Core Teaching

The foundational inquiry of all spiritual paths begins with the question: “Who am I?” Humans share four basic activities with animals - eating, sleeping, mating, and defending - but what distinguishes us is the propensity to inquire into higher purpose, seek genuine happiness, and question our identity beyond these biological functions. We are not the body, but the atma - the spiritual consciousness, the spark of life force that activates the body. Just as a car cannot move without a driver, the body cannot function without consciousness. This consciousness is the real person, eternal and distinct from the temporary material body and mind.

Key Concepts

The Soul (Atma)

The soul is the conscious self, distinct from body and mind. It is the driver of the body-vehicle. The body can be compared to a car - without a driver (consciousness), it cannot move by itself. The soul is situated in the region of the heart, and all bodily energies emanate from this center. Red blood corpuscles carry oxygen from the lungs and gather energy from the consciousness. When consciousness departs, blood circulation ceases.

Sanskrit Term: Atma - The self, soul, consciousness (pronounced: AHT-mah)

Key Qualities of the Soul:

  • Eternal and indestructible
  • Individual (not merged into universal oneness)
  • Immutable (unchanging while bodies change)
  • Invisible and inconceivable
  • Size: 1/10,000th the tip of a hair (infinitesimally small)
  • Form of eternity, knowledge, and bliss
  • Gives form to formless matter
  • Source of consciousness that pervades the entire body

Matter vs. Spirit - Key Distinctions

Matter Spirit
Formless Gives form to matter
Dead Consciousness
Perishable Imperishable
Undergoes transformations Does not undergo transformations
Perceivable by material senses (with limitations) Not perceivable by eyes; known by symptoms

Consciousness as Symptom of the Soul

Subtle objects can be perceived by their symptoms. Air cannot be seen but is perceived through wind. Intelligence cannot be seen but is perceived through IQ tests. Similarly, consciousness is the symptom of the spirit’s existence. Consciousness pervades throughout the body from the tip of the toes and fingers to the top of the head - just like the sun spreads heat and light all around. This consciousness enables us to think, feel, move, will, and be aware of our existence.

Key Distinction: Consciousness distinguishes a living body from a dead one. An iPod plays music but feels no emotions. A singer undergoes emotions while singing. This is consciousness - the ability to be aware of one’s existence, to think, to feel, and to will.

Sanskrit Term: Chetana - Consciousness, awareness (pronounced: chay-TAH-nah)

Three Levels of Understanding the Eternal

  1. Individual Soul (Atma): The personal consciousness, the “I” that experiences life
  2. Universal Soul (Paramatma): The Supersoul - the universal aspect of consciousness present alongside our individual soul in our heart
  3. Supreme Brahman: The universal energy/light, the all-pervading spiritual effulgence

Note: In our body, there are not one but TWO souls - our individual soul (atma) and the universal Supersoul (Paramatma) who witnesses and sanctions our actions.

Sanskrit Term: Paramatma - The Supersoul, the localized aspect of Supreme within each living being (pronounced: pahr-ah-AHT-mah)

Scriptural Foundation

Bhagavad Gita 2.13:

“As the embodied soul continuously passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.” Meaning: The experiencer remains unchanged even as body, mind, and intelligence change. This indicates we are different from our temporary coverings.

Bhagavad Gita 2.20:

“The soul is indestructible and cannot be cut, burned, wetted, or dried. It is eternal, all-pervading, unchangeable, immovable, and eternally the same.” Meaning: The soul transcends all material interactions and transformations.

Upanishadic Teaching:

The size of the consciousness is estimated to be 1/10,000th the tip of a hair. Hence it is infinitesimally small and thus inconceivable.

Stories & Illustrations

The Grieving Widow

At a funeral, we see a crying widow grieving: “He’s gone! My husband is gone!” She says her husband is gone, yet the body is lying there looking much the same as it did days before. Who is gone at death? It is the real person - the self, different from the body it animates - that goes away. This common-sense observation reveals our intuitive understanding that we are not the body.

Lesson: Even in everyday language, we intuitively recognize the distinction between the body and the actual person.

“My Body” vs. “Me”

Through thoughtful self-observation, we notice we don’t think of our foot or head as “me” but as “my foot,” “my head,” “my body.” If the body is mine, then who am I? Who is that self - myself - beyond the body and even beyond the mind? That is consciousness.

Lesson: Language reveals deep truth - the possessive “my” indicates the body is possessed by someone beyond it.

