Open your mind - Meaning of Life
What is Life?
What are the characteristics of life?
Is life an evolved form of matter, or is it distinct from the point? Is life simply a product of or a combination of material elements? Can material details that have no life combine to give rise to life? Life is characterized by consciousness. The matter is devoid of consciousness. How can a point devoid of consciousness give rise to conscious life? The effect must exist in the cause as well. These are some pertinent questions to ask when we analyze what life is. These questions are the basis of a scientific analysis of life and the debate: creation vs. evolution. It is essential first to define the fundamentals of life, namely what life is and its characteristics, before specifying the origin of life. In schools and universities, we have been studying science, which is generally limited to studying matter only in the form of atoms, molecules, and chemicals. Whatever study of life is done also presumes that matter forms life. But such an assumption that value combines to create life is not only erroneous. Still, it is also an objectionable theory with evil connotations and dangerous and destructive moral, physical and spiritual consequences for humanity. So far, our study is limited to the study of matter in science. But what is of more importance to us? Life or matter? After all, we are all living beings. I am far more critical than all the matters surrounding me, even though I may be dependent on the subject to some extent. Therefore our primary emphasis should be on studying life rather than its value. We should study life, its characteristics, and its relation and interaction with the case. In the words of one Nobel laureate who studied chemistry, "In my search for life, I ended up studying molecules and chemicals only, which have no life at all. Now in my old age, I am retracing my steps, for life seems to have slipped through my fingers somewhere along the line."
Generally, in science, we deal with time and activity. Some biologists speak of dead matter and living matter without realizing that living matter is a contradiction. The matter is not living. The matter is insentient as opposed to conscious life. Life displays the capacity to be, will, and act, whereas matter only exists without the ability to resolve or perform. Life has the characteristic that a living being has desires and is conscious. Desire and consciousness are the chief characteristics of life. The matter is unconscious and devoid of desire. Therefore, the Vedic model of the universe includes life and matter as two distinct energies emanating from a single source that is the cause of both of them must also be conscious since the effect must exist in the reason. The two potencies of God in this universe are 1. Life - the conscious living beings, i.e., the souls. The souls are fundamental units of energy. The souls are indivisible, essential, and eternal. They cannot be added together or subdivided.
Life is not a product of matter. Life does not arise from a combination of material elements. Life is non-material. 2. Matter is devoid of consciousness but is pervaded by the consciousness of God, who directs every particle of matter according to his laws. The matter is constituted of eight essential material elements: 1. There are three subtle elements: Mind, intelligence, and false ego. 2. Five essential elements in varying proportions in each atom from gross matter. These are: bhumih (earth), apah (water), analah (fire), vayuh (air) and kham (ether). These Sanskrit terms refer to the characteristic of the elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Every atom is constituted of these five essential elements. The following characteristics may know:
1. Earth - particles like neutrons and protons from the atom's nucleus.
2. Water – the cohesive force between various particles within the atom?
3. Fire – the latent energy released on fission of an atom.
4. Air – the movement of the electrons around the nucleus.
5. Ether – the space within an atom in which the movement of electrons takes place.
The Vedic model of the universe stresses the unity of all life. Life is defined as the marginal potency of the supreme life, and the matter is defined as his external potency. These potencies, Life and Matter, are distinct from each other. Just as sunshine and heat are the sun's energies, similarly, matter and living beings are the potencies of the Supreme Being. When we speak of the sunshine, we refer to the sun; likewise, the identity of living beings is about their origin, the Supreme. Living beings have an identity dependent on the Supreme. By marginal potency, living beings are on the margin and can choose whether to be under the influence of matter or the direct result of the Supreme Person. Those living beings who violate the
laws governing life, whose desires are not in harmony with those of the Supreme Person, are ensnared and entrapped by the glare of the external potency of inert matter. Thus, they lose their capacity to fully display their consciousness, whereas those in harmony with the laws governing life enjoy complete freedom of their consciousness. The consciousness of those opposed to God thus becomes stunted due to bondage within matter and is exhibited in the three phases - wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep. In contrast, those who love God live with full consciousness unimpeded by matter. We should understand that life is superior because it displays consciousness and the inert matter is a low potency. Nevertheless, matter can cover life if the living being asserts an independent identity as an enjoyer of his senses. The chief function of matter