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November 2009 
How does a person become a God?
Meenakshi
I think for the sake of clarity, I will re-post it here, as a Public access. [Added portions are in italics]
Making of an avatar, Master, or God on earth
Meenakshi Let's say someone becomes famous today. Someone who is known to thousands of people all over the world. What would the person do? What would they be? There are sports stars, film stars, political and religious leaders who would all fit the bill.
Even for “ordinary” folk, It is not difficult today to have 15 minutes of fame. We have YouTube, television and cellphones- all making for even faster word-of -mouth than at any time in the past.
Now let's say a new generation is born. How many of these celebrities will be known to them? Admired by them? Their words repeated, explained to others, analysed, venerated, loved, fought for, inspiring?
How about the generation after that? And after that? And…2000 years later?
What will ensure that someone is known to thousands of people, growing exponentially over time, for thousands of years, largely venerated and sometimes controversial?
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We are talking about idols, role models, stars, but also gods, avatars, masters, enlightened ones, gurus, swamis, who, stories tell us, have walked the earth, attracted followers and sometimes enemies; but are in any case remembered, revered and followed for thousands of years after they passed.
Bhagwan Krishna, Siddhartha Gautam Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mahavira Swami, Prophet Muhammad, Babaji,Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi, and others. Was there a divine reason for them to have the influence they have on thousands of people or is there something more?
According to the stories around these exalted beings, each of them has walked the earth. Each has teachings, in the form of oral and written tradition; some written while they were on earth, and others since then. These have been passed on and become the stuff of legend, lore, and deep mystical, emotional, intellectual experience. People continue to argue, fight, discuss.
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Let's take a step back. We often wonder: Was Krishna really on earth or is this a myth? Did Christ ever walk the earth as a healing carpenter? Did Siddharth really become the Buddha or is that a legend? What about Moses? The Tirthankaras?
Each of them has messages that have continued to inspire thousands of people in the lands of their fabled birth and now beyond.
Is the question of their historical truth really important for determining their influence?
The real miracle to me seems not that they may or may not have lived; but that the stories of their lives endured for so long, through ages of no or little mass media, no immediate translations, few travelers to far-away lands; transcending all the usual barriers of communication.
If they were mythical, isn't the miracle of the stories even greater?
Does the message in the stories lose its lustre, or get enhanced by this miracle?
If they were real, is't it a miracle that their stories and teachings have survived? Isn't it true that in many cases, it is disputed that these teachings are true to what was given?
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So the question remains : What will ensure that someone is known to thousands of people, growing exponentially over time, for thousands of years, largely venerated and sometimes controversial?
It is the consciousness of people, sometimes called the masses, the ordinary people, the led.
It is the consciousness of people that has brought forth the miracle of the story of these venerated beings; whether they began as a made-up tale or a live person on earth. It is mass consciousness that has first accepted and then perpetuated the messages, enhanced them or perhaps changed them.
How does a person become known to millions over time? Even in his or her own time, is s/he really known? Do we really know the truth about people who live next to us, let alone celebrities we will never meet?
Do we even know who we are?
If it is so difficult to know ourselves and others; how does one accept someone in one's lifetime as something really special? How does a message endure over time?
It is through the power of truth, cutting across the veils till it resonates in the consciousness of many.
The clarity of truth and the minds of the masses…that is how an avatar, master, or god is made on earth.
They say the Christ/Krishna/Buddha consciousness is coming on earth. They say - We are the ones we have been waiting for.
It has always been so.
Access: Public
I am of the opinion that we need look no further that His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he's right here, right now. I'm also of the opinion that we don't like what we have until it's gone, so the lessons he provides will not be fully comprehended until he has passed.
The ability of the internet allowing us to chat with folks in a few different continents before we finish the first cup of coffee will change this world forever in an unimaginable way. The things leaders did before this are becoming totally unacceptable as the voices of this world can be heard in a nanosecond. We will become as one and it will be good. I believe.
When many of the avatars of which you speak were alive, the “world” was smaller, in terms of communication. The fact that their Wisdom endures speaks to their level of Consciousness. David Hawkins in his book, “Power vs. Force,” attributes their impact to their vibrational level. Given that, it is possible, even in this media-saturated world for an avatar to emerge. But, I think two things are happening. First, as the frequency of our communication increases, it acts almost as a purgative, exposing and exacerbating a lot of the negativity which is out there. At first blush, this looks like a bad thing - because it seems nowadays, anything goes. I look at it as “detoxification.” It isn't pleasant while it's happening.
The second thing I see is, the level of consciousness of a large segment of the population (Zaadz is a prime example of that) is rising. The concept of one single influential avatar is being replaced by a “collection of saints-in-training.” It's a rock n' roll ride sometimes, but evolutionary all the same. Fantastic post. It really got me thinking!
