GOD-REALIZATION

[The following is a reprint of my blog of June 29, 2009.]

People ask me fairly often what I do now that I’m retired. When I’m not actively doing and going,  this is what I do: I seek God-realization for I do believe “there is no purpose or goal beyond God-realization, and once God-realization has been attained, that realization takes care of everything that happens in life.” (”The Contemplative Life,” by Joel Goldsmith, at p. 100.) 

For a long time now, I’ve studied people on the public stage, especially those who seem to live their lives with a total focus from the inside…they exhibit an uncommon grace. I became a huge fan of professional tennis back when Steffi Graf was playing, watching her on the tennis court overcome herself was purely of God. I see the same in Roger Federer today. I consider myself a member of Team Tiger when Tiger Woods is on the golf course…his focus is phenomenal. I am always studying President Obama, hoping to learn how he does it, that is, not react out of self to petty provocations. Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady held a press conference (I believe it was in relation to the Travelgate problem at the time). She utterly opened herself to some extremely pointed questions, quite a few fairly hostile. She was focused, polite without in any way currying favor, unself-protected.

Several years ago, I watched a debate on TV of religious leaders. There were several men on stage, two of whom really interested me. One was the leader of a major religious denomination, the other was Deepak Chopra. I knew Chopra’s name, but that’s all I knew of him, and I knew the other's religious denomination but not the man. I do not remember the question being discussed, but Chopra said something to the effect that today’s world is not God’s doing and went on to speak of the Spirit within. 

The religious leader became irate to the point of rude, red-faced and nasty, apparently feeling that Jesus Christ was being maligned. Chopra responded courteously, attempted once to correct the misunderstanding, and then simply made listening noises while the religious one ranted (or so it seemed to me). I’ve always felt that Chopra made more points simply through his quiet demeanor…or, more accurately, the religious one lost a lot more than points by being disrespectful…in fact, he did Jesus Christ no favors.

These examples speak to me of God-realized people…and any one or all of them may be agnostic, even atheist. It is not the dogma we believe, it is what we show forth that matters. None of them show forth self, rather they show forth a power greater than self.

Thank You.