From: kalki33!system@lakes.trenton.sc.us
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: What's your SIQ?
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 16:04:24 EST
Reply-To: kalki33!system@lakes.trenton.sc.us
Organization: Kalki's Infoline BBS, Aiken, SC, USA

keith@cco.caltech.edu (Keith Allan Schneider) writes:

> >The soul is not a combination of body and spirit. The soul is the
> >individual spirit in the body. The body by itself is nonliving matter.
> >The soul is the person, whether in or out of the body.
> 
> Then how does this soul interact with the body?  You still must resolve
> the mind-body problem.

There is a material "mind", through which the embodied soul interfaces
with the external material nature, or the senses of its body. This mind
is not composed of gross matter, but it is matter in that it is
impermanent. It is not part of the soul itself. The soul emanates
consciousness, and it is capable of fixing that consciousness on
anything ponderable: God, the soul itself, or another soul, or the
mind, or the senses, etc.

Although the soul has this capability, in the conditioned state, while
it is within the material body, it is almost completely identified with
matter, and thus it follows the material senses.

> 
> How do other animals fit in here?  They seem to have living bodies, don't
> they?  Or do they have sould as well?

Yes, every living organism is operated by a soul within the body of the
organism. The whole show is mediated by the Supersoul, Who also resides
within every body along with the individual soul. This is, in fact, what
people mean when they say "God is within". However, God is also without,
and unlike the individual souls, who are limited in power and are thus
subject to illusion, the Supersoul is unlimited in all respects and is
not illusioned by the allure of the material body and senses. He never
forgets Himself at any time.

> >The purpose of human life is to reestablish our forgotten relationship
> >with God. In this way, with God's mercy, we can become perfect.

> Perfect?  I thought no one was perfect.  And what is this forgotten
> relationship?  Are you saying that humans once had a relationship with
> this god thing?

Yes, there are perfect persons. But they are very hard to find within
the material world. The perfection of the individual soul is the result
of becoming completely free from identification with the temporary
material body and mind, and attaining total recall of its actual identity
as spirit soul, the eternal devotee of the supreme soul, the Lord.

We have forgotten who we are because we have become so enamored of our
temporary material bodies, and the material bodies of others. This has
been going on from remote time, but there has always been a way out.
This way is variously described in the scriptures, but finally one must
surrender to the Lord, adopt an attitude of loving devotion to Him, and
give up one's cherished dreams of personal power, wealth, prestige,
sexual indulgence, and independence in the world of Maya, for these are
sources of forgetfulness.

Sincerely,
Kalki Dasa


       -------------------------------------------------------
      |  Don't forget to chant:   Hare Krishna Hare Krishna   |
      |                           Krishna Krishna Hare Hare   |
      |                           Hare Rama Hare Rama         |
      |                           Rama Rama Hare Hare         |
      |                                                       |
      |   Kalki's Infoline BBS Aiken, South Carolina, USA     |
      |        (kalki33!kalki@lakes.trenton.sc.us)            |
       -------------------------------------------------------