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| ~ ∞ ~ On God, Spirit and Soul 2/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ |
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Now that we have established an understanding of our spiritual nature, we can go one step further by acknowledging that there is a clear distinction between the Soul and the Spirit. These terms are often used interchangeably, although there is a profound difference between the two. So what is the difference, you may ask?
Soul is the unique expression of that Spark of God, which is sometimes referred to as the “Breath of Life,” whereas the Spirit is that Spark of God itself. Soul is the essence of all that makes us human and unique – our feelings, emotions, experiences, memories, thoughts, will, etc.; Spirit is the essence of our Divine nature – it is same in every being (human, animal, plant, or other).
Spirit is always present in our life – we are an expression of its Infinite Awareness, manifest in flesh and blood – it holds all of Creation. This means that we and Spirit are inseparable – all of Creation is within each and every one of us. The Spirit is not born, nor does it die – it springs from the Eternal Now; it is unborn, permanent, unchanging, primordial. The Spirit that lives within us is not destroyed when the body ceases to exist. This brings us yet another step closer to finding the key to a deeper understanding of ourselves.
Here we should challenge ourselves by asking the question: Is it possible that we could see humans not through reified concepts such as ‘person’, ‘soul’ or ‘self’, but to see ourselves and our fellow human beings through the lens of perfect understanding – as empty of inherent, unchanging permanent self. This means that at the highest level of understanding there is no need to identify as a person, soul or self. There is just pure being, pure awareness – unchanging state free from all ideas, concepts, and definitions.
Of all the words we have in our vocabulary, awareness is best suited to describe our core essence, for you see, whatsoever you can see, whatsoever you can understand, and whatsoever you can interpret – will not be of much use. This is because the seer is not the seen, which goes on to say that whatsoever you can see – you are not that. This includes thoughts, feelings, dreams, desires, memories, imaginations, projections, and so on and so forth. What you are, though, is awareness; and awareness is transcendental to all that it can see – the observer is beyond the observed.
Indeed, if we look deeply into ourselves, we can see that there is nothing to hold on to, nothing permanent and unchanging. Our body, feelings, thoughts, and perceptions are all flowing and changing from moment to moment. And so you see, from the previous, it becomes clear that we are more akin to a living process than anything else. This process or wave aspect of reality brings out the truth that there are no fixed, unchanging entities – including an entity called self; rather, there is a kind of activity – a swirling river of flow and change.
That said, it is important to note that the lack of a self does not mean lack of continuity, for you see, continuity occurs in the same way that a flame is transferred from one candle to another – seamlessly. In this sense, our core essence as Spirit or Spark of God flows through life, reality, existence much in the same way as water flows in a river, you see?
You simply move with it, you float with it – you don’t try to push the river, you become one with it, and the river takes you to the ocean, you see? In this context, if one would like to use such terms as Soul or Self to understand the essence that moves through the river of life, then it is only fitting to highlight the following: like a river flowing into the sea, the Soul or Self eventually returns to its Source, becoming one with the Ultimate Truth. Even though each path is unique and different, they all lead to the same final goal or destination – eventually; absorption of Soul or Self into the Ultimate Reality, you see?
As it turns out, there is a term for this type of understanding, that we are more akin to a living process than anything else. This non-self or “anatta” as it is called in Sanskrit, refers precisely to the idea that there is no unchanging, permanent self in living beings. At first, it may be difficult to grasp the idea of non-self, but eventually it is liberating because it allows us to see that we are bigger than any of our transient experiences.
That is to say, feelings are just feelings, emotions are just emotions, and thoughts are just thoughts – they are not us – see? So if we are not our bodies, feelings, emotions, and thoughts – what are we then? Well, these are questions you might find answers within yourself as you progress reading this book. More to the point: non-self does not mean that people are not real, but rather that there is a sense in which they are constantly changing. In other words, we are something quite different from what we think we are.
