How to see God?

How    to see  God?

By

P.R.Ramachander

(Here is a   a great truth told in simple worlds  culled from a Tamil speech of Sri Tenkachi Swaminathan , who specializes  in explaining   religious truths  in simple way. My thanks to him.”

One man  was yearning   to see God,

And enquired   with all his friends,

And they looked at him  as if he is silly,

And told him    to go to the   temple.

On his way he  met a wise  Guru,

And he told the    great Guru,

That he was going to see   God,

In   temple  for saluting   and praying to him.

The Guru asked him , “Do you know  God ?.

He said “No”  and the Guru   smiled at him,

And said,” If so  how would  you recognize him,

And without  recognizing him,  how can you salute Him?”

Then the Guru continued  “all the people ,

Who go to the temple  , go there   to ask for   a favour,

From a God whom they   do not know at all,

Or to complain about   some one or some thing to him.”

The thoughtful man replied    to the Guru,

“I  want only to love him, but I do not know him,

And please tell me  how I  can  meet that God ?”

And then without hesitation  Guru told  “Meditate.”

Then the man asked , “Is there  any connection  ,

With meditation    and the God whom I do not know?”

And the patient Guru   with a smile told “No,

But by meditation you can definitely feel him  in your mind.”

Guru further added  “meditation  is connected with the mind,

And  if done with faith and discipline, it creates a deep silence.

And   in that state  of deep silence only  , you can realize God,

And  then only you can either worship  or salute him.”

At that  time  one devotee   was coming back from the temple,

And he told the Guru, “I had a very great meeting   with God today,

And I am sure  no one could have   seen God better  than me,

Because I took special   Darsan ticket  for 200, and I could stand there for a while.”

The Guru with smile asked   that man, “How far were you from  God?”

And he replied  “Hardly ten feet “ and the Guru laughed   at him,

And told  “There is one another  man   in the temple   who is nearer,

Than you were  and he    stands  there  for much more time.”

That man   who  returned from   temple went back disappointed,

And the man who wanted   to see   God in the temple  ,

Started   to go back to his home  and he told, “Thanks a lot,

Now  I know that unless  I  realize God  I cannot see  him.”

At that time   another  fashionable    rich man came to thE guru,

And asked “ I WANT TO BE SPIRITUAL   “ , “Can you help me””

And the Guru said  “Remove the first word and then the second.

Without  “I the ego”  and “WANT  the desire”  you would be spiritual “

“I also came   to know from you that  unless I travel,

Far far away from myself  , I can never realize him.”

The Guru blessed   him and told him  ,” Good,

You now know that by going away , you are going near.”