Burlingame, Ca
Through introspection and the practice of devotional service, a bhakti yogi comes to factually see that he or she is not the material body.
Attaining a glimpse of himself as a conscious spirit distinct from his material body, the yogi’s interest in spiritual practice deepens. He perceives, “My body is a biological system made up of a variety of sophisticated mechanical organs – eyes, stomach, liver, intestines, legs, subtle mind, and so on. I am simply living within this intricate machine, which has been awarded to me by physical nature.”
One who identifies oneself with the material body – which is merely a contraption – is subject to all of its changes: birth, death, old age and disease. In fact all suffering comes from one’s “hitching” oneself to a material body. (And unnecessarily so!)
To uncouple oneself from the bodily apparatus, a person may observe how his or her various bodily organs and senses are running their course while he or she remains a detached bystander.
For instance, after eating a meal, I can watch as my stomach – just like an automatic dishwasher or washing machine when a button is pushed – automatically turns on to digest the food I have swallowed, dispersing it in perfect order to billions of cells throughout my body. Likewise, one may observe that plans, worries, and memories routinely pass over the sky of one’s mind; or that the heart, a noble engine, works so steadily and seamlessly throughout one’s entire life, that one barely notices it until it falters.
Sitting still, introspectively studying one’s actual state, any human being may experience his or her own conscious radiance and personally witness that he or she is separate from the gurgling, pulsing, self-calibrating body.
“Those with the vision of eternity can see that the imperishable soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is entangled.” (Bg. 13.32)
Om Tat Sat
With gratitude and affection,
Vaisesika Dasa
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