Related to whether the masters did what we think they did, I always think of the quote by Jack Kerouac: when asked whether all the things in his book were true, he responded, “they are true whether they happened or not.”
Just today I was pondering something I came across related to our eyes, - I think it was in the revised “What the Bleep” - and it stated that there is no way to prove that what our eyes see is real. Pretty interesting, huh? I gather that the same is true of the past, the future and probably the present. It feels like God having a dream sometimes, a wonderful dream. Perhaps we are already all things - truly we are what we are waiting for, there's nothing else.
Last night I dreamed, vividly, that the difference between life and death is our perception of death; we can create the same reality as now even when our bodies are gone…
Enough of this mind blowing stuff for me, and I'm going to take advantage of the sun and the warm-up to 40 degrees and go for a walk… at least ,that what it will appear to be to me.
Thanks for the sharing,
Dave
Joe, Dave, Otter: thought-provoking points. Joe, I agree abt technology. In a way the internet is showing us the manifest form of the Akashic Records.
Perhaps when the enlightened ones alluded to a second coming, this is how they meant: through technology, other forms of communication; and people's vibrations increasing- as you alluded, Otter.
Dave, thanks for pointing out Kerouac's quote. Reminds me of that other title: Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are by Bob Frissell.
BTW, it's amazing what you said about creating the reality of death in life; if we can connect with our own expanded self; and that of others, we are already linking in timelessness. Then linking to them after one of our deaths would be like linking through thought as we can even now. It is happening; and to more people than are aware of it. It is just such fun to do it here as well!
The most important impediment to our believing that “We are the ones we've been waiting for” is that we don't need to be perfectly in tune or even of like mind. We just have to be aware of the Bach fugue being created here.
I am really happy to have come across such a beautiful and thoughtful article.
And I believe that the Divine Consciousness, that the people are waiting for, is on earth and IT will be manifested surely, and soon, answering our Call.
Barin
Barin,
Thank you so much for your thriling words. Yes indeed. It is manifesting.
Barin,
Thank you so much for your thriling words. Yes indeed. It is manifesting.
I really enjoyed this post! So insightfully written! Namaste!
“If it is so difficult to know ourselves and others; how does one accept someone in one's lifetime as something really special? How does a message endure over time?”
good question. it is also one the questions that Dennett tries to answer (from an evolutionary perspective) in his book, Breaking the Spell.
you said: ”The clarity of truth and the minds of the masses…that is how an avatar, master, or god is made on earth.”
while that may be partially true, it is the same “minds of the masses” that elevates false gods and avatars on earth. “truth” is a double-edged sword.
my two cents.
~C
Yes, very true. The point is, that people have had a large role in co-creation. Or perhaps being the hand of God or whatever we choose to call the Supreme Power we can envision.
As to false Gods, would you say they're ones that DON'T stand the test of time?
….aaaah, but false god (being to note that they might be true for someone else) are standing the test of time….as definition of what we do not believe.
I was just having a connected conversation on Martha's blog
From my perscpective, individuals such as Buddha and Jesus (or Hitler) can only be (in our experience) what we can comprehend and have given collective consent to exist. -there are things/those that exist, but have only our consent to exist in a currently unperceivable context.
In any such superlative manifestation, we have collectively consented and the manifestation/person that we experience happens to be the most receptive point of expression at that time-not some rarefied “separateness” from us.
I'm actually not even sure what the term “false god” would mean from a non-judgmental–or non-dual perspective.
If many people [with many being a non-definable term here] for long enough time follow a certain person or idea of a person; the person is manifesting their collective perceptions, and perhaps even ideals. In Hitler's case, though I'm not sure he is called a god in any sense of the term, not even by his followers; perhaps it was something lying dormant that needed to come out in its most frightening form, so the memorable images from that time would never be forgotten; and we hope, never repeated….I don't really want to get into that , though.
So C.G., your perspective seems to match the one I wrote; that the godly beings are integrated with the ones who give them that status.
If we agree on this; what would you think we can move on to? I have an idea but I wondered if anyone else would like to speak first!
One thing for sure, if the collective can manifest gods, it can manifest the collective (itself) to any 'progression.'
I believe we are all already god….we just have to awaken to it.
Definitely, the Divine is inborn in each and every human being, awaiting to be realised and manifested. That is the only Task before each of us. If we fail, we fail in life.
Barin
6-12-2007
Catherine , you said it - “we are ALL already god.” The different manifestations, colors, shapes and patterns.
