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--- In Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, vimalkumar ranganathan
<panardasan@xxxx> wrote:
The question is this: WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF GOD?? 
> 
> Well, every "thing" should have an origin, atleast according to
human perception. If Sriman Narayana is God, what about his origins,
I mean, has he always been resting on the bed of Sesha?? The question
thats arising in my mind is, shouldn't he have an origin, or
something that created him?? 

******************************

Dear friend,

This is a tough question you ask. Answers are many. But you can hope
to get clarity only from within yourself. 

Vachagatta once asked his guru, the Buddha a question: "On leaving
the body where forth does the soul proceed?"

The Budda replied: "Vacha, the phrase "does proceed" does not apply
to the soul".

Vacha then asked, "Master, then let me put the question in a
different way. Where forth does the soul not proceed after leaving
this body?". 

The Budda replied: "Vacha, the phrase "does not proceed" does not
apply to the soul". 

Vacha then continued to question: "Master, if the expressions "does
proceed" and "does not proceed" do not apply to the soul, then surely
we can say "The soul neither 'proceeds' nor 'not proceed'?"

The Buddha replied: "Vacha, the phrase "The soul neither 'proceeds'
nor 'not proceed'" also does not apply to the soul".

At this Vacha lost all his patience. He said with some vehemance to
the Buddha, "Master, if we say the phrase "proceeds" does not apply
to the soul; and if we say the phrase "does not proceed" also does
not apply to the soul; and furthermore, if we say that the phrase
"neither proceeds nor proceeds not" also does not apply to the soul,
then Master, what am I to make of the nature of the soul?"

The Buddha on hearing this from Vachagatta told him to light a small
fire. SO Vacha gathered some bits of wood and dry leaves and lit them
into a small fire. The Buddha and his disciple both watched the fire
blaze for a while and then it gradually went out by itself.

The Buddha then turned to Vacha and asked: "Vacha tell me, where did
the fire that burned before us a few moments ago, where did that fire
proceed?"

Vacha said, "Sir, that fire did not proceed anywhere".

Buddha then asked, "Vacha, if you say the fire did not proceed
anywhere, then wherefrom did it proceed?".

"Sir, that fire did not proceed from anywhere. It emanated from the
fuel of wooden bits and leaves that I gathered. When the fuel is
burnt out the fire too ceases. The fire itself neither proceeds from
nor proceed to anywhere. Fire is Fire. It just exists. It is there.
When it is fuelled it shows itself. When the fuel runs out it goes
out of appearance. But Fire as Fire exists at all times."

The Buddha smiled and asked his disciple innocently: "But Vacha, if
you say that "fire neither proceeds from nor proceed to anywhere"
what am I to make of the nature of the fire?" 

It then dawned on Vachagatta what the Buddha had all along been
trying to tell him about the nature of the Soul -- that it is
eternal, it is uncaused, it has neither origin nor end, and phrases
such as 'proceeds from' and 'proceed to' simply do not apply to it.

****************************

Hope the above story will help you, my friend, albeit in a small way,
to understand that God too does not have an origin. God is just
is...! The phrase "origin", "cause", "reason", "beginning" or
"creation" etc. all just do not apply to God --- in the very same way
as the Buddha taught his disciple Vacha that Fire neither 'proceeds
from' nor 'proceed to' anywhere.

Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan


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