HEAVEN IS WHERE GOD IS
by
Swami Chidananda
Worshipful homage unto the supreme Universal Reality that pervades all space envelops all existence and indwells all beings, which is the nitya (eternal) ever present in the anitya, which is the avinasi (indestructible) ever present in the nasaya-vastu (perishable). Samam sarveshu bhuteshu tishthan tam paramesvaram, vinasyatsvavinasyantam yah pasyati sa pasyati (He sees, who sees the Supreme Lord existing equally in all beings, the imperishable within the perishing).
0 Lord, grant us that vision that will enable us to perceive the eternal, the permanent, the everlasting, which is concealed, hidden, occult, yet present in the non-eternal, the temporary and the passing. Let us behold eternity in time. Let us behold the unmanifest within the manifest. Let us behold the concealed, gudhah, within that which is apparent. Eko devah sarvabhuteshu gudhah (God, who is one only, is hidden in all beings). Let us behold the formless within all names and forms.
Thus beholding, thus recognising, seeing all things as the signature of God, let us develop the consciousness of His presence at all times. Learning to perceive the hidden Divinity pervading this apparently material universe, let us be able to live, move and have our being in God. Let us he able to recognise that now, here is the Kingdom of God. “My body may be part of material earth, but I shall ever dwell in the now, here Kingdom of God, the now, here Kingdom of Heaven.”
Let this be the inner consciousness of the awakened seeker. Even as he is struggling to attain God-experience, he already begins to develop the consciousness of the ultimate Reality that has to be attained, through fervent bhava, through faith, through feeling, through firm conviction, with mind and intellect and body— mamevanusmara... mayibuddhimnivesaya... tameva saranam gaccha sarva bhavena bharata (Remembering Me only... Let your intellect dwell in Me. Seek refuge in Me with all your heart and being, 0 Arjuna). This is isvarapranidhana (devotion to the Lord). This is dwelling on earth but living in God, living in heaven.
The
truth is not that where heaven is, there God is. The truth is that where God is,
there heaven is. Therefore, you, as awakened, intelligent beings, endowed with
perception, endowed with knowledge of the scriptures, endowed with
understanding, you can very easily understand this fact, that it is not that God
is where heaven is. You cannot confine God to a locality. On the contrary,
heaven is where God is. And God is now, here. God is the all-pervading one and
only absolute Reality. Therefore, we are ever in heaven, ever in God, ever in
His kingdom. It is the growing awareness of this fact that is required, not
bringing into fact something that does not exist as a fact.
“Thy kingdom come.” When we pray thus, it is a prayer for an inner awakening to an ever-present reality. It is not a prayer for the coming into being of a state of affairs that does not at the moment prevail. Even when we were not, God prevailed as the all-pervading, universal presence. Even while we are, God prevails as the all-pervading, universal presence, the one great fact. And, even if we pass from hence and are no longer here, even then God will prevail as the one universal presence divine, the all-pervading presence divine. Thus it is that you should pray for the recognition of an eternal fact, that He dwells within us and we dwell in Him—God in you and you in God. 0 Lord, grant us recognition of this fact!
Thus
is the sharing this dawn, in the spiritual presence of Gurudev, a sharing
accompanied by the prayer that the peace of the ever-present God pervade your
heart and mind, your entire being. May peace flood into your consciousness and
envelop you. May you dwell in peace? May you live to share and to give this
peace? May peace be the one thing that you pray for others, desire for others.
And also may joy fill your heart. For where God is, there is perennial joy, for
Brahman is anandam. In the beginning was Brahman, now is Brahman, always shall
prevail Brahman. Therefore, in the beginning was bliss, now is bliss, and
forever, worlds without end, there shall prevail this bliss supreme.
Upon this day, as the whole world wakens to Christmas, my wish for you all is peace. Upon this auspicious dawn my good wishes for you all is joy. And my prayer to you all is that you may live to make your life an unbroken, ceaseless flow of peace and joy into God’s good earth. May you live to share and to give this peace and joy unto all your fellow beings, that goodwill may prevail, that all may rejoice. Sarvesham santir-bhavatu (Peace be unto all beings). Live to realise and to make others realise this prayer. May the ever-present, indwelling peace of the Kingdom of Heaven within you, in which you dwell in the Spirit, may that peace be your gift to mankind day by day, day after day, through your every thought, every feeling, every word and action. May you live and move in this world as a messenger of peace, an angel of peace. May you live and move in this world as a source of joy to one and all. This prayer I offer to all of you as my Christmas gift.
This truth of God’s presence, this truth of the prevalence of the Kingdom of Heaven all around us, now, here, is to be heard, reflected upon and meditated upon, so that you may live to rejoice in the joy of the Lord, you may live to grant peace unto all, yourself being established in that peace that passeth understanding. May God and all His saints, may the Divine Master of the Middle East, the prophet of Nazareth, the child that was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, the wisdom teacher who gave us the Sermon on the Mount, may that Being ever walk beside you. May the wisdom teachings of that Being be the light upon your path; and may His radiant life be a lofty ideal and example for you to emulate in your life, even as you are, step by step, trying to ascend the steep path that leads to the pinnacle of perfection and liberation and illumination.
God bless you all! May all His prophets and messengers bless you? May you attain that peace and joy that they came to grant mankind through their life, their example and their teachings. May the love and blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ, may the love and benedictions of beloved Holy Master Gurudev Sivanandaji make your life divine and grant you the experience of that peace, not in the distant future, not in some other realm, but now and here, every moment of your life!”
This article has been reproduced from Awake! Realise Your Divinity! by Swami Chidananda
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