Barin, do you think it's possible to fail? I'd written a poem that I invite you to look at : Looking for NotGod http://www.geocities.com/connector_1/NotGod.html
Meenakshi,
Ultimately and ideally, the Divine in us may not fail. But human beings have been stuck at al that is undivine or all that does not manifest the inner divinity, for centuries and millennia. They don't know what they are. They don't realize what they are. They forget what they are. And men and women have indulging in ignorant living, in darkness. You look around and you will find it. There has to be a choice and an aspiration and a continuous tapasya, not in a jungle or upon a hill, but in our life. Look around you will see that men are fighting each other, they running after things that will simply spoil their existence. Violence, greed, intolerance, hatred, divisions, doubts, difficulties, diseases, death - all these things are the proof that so long, as a race we have failing.
Barin
7-12-2007
Somehow, I feel that perhaps it also depends on how we define the terms Divine and God. Perhaps Divine means, all that is “good” [in a very broad sense].
And yes, I agree that we can see the short-sighted actions of people, that can hurt and destroy at the physical, emotional level. But when I think of God, it is of a non-Being that is beyond all dark and light, and encompasses both; and who can be seen as a light in the dark; and the loving shade of a tree when the light can blind.
If the mind can stay focused on God; then even in the midst of all that is outwardly “bad” [once again, using the word just for convenience, as it is not one I usually use]– we are in God.
What do you feel? Could these be games we play, when we know that there is really nothng but God.
And as you've used the term Divine; could that term be broadened in this way?
I think we need to widen and deepen our view, God is in all people, all creatures, plants, the planet, the universe, we are an infinitessamal small part of the divine whole, we are one with all when we accept that love for all; we have the the key to the cessation of violence, greed,intolerance etc - we do not do not harm that which we truly love. All these prophets looked to God, and loved all that is, I beleve they wanted us to do the same ,to look at the divine whole and love it, not look back in time to make them Gods and argue who is right! The universe is impartial no one greater than another.
Zephyr, yes, we can expand to a wider view of God.
Still, regardless of whether those mentioned were called God, prophets or masters or teachers or healers; the important point is, that humans make God..we decide, as you are, to widen or deepen or narrow our view. Once we realize this fully, the arguments around God can vanish..or can they?
What do you think?
I think they just evaporate and no longer have any power to raise negativity, accept the whole and what is left to argue? One just marvels at the beauty of it all. For me the next question involves baby universes, God evolving? Or creating/ reproducing? One thing for sure he is not static, but continually challenging our grey matter, you gotta love him /her for that no time for us to get complacent or bored.
Oh, I was thinking along these lines today! That each of us, at different times, chooses a different relationship with God/Source,Creator/Power/Oneness.
And at the SAME TIME, we have different levels of knowing the One.
We can have a personal god; see god in some people or in all; see God as someone to talk to, pray to, cajole, rail at, blame, praise, get inspired by, or find as a constant companion, the one who is all love; one who is above all humanness and one who is composed of all human qualities.
And in this way, we are perhaps defining, redefining, knowing and exploring God all at the same time.
Now, what about those who call themselves atheist or agnostic?
Some months later, in discussing Eckhart Tolle's book on A New Earth, a similar topic has come up in the LIving Metaphysics pod - What did the Buddha and Christ do for us?
Well, it appears that I am the first to follow you here from the Living Metaphysics pod (unless I have missed a post while working my way through here). I hope some additional perspectives follow from the pod into your blog as well. I was surprised at how few comments appeared the in the original blog but now I understand it was originally private and really only became public here, which is where the more expected number of comments appear.
Generally, one individual, while they may attract followers and students, does not reach the stature, that enduring through a longer period of time than life allows, that will achieve recognition as exceptional and so, it is not possible for most living contemporarily with such an individual to know that is the stature they will reach. Even those who are drawn to these as students or followers can not truly recognize that their mentor will become so renown.
I very much enjoyed Dave's remarks about life and death and find myself totally in agreement with them and your point Meenakshi about people linking in non-physical - I do believe that the only difference between linking in thought and linking on the net is that the net has a bit more of a material form to it.
I have to run, unfortunately I haven't finished reading through the comments above but hope to come back later.
Deborah
I just ran across We are the next Buddha Posted on May 15th, 2007 by Mushin
Written far more eruditely than this blog; I feel we are in that emrging collective consciouness.
Thanks Meenakshi, for pointing me here. ditto, ditto, and ditto to previous postings… I enjoyed reading the discussion/dialogue that emerged where it seemed a matter of semantics as opposed to having competing world views.
When I come across posts like this one (and I'm going to Mushin's post after I comment here) my heart warms inside of my body when I envision how I am part of and tapped into this saangha that is Gaia.