CAN SUBTLE BODY
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response organs, mind, intellect, chitta and ego. The collection of five senses, mind, intellect, chitta and ego help sense the external world and acquire knowledge and so are called the ‘powers of sensing’ or ‘powers of knowledge’. The five response organs are called the ‘powers of action’. So a collection of the powers of knowledge and powers of action is called the subtle body. Since these powers cannot interact with the gross world without a gross medium, they take the form of a gross body to attain their goal. Chitta is a storehouse of past memories and intrinsic tendencies and within this storehouse all the intrinsic tendencies that the subtle body acquires keep getting accumulated. These tendencies then become the cause for birth, death and attachments towards worldly pleasures.
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According to the findings of Professor George Ashby based on a number of research experiments, any human being can present himself simultaneously at multiple places by vitalizing, developing and strengthening his inner consciousness. Despite being present at multiple places at the same time, the person’s consciousness does not get divided; it remains united. Madam Alexandra Neel has performed adventurous treks in several highly inaccessible regions of Tibet. In her book titled ‘My Journey to Lhasa’ she has referred to a saint named
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Science urges us to occupy by our mind the immensity of the knowable world; our spiritual teacher enjoins us to comprehend by our soul the infinite spirit which is in the depth of the moving and changing facts of the world; the urging of our artistic side. - Rabindranath Tagore
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But what exactly is our subtle body? What are its constituent elements? How can we understand and know more about our subtle body? Here is a brief answer. Our subtle body is a conglomerate of five senses that can sense the five subtle elements (tanmatras), five
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Our physical bodies are visible but the subtle bodies are invisible. Even then, subtle body plays a big role in driving the physical body. Despite being invisible, the subtle body is much more powerful than the physical body. It is not possible to realize the true potential of subtle body without intense spiritual practices. But if it can be awakened by spiritual practices, then it does not need any gross or material based medium to perform its functions. Subtle body is very powerful and without any external help it is capable of doing whatever it likes.
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BE AWAKENED?
“Science and religion are very much alike. Both are imaginative and creative aspects of the human mind. The appearance of a conflict is a result of ignorance.” – Nobel laureate Sir John Eccles
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Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014
