Body, Mind and Soul

Body, Mind and Soulrn(Vinod Anand)
We have three aspects of our humanness, a body, a mind and an immortal identity — soul or spirit. The mind forms a link between the soul and the body and the two interact on each other. In the world of existence there is nothing so important as spirit, nothing so essential as the spirit of man.

The spirit of man is the most noble of phenomena. It is the meeting between man and God; the animus of human life and the collective centre of all human virtues; the cause of the illumination of this world. It is certain that there is a reality which is not the physical body.

Sometimes the body becomes weak, but that other realty is in its own normal state. The body goes to sleep, becomes as one dead; but that reality is moving about, comprehending things, expressing them and is even conscious of itself.

This other and inner reality is called the heavenly body the ethereal form which corresponds to this body. This is the, conscious reality which discovers the inner meaning of things, for the outer body of man does not discover anything. The inner ethereal reality grasps the mysteries of existence, discovers scientific truths and indicates their technical application.

It discovers electricity, produces the telegraph, the telephone and opens the door to the world of arts. If the outer material body did this, other animals would, likewise, be able to make scientific and wonderful discoveries, for the animal shares with man all physical powers and limitations.

What, then, is that power which penetrates the realities of existence and which is not to be found in the animal? It is the inner reality which comprehends things, throws light upon the mysteries of life and being, discovers the heavenly kingdom, unseals the mysteries of and differentiates man from the rest.

Human reality stands between the higher and the lower in man, between the world of the animal and the world of Divinity. When the animal proclivity in man becomes predominant, he sinks even lower, than the brute.

When heavenly powers are triumphant in his nature, he becomes the noblest and most superior being. In him there is antagonism, hatred and selfish struggle for existence; in his nature lurk jealousy, revenge, ferocity, cunning, hypocrisy, greed, injustice and tyranny. Therefore, man is imperfect.

On the other hand, we find in him justice, sincerity faithfulness, knowledge, wisdom, illumination, mercy and pity, coupled with intellect, comprehension, the power to grasp reality and the ability to penetrate the truth. Therefore, we say that man is a 9I reality which stands between light and darkness; the heavenly is light in light. The human spirit which distinguishes man from the rest is the rational soul.

This spirit embraces all beings, and as far as human ability permits discovers realities and recognizes their peculiarities and effects, and of the qualities and properties of beings. But the human spirit, unless assisted by the spirit of faith, does not become acquainted with divine secrets and the heavenly realities.

It is like a mirror which, although clear, polished and brilliant, is still indeed of light. Until a ray of the sun reflects upon it, it cannot discover heavenly secrets. The mind is the power of human spirit, the lamp; mind is the light which shines from the lamp. The soul or spirit of the individual comes into being with the conception of his physical b