Your description of "God" in 10 words or less (experience, God)

[Aupmanyav]

Ben, when we understand 'what', we find that there is no 'who'. All this is a farce, of course, for a good reason; but when we forget the reason 'why', we end up in darkness.

[ben d]

Originally Posted by Aupmanyav

Ben, when we understand 'what', we find that there is no 'who'. All this is a farce, of course, for a good reason; but when we forget the reason 'why', we end up in darkness.

So very profound Aupmanyav!.... but it required considerable contemplation on my part to understand the 'language' you use.

My understanding is that your post is actually conveying, and is consistent with, the universal theme, though in a way that at first glance it seems to be 'atheistic'.

[Aupmanyav]

In easier language: I am an atheist, but I have no problem with believers if the idea of God propels them to be socially useful persons which was actually the reason for the idea of God. As for myself, I understand that there is no God. The universe is a play of energy (energy like in physics, light, electricity, heat, magnetism, gravity) and we are temporary forms of that energy. No esoterics like rebirth, heaven, hell, judgement, nirvana, universal conscience, etc.

[Troublemane]

God is existence itself.

[ben d]

Originally Posted by Aupmanyav

In easier language: I am an atheist, but I have no problem with believers if the idea of God propels them to be socially useful persons which was actually the reason for the idea of God. As for myself, I understand that there is no God. The universe is a play of energy (energy like in physics, light, electricity, heat, magnetism, gravity) and we are temporary forms of that energy. No esoterics like rebirth, heaven, hell, judgement, nirvana, universal conscience, etc.

Don't want to seem obtuse, but it would help to understand if you were to explain your understanding of the concept 'atheist'.

And it would likewise help if you were to explain your understanding of the concept 'god' that you understand does not exist.

It seems to me that it is possible that we may agree that certain concepts of 'god' are ridiculous and yet have become a part of a contrived popular/cultural belief system to exploit the ignorant. But some light needs to shone on your concept of 'god' that doesn't exist to clarify matters.

[Aupmanyav]

I (sort of) hate the word God, take both the explanations, run-of-the-mill and more esoteric, where God is impersonal, where everything is God, as wrong. God is one who can interfere in human affairs, judge your actions, has human attributes, loving, kind, feroceous to the non-believers or who would want to turn them into believers. God is one to whom you can pray and he can grant boons, etc. Atheist is one who does not believe in all this (s***) and the existence of anything like soul. I hope I have been able to make my meaning clear (Sometimes I would falter because of English not being my native language).

As for the multitude of hindu Gods and Goddesses, I take them as mythology (and a little of history and sociology), heroes and heroines, in whose stories we find the correct was of leading a life for us. In some stories, the actions of these heroes and heroines is examplary sometimes it falls short of what is accepted in our society (then we say they should not have acted in that way). But in both cases, the stories are meaningful to us.

[ben d]

I can understand your feeling and position concerning your understanding of the concept 'God', ie. both the 'run-of-the-mill' and the more 'esoteric'. However there is another understanding that perhaps you haven't considered, and that is that 'concepts' themselves are not real (except as concepts) and so it is not possible for the mortal mind which functions through conceptual thinking processes, to truly 'know' anything real beyond the mundane world.

For example, using my conceptual mind, I can postulate the existence of God, or again postulate there is no God. However it is my understanding that any concepts of 'no-God' or of 'God' that I create or believe in, are not really 'not-God' or 'God' but remain just concepts that represent that for which they stand.

Once it is understood that the truth behind reality can't be known by the mortal mind by mere mental representations (concepts), to continue to speculate in this area is vanity. To even complicate matters further, a word that has one conceptual meaning to one person, the very same word may be conceived as meaning something quite different by another. The mortal mind is a extraordinary faculty for dealing with the mundane world of space/time/matter/energy, but like all tools, it can be worse than useless in engaging it in areas for which it was not designed. There is much mankind is unaware of, and even unaware that they are unaware.

The question about the bigger picture remains though, and just because the mortal mind is incapable of knowing, that is no reason to conclude that there isn't more to it.

[Aupmanyav]

Ben, my idea of Brahman serves me very well.

[ben d]

Originally Posted by Aupmanyav

Ben, my idea of Brahman serves me very well.

Understand Aupmanyav,.... peace.