Philosophy of Soul and Matter

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Clare Rosenfield
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Center

Page 18

CHAPTER ONE
KNOWING SENTIENT FROM INSENTIENT
ENERGY
The world is a house of animate and inanimate, of conscious and unconscious. To survive, a partnership between the two is essential. A touch of the animate infuses with life all that which is inanimate. What is it that allows mind to think, ears to hear, eyes to see, nose to smell, tongue to taste, and body to feel? It is Consciousness. Otherwise, our brain and five senses would be unaware, lifeless, unable to function.
Something is radiating behind all forms. What can we call that invisible life-giving element? In Sanskrit language, it is known as atina. In English, it has been called soul; spirit, self, the divine. Truly speaking, none of these words carries the full import of atma. When one hears these words, one must get a sense of vibrant living energy. That is why, in this series of talks, I often prefer to use the phrase sentient energy to bring out the inherent dynamism behind the words atma, soul, spirit, or self.