Before we move on to the next chapter, we would do well to summarize what this chapter has taught us about God, Spirit and Soul. Let us start with the latter two, as they are easier to summarize. From the aforementioned discussion, it becomes clear that our Souls are not contained within the limits of our bodies, but instead our bodies are contained within the limitlessness of our Souls.
In the same sense, our Souls are contained within the limitlessness of our Spirit, which is a Spark of God that lives within us as a unique expression of the Divine. And so you see, we are something quite different from what we think we are; we are more akin to a living process than anything else – see?
Having said that, we can now move on to God. Here are the essentials. We can easily draw the following conclusions from this chapter: God is One, and prevails in everything. God is a mystery, and this mystery can be known, for God is indescribable, yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who is willing to follow the path of Wisdom and merge with the Divine Will.
You see, human life presents an opportunity to merge with the Divine Will; it is our free will, through which we are given the opportunity to return to God; to return to Oneness with God, and thus get in touch with the Truth and Source of all True Knowledge directly. For you see, God is the Word of Life, that is, Truth, by which The Miracle of Life is made possible.
And so you see, there is but one all pervading Spirit, and it is called the Truth; it exists in all Creation; it is timeless, universal, and self-existent. God is the Creator and the Creation – Cause and the Effect; the Doer and the Deed. God is Omnipotent, the sole cause of Creation, Preservation, and Destruction. The beginning of this universe, and its end is in God – for you see, there is but one First Cause that has its Being of itself, and on which all other beings depend; there is but one Infinite Being, so there is but One God – see?
– God is Infinite – Self-Existing, without Origin;
– God is Immutable – Never Changes;
– God is Omnipotent – All Powerful;
– God is Omniscient – All-Knowing;
– God is Omnipresent – Always Everywhere;
– God is Wise – Full of Perfect, Unchanging Wisdom;
– God is Faithful, Good, and Just;
– God is Merciful, Compassionate, and Kind;
– God is Gracious, Loving, and Holy;
– God is Glorious, Beautiful, and Great.
– God is Immutable – Never Changes;
– God is Omnipotent – All Powerful;
– God is Omniscient – All-Knowing;
– God is Omnipresent – Always Everywhere;
– God is Wise – Full of Perfect, Unchanging Wisdom;
– God is Faithful, Good, and Just;
– God is Merciful, Compassionate, and Kind;
– God is Gracious, Loving, and Holy;
– God is Glorious, Beautiful, and Great.
In closing, there are a few more aspects to consider. For a deeper exploration of the subject, it is recommended to read the following books: 1.) God and the New Cosmology: The Anthropic Design Argument by Michael Anthony Corey, and 2.) The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. These wonderful literary works might enable one to see and understand the concept of God in a more open-minded way.
When combined with D.T. Suzuki’s books on Zen, Alan Watts’ philosophical works on Eastern and Western religion, and Fritjof Capra’s books on holistic approach to life – covering varied subjects from Philosophy, Religion, and Science to Systems Thinking and Systems Intelligence, Interconnectedness, and Ecology – one might begin to pierce the veil between ordinary life and the mysterious regions of the Soul – into greater understanding, overstanding, and Innerstanding.
For those who might be interested even more detailed exploration – it is advisable to take a look at Perennial philosophy. In short, the Perennial philosophy is a perspective that views each of the world’s religious traditions as sharing a single, universal truth on which foundation all religious knowledge and doctrine has grown. According to this view, each world religion, including but not limited to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto, Sikhism, and Buddhism – is an interpretation of this universal truth adapted to cater for the psychological, intellectual, and social needs of a given culture of a given period of history.
Having said that, it is good to keep in mind that these suggestions are merely guidelines through which the reader might gain some needed perspective. Ultimately, one has to do their do diligence, which is another way of saying that you have to do some research to find and recognize what works for you. This is because each individual is uniquely different and so is their path. On that note, there is no one particular path, like the Chinese Proverb tells us: “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same,” see?
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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
[ Click » here « to read the next part: On Reality and Actuality – Prologue: Part IX ]
Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"
