Mystery of the Soul 2
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
When we talk of religious beliefs we mean its theological principles. Christianity and Islam share common ideas and beliefs are rooted in a common source – Judaism. This religion in turn derives many of its doctrines and beliefs of the Persians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Chaldeans and Sumerians. Perhaps it is true that almost all religions are syncretic, but you can try very hard to conceal this fact.
Religions East such as Buddhism and Taoism are more mystical in nature and are very different from the Semitic religions in many basic principles that Hinduism has Many schools of philosophical thought, covers various theological ideas. Some schools of Buddhism teaches that there is a permanent entity called the soul, that what is believed that the soul is simply a collection of karmic tendencies transmitted from one incarnation to another. His extreme views are nilhilistic in nature, however, is doubtful that this was implicit in the teachings of Buddha. For example, if there is no self, then there is no Gautama Buddha in life and, however, sentences are being led by the faithful to this exalted being. Fundamentally, though these religions have different concepts about the soul of all they point or relate to one in which all living beings originate. Everyone has their own particular name or names of this font, and all have their own ideas about this divine essence.
Theological precepts are often contaminated with the fragility of the human ego and his intellect and therefore offer a poor basis for the study of true religion and its revelations about the soul. However, strive to present their beliefs with as little bias on our part as possible. This section will be brief, to do justice to the subject would require many pages and go beyond the scope of this work.
In Christian theology it is believed that the soul before birth is devoid of any individuality or personality. Only when God breathes through the nose of man that the soul becomes conscious of himself, and is a "living" – and this condition is believed to be alive who remain with the soul after death. In the book of Genesis it is written that
"God made man from the dust of the earth, breathed the breath of life in its nostrils, and man a living soul. "(Genesis 2:7)
The phrase "living soul" is equated with the state of being aware of itself. According to this idea unless there is an awareness of the existence of an ego, or a car, person, or do not really have a soul. That creature is "soulless." A person may be alive imbued with the essence of the soul, life force, and yet remain without a soul in the sense that it is not self-conscious. Some states madness may represent beings who are "soulless." While the living soul is associated with ego-consciousness, immortality is associated with awareness of the superego, the Higher Self. This idea, however, falls in the province of metaphysical thought.
Basically, the theology that the soul is a substance implanted in man. That is believed to be an entity created by God and bestowed upon man when the man takes his first breath. Christian theology formulated the idea that man is a divine creation, the highest of all beings, and that the universe was created by man alone in supporting its existence.
In Christianity the terms "soul lost "or" degraded souls "had been expressed. The moral quality of life of a person who is believed to influence the soul. However, from a metaphysical sight of the essence of the soul is immaculate, immutable, perfect and divine. What may be affected is not its essence, but their conscious expression. The emerging awareness of the essence the soul is evolving and strives to reflect the image, an archetype or model that God created man. This is stated emphatically in Genesis, but the statement is often interpreted literally. This model is the image of God or divine qualities. It refers to the form, but the intimate nature of the essence of life.
The Hindu generally believe that the soul is an entity that resides in the physical body and undergoes reincarnation according to their karma. The Upanishads say that "The Supreme Person the size of your thumb, dwells forever in the hearts of all humans. "His esoteric wisdom, moreover, tells us that man is irrelevant consists of different principles each with its particular function. The fundamental principle in the microcosm of man is the Atma, or according to others, Paratman.
In the Bhagavad Gita, the microcosm is represented by Krishna, Arjuna, transport, and horses. Krishna is the Spirit, the highest aspect of man, Arjuna evolving soul, transport the mind, and horses of the senses. Graphically five horses are often represented. They represent man's senses through vital force which escapes and runs out of control. In the practices of yoga and esoteric senses are dominated by what the vital force may be directed to the slow awakening Arjuna. Krishna is Arjuna guide to help in this project.
Ancient Beliefs
As mentioned earlier, belief in the soul's survival after death comes far to early development of mankind. Primitive tribes of Neanderthals, for example, could bury the food, tools and weapons, along with the bodies of their dead in order to provide basic needs in the afterlife. This custom still survive in some cultures and is a clear indication that not only is the survival of the soul, but believes in the afterlife as a continuation of the kind of life lived in the physical world is also assumed.
Animism is the prevailing belief among prehistoric man. All that was seen alive and stained with a soul force that even inanimate objects made consciousness and intelligence of some kind. Stars in particular, it is believed that the souls of long dead and the living in heaven. To the primitive mind, the sky or heaven is considered the sky as well that hell is thought to lie beneath the earth.
That the soul "lived" and worked in the physical body, a place was sought for his residence. Some believed that the heart is the organ of the soul, others pointed to the head. Some early cultures believed that the blood was the vehicle of the soul – the blood takes the soul of the substances to all body parts. The devil Mephistopheles in a work written by Goethe (1749-1832) declares the blood to be a "funny thing". The belief that blood is the vehicle of the soul, is not unfounded, however. If the soul in this context, it is considered vital force, prana, chi, or oxygen, can only guess how the primitive mind intuited this scientific fact. Scientifically, it was noticed that blood transfusions often cause a change temporary in the person receiving the donor's blood. Could it be that the blood is impregnated with a feature of the soul? As the blood is associated the soul, many primitive tribes, such as the Scythians developed the habit of drinking the blood of their enemies or victims in order to absorb his courage, strength, power and skills. The custom of the formation of blood brothers also based on the belief in the importance of blood in relation to the soul, and its significance about sexual intercourse. Members who are blood brothers drank the blood of the partners, thus forming an essential link in the normal life of the flesh and blood relationships.
