God is Within, Without and Beyond

Throughout the ages, some of the wisest mystics and saints have pointed towards Divinity within us. Yet, it remains a natural yearning to seek a Divine presence outside of us. For how can we grasp something that apparently seems vast, abstract and transcendent but also compassionate, loving and human?

How can we use our minds to truly know that which is beyond mind?

The mind is the most complex and powerful instrument we possess. Right up until the very end, it acts as a double-edged sword — both clearing our path and tripping us up. It can be a friend or a foe, depending on how we look at it.

While the ego-mind may feel like an endless cacophony of random, troubling thoughts, the higher mind or intellect is a vital tool of discrimination. And at the most refined level, the still, peaceful mind reflects the Divine in its most loving, integrated form.

Finally, even this still mind dissolves into the Absolute — into Consciousness, into Pure Awareness.

Let’s not lose our minds!

Many spiritual seekers hear that they’re meant to drop the mind, or put the mind aside in order to realise truth. This speaks to a non-dual reality: the understanding that none of us are really separate from one another, and that everything emerges from a single, unified Consciousness.

The problem is, consciously being able to dissolve the mind is the pinnacle of spiritual attainment. Until we reach this state, the mind cannot simply be dropped at will like our keys or wallet — not naturally anyway. Instead of trying to reject our fundamental software, it can be helpful to use the mind to give the formless a form:

For a meditating seeker, a visual form or thought form can help steady the mind into focused attention. Visualisation can also help anchor the breath in certain techniques.

For an intellectual seeker, reading, reflecting and assimilating can be powerful ways to expand their awareness.

For a devotional seeker, outer forms offer the means to externalise their love — and this can be a source of great comfort in times of despair. The form could be a deity, a saint or a Self-realised teacher.

Some seekers may integrate multiple paths into their life, finding a balance that works for them. This can help avoid the pitfalls of becoming either intellectually dry and unfeeling, or blinded by emotion without discernment.

Eventually, much like a boomerang, all seeking turns in on itself, following the destined curvature back to our true selves. But trying to strip away our grounding supports prematurely may lead to spiritual disorientation or psychological harm.

On being thrust towards the finish line without having run the race, an unripe mind may try to bypass the gruelling inner work and patience required on the path. Such a mind may fall prey to delusions of grandeur, and ironically look down on others for being trapped in illusion.

All this only serves to magnify the ego, not dissolve it. When non-dual truths remain mental concepts rather than realisation, they can easily be worn as shiny, spiritual armor to shield the ego and shut down the heart.

Other seekers may feel completely adrift and helpless without proper anchoring. Far from spontaneous enlightenment, they could face a serious and terrifying psychological abyss. Higher levels of awareness can be gradually integrated into our being over time, but this can take years even for sincere seekers. In fact, forcing it often works against us.

If we are suddenly pushed into a vastness beyond what we can hold, without any safe harbour or grounding, instead of freedom we might feel an existential dread — like that of drowning.

Even without these dangers being named, it stands to reason that everyone has their personal inclinations, their own trajectory and timeline.

In the end, whichever path we choose, we all get to go home. So let’s keep going, doing our best with an open heart. After all, it’s really nothing to lose our minds over!

Kiruthika Rajeswaran