The words Mind, Soul and Spirit are often used interchangeably. In most cases people have only a superficial understanding of these words and no concrete idea of their true nature. Here we will try to give a short answer to the questions: “what is Spirit?”, “what is Soul?” and “what is Mind?”
“Human beings consist of a consciousness, a spirit and a soul, all of which were created through the will of God (Buddha), and the central core of the soul is the mind” From the book: The Laws of the Sun
What is spirit?
“Spirit” is essentially formless intelligent energy, which has become individualized by the splitting of God’s energy. This spiritual energy is the source of all living beings: humans, animals, plants, and even minerals. However, the spirits of animals and plants are not as individualized and advanced as those of humans. In other words, each human spirit has an expressed individuality and the ability to think, whilst, animal and plant spirits usually live as collective consciousnesses. How individual they become depends on the level of each spirit’s consciousness.
What is the soul?
We call “Soul” the part of the spirit that takes the form of the physical body it dwells in. It is in this form that the spirit undertakes spiritual refinement on Earth. The spirit is freer in form compared to the soul which, being lodged inside the human body, has a distinctive human shape and its own individuality.
What is the mind?
The mind is the center of the soul, and the core of the spiritual body. To spiritual sight, when the mind is in its original state, it looks like a perfectly shaped ball about one foot in diameter located at the center of the soul, near the heart. Different areas in the mind govern will, emotion, intellect and reason. Running through the body from the stomach, the heart, and the brain is the part that controls spiritual wisdom and it connects the person with his/her brother and sister souls in the spiritual world, or in other words, his/her “subconsciousness”.
The true nature of the mind
The Soul originates from God and essentially possesses the same qualities as God. God is essentially light itself and this light is not like the light of a lamp; it has attributes such as love, compassion, wisdom, and prosperity, which shine like the facets of a diamond. The internal quest to understand the true nature of the diamond within us is the true objective of spiritual discipline.
What is good and what is evil?
The answer to the question, “Is it part of the soul’s nature to think and do evil?” is both “Yes” and “No.” It is “Yes” because the soul has been granted full freedom to think and create in any direction. But the answer is “No” because to do evil or to produce hell is not part of the original aim of the soul. However, we can create dark, dank regions in our minds and cut ourselves off from God’s (Buddha’s) light with negative thoughts such as complaint, anger, jealousy and envy, as well as selfish thoughts and our desire for self-preservation. It is as a result of our own choices that we create clouds in our mind, block out the light, and live in darkness. That is why we must reflect on our thoughts and deeds and remove these clouds of thought to restore our mind to its original, shining state.
To read about the Right Mind and Buddha Nature