The Photograph Test

Show someone your photograph from age 3. They likely won’t recognize you. Your body has changed. Your mind has changed. Your intelligence has changed. However, the person within - the experiencer - remains unchanged. This indicates that we, the experiencer, are different from our body, mind, or intellect.

Lesson: The unchanging witness of all changes must be distinct from that which changes.

James Leininger - Reincarnation Case Study

A six-year-old boy, James Leininger, exhibited detailed knowledge of being a World War II fighter pilot named James M. Huston Jr., who was shot down by Japanese forces near Iwo Jima on March 3, 1945. The child:

  • Had recurring nightmares of “airplane crash on fire, little man can’t get out”
  • Knew technical details (Corsair aircraft, drop tanks, flat tires issue)
  • Remembered the carrier name (Natoma Bay) and fellow pilot (Jack Larson)
  • Signed drawings “James 3”
  • Described his plane being hit directly in the engine

All details were verified by Bruce Leininger’s research and corroborated by actual veterans including Ralph Clarbour, a rear gunner who witnessed Huston’s plane being shot down. James Huston’s sister, Anne Baron, became convinced and sent the child personal effects of her brother.

Lesson: Past-life memories provide empirical evidence that consciousness survives bodily death and transmigrates. Over 3,000 cases have been scientifically verified by Dr. Ian Stevenson at University of Virginia.

Jason’s Mother’s Death Experience

A profound personal testimony: Jason’s mother expressed the wish to leave her body before it died and watch her own death. Jason witnessed the moment - after 12 hours of weak, unconscious rumbling, she suddenly perked up, took a big inhale and exhale (three times), and “it felt like an atomic bomb - an explosion.” He felt her very strong presence after what had been a very weak presence. Then slowly, the last exhale came super slow. Though the body continued breathing and moaning, “it felt like she was gone. She was not in that body. She was over being a witness with me.”

Lesson: The soul is not confined by the size of the body - when liberated, it manifests as expansive energy/presence, not a tiny particle trapped inside.

Angelina’s Surgical Vision

While under pre-anesthesia medication before sinus surgery (in a heightened state of consciousness), Angelina saw her deceased father and grandfather dancing, playing harmonica, and laughing. They looked at her and communicated: “You’re going to be okay here. We’re here. We’re watching over. You’re going to be okay.” This was the first visual presence of souls no longer in physical bodies that she had experienced, though she had felt spiritual presence before.

Lesson: In certain altered states, the veil between material and spiritual perception can thin, allowing direct perception of the soul beyond bodily limitations.

Practical Application (Sadhana)

Daily Practices:

  1. Self-Inquiry Meditation: Spend 5-10 minutes observing the language you use. Notice how you say “my hand,” “my thoughts,” “my feelings” - not “I am the hand” or “I am the thoughts.” Ask: If these are mine, who is the “I” that possesses them?

  2. Consciousness Awareness Exercise: Throughout the day, become aware that YOU are the conscious observer of experiences, not the experiences themselves. When angry, notice: “I am aware of anger” (not “I am anger”). When happy, “I am aware of happiness.” This builds recognition of yourself as the eternal witness.

  3. Nature Connection for Soul Perception: In natural settings, practice perceiving the consciousness in all living beings. Look at a tree, a bird, an animal - recognize the same spiritual spark of consciousness animating all life forms. This breaks down the illusion of separation.

  4. Mantra Meditation with Understanding: While chanting Hare Krishna mantra, meditate on the fact that you are not chanting as a body but as a soul calling out to the Supreme Soul. This shifts practice from mechanical repetition to conscious relationship.

Contemplation Questions:

  • Who was I at age 3, at age 10, at age 20, now? What has remained constant through all bodily/mental changes?
  • When I say “I am tired,” is it the body that’s tired or am I identifying with the body’s condition?
  • Have I ever felt the presence of someone who has passed away? What was that experience like?
  • If consciousness is what makes matter “alive,” what is the source of consciousness?

Common Obstacles & Solutions

Obstacle 1: “If the soul is so small (1/10,000th of a hair tip), how can it pervade the entire body and feel so expansive?” Solution: The soul is like a powerhouse - though infinitesimally small, it radiates consciousness throughout the body like the sun radiates light and heat everywhere. Alternatively, think of consciousness as having vibrational/energetic properties rather than material size. The soul can also be understood as inconceivable - beyond our material framework of measurement. What matters is recognizing you are NOT the body.

