April 15th

Compassion


Once you've seen the face of god,
You see that same face on everyone you meet.

The true god has no face. The true Tao has no name. But we cannot identify with that until we are of a very high level of insight. Until then, the gods with faces and the Tao with names are still more worthy of veneration and study than the illusions of the world.With long and sincere training, it is possible to see the face of god. Holiness is not about scientific objectivity. It is about a deep and clear recognition of the true nature of life. Your attitude toward your god will be different than anyone else's god -- divinity is a reflection of your own understanding. If you experience differs from others, that does not invalidate your sense of godliness. You will have no doubts after you have seen.
Knowing god is the source of compassion in our lives. We realize that our separation from others is artificial. We are neither separate from other people nor from Tao. It is only our own egotism that leads us to define ourselves as individuals. In fact, a direct experience of god is a direct experience of the utter universality of life. If we allow it to change our way of thinking, we will understand our essential oneness with all things.
How does god look? Once you see god, you will see that same face on every person you meet.

Personal Interpretation


To recognize the true  nature of life and of ourselves is to connect with the Divine. The spiritualities we hold to determine our worldview, define our perspective, color our outlook. Likewise, what we hold to be true is influenced by what we experience in this world. There is always that which cannot be directly experienced with the senses, and we should bear this in mind. These things can still be known by opening that part of ourselves which lies dormant. That takes patience and careful cultivation. The true face of God is that which we assign. We believe what makes the most sense for us. That perspective can change as we gain deeper insight.

In the end, we are not independent, but part of a cohesive whole. It is a worldview that encourages compassion. Sometimes the foundation of belief must come first if we are to break free from the cycle of egotism that too often comes to define us as a species.