from Verse FourThose who are physically injured by the tortures of extreme climatic conditions find that the spirit is suffocated when the body is exhausted. Those who are psychologically injured by the afflictions of emotions and thoughts find that the body is left over when the spirit is exhausted. Therefore real people deliberately return to essence, relying on the support of the spirit, thus attaining completeness. So they sleep without dreams and awake without worries.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
Growing up under the veil of Christianity, one recurrent theme that was hammered home in Sunday School and the regular church service was this idea that the flesh is evil. Only a person's spirit was pure and, if any thought or action came from some place other than the spirit, it was sinful and not to be trusted.
To my way of thinking, this is oh so silly! We humans are blessed with many attributes and a body -- the flesh -- is one of 'em. For me, the above passage highlights that each aspect of who and what we are is part of our completeness. If we ignore the well-being of one aspect of ourselves, the other aspects suffer as well.
If my mind is all messed up, it will negatively impact my body and my vital essence (i.e., spirit). If my body is messed up, my spirit will be wounded and my mind will be preoccupied. And if my vital core is injured, both my mind and body will feel injured too.
To find contentment in this life, each of our attributes must be in line with the One.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
To my way of thinking, this is oh so silly! We humans are blessed with many attributes and a body -- the flesh -- is one of 'em. For me, the above passage highlights that each aspect of who and what we are is part of our completeness. If we ignore the well-being of one aspect of ourselves, the other aspects suffer as well.
If my mind is all messed up, it will negatively impact my body and my vital essence (i.e., spirit). If my body is messed up, my spirit will be wounded and my mind will be preoccupied. And if my vital core is injured, both my mind and body will feel injured too.
To find contentment in this life, each of our attributes must be in line with the One.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
this is something i learned personally through kundalini yoga. yoga works the total person and gives discipline to the body, mind, and spirit, unifying them. to me it's also silly to put down one aspect of the person or of being human, in favor of another. without the physical we would not be human, and i don't see being human as a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteMe neither!! We couldn't have these conversations otherwise. :D
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