“The true nature of God is not seen as one sees sense-objects; it cannot be seen with those eyes. When brought into one’s meditation through persistent contemplation, it is seen by the pure intelligence of a clear and unwavering heart. The one who knows this to be so has gone beyond death.”

“When the five senses and mind come to a stop and the intellect also makes no effort, it is this state that the sages have called paramgati, the ultimate state.”

“When the senses have come to a harmonious standstill, this state is yoga, union, because in this state there is no trace of unawareness within the meditator. But the state of yoga rises and falls, hence the meditator must continue to strive to remain rooted in the state of yoga.”

“The true nature of God is not seen as one sees sense-objects; it cannot be seen with those eyes. When brought into one’s meditation through persistent contemplation, it is seen by the pure intelligence of a clear and unwavering heart. The one who knows this to be so has gone beyond death.”

The first thing to be understood: God is not a person. But all the religions have talked about God in such a way that people get a false impression that God is a person, a personality. If you believe that God is a person then naturally you will want to see him, to know him, to recognize him; you will want to be near him. But God is not a person. The idea that God is a person is only a poetic symbol. God is an energy, not a person. This is why you will not find him anywhere; there will never be a moment when you will meet with him face-to-face. So this sutra is saying that there is no way to see God directly because it is only people or things that can be seen directly.

This also needs to be understood: that when I say the divine is an energy, that energy is also unique. Electricity is also an energy, gravitation is also an energy – energy is all around. It is not enough just to say that the divine is an energy. The divine is a subjective energy, it is not objective. There is an energy which can be seen and there is another energy which is hidden within the seer. It is not in the seen but in the seer. One is objective energy like electricity, which can be seen. And there is a subjective energy, the energy of the inner being which can never be seen because it is within the seer. Or it will be better to say that we ourselves are that energy and that energy is everywhere. It is also outside, but to see it on the outside first you will have to experience it within yourself.

And to the person who has experienced that energy within himself, it becomes manifest everywhere. This whole universe becomes nothing but the manifestation of this light to one who sees this light within. But the first experience of it, the first realization, will be within. It is the innermost energy.