The soul and the self

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

When one awakens, he recites: My God, the soul You have placed within me is pure. You formed it within me, You breathed it into me, and You guard it while it is within me. One day You will take it from me and restore it within me in the time to come. As long as the soul is within me, I thank You, O Lord my God and God of my ancestors, Master of all worlds, Lord of all souls. Blessed are You, O Lord, who restores souls to lifeless bodies.

Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, fills the entire world, so too the soul fills the entire body. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, sees but is not seen, so too does the soul see, but is not seen. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, sustains the entire world, so too the soul sustains the entire body. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, is pure, so too is the soul pure. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, resides in a chamber within a chamber, in His inner sanctum, so too the soul resides in a chamber within a chamber, in the innermost recesses of the body. Therefore, that which has these five characteristics, the soul, should come and praise He Who has these five characteristics.

And Antoninos said to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: From when is the soul placed in a person? Is it from the moment of conception or from the moment of the formation of the embryo, forty days after conception? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: It is from the moment of the formation of the embryo. Antoninos said to him: That is inconceivable. Is it possible that a piece of meat could stand for even three days without salt as a preservative and would not rot? The embryo could not exist for forty days without a soul. Rather, the soul is placed in man from the moment of conception. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: Antoninos taught me this matter, and there is a verse that supports him, as it is stated: “And Your Providence [pekudatekha] has preserved my spirit” (Job 10:12) indicating that it is from the moment of conception [pekida] that the soul is preserved within a person.

Your creation and your raising (from the dead) are only as (the creation and the raising of) a single soul. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower

Whosoever goeth right, it is only for (the good of) his own soul that he goeth right, and whosoever erreth, erreth only to its hurt. No laden soul can bear another's load, We never punish until we have sent a messenger

A soul will know what it hath sent before (it) and what left behind

Narrated ʿAbdullah bin Mas'ud: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), the true and truly inspired said, "(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature's) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into him. So, a man amongst you may do (good deeds till there is only a cubit between him and Paradise and then what has been written for him decides his behavior and he starts doing (evil) deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire. And similarly a man amongst you may do (evil) deeds till there is only a cubit between him and the (Hell) Fire, and then what has been written for him decides his behavior, and he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise

Narrated ʿAbdullah: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), the true and truly inspired said, "(as regards your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first forty days, and then he becomes a clot for another forty days, and then a piece of flesh for another forty days. Then Allah sends an angel to write four items: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into his body. So a man may do deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and so he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the (Hell) Fire and enters the (Hell) Fire

Narrated Aisha: The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of true dreams. The Angel came to him and said, "Read, in the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists), has created man a clot. Read! And your Lord is Most Generous Narrated ʿAisha: The commencement of (the Divine Inspirations to) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of true dreams. The Angel came to him and said, "Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created all exists), has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is Most Generous, Who has taught (the writing) by the pen

O Arjuna! This is the state of the Self, the Supreme Spirit, to which, if one attains, it shall never be taken away. Even at the time of leaving the body, one will remain firmly enthroned there and become one with the Eternal.

On the other hand, the soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied in the Self; there is nothing more for them to accomplish.

But the self-controlled soul, who moves among sense objects, free from attachment or repulsion, wins eternal peace.

If one knows It here, that is Truth; if one knows It not here, then great is his loss. The wise seeing the same Self in all beings, being liberated from this world, become immortal.

The Self-existent created the senses out-going; for this reason man sees the external, but not the inner Atman (Self). Some wise man, however, desiring immortality, with eyes turned away (from the external) sees the Atman within.

Eternal among the changing, consciousness of the conscious, who, though one, fulfils the desires of many: the wise who perceive Him seated within their Self, to them belongs eternal peace, not to others.

For it is by oneself that evil’s done, one is corrupted by oneself. It’s by oneself that evil’s not done, one is purified by oneself. Purity and impurity are personal matters, no one can purify another.

Self is indeed the lord of self, for who else would be one’s lord? Self is indeed the home of self, so restrain yourself, as a merchant his thoroughbred steed.

One is indeed the lord of oneself, for who else would be one’s lord? By means of a well-tamed self, one gains a lord that’s rare indeed.

“Then is this your view: ‘The soul and the body are one and the same. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “That’s not my view, Vaccha.” “Then is this your view: ‘The soul is one thing, the body another. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “That’s not my view, Vaccha.” “Then is this your view: ‘A realized one still exists after death. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “That’s not my view, Vaccha.”

