Understanding the Self

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;
Understanding thoughts, how they come and go, how to regulate them Why do we come under emotions, feelings, tension and stress How an individual develops behavioral patterns, traits etc; how to transform them How to enjoy this precious life? Leading 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 it's 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, thoughts 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 "subconsciousness" 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 sanskar ( 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 ate 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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