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LOTUS OF THE HEART
All is Welcome Here
Living in Love beyond Beliefs
Pure Faith in the Christian tradition is a high teaching, pointing to the realization that what many call 'God' is no longer for one an object to believe in, rather That is before subject or object. Even to say "I love God" finally means Love Is, or Love plays as a subject and object, but is neither. So, in some sense, all play of the Divine as subject or object is valid only as a reference to That prior to any subject or object and, so, free of both. So, this is humbling to discover, that what many call 'God' cannot be truly gotten or claimed by anyone. Rather, we are captivated by Grace for Grace, or we could say, by Love Is for Love Is, or by God for God.
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The wise tale goes as follows... Once, a Buddhist and a Christian were arguing about the existence of God. The Buddhist argued, essentially, “God does not exist.” Essentially, the Christian argued, “God does exist.” After they had marshaled all their arguments to prove their respective points, each had failed to convince the other. Both were aware of an esteemed holy man who lived in a nearby forest and was known as a very wise man. Though this man lived alone and seemed content being alone, he had won a reputation over many years. Often persons would go to him to receive spiritual guidance, have questions answered, or to settle disputes on points of religion or spirituality. So, the Christian and Buddhist agreed to present their argument to the wise holy man.
When they entered the little hut of the sage, the Christian spoke, “Sir, I believe God exist, but this friend of mine argues God does not exist.” The Buddhist said, “So, we thought we would ask your opinion on this important matter. Which one of us do you believe is right?” “Neither,” came the reply. “Neither!,” gasped the Christian. “We can’t both be wrong! Why do you say neither of us is right?” The holy man spoke, “Friends, both of you are wrong, for you both are arguing about an object. One says that God exist, which makes God an object whom you can believe in. God not being an object, he cannot be right. Then, the other says that God does not exist. He, too, is wrong, for he treats this that he does not believe in as an object he does not believe in.” “Then,” asked the Buddhist, “do you believe God exist, or not?” The wise man spoke, “Sirs, I neither believe God does or does not exist, for whatever God is would be prior to and giver of belief and, so, cannot be an object I believe in, and, if not an object to believe in, so not an object not to believe in. Therefore, though I rarely share this, for most men and women would not even begin to understand, believing in God or not believing in God is no longer possible for me. There is no longer a need for me to have an object to believe in, or an object not to believe in. Possibly, I could reply to you best, though still incorrectly in an absolute sense, "I love That I cannot believe in, and I love That more now that I can no longer believe in That anymore.”
Both the Buddhist and Christian left confused, still not grasping the wisdom given by the holy man. Oh, by the way, they never settled their argument, either.
*Move cursor over pictures for photographer and title.
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