Question

The Isha Upanishad (Hindu Story, translated by Eknath Easwaran)

1 The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all. The Lord is the supreme reality. Rejoice in him through renunciation. Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord. 2Thus working may you live a hundred years. Thus alone can you work in full freedom. 3Those who deny the Self are born again Blind to the Self, enveloped in darkness, Utterly devoid of love for the Lord. 4The Self is one. Ever still, the Self is Swifter than thought, swifter than the senses. Though motionless, he outruns all pursuit. Without the Self, never could life exist. 5The Self seems to move, but is ever still. He seems far away, but is ever near. He is within all, and he transcends all. 6Those who see all creatures in themselves And themselves in all creatures know no fear. 7Those who see all creatures in themselves And themselves in all creatures know no grief.

How can the multiplicity of life Delude the one who sees its unity? 8The Self is everywhere. Bright is the Self, Indivisible, untouched by sin, wise, Immanent and transcendent. He it is Who holds the cosmos together. 9-11In dark night live those For whom the world without alone is real; In night darker still, for whom the world within Alone is real. The first leads to a life Of action, the second of meditation. But those who combine action with meditation Go across the sea of death through action And enter into immortality Through the practice of meditation. So have we heard from the wise. 12-14In dark night live those for whom the Lord Is transcendent only; in night darker still, For whom he is immanent only. But those for whom he is transcendent And immanent cross the sea of death With the immanent and enter into Immortality with the transcendent. So have we heard from the wise. 15The face of truth is hidden by your orb Of gold, O sun. May you remove the orb So that I, who adore the true, may see The glory of truth. 16O nourishing sun, Solitary traveler, controller, Source of life for all creatures, spread your light, And subdue your dazzling splendor So that I may see your blessed Self. Even that very Self am I! 17May my life merge in the Immortal When my body is reduced to ashes! O mind, meditate on the eternal Brahman. Remember the deeds of the past. Remember, O mind, remember. 18O God of fire, lead us by the good path To eternal joy. You know all our deeds. Deliver us from evil, we that bow And pray again and again. OM shanti shanti shanti

Question 11: What is life like for those who see the Lord as immanent (here now, within this world)? Based on the above verses, what is the better understanding?

Answer 1

In religion, transcendence is the aspect of a deity's nature and power that is wholly independent of the material universe, beyond all known physical laws. This is contrasted with immanence, where a god is said to be fully present in the physical world and thus accessible to creatures in various ways. In religious experience, transcendence is a state of being that has overcome the limitations of physical existence, and by some definitions, has also become independent of it. This is typically manifested in  prayer, séance, meditation, psychedelics and paranormal "visions".

It is affirmed in various religious traditions' concept of the divine, which contrasts with the notion of a god (or, the Absolute) that exists exclusively in the physical order (immanentism), or is indistinguishable from it (pantheism). Transcendence can be attributed to the divine not only in its being, but also in its knowledge. Thus, a god may transcend both the universe and knowledge (is beyond the grasp of the human mind).

Although transcendence is defined as the opposite of immanence, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Some theologians and metaphysicians of various religious traditions affirm that a god is both within and beyond the universe (panentheism); in it, but not of it; simultaneously pervading it and surpassing it.