Why is the universe so big? There are so many galaxies, and many, many, stars. Is it possible to reincarnate on another planet/galaxy? Is the universe the stomach of God? Is the universe infinite? Many scientists say space is an illusion. So is there no space between so many galaxies?
—Liu Shen, China Mainland
Dear Liu Shen,
– Why is the universe so big? To show us that the ONE who created it is indeed amazingly big, bigger even than His creation. He – the Absolute Consciousness – is in fact too vast for the human mind to comprehend. Only in meditation can we intuitively grasp its enormity.
– Yes, according to Yogananda we reincarnate on different planets, not only on this earth. There is life on countless planets.
– The universe is not the stomach of God. Instead, Yogananda described the universe as “God’s body.” Actually, he has three bodies just like us human beings: a causal, astral, and a physical body (universe). Within it, hidden, is His blissful soul. In the same way, we human beings have hidden within our three bodies, a blissful soul. Our soul is like a “wave” of the “Ocean” of the Supreme Soul.
– The universe is not infinite. But its Creator is.
– Yes, also yogis affirm that space is an illusion. So is time an illusion. So is matter itself, actually and, therefore, the whole universe. Everything is an illusion, like a film: a projection of thought and energy. The only truth is the Infinite Consciousness out of which everything emerged, which we call God, or Spirit, or Cosmic Consciousness. True yoga is to become perfectly still, to intuitively experience that Infinite Consciousness, and to become one with it. The “wave” returns to the “Ocean.”
Many Greetings to China,
Jayadev