Perhaps they don’t regard form or feeling or perception or choices or consciousness as self. Still, they have such a view: ‘The self and the cosmos are one and the same. After death I will be that, permanent, everlasting, eternal, and imperishable.’ But that eternalist view is just a conditioned phenomenon. And what’s the source of that conditioned phenomenon? … That’s how you should know and see in order to end the defilements without delay. Perhaps they don’t regard form or feeling or perception or choices or consciousness as self. Nor do they have such a view: ‘The self and the cosmos are one and the same. After death I will be that, permanent, everlasting, eternal, and imperishable.’ Still, they have such a view: ‘I might not be, and it might not be mine. I will not be, and it will not be mine.’ But that annihilationist view is just a conditioned phenomenon. And what’s the source of that conditioned phenomenon? … That’s how you should know and see in order to end the defilements without delay. Perhaps they don’t regard form or feeling or perception or choices or consciousness as self. Nor do they have such a view: ‘The self and the cosmos are one and the same. After death I will be that, permanent, everlasting, eternal, and imperishable.’ Nor do they have such a view: ‘I might not be, and it might not be mine. I will not be, and it will not be mine.’ Still, they have doubts and uncertainties. They’re undecided about the true teaching. That doubt and uncertainty, the indecision about the true teaching, is just a conditioned phenomenon. And what’s the source of that conditioned phenomenon? When an unlearned ordinary person is struck by feelings born of contact with ignorance, craving arises. That conditioned phenomenon is born from that. So that conditioned phenomenon is impermanent, conditioned, and dependently originated. And that craving, that feeling, that contact, and that ignorance are also impermanent, conditioned, and dependently originated. That’s how you should know and see in order to end the defilements without delay.”

“But, sir, am I able to know whether perception is a person’s self, or whether perception and self are different things?” “It’s hard for you to understand this, since you have a different view, creed, and belief, and another discipline and denomination.” “Well, if that’s the case, sir, then what do you make of this: ‘The cosmos is eternal. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “This has not been declared by me, Poṭṭhapāda.” “Then what do you make of this: ‘The cosmos is not eternal. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “This too has not been declared by me.” “Then what do you make of this: ‘The cosmos is finite …’ … ‘The cosmos is infinite …’ … ‘The soul and the body are one and the same …’ … ‘The soul is one thing, the body another …’ … ‘A realized one still exists after death …’ … ‘A realized one no longer exists after death …’ … ‘A realized one both still exists and no longer exists after death …’ … ‘A realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists after death. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “This too has not been declared by me.”

The True One permeates and pervades the mind within. The True One is Eternal and Unchanging; He does not come and go in reincarnation. Those who are attached to the True One are immaculate and pure. Through the Guru's Teachings, they merge in the True One. ||7||

In the pure vessel, the True Name is contained; how few are those who practice true conduct. The individual soul is united with the Supreme Soul; Nanak seeks Your Sanctuary, Lord. ||5||6||

The soul is not born, even though he thinks it is born; it is free from birth and death. When the mortal gives up his ideas of birth and death, he remains constantly absorbed in the Lord's Love. ||3|| As the reflection of an object blends in the water when the pitcher is broken, says Kabeer, just so virtue dispels doubt, and then the soul is absorbed in the profound, absolute Lord. ||4||1||

The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fullness. How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things! We should blunt our sharp points, and unravel the complications of things; we should attemper our brightness, and bring ourselves into agreement with the obscurity of others. How pure and still the Tao is, as if it would ever so continue! I do not know whose son it is. It might appear to have been before God.

The things which from of old have got the One (the Tao) are— Heaven which by it is bright and pure; / Earth rendered thereby firm and sure; / Spirits with powers by it supplied; / Valleys kept full throughout their void / All creatures which through it do live / Princes and kings who from it get / The model which to all they give. All these are the results of the One (Tao). If heaven were not thus pure, it soon would rend; / If earth were not thus sure, ’twould break and bend; / Without these powers, the spirits soon would fail; / If not so filled, the drought would parch each vale; / Without that life, creatures would pass away; / Princes and kings, without that moral sway, / However grand and high, would all decay. Thus it is that dignity finds its (firm) root in its (previous) meanness, and what is lofty finds its stability in the lowness (from which it rises). Hence princes and kings call themselves “Orphans,” “Men of small virtue,” and as “Carriages without a nave.” Is not this an acknowledgement that in their considering themselves mean they see the foundation of their dignity? So it is that in the enumeration of the different parts of a carriage we do not come on what makes it answer the ends of a carriage. They do not wish to show themselves elegant-looking as jade, but (prefer) to be coarse-looking as an (ordinary) stone.

He who has in himself abundantly the attributes (of the Tao) is like an infant. Poisonous insects will not sting him; fierce beasts will not seize him; birds of prey will not strike him. (The infant’s) bones are weak and its sinews soft, but yet its grasp is firm. It knows not yet the union of male and female, and yet its virile member may be excited;—showing the perfection of its physical essence. All day long it will cry without its throat becoming hoarse;—showing the harmony (in its constitution). To him by whom this harmony is known, / (The secret of) the unchanging (Tao) is shown, / And in the knowledge wisdom finds its throne. / All life-increasing arts to evil turn; / Where the mind makes the vital breath to burn, / (False) is the strength, (and o’er it we should mourn.) When things have become strong, they (then) become old, which may be said to be contrary to the Tao. Whatever is contrary to the Tao soon ends.