is to act as a curtain between the living being and reality by covering the living being and thus curbing his freedom by putting him under the influence of matter. The life being covered by matter in the shape of a material body thus forgets his actual spiritual identity as the separated potency of the Supreme meant for his pleasure. He is allowed to pursue his dream of being an independent enjoyer of his sense. Thus he assumes a false identity and tries to be the Lord by lording it over matter through his feelings. But since this is based on a false conception of his identity as an enjoyer, it leads to misery only. Thus matter acts as a curtain between the living being and reality. The reality is that there is only one supreme, and we are meant to serve His senses for His pleasure. In that natural state of loving service to the Supreme, the living beings live in harmony with His will and enjoy the bliss of love with Him. But those living beings who deny this reality are allowed to pursue their false desire by making them forget reality by the agency or covering of matter. Thus, the living being falls into a dream state as an enjoyer of his senses, which is never to be fulfilled because it is a false proposition. Covered by a material body, he forgets his real identity and identifies himself with the body. He pursues bodily sense
pleasures that never fulfill his real spiritual self and instead award him all misery since physical sense pleasures are by nature transient like a dream. How can the eternal living being find satisfaction in a temporary plan based on a false physical conception? His desire to gratify his senses is the cause of his separation from the Supreme. So long as the living being per- sits in lording it over matter by the gratification of his senses, he denies the real Lord and remains separated from him by the curtain of matter. He thus remains entrapped and embodied in a material body that befits his mentality. The living being should not have taken on an earthly body. The natural healthy condition of life is to live in a spiritual body without covering an earthly body. Therefore it is essential to note that life and matter are separate and distinct potencies. In this world, the living being is trapped within a material body. Therefore, he seems indistinguishable from the material body, but the fact is that the living being is wholly distinct from the material body. He is only residing within the body. The living being within the body is like a passenger sitting in a car. He is not the body any more than a passenger in the car. The basic understanding of spiritual knowledge is that I am not this body. I am the spiritual person residing within this body. I am not made up of matter. I belong to the category of life because I am conscious. That means that I have awareness. Everyone knows that consciousness exists. All around us, we see matter with no consciousness since it is naturally inert. The matter is not living. No matter how you combine matter, you cannot create life or consciousness. You may take all the ingredients, such as different chemicals, DNA or amino acids, etc., but you cannot create life out of matter. Sometimes scientists speak of these chemicals as the basic building blocks of life. But that is an erroneous and misleading theory. In any ar- arrangement of different chemicals, matter can never be the basic building block of life because life is a higher-order potency than matter and is not made up of matter. It is absurd to speak of life as made up of such and such chemicals or
material elements. Life is not a product of matter. Rather matter and life both come from the Supreme life. Life is distinct from matter. Sometimes scientists speculate whether life exists on other planets. They look for certain material ingredients in the form of Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, etc., to conjecture if there could be life there. But the fact is that material ingredients do not give rise to or form life. And just because on earth, certain material elements are present in material bodies does not mean that the same material elements or combinations should be found elsewhere in the material bodies on other planets. The material bodies on other planets could constitute the materials found there suitable for habitation in those atmospheres. Or else they could have bodies made up of subtle matter consisting of mind, intelligence, and false ego. However, material elements do not constitute life; therefore, simply seeking material elements or their combinations seems like an erroneous method of detecting life. According to the Vedas, life exists everywhere. Life is transcendental to matter and exists everywhere on land, in air, water, fire, ether, and beyond the material world. The majority of life exists in the world of life where matter is absent. If we wish to detect the presence of life, we have to devise some method of detecting consciousness and desire. There are two types of consciousness. One is the consciousness of the Supreme Being, and his consciousness is present everywhere and permeates even the smallest particle. He is omniscient. The other consciousness is that of living beings like us. So we have to distinguish between these two types of consciousness. The consciousness of the Supreme Being is pervasive, whereas our consciousness is limited to our bodies. To detect life, we need to detect and identify the consciousness of minute living beings like us. "Just as the sun spreads sunshine all over the universe, similarly the living being residing within the body spreads consciousness throughout the body." - Bhagavad Gita. The chief characteristics of life are consciousness and desire.
