Does God Have A Form?

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Hand-drawn art by Rupali Bhuva
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Dieu a-t-il une forme ?
-- de Arthur Osborne

“Dieu a-t-il une forme ? demanda un jour un homme à Ramana Maharshi, un influent sage Indien.

“Qui dit que Dieu a une forme ? Rétorqua Ramana. L’interrogateur persista, “si Dieu ne représente vraiment aucune forme, quelle qu’elle soit, est-il faux de Le représenter comme une forme d’idole, et de lui vénérer un culte ?”

Il comprit la riposte comme étant, “personne ne dit que Dieu possède une forme”. Mais cela signifia exactement ce qu’il dit, et était amplifié de la manière, “Laissez Dieu tranquille, dites moi d’abord si “vous” avez une forme”.

“Bien sûr que je possède une forme, comme vous pouvez le voir, mais je ne suis pas Dieu.” ”Etes-vous donc uniquement le corps physique, composé de chair, d’os et de sang, et bien habillé ?”

“Oui, ça l’est sûrement, je suis conscient de mon existence dans cette forme physique”.

“Vous vous considérez comme ce corps parce que maintenant, vous êtes conscient de ce corps, mais êtes-vous ce corps ? Est-il possible que ce soit toujours vous, lorsque vous êtes en sommeil profond, et que vous n’êtes donc plus conscient de l’existence de ce corps ?”

“Oui, je reste certainement dans la même forme physique, même en plein sommeil profond, puisque je suis conscient de cela, jusqu’à ce que je tombe de sommeil, et dès que je me réveille, je vois que je suis exactement comme je l’étais, lorsque je suis allé dormir.”

“Et lorsque la mort arrive ?” L’interrogateur s’arrêta et pensa un instant, “Alors, je suis considéré comme mort, et le corps est enterré.”

“Mais vous dites que votre corps, c’est vous. Lorsque ce corps est emporté pour être enterré, pourquoi ne protesta-t-il pas pour dire : “Non ! Non ! ne m’emportez pas ! C’est une propriété que j’ai acquise, ces vêtements que je porte, ces enfants que j’ai engendrés, ils sont tous à moi, je devrais rester avec eux !”

Le visiteur confesse alors s’être faussement identifié, par le corps, et dit “je suis la vie dans ce corps, et non le corps en lui-même.”

Alors, Ramana lui expliqua : “Jusqu’à ce jour, tu t’es sérieusement considéré toi-même comme étant le corps, et ayant une forme. C’est cette ignorance primaire, qui est la cause principale de tout trouble. Jusqu’à ce que tu sois débarrassé de cette ignorance, jusqu’à ce que tu connaisses ta nature non physique, ce n'est que du pédantisme, que de discuter de Dieu et de se demander s'il a une forme, ou s'il est sans forme, ou s'il est juste d'adorer Dieu sous la forme d'une idole, quand il est vraiment sans forme. Tant que l'on ne voit pas le Soi sans forme, on ne peut pas vraiment adorer le Dieu sans forme. "

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Pistes de réflexion : comment vous représentez-vous en tant qu’être vivant dans un corps, et non comme le corps lui-même ? Pouvez-vous partager une expérience d’un moment, où vous avez constaté votre forme non physique ? Qu’est ce qui vous aide à éviter le pédantisme et rester enraciné dans votre vraie nature ?
Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to yourself as life in the body and not the body itself? Can you share an experience of a time you became aware of your formless nature? What helps you avoid pedantry and stay rooted in finding your own nature?

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Add Your Reflection

11 Past Reflections
RA
Rajagopalan
May 4, 2025
Yet, it's universal and unique that the nondual existence is realised, while existing in human form.
SM
Apr 21, 2020
RamnaMaharshi said " Death is not born and Life never dies". Once we become soul conscious getting rid of the body consciousness we can understand the truth.Formlessness is connected with the eternality of the soul.Looking within to understand the truth earnestly backed by hard work may be the way forward.
SI
Aug 24, 2019
Thought provoking from start to finish. Know God? Know not God. Formless and invisible.
RS
Aug 21, 2019
The one that knows what all senses are feeling and the one that knows, 'I am that' in everchanging body form from childhood to old age, is the formless nature I can most relate to. It does not matter what name we give it, it must be separate from senses and the body as it can experiences changes in the former, that fact proves it must be distinct from it. The self-enquiry or who am I that Ramana Maharishi talked about is what helps me stay rooted in it.It is that "I thought" and the enquiry ' Who am I?'
JO
Aug 20, 2019
I’ve been taught, and I believe that humans were originally created in the form of God, ..meaning that God designed the human form in ‘His’ own image. I’ve learned that we have both a visible and an invisible self, a physical and a spiritual aspect; as well as an emotional and a mental self/aspect.
RA
Aug 20, 2019
For me, the key statement here is "I am the life in the body, not the body in itself.". That captures the misunderstanding I find myself in, moment to moment.
JB
Jay Bender
Aug 20, 2019
When I was in my early times there were times when I was in the shower when I would have the sensation that I was more than my body and more than my personality.
AD
Aug 20, 2019
God or energy or whatever you want to call it is nothing without matter. In reality there is coexistence.
Matter and the all omnipotent energy coexist and that is reality.
Once this basic premise is understood then there is no mystery and everything falls in place in the whole universe.
The virtual or the life atom or the soul is energized by being in this energy and understanding is the resolution for the same.Knowing reality as it is in existence clears it of all doubts and the coexistence of the life atom with the physical body is the way to achieve that blissful state.
I have understood reality and humble can answer any question anyone can have about anything scientific, philosophy or imaginative.
Would love to hear from anyone and answer them in all humility and wait for this illuminated state of being experienced by them :)

Ananddamani.com
DD
Aug 17, 2019
My belief is that my essential life, that is, my soul, is formless. My formless soul incarnates, that is, takes on form, called my body, for a period of time. As a child I learned that I have a soul. Slowly but surely, especially over the last 20 years, I've learned through reading, discussion, and reflection that the soul has me, incarnates as me, and when this experience in form, called my body, ends, formless me or the soul goes on. I believe my soul, which isn't really mine, is an expression of God, and like God the soul is eternal, always was and always will be. I don't experience what I am saying as pedantry -- it is what makes sense to me, it's the basis of my theology, theology is important, and I stay rooted in it through ongoing discussion, reading, study, and reflection.
JP
Aug 16, 2019
Who am I is question that arises in mind especially whendisturbing sensations, thoughts and feelings go through my body and mind and when I get stuck with them, when the stream of my energy gets blocked by such recurring sensations thoughts and feelings. When I pay compassionate attention to what is happening in me, the question comes to my mind what is, who is suffering? At that time I realize that I have the body and I have the mind but I am not the body and I am not the mind. When I do not identify myself with the body and mind, the forms, I realize that that I is formless.It is the flow of life with no forms. It dawns upon me that I am not this or that but beyond these forms. And that is I and I is that. Many years ago when my wife and I went to RamanMaharshiArunachala Ashram in India, we sat quietly in the hall where RamanMaharshiwas meditating. Sitting doing nothing we felt the Presence of him. We sat there for an hour and felt our formless nature, our true nature going beyond na... View full comment
AM
amy Aug 23, 2019
Amen!