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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 11 2007 : 10:46:20 PM
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There's something about the way God works that is at the same time awesome and perplexing. I'm curious if it is the same for everyone, or perhaps i'm raving mad.
It seems extremely simple; if I put God first, he solves ALL my problems. But how does one put God first? What I do is try to think of him every few minutes during the day, and I think "he is the provider of everything." I solve all the problems I can, and the rest I try to relax and think "God will take care of it" and let it go like samyama.
But the way he solves these big problems would totally drive me nuts if I didn't have this faith to calm me down.
He almost never solves the problems in the way I would expect, or in the way I would if I were omnipotent.
In fact, MOST of the time he solves them by changing everything else EXCEPT for my problem. Then it is not a problem anymore. And if I screw up something unintentionally, he changes things around the screw-up so that it doesn't matter, and nobody notices.
So there are constant miracles in my life, but NEVER in a way that somebody watching would say "God did that." It always looks like just circumstances and luck.
When I forget about God for a while, things go badly again and problems don't disappear.
Before I was close to God, I was extremely unlucky, so it's not just luck.
Has anyone else experienced this type of thing? it's mind boggling.
And if this type of thing is common, then I would doubt the validity of the miracles in the bible. Those miracles manifest in the way man would expect a miracle, and one could say "That was definitely God." Mine always happen in a way that only I know it is God changing things.
What throws me for a loop is that several other things change instead of my problem. This involves several other people. It just seems impossible to change several people around each problem in the world if at some point everyone put God first.
But maybe not; after all God is outside the world of logic. |
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Scott
USA
969 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2007 : 8:24:40 PM
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| I've experienced it. |
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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2007 : 05:55:31 AM
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Why, thanks for the reminder Etherfish. I was in need of that. But yes, I have experience of what you describe.
It is typically illustrated in the mythology of Draupadi being insulted in the court by Duryodhan who began disrobing her in public, and Krishna saving her only after she 'let go' completely, and then in quite an unexpected manner... her sari got longer and longer endlessly till Duryodhan dropped down exhausted. |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2007 : 07:15:57 AM
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While this would be an illustration of God avoiding the problem and solving it another way, it is still a miracle that other people could see and say "God did that" because of it being out of the ordinary.
Has anyone heard of any writings that talk of two different types of miracles, one for everyone to see like those in the bible, and the other for only one person to see, and perhaps the predominance of the latter?
For instance in my experience, God would have done something like, at the point that Draupadi let go completely, maybe there would be a fire and everyone in the court would run away.
It doesn't make a story that would impress the ego, but it accomplishes the same thing in a way that God is only apparent to Draupadi; the person who let go.
So I wonder if the stories of miracles in the scriptures have been "enhanced" in order for egos to hold them as important. If so, they would not be the truth, but would have a valid purpose nonetheless. |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2007 : 08:37:43 AM
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My experiences of every day miracles is exactly what you are experiencing Ether. When you let go completely, you allow.. and when you allow you let Ma's/God's/higher power's/truth's blessings to flow through you into this world.
The beauty is Ether, it would have happened exactly how it happened.. esp. since you have noticed your problem did not go away.. but the situation changed so it was no longer a problem... When we let go.. we don't build stories around our problem.. when we don't have a story we are not adding restrictions/more mud, which is what we take forever to get out of.. The miracles were/are always here.. we were not in our silence to pick on them.. and now that we are (living more and more in our silence).. we can actually let go the clinging on to a situation and accept what is send our way (surrender).. Before we would be so focused on the problem that we would miss out on the subtle miracles send our way, that make the problem not major... and yet we would be so caught up in our dreams that we would have missed the fact that that problem is no longer as big as it started out with or that we can now let go the story since it no longer is important.. We would cling on to that story (past) and try and figure out how we would handle it if it came up again (future)... however the small fact that a miracle happened.. and without any effort that problem went away would be missed...
We are all looking for big miracles.. the ones that the ego can grasp on to and be happy about.. Actually it's when the ego is slowly losing its power to the inner silence that we see the real miracles of every moment... and Ether these subtle miracles are just as big as the ones the egos can grasp.. the only thing different is our egos are not as strong as they used to be... and is losing it's power to grasp at these miracles like it would have earlier.
Yes.. surrender to what is.. allow.. trust your inner guru/God/Ma.. life knows what it is doing. |
Edited by - Shanti on Nov 13 2007 3:26:48 PM |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2007 : 8:17:06 PM
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Thanks Shanti,
Yes many of the miracles are indeed huge. But only to me! I can't tell anybody else about them, as they are only huge from my perspective. Then there are little ones that are incredible too; he gives me a hand at work as if I had a helper when my hands are full, and once I was carrying stuff and a puff of wind opened the door for me, etc! And anything you think comes from other people can also be provided by God; love, money, food, companionship, comforting words, anything.
Consequently I've noticed that there is only one thing lacking ever; this presence you call it, or i call it being without God, whatever.
And this thing that is missing comes in many different flavors. It leads us to believe that there can be many things lacking. Fortunately we can learn that the same solution applies to all things, no matter what flavor is lacking. it makes life so much easier. |
Edited by - Etherfish on Nov 13 2007 9:16:58 PM |
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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2007 : 11:56:26 PM
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quote:
For instance in my experience, God would have done something like, at the point that Draupadi let go completely, maybe there would be a fire and everyone in the court would run away.
