Sometime in the journey of life, some of the
following questions might have crossed your mind. Even if they haven’t, they
eventually will certainly occur!
* Who am I? What am I? What is my real identity?
* How do my thoughts and feelings interact with
the body?
* How to make my mind powerful? Breaking the
mysteries of mind;
* Why do we come under emotions, feelings,
tension and stress
* How does an individual develops behavioral
patterns, traits etc; how to transform them
* How to enjoy this precious life? How to lead a
life of peace and bliss?
The first lesson is all about complete
understanding of the self, which has remained a mystery that has eluded
scientists, philosophers, great thinkers and many other intellectuals.
Soul and body
The human body is a complex pattern of physical
energies. Atomic particles build together to form the organic structures and
inorganic minerals, which perform the body’s chemical interactions, thus
forming the basis of the hormonal and nervous control of the body. What we see
as the old or young, ugly or beautiful, male or female, are also the differing
levels of physical energies. However marvelous a machine the body may be, it is
the presence of the non-physical conscious energy, the soul, which makes it
function.
What Am I?
I am a living entity different from the body!
Just as a person who speaks with the help of a telephone or listens to a call
with the help of that instrument, has his entity different from that of the
telephone – he himself being a living person who has the faculties or characteristics
of feeling, thinking, willing and making effort. Similarly, the conscious
entity in the body which uses the word “I” is different from the body which has
eyes, ears, nose etc as its components. I am not the eyes, the ears or the
mouth but I see with my eyes, speak through the mouth, hear with the ears and
am their master. I am a soul (Atma), eternal and immortal. The body is mortal;
I have got it to do actions and to experience the result of my actions. I am
the doer and the one who experiences.
The soul is like a driver in-charge of the body,
which serves as a carriage to the soul. The soul is a diamond, the body being
the casket for it. When the soul leaves the body, the body is declared ‘dead’.
Then people set about cremating it because, it’s valuable owner, the soul, has
already left and the body is of no use. When the soul has relinquished the
body, people say, “the light (which is soul) has gone, that which lived in it
has departed and the drama is over”
Faculties of a Soul
The soul
is a living or a sentient being. It is said to be conscient or living because
it can think and reflect; it can experience pleasure and pain, so also bliss
and peace; it can bestir itself and make efforts and actions – good or bad. A
soul has three faculties – mind, intellect and predispositions.
Mind is the thinking faculty of the soul. It is
the mind that imagines, thinks and forms ideas. The thought process is the
basis of all emotions, desires and sensations. It is through this faculty that,
in an instant, thought can be projected to a distant place, past experiences
and emotions can be relived or even the future can be anticipated. It is the
mind that experiences the variations of moods. The mind is a faculty of the
metaphysical soul, not be confused with the heart or the brain.
Intellect is used to assess thoughts. This is
the faculty of understanding and decision-making which stands out as the most
crucial faculty of the three. With the deepening and broadening of the
intellect, clear understanding and the realization of the knowledge becomes
natural, and the power to decide and reason becomes clear. It is the intellect
which remembers, discriminates, judges and exercises its power in the form of
will.
Predispositions (called Sanskaras in Hindi) are
the “impressions” or “sub consciousness” which is the record of all the soul’s
past experiences and actions. Sanskaras can take the forms of habits, talents,
emotional temperaments, personality traits, beliefs, values or instincts. Every
action as an experience either creates a Sanskaras ( this is how a habit
begins) or reinforces an old one. Whatever impression is etched in the soul
remains within it, forming a complete archive of all the experiences that the
soul has had. When we speak of defects, specialties or virtues, we are
referring to the Sanskaras. The Sanskaras are the basis of the soul’s
individuality.
Seat of the Soul
The soul is located in the middle of the
forehead in between the two eyebrows. This is the seat of the soul. The brain
is the “control-room”. Just as a driver controls the car using different parts
of the mechanism seated at one place, the soul employs the brain to control the
body. Brain is the machine by means of which the soul thinks, remembers,
receives messages from or gives directions to the sense-organs. The brain is
the meeting place of all nerves, which carry sensations from all parts of the
body to brain which functions like a control-room and makes the body to work.
