Why Has God Created a World in Which There Is Suffering? part8
Wed, 01/30/2008 - 13:55 — admin
In union and harmony with God, the free-willed living entity is acting exactly according to his real nature and is thus immersed in perfect bliss.
Well, Michael, that concludes my answer to your question, and hopefully to others you may not have asked. Have I neglected anything you can think of?
MICHAEL: I certainly can’t think of anything.
TEACHER: In any case, since it is a fairly complex thesis, perhaps I’d better summarize my statement. That way, we can get a chance to see the whole argument in our minds’ eyes.
Our proposal is that material suffering should not be seen as an indictment against the character of the Supreme Being, since through the experience of such suffering, one who has fallen away from God can be brought back to Him rather than being eternally cut loose from His association due to misuse of his free will. In answer to the assertion that had He been kinder, God could have accomplished this through the diminishment of pleasure rather than the actual experience of suffering, we reiterate that were there simply varying degrees of material happiness, the wayward soul might remain content to stay here in the material dimension, and never revive his forgotten relationship with God. Thus, the apparent contradiction raised against God’s spotless character by the existence of material suffering is resolved when we consider both the purpose and mercy behind the existence of such suffering and how it is intimately connected with God’s plan to bring those who have turned away from Him to the condition of infinite happiness.
You can eat so much food that your belly aches — yet you still want more! Even though your belly is filled to the point of physical pain, you, the self, are not full; you still desire to consume more. The fact that the body can be full or satisfied while you still feel empty is evidence that the body is not you.As the living being gradually becomes aware of the fact that he is God’s eternal servant, and that his lamentable state of existence in this world is due to his having chosen to serve himself rather than God, he is able to decide, of his own volition, to again engage in devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Thus, he again becomes united with God because he has freely chosen to do so, and not by external force.
Science of Identity Foundation – Siddhaswarupananda
In union and harmony with God, the free-willed living entity is acting exactly according to his real nature and is thus immersed in perfect bliss.
Well, Michael, that concludes my answer to your question, and hopefully to others you may not have asked. Have I neglected anything you can think of?
MICHAEL: I certainly can’t think of anything.
TEACHER: In any case, since it is a fairly complex thesis, perhaps I’d better summarize my statement. That way, we can get a chance to see the whole argument in our minds’ eyes.
Our proposal is that material suffering should not be seen as an indictment against the character of the Supreme Being, since through the experience of such suffering, one who has fallen away from God can be brought back to Him rather than being eternally cut loose from His association due to misuse of his free will. In answer to the assertion that had He been kinder, God could have accomplished this through the diminishment of pleasure rather than the actual experience of suffering, we reiterate that were there simply varying degrees of material happiness, the wayward soul might remain content to stay here in the material dimension, and never revive his forgotten relationship with God. Thus, the apparent contradiction raised against God’s spotless character by the existence of material suffering is resolved when we consider both the purpose and mercy behind the existence of such suffering and how it is intimately connected with God’s plan to bring those who have turned away from Him to the condition of infinite happiness.