It doesn't make a story that would impress the ego, but it accomplishes the same thing in a way that God is only apparent to Draupadi; the person who let go.
So I wonder if the stories of miracles in the scriptures have been "enhanced" in order for egos to hold them as important. If so, they would not be the truth, but would have a valid purpose nonetheless.
I know what you mean Ether, Shanti. Probably, if this were to really happen, it would be that Duryodhan had an epileptic fit, or slipped down on some oil, fell and had a head concussion, or just needed to go to the loo urgently. And people wouldn't quite grasp the miracle. But of course that is how miracles happen. We invite them happen... not saris defying elasticity laws, but situations changing, people doing things a bit out of character, coincidences happening. And we all know then, we're connecting a little, opening up a little. |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2007 : 08:18:35 AM
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Yes, exactly Sadhak.
Why do you suppose that God wishes to remain hidden to people with egos?
I remember when I was younger and didn't believe in God. I told people if he was all-knowing, then he would know that I can't believe the scriptures. They didn't seem true to me. I used to say he would know that he has to show me something that I CAN believe. Of course he did, but it took years because of the convoluted way I needed to be shown.
Is it perhaps that those with the ego-control wishes would never be convinced with just one miracle? Maybe they would need another and another, then eventually ability to control them.
Or maybe that they still wouldn't believe. I remember in Castaneda's books the apprentice asking the sorcerer if an average person could see him flying. The sorcerer said something like "No, they would see perhaps a large bird, or a plane. Something that fits their own belief system."
Maybe that's what egos would do with miracles. |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2007 : 12:56:50 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by sadhak
I know what you mean Ether, Shanti. Probably, if this were to really happen, it would be that Duryodhan had an epileptic fit, or slipped down on some oil, fell and had a head concussion, or just needed to go to the loo urgently. And people wouldn't quite grasp the miracle. But of course that is how miracles happen. We invite them happen... not saris defying elasticity laws, but situations changing, people doing things a bit out of character, coincidences happening. And we all know then, we're connecting a little, opening up a little.
Very well said Sadhak. Thanks.
quote:
Originally posted by Etherfish
Why do you suppose that God wishes to remain hidden to people with egos?
Do you really think God wants to remain hidden? I don't.. that's why he makes miracles happen.
And truthfully, I don't think people stay attached to ego because they want to.. they do it because that is all they know.
quote:
Originally posted by Etherfish
Is it perhaps that those with the ego-control wishes would never be convinced with just one miracle? Maybe they would need another and another, then eventually ability to control them.
Or maybe that they still wouldn't believe. I remember in Castaneda's books the apprentice asking the sorcerer if an average person could see him flying. The sorcerer said something like "No, they would see perhaps a large bird, or a plane. Something that fits their own belief system."
Maybe that's what egos would do with miracles.
Yes that makes so much sense. We have a story in our mind/ego of what a miracle should look like and till we actually see/feel something exactly like that.. it is not a miracle... and when we are blessed with a miracle.. we need more in order to believe.
I see more and more.. after I stopped expecting things and trying to live the images I made in my mind of shoulds and should nots.. things happen that are beyond what the mind could have imagined. Our limited minds/egos cannot comprehend the vastness available beyond the mind. In my experience it does not feel mystical.. nothing to write about because our vocabulary is limited to what the mind can come up with.. that is why, when people describe their experiences they make such a big deal about it.. else you cannot capture the vastness of it. Truthfully it seems very normal, very natural.. and yet leaves you feeling grateful and in gratitude and awe. Just like the miracles you are talking about... very easy to miss when in ego or analyze with our egos and say "yes but.. but.. ".. However in silence, experiencing God's hand in everything we do, can leave us in awe and gratitude and yet seem so normal, since it was always there, we just could not see it. Yes? |
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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2007 : 10:33:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Shanti
I see more and more.. after I stopped expecting things and trying to live the images I made in my mind of shoulds and should nots.. things happen that are beyond what the mind could have imagined. Our limited minds/egos cannot comprehend the vastness available beyond the mind. In my experience it does not feel mystical.. nothing to write about because our vocabulary is limited to what the mind can come up with.. that is why, when people describe their experiences they make such a big deal about it.. else you cannot capture the vastness of it.
Yes Shanti, it is a yama that a practitioner needs to be aware of- Ishwar Pranidhan, or submitting all actions to the Divine, or knowing that everything that's happening is far beyond our tiny the understanding of tiny rational mind, and therefore dropping expectations irrespective of our external circumstances. We forget this, begin justifying our behaviour and then become blinded to the miracle of life.
Without coming back to the forum, and being reminded, it is easy to forget parts and sub-parts of the eight limbs, and begin behaving egoistically. While it is the deep cleansing of comprehensive yoga that will clear the muck finally, good company and reminding helps. Travelling with practitioners helps in dropping the blinkers now and then.
This traveller is deeply grateful to all those whom she walks with, the guides she meets, and the signposts left behind, on this wonderful journey. |
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