The absolute knowledge of the absolute God is impossible because the absolute God is unimaginable. The absolute God comes in human form to give you the experience of His existence, in absence of which, you may deny the very existence of the absolute God and may become atheist (Astityeva .Veda). The identification of the human form in which the absolute God exists is the knowledge of God (Brahma Jnanam or Brahma Vidya). The experience of the existence of the absolute God does not reveal any trace of the nature of the absolute God and hence God is always unimaginable. The only information about the absolute God is that God exists. Aum Tat Sat means that God exists and no more information about God is available. The word Tat means that God is beyond your imagination. The word Aum denotes that God is the creator, ruler and destroyer of this world. These three adjectives indicate the works (Creation, rule and destruction) of God only and not the nature of the God. This is called as the information about the existence only (Sanmatra vada). God comes in human form, which is characterized by the awareness or chit.
One should not blame God that He is unable to make us understand the unimaginable God. So far we are thinking that we are able to understand God after doing lot of penance. This wrong knowledge is removed by God and today, you understood that you can never understand God. This point is also supported by the absence of spatial dimensions of God. By this, scientists need not think that the unimaginable God beyond space does not exist at all. The genuine miracles, which are unimaginable events, exhibited by unimaginable source called as God, establish the existence of unimaginable entity and it is supported by the point that such unimaginable God is beyond space being the creator of space.
It might be non-sense to you and I but I was hoping he could clear it up a little so my puny brain and lost soul could understand it better.
True, however the issue with the argument is that everything in reality can be describable. If there is something that is not describable, knowing, quantifiable, then it is non-sense. If I were to tell you "I have something to share with you, but no one can describe it and it is unknowable", what would you say?
Point taken. I guess I'm just asking to get to the bottom of the source of dattaswami's understanding, which I think he's alluded to in other ramblings. He's appears to have a foundation in Hinduism and I'm just wondering how he arrives at his conclusions on existentialism. ie - how much is from readings, self discovery, authority teachings etc.?
God cannot be understood that is the real knowledge about God. If you know that God cannot be understood, you know something about God that He cannot be understood! God is beyond human logic and knowledge. He is beyond even good and bad also! God is untouched by good and bad. Unless one know this that God is beyond good and bad one can never please God.
Yes, you have raised a good point. If God exists and if He is unimaginable what is the point of discussion about Him?. The philosophy deals with the discussion of the existence of unimaginable item. When you say that God is unknown, there is a danger of establishment of the non-existence of God. Philosophy says that God is unimaginable and is existing. The Philosophy further says that the unimaginable God enters and pervades a specific known medium, so that you can experience the mediated God. It is just like the unseen electricity entering a seen metallic wire giving you the experience of its existence through the shock. The philosophy deals with the investigation of the real path to please God etc., Therefore, Philosophy cannot be limited to one single statement, which states that we need not speak about God since God is unimaginable. Some say that the awareness is God and several others say that other imaginable items are God. We have to negate all these proposals by establishing that all these are imaginable items and hence cannot be the unimaginable God. All these aspects are to be dealt in detail and in depth and this makes philosophy a vast subject.
Another aspect is also there in the answer to your question. The Veda says that the Lord alone knows about Himself (Brahma vit Brahmaiva). The Gita says that nobody other than the Lord can know the Lord. The conclusion of this is that the Lord alone can preach about the Lord or Himself. Therefore, from this point of view also the Lord has to come down in human form (like Jesus, Krishna etc etc till date) to preach about Himself. When the Lord preaches, He preaches the concept very clearly. Based on this knowledge, you will naturally conclude that the Preacher is the Lord Himself. This is inevitable with any human incarnation. If you have any doubt about the preacher being the Lord, you can analyse His knowledge. First you must see whether He is quoting the scriptures as a support while introducing the concepts. Then you must apply the faculty of your analysis and see whether His interpretations are logical. When you are satisfied with His divine knowledge in all angles and if such knowledge indicates Him as the Lord you must accept Him. If you are unable to do this, you are covered by jealousy and egoism. Shankara says that the knowledge to identify Brahman (Brahma Jnana) should be heard only after purifying your mind from egoism and jealousy.
So we are capable of 'pleasing God' even though we 'cannot imagine God'? How is it possible to please God, and are we obligated to do so?
Very good question. Yes, if God is unimaginable and invisible, how will you please Him. Suppose your son is there who lives in a far of place and you send some money to him, but he is not able to communicate to you. Then how will you know that he has really received the money and happy etc. Like wise if God remains invisible then all these problems come. We can never please such God. Therefore the invisible, unimaginable God comes in human form so that we can practically serve Him and see the pleasure on His face here itself. When a mother wants to see her child, she does not think about any advantage out of it. Infact the mother presents some cash to the son as a gift and if the son needs, she will even sell all her ornaments and sacrifice for the sake of her son. Similarly, if the person has true love for God, the person wants to see God not for any advantage, but even at the cost of great disadvantage. For such a person, God appears and only such a person can see, talk, touch and even live with God. Only for such persons is there a need for the enquiry of the real form of God. The real form of God is the present Human Incarnation (human form of God_.
by 'human form' do you mean something particular like a 'specific human', or do you mean in general 'other humans' or 'humanity'?
It is specific not all people. The human form of God is a specific human being like Jesus, Krishna etc. Jesus, Krishna etc were past human form of God to preach then generation. They are not here now. IN place of them present human form of God is there. Then how to identify such God in human form? Only identification mark is the wonderful divine knowledge preached by Him. First you must hear His divine knowledge and analyse it. If He is real God in human form then the divine knowledge will be perfect and will clarify all your spiritual doubts. You must ask Him doubts, cross question till you get convinced. Therefore divine knowledge is the only identity mark of GOd in human form, besides miracles. Even demons perform miracles but they are not God in human form since they cannot preach a single word of divine knowledge. Ordinary preachers are not God in human form since they cannot preach divine knowledge their preaching gives headache to us. Since God alone knows about HIMSELF, He alone can preach about Himself and Hence He comes down in human form to preach us and clarify all our spiritual doubts and to know our aim of life which is pleasing of God by serving Him.
