What is a, soul and self (I)?
Self is composed of two things, Body and Mind. Whereas, Soul is the foundation or space from which the Self operates.
When someone asks you a question, "who are you?". The common answer is, "I am the body, I am the mind". In vedic terminology it is called, "Dehatma Buddhi".
What is Mind and how is it "you"?
The answer we often hear is, "I think therefore, I am". But it is really, "I am (I exist), therefore I think". So, mind is yours...you're not the mind. Likewise, body is yours, you're not the body. The possessor can't be the possessed. Hence, the SOUL is not the SELF.
What one needs to do to find the SOUL?
Reflect on this anecdote:
A student asked the master, "What I need to do to get enlightened?"
The master answered, "As much as you can do to rise and set the Sun".
The student looked confused and said, "Looks like, I don't really need to do anything. Then what is the use of all these spiritual practices ". The master said, "They're only meant to keep you AWAKE when Sun rises and sets".
Hence one needs to learn to be AWAKE to see the difference between the SOUL and SELF. As the master says above, all the kriyas we do such as, pooja, japa, dhyana are meant to keep us AWAKE.
This is a good way to do a soul searching.
Hari Om
Self is composed of two things, Body and Mind. Whereas, Soul is the foundation or space from which the Self operates.
When someone asks you a question, "who are you?". The common answer is, "I am the body, I am the mind". In vedic terminology it is called, "Dehatma Buddhi".
What is Mind and how is it "you"?
The answer we often hear is, "I think therefore, I am". But it is really, "I am (I exist), therefore I think". So, mind is yours...you're not the mind. Likewise, body is yours, you're not the body. The possessor can't be the possessed. Hence, the SOUL is not the SELF.
What one needs to do to find the SOUL?
Reflect on this anecdote:
A student asked the master, "What I need to do to get enlightened?"
The master answered, "As much as you can do to rise and set the Sun".
The student looked confused and said, "Looks like, I don't really need to do anything. Then what is the use of all these spiritual practices ". The master said, "They're only meant to keep you AWAKE when Sun rises and sets".
Hence one needs to learn to be AWAKE to see the difference between the SOUL and SELF. As the master says above, all the kriyas we do such as, pooja, japa, dhyana are meant to keep us AWAKE.
This is a good way to do a soul searching.
Hari Om
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