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by:
Starbhen
Anatomy
of the Soul
(In
the previous issues of this Gazette, I mentioned about presenting
some of the truths I learned in my search for the true meaning of life.
In this issue, I’d like to dwell further on the true self
instead of going directly to the topic about the Supreme Soul
contrary to what I said earlier.)
When the soul is in the body it expresses itself
as three faculties just like the human body which consists of many organs
and limbs to move around and exist in the physical world. The soul has the
subtle faculties of thinking power (mind), reasoning power (intellect) and a
unique personality (known as sanskars) to negotiate the inner world of thoughts,
feelings, decisions and habits.
Mind
is the thinking faculty of
the soul. It is the mind that thinks, imagines and
forms ideas. The thought process is the basis of all emotions, desires
and sensations. Through this faculty, thoughts can be projected to a distant
place, past experiences and emotions can be relived or even the future
anticipated. It is the mind that experiences the variations of moods. The mind
is a faculty of the metaphysical soul and should not be confused with the heart
or the brain which are organs of the body.
Intellect
is
the principal faculty of the soul. It is the faculty of understanding and
decision-making and is said to be the ruler of the inner state. It is the
intellect which remembers, discriminates, judges and exercises its power in the
form of the will. A feeble and weak intellect can be manipulated and over-ruled
by the external world of the senses and their objects and the internal world of
thoughts, feelings and personality traits. The strength or weakness of an
individual is connected with the intellect. Strengthening of the intellect can
be done through meditation.
Sanskaras
is a Hindi word which means
the subconscious and unconscious impressions that form the basis of one’s
personality. They are the record of all the soul’s past experiences and
actions. It takes the form 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 is formed) or reinforces an old
one. Whatever impression is etched on the soul remains within the soul,
forming complete archive of all the experiences that the soul has had. When
we speak of defects, specialities or virtues, we are referring to the sanskaras.
The sanskaras are the basis of the soul’s individuality.
The
three aspects of the soul/self work together in a precise and integrated manner.
Each faculty affects both the others. Functioning jointly and simultaneously on
different levels, they produce what can be termed the state of consciousness.
The
thought process works in a cyclic pattern. From the sanskaras, various
impressions surface in the conscious mind and manifest as thoughts, emotions or
desires. These are then processed
by the intellect, and may be expressed as actions through the body. The way in
which we act, the results of our actions, and input data from the external world
collected through the sense organs, all leave more impressions on the soul,
creating or reinforcing sanskaras or canceling the effect of others. Thus, the
understanding of these three subtle
abilities or powers, how they work
and interact will help us immensely in
managing our own personal world.
Vol. XV No.9 (September - October 2003)
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