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Beyond the Body of God

Scientists like to speak in the language of mathematics. There are many good mathematicians among us. Those of us who look at reality and speak about reality in the language of mathematics find that there is no other language that can speak as well as mathematics does about reality. When a mathematician admires reality in terms of mathematics, he has the tendency to believe that God is the best mathematician. Otherwise, how could things be arranged in such a way? If God is not a mathematician, how could he create things perfectly in this way?

The artist, the painter, who uses colors and brushes to create beautiful images on canvas, tends to believe that God is the best of all painters. Look around you. Nothing is more beautiful than what you see — the morning sunrise, the splendid sunset, the ocean, the stars, the leaves, the trees, the clouds — everything is so beautiful. If God is not the best of all painters, how could he have created the world as it is? Painters have the right to think of God as the best painter.

Let’s look at the fish swimming very happily in the water. He tends to think of God as the best of swimmers. It is very normal for human beings to conceive of God as a human being. It is said that God has created man in his own image. But it may be true that humankind has created God in the image of humankind. Both statements are true. To spend our time quarreling with each other as to whether God is a person or not is just a waste of time. You are a person, but you are more than a person. This can be applied to the cosmos, to the spirit, and to God.

Thich Nhat Hanh
from Coming Home; Jesus and Buddha as Brothers