The meaning of the independence of the "I" from the body

Many people find that the full consciousness of the reality of their ”I“ is hindered (even when they have correctly begun to grasp the idea) by the constant displacement of the real “I” with the feeling of the physical body. This is a stumbling block that is easily overcome by meditation and concentration. The independence of the "I" from the body often becomes apparent to the student of Rulilulvis as if instantly, when he immerses himself in meditation, taking the right idea as the basis for his thoughts.

The exercise is carried out as follows: we immerse ourselves in a state of meditation and think of ourselves, of our true “I”, as a being, independent of the body, but using the body as a shell and an instrument. Think of the body as you think of clothes, try to internalize the idea that you can leave the body and still remain the same “I”, draw to yourself that you are doing this as if looking at your body from above. Think of the body as a shell that you can throw off without harming your personality, think of yourself as a creature that conquers and subjugates your body, which you occupy and use for the best purposes, making it healthy, strong and vigorous, but that is all. - So do not forget for a single minute that this is only a shell or "casing (Integument)" of your true "I". Think of your body as consisting of atoms and cells that are constantly changing and are held together only by the power of your inner Self, and do not forget that you can strengthen this power by the action of your will. Try to be imbued with the idea that you are just living in the body, using it for your convenience, just like using your home.

When thinking further, try to forget about the body so that your thought always comes from your “I". Think that you have already learned to feel "yourself" and then gradually you will understand that your true personality, your "I" is something completely separate from the body. Then you will say "my body”, giving these words a completely different meaning than usual. You will begin to lose the idea that you are a physical being and will feel yourself above the body, as something separate from you. But this new thought, a new feeling in no case should not cause you to neglect your body. You must look upon the body as the temple of the spirit, take care of it, and try to make it the best abode for the Self.

Do not be alarmed if during meditation you suddenly feel that you are out of the body and return to it at the end of the exercise. This is one of the frequent and common sensations. The "I" can soar high above the limits of the available body, but the connection of the "I” with the body is never broken. It is just like it looks out of the window, watching what is going on outside, and then it comes back in when it wants to. It does not even leave the room, but only sticks its head out and looks at what is happening outside. But we do not advise students to try to create such a feeling artificially, we only want to say that you should not be afraid when it comes naturally during meditation.

Acquisition of the consciousness of immortality and invincibility of the "I"

Most people living on earth, one way or another, accept the fact that the soul can prove its immortality. Sages give the following lesson regarding this: the student immerses himself in a state of meditation, or at least in a pensive state of mind, and tries to imagine himself “dead”, that is, he tries to create a mental image of himself as dead. At first, this thought does not surprise him in the least, it seems to him that it is not at all difficult to imagine oneself dead, but the fact is that it is absolutely impossible, because the inner “I” absolutely refuses to support such an assumption - to imagine oneself dead. Try it yourself and you will see that you are able to imagine your body lying quietly, motionless and lifeless, but at the same time you will find that you seem to be standing nearby and looking at your body.

Thus, you realize that you are not dead even in imagination, although you imagined yourself dead. If in your imagination you refused to separate yourself from the body and just thought of your body as dead, even refusing to leave it, you recognize the body as something different from your true “I”. In a word, no matter how hard you try to affirm this idea in your mind, you will not be able to imagine yourself dead - “I” will always insist that it is alive, no matter how hard you try to make sure otherwise. Thus, it turns out that it has a sense of self-confidence about its own immortality. In some cases of sleep or loss of memory, which is the result of a stroke, or occurs when taking narcotic and anesthetic substances, the consciousness seems to sink into a complete emptiness, but nevertheless it always retains the consciousness of the “I” and the continuity of its existence. We can easily imagine ourselves in an unconscious state or asleep, the possibility of such a state is clear to us, but our mind completely refuses to imagine ourselves our “I” inactive or dead. It is an amazing fact that the soul itself bears in itself the evidence of its immortality, and in itself a wonderful phenomenon, but a person needs to achieve a significant degree of inner disclosure before he can understand the full meaning of this fact.

Students are encouraged to investigate all the above positions through meditation and concentration, so that the “I” can know its true nature and its capabilities. It must be conscious as a fact that it can neither be destroyed nor killed, and that it is, before it can manifest its nature. Therefore, do not neglect this part of the teaching until you have completely mastered it, and it is very important to return to it from time to time in order to further imprint in your mind the fact of immortality and the eternal nature of the “I”. Even the faintest glimpses of consciousness of this truth give a person an increased sense of strength and power. Having assimilated this idea, your “I”, as it were, expands and grows and you feel that you are the center of a more powerful circle.

To be continued…