Realizing the Self (Day-1)

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 does an individual develops behavioral patterns, traits etc;
how to transform them
* How to enjoy this precious life? How to lead 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 its
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
isover”
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,
thought 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

“sub consciousness” 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
Sanskaras ( 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 are 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.