Obstacle 2: “Accepting past-life memories and reincarnation conflicts with what I’ve been taught religiously.” Solution: Consider that many religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, some early Christian sects, Kabbalah in Judaism) accept reincarnation. Scientific evidence (Dr. Ian Stevenson’s 3,000+ verified cases, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences) provides empirical support. You don’t need to accept everything immediately - remain open and inquiring. Focus first on the simpler realization: “I am not this body” (which most religious traditions accept).

Obstacle 3: “The idea of individual soul conflicts with my belief in universal consciousness/ we’re all one.” Solution: Both are true at different levels! Individual souls (atma) exist AND there is universal consciousness (Brahman) AND the Supersoul (Paramatma) pervading all. Think of it like waves in the ocean - each wave has individual identity yet is made of the same water and exists within the ocean. We are simultaneously individual AND connected to the whole. This lesson begins with individual soul; later lessons address the universal aspects.

Obstacle 4: “I can’t see or measure the soul, so how can I know it exists?” Solution: Many real things cannot be seen directly - air, electricity, magnetism, thoughts, love. We know them by their effects/symptoms. Consciousness is the symptom of the soul. The difference between a living body and a dead body is consciousness. Apply the funeral test: when someone dies, we say “they’re gone” though the body remains - who left? That’s empirical proof accessible to everyone.

Connection to Bhakti

Understanding “I am not this body but an eternal soul” is the foundation of bhakti practice. If we’re just bodies, relationships end at death and spiritual practice is meaningless. But as eternal souls, we have an eternal relationship with the Supreme Soul (Krishna/God). Bhakti is the practice of reviving and nurturing this relationship.

When we understand our spiritual identity, devotional practices transform:

  • Mantra chanting becomes a soul calling out to the Supreme Soul, not just a body making sounds
  • Service (seva) becomes one soul serving another soul’s spiritual evolution, not just bodily comforts
  • Love becomes unconditional spiritual connection, not just bodily/mental attraction

The ultimate goal of bhakti is not just knowing “I am a soul” intellectually but experiencing spiritual identity fully and developing loving relationship with the Supreme Soul. This lesson on consciousness is the doorway to that journey.

Integration & Reflection

Essence (Sara):

You are not your body, your name, your nationality, your photograph, or your physical appearance. You are the eternal consciousness - the atma - that animates the body, witnesses all experiences, and continues beyond death. Just as a driver is distinct from the car they operate, you (the soul) are distinct from the body you inhabit. This realization is not philosophy but scientific and empirical truth, verified through logic, personal experience, near-death accounts, and past-life memories.

Personal Insights:

[Space for contemplating your own experiences of feeling distinct from your body - moments of witnessing your thoughts, experiences of loved ones who’ve passed, childhood memories where “you” remained constant though everything else changed, moments in nature where you felt connected to universal consciousness]

This Week’s Focus:

Contemplation: Throughout this week, whenever you use possessive language (“my body,” “my mind,” “my feelings”), pause and ask: “If this is MINE, then who am I?”

Practice: Spend 5 minutes daily observing yourself as the witness of experiences rather than the experiences themselves. When emotions arise, practice: “I am aware of [emotion]” rather than “I am [emotion].”

Intention: I will begin perceiving myself and others as eternal souls having temporary human experiences, rather than humans occasionally having spiritual experiences.

Further Study

  • Scripture Reading:
    • Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 (verses 11-30) - Complete teaching on the eternal nature of the soul
    • Katha Upanishad - Dialogue about the nature of the soul
  • Recommended Resources:
    • Research Dr. Ian Stevenson’s reincarnation studies (University of Virginia)
    • Read near-death experience accounts (Dr. Michael Sabom, Pim van Lommel)
    • Documentary: “The Boy Who Lived Before” (Cameron Macauley case)
    • Book: Life After Life by Raymond Moody
    • Explore past-life regression therapy (academically, not necessarily participating)
  • Related Topics:
    • Next lesson: The Mind - how it works with the soul and body
    • The Subtle Body (mind, intelligence, false ego) that travels with the soul
    • How memories transfer between lifetimes

Quick Reference - Key Terms

Sanskrit Translation Pronunciation
Atma Soul, self, consciousness AHT-mah
Paramatma Supersoul, God within pahr-ah-AHT-mah
Brahman Universal spiritual energy BRAH-mahn
Chetana Consciousness, awareness chay-TAH-nah
Deha Body DAY-hah
Sharira Body (physical covering) shah-REER-ah
Punarjanma Rebirth, reincarnation poo-nahr-JAHN-mah