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THE TRUTH
29
The ancients employed the term soul to indicate their conception of a knowing substance that was partless and indestructible and, therefore, immortal. The term is a fit and convenient one, and may be retained on account of the currency which it has obtained all over the English-speaking world. Suitable words exist in other tongues to express the same idea—ātman, ruh, jīva, etc.
Perception is an affection. It is not constituted by the stimulus. The stimulus is material, but perception is not material. The paper on which this book is printed is white in colour and has so many inches in length and breadth, but the idea of it in the mind is devoid of both colour and dimension. It is simply a partless affection or sensation. No state of consciousness is ever possessed of the material attributes of colour, taste, touch, smell and sound.
Consciousness is, then, not endowed with the qualities which appertain to matter and is a different kind of substance from matter.
The senses only respond to material stimuli-colour, sound, etc. They cannot take notice of non-material things. The mind or consciousness is not possessed of material qualities and cannot be perceived by the senses.
The soul cannot, therefore, be known by the senses.
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