Consciousness is our direct experience. Everyone is conscious or aware that they are intended. Consciousness is not the experience of matter and does not arise from a case. Consciousness is the direct experience and characteristic of every living being. Only through the medium of consciousness am I aware of myself, my body, my desires, thoughts, words, actions, and my surroundings and environment. I can only observe, study, and manipulate matter through the medium of consciousness. Therefore consciousness is my direct experience. I cannot know myself, others, or matter without being conscious. The matter is unconscious and can never be observed or studied itself or anything else. So if I was made up of matter, how could I be conscious and keep anything? Therefore, since I am not made up of value, I am dis- tinct from my body, which is made up of matter. I am the conscious living being residing within this material body. And that is the difference between a living body and a dead body. Unlike the presiding body, the dead body displays no consciousness, which exhibits consciousness. The difference is that when the living being or life leaves the body, the body drops dead and stops showing consciousness. The body was always made up of inert matter, but because of the presence of life, i.e., the soul, it exhibited the traits of consciousness. Just as energy or concern cannot be destroyed but may be transformed into other forms, such as the conversion of heat to light or matter to atomic energy, life can also never be destroyed. However, it can become covered by points in the form of a material body. According to the principle of energy conservation, the issue cannot be de- stroyed but may be converted into energy. Energy is conserved though it may change from one form to another. Similarly, life is also conserved. It is never created or destroyed. Life cannot die. Death only means that life has left the body made up of matter and will continue in a different environment by acquiring another material body or being liberated from point altogether. In any case, the principle of conservation of life is always maintained. Life can never
be eradicated. Life is permanent. It can never be created or destroyed. It may get covered up by matter in the shape of a material body, but it can never be destroyed. Through different bodily changes in one's life, one can see one's body changing gradually from childhood to youth, youth to middle age, and finally to old age, but one can remember that he is the same person even though the body is changing. For example, I remember that I once was a child. That means that I, the owner of the body, once had a child's body, but now the same, I have an adult body. That means that though the body is slowly changing, I am unchanging. My identity is the same as before. I once resided in a child's body, and now the same 'I' am residing in an adult body. From common usage and experience, we can see that if I were not the same person, my parents would no longer consider me their son; my childhood friends would not believe me to be the same person when they met me. Everyone recognizes the fact that I am the same person. My identity is unchanging. Even though my body and mind's contents have changed, my experiences have become wider, and the contents of my memory have grown or changed, I am the same person because I am unchanging and am distinct from my mind and my body. My remembrance of my childhood body, youthful body, and the different stages of my body is proof that I am the same unchanging person. Otherwise, how could I remember these changes to my body if I were to become a different person through my gradual bodily changes? Therefore, the living being is eternal and unchanging even though the body changes. In support of this, the Bhagavad Gita says, "As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood to youth and then to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." My soul is meant the actual person, the living being. The soul means the spiritual person. The actual person is never the body. He is the spiritual person residing in the body, though some people falsely believe they are
this body and have a soul. Actual knowledge is: "I am not my body. I am the sole resident in my body. I am an eternal spiritual person presently residing in this temporary material body." To stress the permanence or eternality of life, the Bhagavad Gita says: "For the soul, there is never birth or death. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and undying. The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire nor killed by water or wind. The individual soul is unbreakable, insoluble, everlasting, unchangeable, immutable, and eternally the same." Why am I accepting the imposition of birth, disease, old age, and death on the body if I am eternal? These are undesirable and imposed upon me because of my false ego. Though these experiences can never actually kill the living being and are like a bad dream only, they put the living being in an unhappy state. I am eternal, and I should live my eternal life free from birth, disease, old age, and death. Therefore in this rare human body, we should endeavor to regain our healthy life, one of immortality and bliss. In this chapter, we have discussed the distinction between life and matter. It has also been discussed that life is not a product or combination of matter. Life is an independent entity. Life and matter both originate from the Supreme Life. The following table summarises the main attributes of distinction and similarity between life and matter: 1. Life displays the characteristics of consciousness and desire. Living be- ings are sentient.
1. Matter is devoid of consciousness and desire. The matter is insentient.
2. Life is endowed with minute free will. Thinking, feeling, and being willing are the traits of life.
2. Matter is devoid of thinking, feeling, or being willing.
3. Life cannot be destroyed but may be covered by matter in the shape of a material body.
3. Matter cannot be destroyed but may be transformed into other shapes or
converted into energy.
4. The principle of conservation of life always holds. Life is eternal. 4. The principle of conservation of matter or equivalent energy always holds. Therefore, matter in the form of mass or energy is eternal.
5. Life is indivisible and irreducible to sub-components. Each living being is eternally a person fundamental to other sub-components, is not made up of two or more persons, and cannot be merged with other persons. The identity and individuality of every person are eternally spiritual and unchangeable.
5. Matter is divisible indeterminately and is reducible to its sub-constituents.
6. The number of living beings is infinite.
6. The number of material particles is infinite.
7. Each living being is a unique person with his personality traits. He is the basic unit of life and does not constitute any sub-components.
7. The primary constituents of material particles are the same everywhere. Each atom is constituted of the same five essential elements in varying proportions.
8. The function of life is to love the supreme living being, render loving service unto him and thus live blissfully. However, by misuse of their free will, those opposed to God get covered by a material body and forget reality. Therefore, the function of life is to live blissfully in divine love.
8. The function of matter is to cover the rebellious living beings opposed to loving God, thereby acting as a curtain between them and God's reality, thus making them forgetful of fact.
