Finding God

Rabrindranath Tagore wrote an interesting short story about a man who was searching for God which I've slightly modified. Now the man looked everywhere for God and eventually became completely engrossed in his search.

One day, the man saw a signpost saying, "This is the house of God." with a long set of stairs nearby. The man ran up the stairs until he reached a house. He removed his shoes and approached the door carefully... and froze with fear.

The man began to think, "What will I do with God? I've been searching for God for years, but I don't remember why. What will I talk to God about. What can I do once I've found God?" The man quickly walked backwards, grabbed his shoes and ran as fast as he could, afraid that God would hear him and come out. Since then, the man has once again been searching for God, looking everywhere except for the house with the sign.

This story is very interesting on many fronts. On first read, a part of me said, "but God is everywhere, He does not reside in a single house." but then I began to think on the messages embedded in the story. God does reside everywhere but there are some places where it is easier to access the Divine. One of these places is within the self through meditation and love... and what about the key question the man cannot answer? Can I answer that question? What will I do if I find God?

It's a very tricky question and a scary one too. Upon finding God, if one is so fortunate, does one lose their sense of self? Are thoughts of "what will I do?" moot? Does the finding of God render knowledge to the individual? Will one simply know? It's truly a tricky thought, because it can act as a barrier or as an inspiration.

At the end... does it matter? Does one need a reason or a purpose to search for and find the Divine? Will a reason hasten the search?

The answer lies beyond the door, all we have to do, is open it.