Being and Atman (soul)…………………
There is no difference between the two.
Both mean the same. Because of the karmic information or so called karmas which
we carry, one has got an individuality as we see and feel – for example; my Being
or for that matter the Being of any other form (human or any other creature)
and such Being will continue to seek life/birth or body one after the another because
of the karmic content or karmas. What we call an atman (soul) is fundamentally the unboundedness which though has no
individuality of its own but has got trapped in this individuality only because
of karmas. That is exactly the reason
that Lord Buddha used the term anatma
(non-self) and Lord Mahavira never recognized parmataman as a separate entity but said that atman alone can become a parmataman.
We are n’t even an atman as is said or believed but just a bunch of karmas which is
binding us to this limited body. Only because of the karmas we have this separate form or existence though at the being
level we all are same and share the same unboundedness/soul/blissfulness. Also karmas is the only reason and the basis for
our moving into the cycles i.e. from one birth to the other. As this being or atman evolves or transforms i.e. it becomes completely free of the
karmic content then this being loses its
individuality and the so called atman
(soul) simply merges into the ultimate emptiness to which we know as Parmatman or Mukti or Moksha.
The only way to re-claim the unboundedness
and become free of this cycle of birth and re-birth is to fully dismantle the karmas. In this tradition there are many ways to achieve this. One
of the ways is of awareness wherein
what is done is to strengthen the sense of witnessing
or what is known as awareness. What
the witnessing, which is real “me”, means
is to separate one’s consciousness from the activity which one does and thus become
a witness or sakshi to everything. Witnessing
stops creating new karmas and also gradually
dissolves the old stock of karmas and thus paving the way for “Mukti” or
liberation.
Mahasamadhi/Mahaparinirvana/Mukti/Moksha
and Liberation in English all mean the same thing i.e. when one attains to this
state the Being simply disappears into the ultimate emptiness. Nirvana however
means one who has attained or realized or got enlightened but is still in his body………….BeAware
