God does have a formless existence, but it is difficult to realize him as such. It is easy to forget that he is within us as well as being omnipresent.
Why do we get so attached to the form? If something lacks form does it make it nonexistent? Our thoughts and ideas are formless. Emotions are formless. We don’t refute them. Our essence, spirit or soul is formless and yet, many of us believe it exists because we feel something when we are still, silent and connecting to our inner core.
Whenever we talk about the formless, our mind asks for hard evidence, wanting proof of its existence. Evidence exists, but only when we are prepared to understand it – like gravity or sound waves are invisible, but can only be perceived with the right instruments. Formless things cannot be seen or touched, but the effects of them can be experienced. The same applies with the soul or spirit, and with the formless Lord.
To shift our awareness from the form to the formless, we need an awakening. This journey from initial awakening to fully fledged enlightenment is an ever-expanding journey of consciousness. Prior to awakening, we are so anchored in our skin-suit, living in the world of flesh. The physical form is so real and precious. Matter, time and space seem to be ‘the everything’. After awakening, we get a glimpse that there may be more to life than what our physical eyes can see, or our wider sense organs can capture. Only the organ of the soul, itself formless and invisible, can tune into the universal formless through which the entire cosmos has come forth.
As we reach higher consciousness, we start to connect with the almighty and know the guidance we receive here to be from a higher “more-knowing” or “all-knowing” presence. It is only a matter of time before we begin to believe more in the FORMLESS, which is eternal and enduring, than the FORM, which is fleeting and transitory.
Along the journey to awaken to the formless, the human mind is vulnerable to the innumerable distractions of this world. It can easily wonder and become agitated. To declutter our overly active minds, we must focus single-mindedly on the energy of the omnipresent during prayer. Practice builds strength and therefore a consistent routine of praying each day is required Focused, heartfelt and purposeful prayer is the key. We must strive hard to quiet the overly active mind.
Once we have calmed and settled the mind, we can begin developing insight. Having had a Gyan awakening, we can to initiate our connection to the formless. We must be cautious of the fact that fear weakens us and diminishes our focus. Fear is easily and unreservedly overcome with love. In this way, a sense of openness, space, clarity, awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness begins to flow. All these wonderful attributes, which come with our connection to the formless, move freely into our lives and then overflow into the environment around, for the benefit of all.
For a long time the practice of formless meditation may feel like a struggle but it is a constant fight to let go of complications and return to simplicity. As our practice develops, we are able to recognise and liberate ourselves from our habitual thought patterns.
Essentially, to understand the formless we must let go and empty our minds. We have to momentarily let go of all forms of attachment. Once there is realization of awareness and non-attachment, then there’s no need to be limited in form anymore, because the path of awareness is very clear – the formless becomes the driving force. Rather than looking for peace or fulfilment in things that we can conceive or imagine, peace is really to be found in no-thing, or in the formless (that without form, Nirankar).
Formless meditation allows us to realise our natural state of being. It facilitates us to calmly abide in the natural rhythm of the universe, in the humble knowing that in our formless essence, we are the centre of everything. We are then able to let go of all the problems dominating us. This is because problems always come in the world of form. However, we can soar above any suffering just as a plane flies over any turbulence in its path, if the pilot knows how to navigate a higher course. Let us engage in formless meditation, or Simran, as often as possible. It will help us move from initial awakening to enduring enlightenment, as we master the realisation of the formless.
-Deepak Parkash, London
