Mysteries of Mind

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Today and Tomorrows Book Agency

Page 18

SEARCH FOR EXISTENCE: RIGHT VISION
Therefore, let us see; let us look within. Let the soul see itself. This may appear to be something queer. What is the soul which perceives itself? Who is the seer and what does he perceive? It is a perplexing question. The answer is that when the soul becomes divided, one part of it becomes the seer and the other part the object of perception.
See your breath. See your mind. See your body. See the life-force in you. See your aura. I am sure you would like to know if your breath is your soul. Perhaps you would also like to know if your body is your soul. You may very well ask if your mind or the aura which surrounds your body and which is generated by your body or the vital force in you is your soul. If you thought over these questions a bit seriously, you will come to the conclusion that your breath, your body, y mind, the aura emanating from your body and the vital force in it are your soul. If the vital force in the body were not the soul, we will not be able to distinguish between a living and a dead body. If the living body were not the soul, we shall not be able to distinguish it from dead body. If the mind were not the soul, there will be no difference between thinking and non-thinking beings. Every one of these is, therefore, the soul.
We cannot understand the body correctly if we did not feel and understand breath. We cannot understand the mind without understanding the body. We cannot perceive the aura around the body without understanding the body. We cannot understand the vital force until we have seen and known the aura. We cannot come across the conscious substance which is the end of our journey until we have known and understood the vital force. This is the span of our journey. We will have to traverse the entire course in the very order given above in order to arrive at the stage of selfrealization, at that which is the subtlest, i.e., at our Existence.
Breath is the first window through which you can perceive the soul. It is by passing through this window that the journey towards the self begins. It is a journey within. It is a journey towards self-perception. Normally we are accustomed to looking outwards only. It is the nature of the mind to run towards the external world only. Breath is the first door you have to enter into before the journey within