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How to Experience God

There are some who say that Buddhism lacks God. That only the Buddha (the first teacher) is venerated. I believe that this idea comes from a gap in cultures and languages. In this book, I hope to give Westerners clear methods to practice in order to experience God. With dedicated practice, there will undoubtedly come a time where you will clearly feel the loving, protective presence of God. This experience cannot correctly be put into words or intellectualized; it can only be realized as a result of regular practice.

Meditation is a technique where one “turns inward” to experience “everything outward”. Often confused with prayer, meditation is in reality the other half of prayer. Whereas prayer is an active, projective method to reach out to God, meditation is an active, receptive method to bring God in.

Both prayer and meditation should be practiced to experience God. We have already learned how to pray with the Nenju by reciting the OM mantra, the Mani mantra and the Heart Sutra. Let us now look at meditation from a Buddhist perspective.