Who We Are Essentially
I believe that one of the greatest human happinesses comes when we realize who we are essentially.
It is not about what type of person you are or what others think of you, but what remains at the end when all such things are gone.
For example, there are things that remain even after the body is burned. It is true that bones may remain, but we are not bones. Some people may think that the body is themselves. However, even if the body disappears, there is something that remains at the end, and that is the existence of oneself.
There is no such thing as the disappearance of the existence of oneself.
What Remains, Not Gone
That inextinguishable thing is also called consciousness, mind, or soul. They are just different words for the same thing, not separate things.
Consciousness and soul cannot even be visibly manifested. Who is it that is doing the “thinking?” That is you, isn’t it? It is not the material body or brain that is doing the thinking, but oneself freely thinking. It is as Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.”
When we pursue who we essentially are, what we ultimately arrive at is consciousness, heart, and soul.
The Physical Body Is Like A Car
Our physical body is like a car.
A car will not move unless someone gets inside, starts the engine, and drives it. It is the person in the car who has an idea of where the car is going, and he or she operates the car by stepping on the accelerator or brake to get there, and then gets out of the car when it arrives.
In the same way, we enter the physical body, continue on the path called life, and finally, when we reach our life span, we exit the body. We are what we are inside the body. That is what we call the soul. If the word “soul” is too difficult to accept, we can say “heart” or “consciousness.”
That is who we are. We are free to think, and for a time we are in this material body. But when the life of the physical body comes, we leave it and continue to exist without ceasing to exist.
When we leave our physical body, we return to the world where our souls live, which is called the other world. There we begin to live again.
As such, we are essentially spiritual beings.
Human Beings Gradually Become Spiritually Awake In Life’s Various Opportunities
Living in this material world, time may often pass without us being aware of such things.
However, no one is born with this awareness from the beginning. Many babies and small children retain a great deal of spiritual awareness, but even so, as they grow up, their material awareness becomes stronger.
I think that many of us, in the course of various opportunities in our lives, may have questions such as “what is a human being,” “what is life,” “why are we born and why do we die?” I believe that many people have the opportunity for spiritual awakening.
Every person is provided with an opportunity for spiritual awakening. When you become aware of it, it is as if a mystery is being solved and you say, “Oh, I see. Yes, that’s right.” It is not so much that they become convinced all at once, but rather that they become convinced of it.
It is not something that turns into certainty all at once. Like wine fermenting slowly over time, the recognition gradually changes, is strengthened, and becomes an unshakable conviction.