Symbols of the world's religions

               

BOTH THE CREATOR AND CREATION IN ONE

Meher Baba

 
God is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the universe which emanates from Him, is sustained by Him in His own being and also is re-absorbed in Him. God alone is real and the universe is in the domain of illusion, even though it is the manifestation of God Himself.

The world or creation comes out of the eternal and infinite being of God through the creation-point, which is referred to as "Om." No one can attain lasting peace unless he contacts and transcends this Om point. We therefore find the sacred symbol Om often appearing in juxtaposition with the word "Shantih," which means peace.

The phonetic similarity between Om, Amin and Amen is suggestive of many things. The sacred words Amin and Amen are frequent at the end of Muslim and Christian prayers. They both mean "So be it."

Coming from a man, "So be it" is a blessing or a wish; but coming from God it is creation. Creation is God's Amin or Amen, i.e. an immediate and instantaneous fulfillment of His will into actuality. The Arabic word Amin comes from the root Ohm, which means safety or peace and thus Amin may be regarded as an equivalent or at least a kin of Om, which also is associated with peace.

All prayers of different religions such as Hinduism, Islam and Christianity have a reference to the Creator. Creation is the greatest mystery with which all creatures, including human beings, are faced. The mystery cannot be unraveled or fulfilled unless and until man consciously becomes united with the Creator and realizes himself as being one with God, who is both the Creator and creation in one, at once including and transcending both in His infinite being.

 

BEAMS FROM MEHER BABA ON THE SPIRITUAL PANORAMA, pp. 18-19
1958 © Sufism Reoriented, Inc.

               

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