You are the Immortal Soul

24 July 2001, 01:49am IST
HARLEEN KAUR.

am i the body, or am i the soul? the body, i can understand, see, feel, smell, touch. but what is soul? how can i experience it?


according to hindu philosophy, the real self of human beings is the soul. it is immortal, "made in the image of god" and is a non-participant in the game of life and the trials and tribulations that the body undergoes. the soul is called the atma, and the body is jiva. the jiva enacts the drama of life, and the atma is the spectator.

the atma is beyond body and thought and, as absolute consciousness, is identical with the para-brahma, the all-pervading supreme being. but while it is within the jiva, it is limited to the consciousness level of the body. the emancipation of the soul and its union with its higher self, the param-atma, can happen only when the limited consciousness of the body becomes liberated of its worldly bonds and attains the level of absolute consciousness of the soul. and that is what the search is all about.

according to the vedanta philosophy, the human soul is a part of para-brahma, a sort of microchip in the cosmic supercomputer. the soul becomes embroiled in the mental activity of the body, and is reborn again and again - until this circle is broken through realisation of clear awareness or consciousness. to put it simply, the soul has to travel with the baggage of a body, till it can remember to dump it. as adi sankara explains:

"the self is reflected only in a clear mind. the self, as pure awareness, has to be seen as being distinct from body and mind. when the self gets confused with body and mind it is overcome by mortal fears. the self regains fearlessness by realising the truth about itself. awareness does not need another instrument, like the mind, to be aware of itself.

"the seeker who has realised the self sees the entire universe as the self".

the gita emphasises the need for the guidance of a good spiritual guide, or master, to take you through to your salvation. such a person can take your hand and lead you to an introduction of your true self and beyond.

one such person is the modern founder of pranic healing, master choa kok sui of the philippines.

his belief is that the easiest (that is a relative term) way to awaken oneself spiritually is by rendering selfless service to living beings. and what better service, than to help alleviate people of their physical pain, and heal the bodies of diseases?

so, by becoming a regular practitioner of pranic healing, one sets out unknowingly, at first to tread the path of realising the soul. of course, as one progresses, the thirst for spiritual knowledge increases. the master has given a small mantra to meditate upon which one can use to constantly remind oneself of as being a soul and not the body:

`you are not the body

you are not the mind

neither are you the thought

nor the emotions.

you are the i am

you are the soul

you are immortal'.

one should use this as a prayer, or us a constant reminder to oneself, and after a period of time one will find that one's connection with the divine has increased manifold and that one is set on a path of spirituality.

shiva and shakti are present in all human life. the shiva energy is the atma's connection to the para-brahma (through the paramatma, naturally). the shakti (or parvati) is embodied within the body, as the sleeping kundalini or potential energy.

once the kundalini shakti is properly awakened and then guided to meet its shiva, and when the two meet, the body realises its soul.

doing these yogic techniques might be difficult for everybody but the repetition of the prayer of the soul is not. for the body to realise the soul, it is also very important for body to practise the following: loving kindness and non-injury, generosity and non-stealing, moderation and non-overindulgence, industriousness and non-laziness, accurate perception and correct expression and non-falsehood.

as the master says, "every time you refrain from unwholesome action, the connection with your higher soul increases. but everytime you break the virtues, the connection becomes attenuated".