The former often represents the soul as a human-headed bird often, perhaps referring to its ability to fly. The Aztecs, ancient Greeks and Egyptians among the many ancient breeds, for example, often portrays the souls of their dead in the murals and ceramics as a bird with wings take flight from your body lifeless. Eagles, hawks, doves, peacocks and phoenix is often used to represent the soul.
Not only the head, heart and blood is believed to is the seat of the soul, but breathing. Convinced that the breath is associated with the soul and life, the natives of Papua New Guinea to breathe through tubes in the effigies of their ancestors to give a certain vitality to their departed souls. This is a magical based on law similarity. Many tribal cultures practiced placing obstacles in the nostrils of their loved one die as a last ditch effort to save their lives. Think so effectively prevent the soul from escaping and causing the death of the body.
It is believed that among the ancient people and wild that the soul is associated with the force of life, health or body weakness are caused by physical escape from the soul of the gross form. In extreme cases, the strength of the soul was "captured" by some evil spirit and was the task of the shaman, the sorcerer to retrieve tribal soul and restore the physical body. The shaman's ability to dissociate the immaterial aspect of the gross form allegedly facilitated this type of work.
Old concept of the soul has evolved over the centuries, and so far our scientific knowledge is in a constant state of change. Our conceptions of the soul is associated with our notions about different God. As man evolves, so does the soul consciousness and origin. He has formed many ideas about the nature of its creator. In this context, we can see that the phrase, "God creates man, man created God" has a basis in truth.
Among the ancient cultures, the Egyptians and Indians were more advanced in their understanding of the soul. We, in particular, refer its mystics, elders, and wise. They regarded man as a microcosm of many aspects, both tangible and intangible, and every aspect has its own function to play in the life and destiny of the soul. His teachings live today in contemporary metaphysical, occult philosophy. The ancient Greek philosophers and sages as Thales, Pythagoras, Plato, and derives much of its hidden knowledge of these learned priests of the East.
Scientific views
A along scientific vein, certain schools of thought believes that the self or ego to be a by-product of brain function, and yet what leads to this function not known, and only gives an estimate of education. The section of the brain that "makes" a sense of self is not the same so far discovered. This concept of "brain causes consciousness" is fundamentally in terms of mechanistic views man as a mere machine. The above concept is wrong, however, because parts of the brain have been known to be destroyed and yet the presence of a sense of self was still. In the condition known as hydrocephalus, For example, much of the cerebral cortex may be destroyed or missing, filled instead of cerebrospinal fluid, and yet people who suffer from this condition can lead a normal life without suspecting their deterioration. They may even have an IQ above average.
The mechanistic Freud (1856-1939) including the claim that our behavioral actions are automatic responses to external stimuli, and that life is the result of the right combination of chemicals from food and oxygen. That there is a revitalizing force that encourages the body that can grant, but this force is seen as a similar physical energy to electricity. The mechanistic theory describes how the perception is accomplished through the stimulation of the senses that creates nerve impulses, and how These nerve impulses travel to the sections of the brain associated with the senses, and how they are feeling, but the theory does not take into account the actual recipient is to make sense of sensation. For the mechanistic, the recipient is believed to be one of the functions of the cerebral cortex. In summary, the mechanistic concept leaves no room for the existence of soul. For a mechanistic alleged existence of the soul is regarded as absurd.
If the eminent neurologist Karl Lashley (1890-1958), author of the mechanisms Brain and intelligence, after years of research failed to detect the seat of memory in the brain, how much harder it would discover the seat of the self or soul – however (1596-1650) Descartes' assertion that the pineal gland is your place. The French philosopher and mathematician, also stated: "Cogito, ergo sum" or "I think, therefore I am", which implies that the self comes into being as a result of thought, or as a function of the mind. However, mystics have proven themselves beyond the possibility of thoughts and remain in existence, and which has an exalted sense of being, unified Cosmos. The mystic is the point of view is supported by Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), French philosopher and writer. For Sartre, existence does not depend on the functions of the mind, being there simply because they think. According to Sartre, existence precedes the mind – or thought.
René Descartes Declaration is therefore wrong, or perhaps our interpretation of his statement is incorrect. "I think because I am" would be nearer the truth. Despite this, Descartes was more or less accurate in the belief that the pineal gland plays an important role in the physiology of the blind man as we shall see when we discuss the scope metaphysical.