It is in the brain that the soul, through the nerves, puts the body to work and
experiences physical sensations, pleasure and pain or happiness and sorrow.
But, the brain is separate from the soul, brain is a complex thing made of
matter whereas the soul has the life-principal or consciousness.
Nature of Soul
A soul is a tiny, metaphysical, conscient point
of spiritual light. There are a finite number of souls. Each soul is eternal.
They were never created, and will never be destroyed. Each soul is unique. We
are all souls, unique and different and remain so eternally. As such, souls are
invisible to the naked eyes, but one can experience it’s presence. A soul has
no gender.
The intrinsic nature of the soul is that of
love, peace, happiness, truth, bliss, purity. Therefore, souls always desire
for experiences of these qualities. These are the qualities that naturally
emerge when the soul is aware of itself, or in other words, is soul-conscious.
Body-Consciousness – the root cause of all evils
in the world
A person is in body conscious when he/she
identifies himself or herself with the physical body, ie when the thinking,
feeling, actions and behaviors are with the awareness that he or she is a body.
Being in body conscious is the root cause of all the evils in the world because
the vices like lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego are all having their
roots in body – consciousness
Soul - Consciousness – the key for a blissful
life
When a person is in the state of awareness that
“I am a Soul and not this physical body”, then he/she would be in soul
consciousness. In other words, the person thinks, feels, acts, behaves,
compares etc with the awareness that he or she is a soul, the master of the
body. When in soul-consciousness, the original qualities of a soul naturally
emerge. Then it is possible to experience lasting peace and bliss.
Karma Philosophy
There are times when thoughts of distress and
tension raise their ugly head. There are situations when a person searches for
right answers. Here are some typical examples – Why are we here? Why was I born
here and he there? Why is she beautiful and I ugly? Why is so and so crippled
for no apparent fault of theirs? Why does the egotistical bully who browbeats
his business companions, fiddles his income tax returns and beats his wife,
attain outstanding worldly success? Why does the timid, quiet little widow who
has never said a harsh word to anyone, live in appalling conditions and die
unwanted and uncared for? Why did he have to die? Why did he do that to me? Why
is there so much suffering? Why this, why that?
The answers lie in one eternal truth - based on
the Law of Karma or the Karma Philosophy – that no one can escape the result of
his or her karma. Depending on the bad or good karma or action, one will suffer
or enjoy, either in this or the next life. No one can escape the result of his
or her karma. The law of Karma is inviolable. So everyone must act with a sense
of responsibility. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. So we must acquire right
knowledge of what is good and what is bad action. The morale of the story – I
have to do right karma for my benefit; it is not for showing it to anyone
outside.
Every human action has a moral aspect. If a
person’s certain act is morally good, the person gets ultimately benefited. If,
on the other hand, his acts are morally bad, he suffers. It would require a lot
of space to express what is morally good and bad. But in one sentence, it may
be said that, if a person acts under the influence of hatred, anger, lies,
prejudice, greed, ego, partiality, lust and such other acts under the influence
of body-consciousness, then his actions are bad or negative. These create
disharmony and conflict and sufferings in the society.
On the other hand, if a person has a balanced
judgment, stability of mind, peace of the spirit and acts with the feeling of
love, justice, sympathy, humility and the such other actions in
soul-consciousness, then his acts are good because such acts promote harmony,
peace, unity and happy feelings.
The Power of Thought
The most powerful instrument that mankind
possesses is thought power. Thoughts build our consciousness and shape our
attitude. One needs to know how important thoughts are. Every human creation we
see in this world is due to powerful thoughts in human minds. Thoughts shape
our world. Thoughts are fertilized by knowledge. A person with a certain kind
of knowledge usually creates thoughts in harmony with that knowledge. Knowledge
gives wisdom; a person without knowledge is a person whose thoughts will be
formed in ignorance.
Every action is preceded by thoughts. The
quality of thoughts determines the quality of our karma. The karma in turn has
good or bad effect on us. This again influences our thinking. So right thinking
based on right knowledge is essential for leading a peaceful and contented
life. Raja Yoga meditation helps us in doing the right thinking that leads to
righteous actions. This also helps in remaining mentally strong amidst
turbulent situations.
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