Abiding within the heart, God is near at hand to each of us, if only we would notice.
In the Bible, God’s immanence is described in the revelation to Elijah, where instead of a grand manifestation in earthquake and storm, God appeared as “a still, small voice.”
Through faith and humility we can sense God’s presence within. Yet God is in fact near to all, even though most are blind and deaf to His reality. In the Abrahamic religions, God’s immanence rarely leads to identification with the soul itself, but Eastern traditions teach more thoroughgoing notions of divine immanence.
Sufis interpret the qur’anic parable of the Lamp as expressing God’s presence in the heart as a light illuminating the body. In Hinduism, divine imma- nence is ontological: Ultimate Reality is the Self, the Atman.
In Buddhism, it is the realization by the mind of its true nature: the Essence of Mind (Tathata) or Buddha-nature. Yet these conceptions in no way make a simple identification of God with the individual soul (jiva), which is beclouded and deluded by an egoistic sense of self; see also
Chapter 7: Enlightenment.
The complete realization of the God within is a potential and ideal because that is our God-given purpose. As Father Moon teaches, God created each of us to encompass the universe and correspond with God’s heart.
Behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17.21
We indeed created man; and We know what his soul whispers within him, and We are nearer to him than the jugular vein. Qur’an 50.16
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And before him no creature is hidden,
but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4.12-13
That mind which gives life to all the people in the world— such is the very mind which nourishes me! Moritake Arakida,
One Hundred Poems about the World (Shinto)
Why do you go to the forest in search of God? He lives in all and is yet ever distinct; He abides with you, too, As a fragrance dwells in a flower, And reflection in a mirror; So does God dwell inside everything; Seek Him, therefore, in your heart. Adi Granth, Dhanasri, M.9, p. 684 (Sikhism)
For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity,
whose name is Holy, “
I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 57.15
In the golden city of the heart dwells
The Lord of Love, without parts, without stain.
Know him as the radiant light of lights.
There shines not the sun, neither moon nor star,
Nor flash of lightning, nor fire lit on earth.
The Lord is the light reflected by all.
He shining, everything shines after him.
Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.10-11
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche,
and within it a Lamp; the Lamp enclosed in Glass:
The Glass as it were a brilliant star:
Lit from a blessed Tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West,
whose oil is well-nigh luminous,
though fire scarce touched it.
Light upon Light! God guides whom
He will to His Light:
God sets forth parables for men,
and God knows all things.
Qur’an 24.35
The Lord takes his stand upon hearing, sight, touch,
taste, smell, and upon the mind.
He enjoys what mind and senses enjoy.
Deluded men cannot trace his course.
Only the eye of wisdom sees him clothed in the states of existence,
going forth, being in the body, or taking in experience.
Disciplined men can also make an effort and see his presence in themselves. Bhagavad-Gita 15.9-11 (Hinduism)
I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. John 14.20
Daibai asked Baso, “What is Buddha?” Baso answered, “This very mind is the Buddha.” Mumonkan 30 (Buddhism)
Within our Essence of Mind the Three Bodies of Buddha (Trikaya) are to be found, and they are common to everybody. Because the mind labors under delusions, he knows not his own inner nature; and the result is that he ignores the Trikaya within himself, erroneously believing that they are to be sought from without. Within yourself you will find the Trikaya which, being the manifestation of the Essence of Mind, are not to be sought from without.
Sutra of Hui Neng 6 (Buddhism)
God said to Elijah… “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19.11-12
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Where does God exist? He is not in heaven, but in our heart, the center of our heart. (145:310, June 1, 1986)
God is not merely a concept. God is alive in each of our lives, and we can feel His touch. I constantly hear the beating of God’s pulse. I breathe as He breathes. I can feel the warmth of His body against my own.
I have come to know the heart of God, and have shed rivers of tears from the knowledge that His heart is bursting with the sorrow of having lost humankind through the Fall. (234:233, August 22, 1992)
When we forget to eat and sleep, we yearn for our beloved Heavenly Father and call out, “Father!” He holds our hand, even though we do not notice Him. We call out, “Father,” and Heavenly Father clasps us to His bosom.
It is precious to have these experiences in our lives of faith. With a heart of love, even before you say, “Please be with me while I do this,” God is already with you. Experience this, and you will know that God is Gracious and Merciful. (58:299, June 25, 1972)
How does God love? It is not hard to answer. Since God is without form, He can go anywhere inside a lady’s eyes, inside her heart, anywhere at all. Where does God live? He dwells amid our heart. God’s masculine aspect lives in the heart of a man, and God’s feminine aspect lives in the heart of a woman. (128:325)
Many Christians today think that because God the Creator is unique and absolute, the Supreme Being, it is impossible for human beings, His creatures, to relate with God in a full partnership.
They reason that creatures are profane while God is absolute and holy. Consider this matter, however, from the concept of love. To form relationships of love, even the lofty and supremely good God and lowly created beings must share common attributes of character. To love, they must share the same heart. That is, the personal God must have the same qualities as the human personality. (138:247, January 24, 1986)
The universe is vast, as great as 21 billion light-years across… Yet when we search within for the best place to receive God, our greatest treasure, the natural conclusion is, “The heart is the only appropriate place.” No place can be safer or more comfortable for Him.
The heart is able to stand in the position of God’s object partner and exist for eternity by engaging in spherical motion, and this is the reason that human beings can have eternal life. (May 1, 2004)
God is immeasurably huge, but a human being, though tiny in comparison, is a microcosm of the universe. Therefore, we can experience that God is within us as we go into God. We can experience that we are within God and God is within us.
That is why Jesus said, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Although God is infinitely big, only when human beings dwell within Him can God work.
(31:210, May 31, 1970)
Thou dost relate to us at the dividing line between joy and sorrow.
(24:245, August 24, 1969)
Now is the time when people must reflect on themselves and listen to the voice from Heaven. Through the benefit of the providence, the living God has now drawn near to us. From now on, people will have many spiritual experiences that they could not have had earlier. That is to say, they will communicate with the transcendent world.
Through these frequent spiritual experiences, people will be influenced directly and indirectly. Especially people who experience the inspiration of God and good spirits will have their spiritual senses developed centered on God, and they will experience major changes in their character.
People whose character is thus transformed to fit the way of Heaven are the true people God has been hoping for. (February 6, 2003)
Thou dost not live in some distant, relative world. Thou art in the middle of our hearts; Thou surroundest our bodies unnoticed, like the air all around us; Thou hast been embracing our entire lives.
When we receive that power which surrounds us, infinite power is mobilized. When we absorb that power, eternal power, it impacts and stimulates us anew. (27:41-42, November 23, 1969)