The function of matter is to im- prison those opposed to God. There are infinite souls, each unique, with different personality traits. The Vedas describe the spiritual dimensions of the soul as one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair. The heart is described as the seat of the soul. In the case of a heart transplant, the soul gets a new seat, i.e., the soul changes its seat from the old to the new heart but stays in
the same body. The soul supplies energy (which can be perceived as electric pulses) to make the heartbeat and supplies consciousness to the blood, which carries consciousness to the brain and other body parts. Thus the soul permeates the whole body by consciousness. If the blood supply and, thereby, the consciousness it carries is choked to any part of the body, that part becomes numb and paralyzed. The soul is spiritual, transcends matter, and cannot be seen by our material eyes, but its presence can be understood by consciousness in the body. When, why, and where does the soul come to this material world? Since life does not originate from matter, it stands to reason that life does not come from the material world. Then where do the souls, i.e., the living be- ings, come from? The soul is embodied within an earthly body here, but why? Life originates from God, but if living beings had seen God, who is all at- tractive, his all-attractive personality with his beauty, charms, and activities would have attracted the living beings. There would have been no question of their being trapped by the material world, which is but a pale shadow of reality. How can a person who has seen the captivating beauty of God be at- attracted to this material world? So obviously, the souls in this material world have not seen God; otherwise, they would not have fallen into this material world. If they had seen God, they would have been attracted to Him and would be living in His abode. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that one who goes to his eternal place of bliss never returns to this material world full of suffering. The living beings on the spiritual planets love God and are infallible and not prone to falling into the material world. There is no influence of the material potency in the spiritual planets because the living beings there love God. However, those living beings who are in the brahmjyoti, the brilliant brightness of God, who is free of material desire but have not yet manifested their natural love for God, are prone to be afflicted with material hunger and consequent fall down because one who has not taken shelter of the love of God is liable to seek relationships elsewhere and fall to this mortal world since '
no one can live without relationships for long. So then, where did we come from? It is said that living beings originate from God into the brilliant shine that covers God's person. God is surrounded by his bright effulgence (the brahmjyoti), and he is visible only by grace to those who love him. At their very origin in eternity, the souls, exercising their minute free will, either go to God if they are humble; or else, out of false pride, get trapped by the material world, which presents to them the opportunity to Lord it over matter through their senses and exploits and enjoys it. The tiny souls are prone to false pride and misuse of their free will, unlike the infinite Lord is infallible. Instead of being humble and acknowledging God's only real Lord, the souls get trapped because they desire to be the Lord themselves. Absolute freedom and bliss come to those who love God, but those who misuse their free will and desire to be the Lord themselves end up imprisoned in this mortal world of birth and death. In his pure state, the Jeev-Atma (Sanskrit term for the living being or the soul) has a pure consciousness characterized by complete serenity, clarity, and freedom from distraction. The fall down of the Jeev-Atma begins with false ego, which arises due to the soul's desire to be the Lord himself or, in other words, false pride. False ego is the false conception of one's identity as a separate lord. Ego means identity. A true ego is a spiritual person (soul) meant to serve God. This false ego causes one to acquire a false conception of one's identity as one's mind or body. God's material potency is invested with the three modes of material nature, viz. goodness, passion, and ignorance regulate the workings of the material nature and its diversity. This false ego is characterized as serene, active, or dull ac- cording to how it is influenced by the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance, respectively. From these three classifications of false ego, the mind, the senses of perception, the organs of action, and the gross elements evolve. From false ego under the influence of the mode of goodness arises the
material mind; from false ego in the mode of passion comes material intelligence, the senses for acquiring knowledge, and the senses of action. Impelled by the energy of God, false ego under the influence of the mode of ignorance gives rise to all the elements and the sense objects beginning with the subtle element sound. From sound come the ethereal sky and the sense of hearing. Thus from the subtle element sound, progressing all the elements gradually - ethereal sky, air, fire, water, and earth, respectively and the corresponding objects of the senses - sound, touch, form, taste, and smell and the respective senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell become manifest. The Jeev- Atma first gets a covering of subtle matter: false ego, material mind, and intelligence. From this subtle body consisting of false ego, mind, and intelligence develop his physical body, a species of life befitting his mentality. This subject matter of the manifestation of the material world and the embodiment of the soul (Jeev-Atma) within a material body is expounded in the de- tail in the Sankhya philosophy of Lord Kapil in Srimad Bhagavatam. Sound is the beginning of the material world's elements; conversely, the spiritual sound is the means of liberation of the soul (Jeev-Atma) from matter. The Vedas emphasize it sounds like the most potent energy. Modern technology uses various forms of energy, such as nuclear, chemical, and biological. Similarly, mantras consisting of different sound combinations were used as energy in ancient times. Weapons and guided missiles were launched using sound mantras to hit specific targets. The epics of Mahabharat and Ra- mayan mention the use of good mantras with weapons, some of which, such as the Brahmastra, is said to be capable of unimaginable destruction. The liberation of the Jeev-Atma from the bondage of matter can be effected through spiritual sound, and this is described in the chapter titled meditation by spiritual sound of this book.
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