Sweet Madness!

Neale Donald Walsch, the most modern messenger from GOD, writes about the perceived "hurt" to Islam (public conversion of “A prominent Italian Muslim” to Catholicism and the Dutch government allowing a movie producer to release a controversial film, which Muslims find insulting to the Holy Qu’ran):

Oh boy, here we go again. Why can’t we just find a way to get along? What is making us do all these things? And why must some of us become so personally and deeply insulted over such matters? Can we not live and let live?

It is interesting that a "healing" solution comes from Islam's own backyard: Sufis, DIRECTLY trained by Prophet Mohammed, believe that:

Beloved ones of God, you may belong to any race, cast, creed, or nation, still you are all impartially beloved by God.

You may be a believer or an unbeliever in the supreme Being, but He cares not. His mercy and grace flow through all His powers, without distinction of friend or foe.

The greatest principle of Sufism is, 'Ishq Allah, Ma'bud Allah' (God is love, lover, and beloved).

This whole universe, internally and externally, is governed by the source of love, which is sometimes the cause and sometimes the effect. The producer and the product are one, and that One is nothing but love.

A church, a temple or a Ka'ba stone,
Qur'an or Bible or a martyr's bone,
All these and more my heart can tolerate,
Since my religion now is Love alone' (Abul Ala).

As one of God's beloved, a path is opened for his heavenly journey: at the end he arrives at oneness with God, and his whole individuality is dissolved in the ocean of eternal bliss where even the conception of God and man disappears.

Although love is a sweet madness,
Yet all infirmities it heals.
Saints and sages have passed through it,
Love both to God and man appeals.

Hazrat Inayat Khan was inspired to initiate Universal Sufism, which is based on unity of all people and religions, and the presence of spiritual guidance in all people, places and things.

It is debatable whether Sufism predates (or exists outside) Islam as Universal Sufism, but Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan rightly concludes - Sufism may be called the spirit of Islam, as well as the pure essence of all religions and philosophies.

Pure Consciousness, the Witness of everything!

As our discussion continues at soulandsubstance, where I have talked about Consciousness - the abstractions to "understand" it and the associated challenges in experiencing truth.

Feel free to participate and come back to enjoy the following excerpts from "Ashtavakra Gita":

You do not consist of any of the elements -- earth, water, fire, air, or even ether. To be liberated, know yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these.

If only you will remain resting in consciousness, seeing yourself as distinct from the body, then even now you will become happy, peaceful and free from bonds.

Your real nature is as the ONE PERFECT, FREE, and actionless CONSCIOUSNESS, the all-pervading witness -- unattached to anything, desireless and at peace. It is from illusion that you seem to be involved in samsara.

You are really unbound and actionless, SELF-ILLUMINATING and spotless already. The cause of your bondage is that you are still resorting to stilling the mind.

You are unconditioned and CHANGELESS, formless and immovable, unfathomable AWARENESS, unperturbable: so hold to nothing but consciousness.

Recognize that the apparent is unreal, while the UNMANIFEST is abiding. Through this initiation into truth you will escape falling into unreality again.

Just as a mirror exists everywhere both within and apart from its reflected images, so the Supreme Lord exists EVERYWHERE within and apart from this body.

Just as one and the same all-pervading space exists within and without a jar, so the eternal, everlasting God exists in the TOTALITY of things.

~Ashtavakra Gita

What is GOD?

Last few days, we have been having a very interesting discussion initiated by soulandsubstance.
She has thrown an An Open Question to Atheists and Agnostics!
Her question is:
If it were theoretically possible for you to change your mind and be convinced that there is a God who created the universe, what would it take for that to happen?
Go, ahead and participate!