Via Negativa

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Good morning, and welcome back to Daily Dharma, a letter to our children.

[00:00:06]Today is May 23rd and our reading is via negativa.

[00:00:15]In the Christian tradition, via negativa is used to describe God in terms of what God is not rather than by defining God's characteristics affirmatively.

[00:00:31]It has much older roots, however.

[00:00:35]God is not hatred, nor fear, anger, resentment, self-pity, or envy.

[00:00:45]The Buddha described God, transcendent reality, in similes and metaphors because language is utterly inadequate.

[00:00:58]>> [bell] >> We often hear a God of our understanding and we say that sometimes, too, but it's just as accurate to say a God of our total misunderstanding.

[00:01:15]What kind of a deity would it be if I could describe it to you? I couldn't pick God out of a lineup if I had to.

[00:01:23]But we see the operation of God in our lives. When God is in our life, things go one way and when God is not in our life, things go a completely different way. And if the term God upsets you, try Gus or or good orderly direction or grace over drama or any of a number of other formulations that are a little more avuncular and happy sounding.

[00:01:55]Again, we're not telling anybody what to believe. We're describing what we believe and what acts in our life.

[00:02:04]There's a real difference depending on whether or not we are humble and put God and others before ourselves or if we live in a self-centered will-driven existence.

[00:02:19]One of these things is not like the other.

[00:02:24]Trying to describe transcendent reality.

[00:02:27]I mean the the hint is in the adjective. It's transcendent.

[00:02:35]Like we can't describe it. You know what I mean? I mean it's like beyond us.

[00:02:40]And there are lots of examples of this in in the great literature of the world.

[00:02:47]One of our favorites is the Majjhima Nikaya 130. It's called the Sappurisa Sutta or a good person Sutta.

[00:03:00]And it And the phrase goes like this, "Whatever you imagine it to be, it is always something else."

[00:03:07]And boy, is that ever true?

[00:03:10]Now, in this case, they were talking about imagining what jhana or nibbana would be, but you can apply that to just about any old thing, you know?

[00:03:22]The And this is not different from from other references.

[00:03:28]God, good orderly direction or grace over drama. What you know, hang whatever moniker you want on it.

[00:03:37]This is not different from 1 Corinthians chapter 13. We see in part.

[00:03:45]We only see in part and then when the the transcendent reality, the whole is made apparent, then we don't need the the partial description of it.

[00:03:56]Uh Proverbs talks about it, Solomon.

[00:03:59]And and God sees our hearts. Jeremiah said the same thing. Job said the same thing.

[00:04:08]The uh chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita is all about the cosmic vision.

[00:04:14]You know, you the uh Arjuna wanted wanted Krishna to reveal himself to him and and Krishna said, "Hold on, boy.

[00:04:27]Your head will explode if we do that."

[00:04:29]So, he had to give him cosmic vision, a new pair of glasses, so that he could see what what transcendent reality looked like. He couldn't do it with his normal eyes.

[00:04:42]So, happy trails to you until we meet again.

[00:04:49]>> [music]