial expression of

His

will and at the last manifests it perfectly in union with His perfect

self.

What is man's duty on earth: to God , to other men, to himself?

To love and worship God, holding His prescence always in mind and doing

all

actions in His name and His glory; to serve and help mankind in all

humility, gentleness and courage, fulfilling the duties of his state in

perfect hon

esty, to aspire continually to become a perfect devotee of

God

and to do His work on earth faithfully so that he may gain those

qualities

which enable His grace to unite him with God.

How can man become free?

In contact with saintly persons, a continuous dwelling on the thought

of

God and faithful discharge of duty, egotism perishes and man realises

that

that his real self is the one ever free formless God.

Can he do this unaided?

No. In order to break his bonds God's grace is absolutely necessary.

How does God help him?

When he is reaqdy to be helped, God sends him the intimacy of a Guru

whose

contact, teachings and example awaken true spiritual visions in his

heart

and so set him free from bondage to the ego.

Why does God not give this help to all?

His will is that all should long for such aid and prepare themselves

for

it; the moment any soul is thus made ready, His grace at once descends

and

the Guru gives enlightenment.

What should a sinner do to escape the evil lot?

Repent of his sins and wash them away by ceaselessly dwelling upon the

thought of God; he can do this when (by serving his Guru with faithful

devotion) he has won his grace.

How can man find God?

With the Guru's grace, he does all his action and meets all the events

of

his life in the mood of conscious adoration of God; then his heart is

so

purifies that God Himself comes to dwell in it and taken him to Himself

in

loving embrace.

Can the true knowledge of God be given by another?

Not fully; the Guru's touch of grace opens the soul's eyes to God's

light

which is always there, and enable him to see the Lord. In reality it

is

God who gives the knowledge of Himself, but to that end He takes the

form

of the Guru.

What is the result of righteous conduct?

In this life virtues attract grace and they swiftly bring the soul to

surrender and to union with One Supr

eme God : in the other, God draws

the

righteous soul near to Him so that it never falls again into the

shadows of

earthly life.

What is the final goal of life?

The total loving union of the soul with God, in His active work of

creation

and uplift, and in the blissful contemplation of His perfection.

Can you sum up this Religion in a few words?

It is life of active effort towards world uplift under the Guru's

guidance,

so that all souls may attain the final goal. It insists on human

equality,

and rejects caste, race prejudice, the use of images for spiritual God

and

all external show of piety - insisting on absolute sincerity and

preserving

action for the love of God.

IK OANKAR SATGURPRASAD