Fundamental Facts of the Universe

The great central fact of the Universe is that there is a Spirit, infinite Life and Power, which underlies all things, permeates all things, manifests in all things, and dwells within all things. It is the principle of life self-existent, from which all things have sprung forth, and into which they are constantly returning. If there is individual life, then there must necessarily be an infinite source of that life. If there is love as a quality or force, then there must necessarily be an infinite wellspring of love. If there is wisdom, then there must surely be a fountain of all-knowing behind it. The same is true of peace, and of power, and of everything we call material.

Therefore, behind all things, there exists this infinite spirit of life and power, which is the source of all things. This infinite power permeates the entire universe, surrounds us from every side, and operates through great, immutable laws and forces, creating, acting, and governing. Even each and every activity in our daily lives is governed by the same great law and force. Every flower that blooms on the roadside sprouts, grows, blossoms, and withers according to a certain great, unchanging law. Each snowflake that dances between earth and sky is formed, falls, and melts according to a certain great, immutable law.

In a sense, only laws exist in this vast universe. If that is true, then inevitably, there must be a force behind all of them, a power that creates these laws and transcends the created laws. I call this infinite life and power, which lies behind everything, God. Whether you use the term "loving light," "divine order," "great spirit," "omnipotence," or any other convenient word, I do not care. If we can agree on this great central fact, then the name is not a problem.

Therefore, God is the infinite Spirit who fills the entire universe. Everything originates from God, exists within God, and there is nothing outside of God. It is precisely within God that we live, move, and exist. God is the life of our lives, it is our very own life itself. We receive life from God, and continue to receive it constantly. We are in God's life. While we are individualized spirits, and God differs from us in that God encompasses everything else including us, in essence, the life of God and the life of humanity are exactly the same, they are one. They differ not in substance, but in degree.

There are people, both in the past and present, who believe that we receive life from God in the form of a divine influx. There are also people, both in the past and present, who believe that our life is one with the life of God, and therefore that God and humanity are one. Which one is correct? Both are correct. If understood correctly, both are correct.

Regarding the first concept, if God is the infinite spirit of life that underlies all things, and everything originates from it, then it is clear that our individual lives as individualized spirits are constantly flowing from this infinite source through a divine influx.

Regarding the second concept, if our individual lives as individualized spirits originate directly from this infinite spirit of life and are part of it, then the degree of the infinite spirit manifested in each person's life must be identical to its source and quality. Just like a drop of water taken from the sea is the same in nature and characteristics as the sea that is its origin. Is there any other possibility?

However, the latter concept has a point that can easily lead to misunderstanding. While the divine spirit and human life are fundamentally the same, the divine spirit far surpasses individual human lives and encompasses everything else. In other words, while they are essentially the same in terms of the quality of life, they differ greatly in degree.

If you look at it this way, wouldn't you understand that both of these viewpoints are true? Moreover, aren't they the same thing? The two viewpoints can be shown with the same analogy.

Let's imagine a reservoir located in a valley, which receives water from an inexhaustible reservoir on the mountainside. In this case, it is true that the reservoir in the valley obtains its water by receiving it from the larger reservoir on the hillside. At the same time, it is also true that the water in this small reservoir is exactly the same as the water in the source, which is the large reservoir, in terms of nature, quality, and characteristics. However, there is a difference: The reservoir on the mountainside contains far more water than the reservoir in the valley, so even if it fills countless reservoirs like the one in the valley, it will still not be depleted.

The same is true for human life. Regardless of how our opinions may differ on other matters, I believe we already agree that there exists an infinite spirit of life, which underlies all things and from which all life arises. If this is the case, then individual human lives, your life and my life, must come from a divine influx from this infinite source. And if that is true, then the life brought to humans by this influx is essentially the same as this infinite spirit of life. There are differences, but they are not differences in essence; they are differences in degree.

If this is true, then the closer humans get to a divine influx by opening themselves up to it, the more they will approach God. If that is the case, then as humans draw nearer, they will acquire the power of God. If the power of God has no limits, then perhaps human limitations are only those self-imposed limitations caused by not knowing oneself.