Is God a specific thing, a particular personality or heavenly being? If so, where can we find God?

Whether we call it God, the Creator, Source or any other term, there are clear signs that there must be a supremely intelligent Cause.

We see expressions of this divinity everywhere—in the vastness and beauty of nature, in everyday miracles such as fire and water, and even within our own bodies as our five senses that can perceive the world of forms, sounds, tastes, smells and textures.

To find God, we must understand Its nature. In this article are terms for contemplation that are helpful in this regard. They are taken from the spiritual teachings of the Bhagavad Gita (9:18).*

God is the ultimate cause and support for creation

God is the Ultimate Cause or the eternal seed of all things and beings in creation.

Things and beings come from, exist in, and die away into this one great Source.

The spiritual writings of Vedanta call It the unchanging substratum or support for the entire world of change.

The word, ‘substratum’ in Vedanta does not mean a support on which something stands. It has a deeper meaning. The substratum refers to that which permeates and supports the existence of the thing. In fact, it is the very thing itself in another form.

For example, the ocean is the source in which all waves arise, exist and die away.

But the ocean is not a separate source or platform from which the waves arise. The ocean permeates them all. In fact, every wave is another form of the ocean.

A handful of golden ornaments symbolisng how to find God that is one in the world of multifarious names and forms.Gold is another example of a substratum. All gold ornaments arise from gold, exist in gold and merge back into gold when melted. Every golden ornament such as a ring, bangle or chain is gold itself in another form.

Similarly, spirituality tells us that the entire world of multitudinous names and forms is permeated by one divine substratum. Oneness is the fundamental spiritual truth.

Pure consciousness is the nature of God

Sun peeking through the clouds symbolising how to find God as the lightHave you wondered why God or spirit is often described as the light?

To explain, think about light in our everyday world.

All things in the outer world can only be seen and known in the presence of light and never in total darkness. Where there is light, we can cognise objects.

But don’t we also know our inner world of thoughts and feelings? What light is there inside us that enables us to know?

Pure consciousness or awareness is the nature of God. It is this consciousness that illumines both our outer and inner experiences.

In fact, consciousness is the essence of everything.

It manifests as the objects and living beings in the outer world, it is the body and sense organs that can cognise those things, and it is this same light of consciousness that illumines our inner world of thoughts and feelings.

This is why spirit is often symbolised as the light. Spirit is the light of consciousness by which all experiences are known.

Find God as life and activity in matter

God is pure consciousness that expresses as life and activity when it functions through matter.

Take the physical body as an example of matter. It is made up of a combination of natural elements such as oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. Matter on its own has no life or movement.

It is spirit, the Self, God or Pure Consciousness that makes it possible for the matter-made body and mind appear to be alive, sentient and intelligent.

All beings are alive and functioning because of the presence of consciousness.

Have you been to a funeral, seen the dead body and wondered what happened to the person who used to be there? The body is present, but it is still and lifeless.

What is missing?

There must have been something that brought life to the dead body that is no longer there.

We can understand this idea better if we take the example of electricity. A toaster, an iron, a refrigerator or fan cannot function without electricity.

When electricity is present, the toaster toasts bread, the iron gets hot and gives off steam, the refrigerator keeps things cool, and the fan circulates air.

In the same way, God, pure consciousness brings life to all beings and expresses differently in all of them depending on the type of body and mind that is present.

Without this spiritual entity within we would be inert matter like rocks and stones.

Meditation is the gateway through which we can find God. When we still our thoughts and turn our attention to the silence that lies behind them, we will become aware of being the inner witness who is conscious of all the thoughts.

This witnessing consciousness is God.

God is the great controller

Have you ever experienced a cold fire? Or thrown a cement brick at a wall and saw it bounce back? If water was poured on a slope, would you expect it to flow up the slope?

Fire will always be hot, a cement brick will never bounce, and water will naturally flow down a slope.

Since there are strict laws that govern nature, there surely must be a law maker and enforcer.

God is the great controller without the presence of which there would be chaos in the world.

Celestial bodies and the sun symbolising how to find God as the controller of their movements and function.jpgThe movement and function of the sun, planets and other celestial bodies are controlled by an intelligent Cause. By controlling them, God controls our life on this planet.

If the sun was just a few thousand miles closer or further from the earth, life here would have been either very different or non-existent.

God is also the inner controller that ensures that the body and its organs maintain optimal health and balance.

For instance, you eat a sandwich when you’re hungry and then go about your day. You never have to tell your body how to digest the food, distribute the nutrients or excrete the waste.

Eating, digestion, assimilation, circulation and excretion are complicated processes that seem to happen on their own. We may attribute it to “nature”, but there must be some power that controls nature. This supreme inner intelligence is God.

A wise man once said, “You will find God in all things that you cannot take credit for.”

We can also find God as our own higher Self. The Self is the divine inner controller that is the source of all that is good, pure and noble.

It is always communicating with us, guiding us to correct our thinking by steering us away from doing the wrong thing.

You may have noticed that whenever you harbour negative emotions or intentions, your mind is agitated and unhappy. Conversely, whenever your thoughts are good and noble, you experience peace or happiness.

By giving rise to certain uncomfortable emotions that disturb the mind, God, our own Higher Self, is sending us a message to stop, take the right actions and recalibrate our minds towards peace.

Everyday ways to find God

Divinity is everywhere. Seek to find God even in everyday objects such as a table, a garment, or a cup.

As the ultimate cause and support, God is the fundamental reality behind these forms of matter. We can think of it as the “soul” or essence of everything.

Even after the outer forms change or are destroyed, the fundamental substance is matter which is indestructible and divine.

The same substratum exists as life in all living beings. And so, whether it’s a human, an insect, an animal on land or in the sea, God is the divinity within that keeps them conscious, intelligent and alive.

God is the great controller that maintains harmony, intelligence and precision in both the outer world and in the bodies of all living beings.

And so, where can we find God? The simple answer is, “everywhere”.

We must first understand the nature of God and then contemplate on it regularly. Then we will indeed experience that divinity everywhere.

*The Bhagavad Gita is a book based on the spiritual teachings of Vedanta. You can watch spiritual master, Swami Chinmayananda explain the terms presented in this article here.

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Manisha Melwani

Manisha Melwani is a teacher and the author of, "Your Spiritual Journey" She offers spiritual and wellness solutions for life and stress management. She teaches classes in personal growth, stress management and meditation. Contact her for more information or to have her speak to your group or organization. She also offers private counseling sessions on-line.

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