God is not found in the soul by adding anything, but by a process of subtraction.
*Matthew Fox. Meditations with Meister Eckhart.
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The Sage said, after his daily evening talk, "All you, come back tomorrow night, and I'll tell you what I've learned about God." The following night, he walked in, sat on his chair, looked out on an overflowing crowd, stood up, and walked out without saying a word.
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
* * *
The Sufi poet Awhadi of Kerman was sitting on his porch one night, bent over a vessel. The Sufi Shams-e-Tabrize happened to pass by. "What are you doing?" he asked his fellow-poet. "Contemplating the moon in a bowl of water." Shams replied, "Unless you've broken your neck, why don't you look directly at the moon in the sky?"
* * *
All religion, all spirituality, all thought and talk of Sacredness - shadow words - including all rites and rituals - shadow acts - is gazing on the moon in a bowl of water. Yet, we cannot just decide to look upon God and, so, see God. One must prepare to see God.
There are many subtractions, some painful, on the Way of insight to One. Clouds hide the Sun. We give time to the parting of Clouds.
The Way requires much patience. There is no drive-through to seeing. Our eyes must become new eyes. It takes time, and work. Playing around with religion or spirituality may help us some, but it will not lead us to the seeing of which we speak.
The purpose of a Path is to prepare us to see. A Blessing, ascribed to Jesus, in the Gospels of the Christian Bible: "Blessed are the pure of Heart, for they shall see God." When prepared to see, one sees. Until then, all else is at most about what the word "God" points to.
Most people seem not to grow beyond about. So, they do not understand and oftentimes will not tolerate one who sees. There are special words assigned to seers of One, one of which is heretic.
Our natural estate is to live a life in which we see Truth, not somewhere, but everywhere, not sometimes, but all the time, not after death, but now.
What seeing God is like, no one can tell anyone else, for this seeing is so unlike what we usually think of seeing. Seeing the Beloved is the most profound of seeing, the most loving, joyful vision to be given in this life.
When you see God
the word God
becomes ashes under your feet -
finally... "Praise God!"
What was the Sage saying by walking out without saying a word?
