A New Guest

A Comment by Yves:

“Well, I may be too much of a spoilt kid to believe in God but I have recently come to the conclusion that the monotheistic idea of an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving God is off the mark, for me at any rate. Putting it theologically, I would say that divinity is completely immanent and not transcendent. Putting it primitively I would say that there is divinity in every tree, every blade of grass, every insect and so on. Prayer doesn't have to be in words, it doesn't need to be begging or commanding except in extremity. It can be a continuous stream of thanks---appreciation for life. But I would not want to get into any preaching, that is we do harm by trying to prescribe anything to anyone. We can just learn to enjoy.”

I “met” Yves yesterday, when my wife for the first time tried her hand at a “Next Blog” button and brought up Yves’ AS IN LIFE. . .. She was amazed by the similarity of many of his topics and views to mine. I was equally astonished, and even more so because his location in England is just a few miles from where I lived in Beaconsfield. The scenes he photographs and beautifully describes in his blog are familiar to me.

I posted a Comment on his blog, he kindly posted a number of Comments on FLIGHTS OF PEGASUS, we exchanged an email, and my life has been enriched not only by reading AS IN LIFE. . . but also by receiving his comments.

I began this entry with one of his comments because I agree that the idea of an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving God is off the mark. From our human viewpoint – which is all we have – God cannot be all those things because such a God would have prevented the extreme sufferings and fears that His creatures endure. God cannot be both loving and all-powerful.

The big question that remains for me is to what extent, if any, God takes an ACTIVE role in influencing human and other events. There is divinity in everything – immanent, inherent -- but is there also an aspect of divinity which actively intervenes in the universe, which deliberately causes things to go in certain ways and not in others? Is God bound up in the manifested universe and unable to act upon it, or can God perform an act of “grace” to help someone. Even if the Source does not act of Its own volition, if Its power can be channeled and focused to some purpose by human Will, is not human Will the Source in action?

("The living entities are superior energy of the Supreme because the quality of their existence is one and the same with the Supreme, but they are never equal to the Supreme in quantity of power." Bhagavad-Gita 7. Commentary on 7.5)

Maybe it is simply futile to ask such questions, but all of us who have experienced what we feel is some kind of helpful intervention in our lives must feel curiosity about where it came from. Is it done by a higher aspect of my Self? Is it done by the Source spontaneously or in answer to a prayer of request, or in response to purposeful visualization powered by desire and Will? Or is it all done by some “agent” of God delegated with such responsibilities?

In spite of some of the things I’ve written in this blog, and in spite of my skepticism about “begging” prayers, I find myself still sometimes wanting to pray for help. I feel that there have been helpful interventions in my life, and I sense – correctly or incorrectly -- that there is some sort of helper or helping force involved.

I would list my making contact with Yves and AS IN LIFE as an example. Just two days ago I prayed, consciously deciding to ASK my unidentified “helper” to bring into my life a new source of knowledge or inspiration, a teacher perhaps, or a book that would lead me in a good direction. I believe that my extraordinary meeting with Yves and his inspiring blog, so similar to my own thinking, was a fulfillment of that request.

I hope I don’t embarrass Yves by implying that he is an answer to a prayer! I would be dishonoring this "coincidence" if I didn't acknowledge it.