The Ancient Greek aphorism “Know Thyself” invites us to self-reflect; to look at ourselves and to understand our true nature, and having done so, to live our true nature. But what is our true nature? Are we simply the body that we come into this world with, that ages with time and withers away after death? Are we the mind that grows astute with intellectual pursuits only to evaporate at the time of death? Are we our emotions that change as frequently as the weather? Or is there much more to our “selves”? Is there something more constant, more powerful that defines our true self?
When we awaken spiritually, we become aware of our spiritual nature.
“An empowered soul is a soul that has recognized itself and is aware that it is the essence of who we really are, that is the guiding power behind the body and mind.”
Saints and spiritual Masters, since time immemorial, have come to remind us that we are much more than the body that we see with our physical eyes, much more than our mind or emotions. They tell us that our true self is the spirit or soul. They tell us that the soul is a part of God, the Creator and that it is the Power that enlivens the body, that animates us, that makes us tick. When this Power leaves us, the body becomes motionless, and we are proclaimed dead. Saints also tell us that there is a way for each of us to experience our true nature. It is not an intellectual pursuit, but one of practice, wherein we can have a direct experience of our true self.
Currently, we are asleep and ignorant of this truth. To become spiritually aware is to awaken to our true nature as spirit, to experience our true self. Spirituality is the process of discovering our true self. We normally think that perception is possible only through our bodily sense organs. Nevertheless, when we become spiritually aware, we recognize that we can perceive with the spirit.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Source: Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
Vocabulary builder:
Aphorism (n) = saying, maxim, adage, cliché, proverb
Comments