Conventional science can deny the existence of the soul under the guise of immateriality, undetected by the instruments, and yet the subject in its current state in a similar importance. This was the proposal to Leibniz (1646-1716), German philosopher, who considers the matter as a manifestation of the mind – "Great stupidity of the mind." To explain graphically, for example, what we call matter is actually a specific set of molecules that move. The molecules in turn are spinning atoms, and these are composed of even smaller particles. If these sub-atomic particles is magnified "nothing" that is. The matter, therefore, consists of the "empty". We call this gap "energy," "Mind" or "spirit", but whatever we call it, the truth is that matter is really as pointless as the soul. If the reality of one is accepted Why not the other? The many particles that make up matter are full of this "nothing", or space. Another curious fact is that if we were to remove space inherent in a human body, for example, and all the "particles" together, the total compaction would be a piece of matter the size of a mite dust. Leibniz's theory is also parallel to the thoughts of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), the U.S. Trancendentalist. According to the matter of Emerson is "a phenomenon, not a substance. "They also believe that the material world to be,
"A divine dream, from which it may now awake the glories and certainties of day. "
Science informs us that nothing is destroyed. That matter is simply energy that has a certain structure and field magnetic. It is recognized that all that exists is composed of energy. However, as the existence of consciousness and a sense of self is undeniable, which must be thought of as indestructible as well, for Science and the idea implicit in their equations. So then why not accept the science of the possible existence of consciousness without a body – the soul – it can not be perceived? Quiet absurd, the truth – even while embodying the Self can not be seen. Can you see your Self?
How Where does the sense of identity come? It seems that mainstream science is still a long way in finding this out. However, new paradigms being made by open-minded scientists who are considering the worldview of Eastern mystics along with new developments and discoveries in the field of physics and psychology. The theories of quantum physics and transpersonal psychology are closing the gap between religion and the essential conventional science. The mystery of Being in relation to the brain to mind the words of the researcher and scientist George Buletza who said that the Rosicrucian Digest (September 1983),
"Instead of self-production of the brain, which is the reverse. The brain is a product of the self, the Self ever striving be. The brain is incredibly good tool I created in the process of expressing his own nature. . . "
It has been observed in many laboratory experiments worldwide reveals that human consciousness the ability to spread beyond the limits of the brain and body, that somehow you can tell or influence events in faraway places. Such mental activity suggests to some scientists observers that consciousness can exist independently of body shape.
Many branches of science such as physics, psychology, astrophysics and biology, are investigating the soul, and each has its own methods of investigation in particular. Perhaps the most important branch of science that has developed in recent times, relatively speaking, is parapsychology.
Parapsychology
Parapsychology is the branch of science that studies the nature of psychic or paranormal phenomena. His area of research covers a wide range of issues: for example, ESP, ghosts, poltergeist activity, near-death, out of body experience, UFOs, strange creatures, strange phenomena, etc. At present there are many research institutes, study and teaching of this branch of science. The word "parapsychologist" is often misunderstood. Many people seem to think is a parapsychologist is synonymous with being psychic. This is wrong. A psychic can not be a parapsychologist, and vice versa. A psychic is a person who perceives the impressions through the senses than is usually not recorded by the physical senses. Psychics can not generally understand the impressions are recorded and can only believe and be deceived by the illusions and appearances. A parapsychologist seeks to understand unusual phenomena through analysis scientists, and using empirical methods with the help of carefully designed instruments. A metaphysical mystically inclined, however, basically tries to understand the phenomena with the help of his intellect, intuition and other higher faculties. Parapsychologist basic methods are of three dimensions, the four-dimensional psychic, and the mystical, metaphysical, five dimensions, or even more.
To illustrate the difference between a paranormal and understanding of a metaphysical phenomena, we will just illustrate one of the many. For example, suppose one were to receive psychic impressions from a disaster imminent, which are considered as truth and proclaim it to others. It would make all kinds of predictions anent the impressions recorded in his mind. He would consider a revelation of God.
The metaphysician other hand, knowing the natural cosmic laws and includes the impressions that possibly forms thought-creations of mind fearful beings. The man radiates thoughts, and these thoughts, perhaps without a basis in truth, they are greeted by psychics. What's unfortunate all this is that thoughts are creative. What we usually think of intense emotions tend to materialize. So often dire predictions come true, however, need not be. We must learn to eliminate fear. When psychic predictions are instilling fear and intensification of the masses. Now this is a circle cycle. When people are frightened by the psychics begin to imagine the catastrophic horrors and these thoughts radiate back to the psychic subject to repeat the whole procedure again. The momentum grows over time until it manifests physically.
However, we must not digress too far and return to our subject: Parapsychology has established various avenues of research to determine the reality of the soul and the survival of personal consciousness. Although results of their research are inconclusive on the rules of conventional science, parapsychologists have been successful in acquiring data and knowledge essential when analyzing seemingly validates the old belief in the existence of the soul and its survival of bodily death. However, parapsychologists have been several theories as to their results, not everyone who is aligned with the traditional view of the soul. It is also important to note that the term "soul" is used very little in mainstream science and parapsychology. The terms "mind", "consciousness" and "personality" are used instead.
Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
About the Author
Leonard Lee aka Luxamore
Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia.
Magickal Items from Indonesia: talismans, mustika pearls, kerises, etc.
Magickal Bezoar Mustika Pearls from Indonesia.
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