Teacher Training Manual: Lesson 01 - The Soul
Contents
Lesson 1: THE TRUE SELF
Objectives
At the end of the session, the students would have been aware of the nature of the true self, recognized and experienced the characteristic of the soul, recognized and experienced the true nature of the self e.g. peace, etc.
Content
Who am I?
Identify the differences between body and mind ( as common knowledge among people these days).Who am I really? A soul is a non-physical or spiritual, intangible entity. Examples of awareness about body and soul relationship: Soul is an actor and body is costume; soul is driver and body is vehicle. Please see the appendix session for more examples.
Characteristics of soul
1. Form: point of light energy.
2. Position: Center of Forehead.
3. Role/task (in relation with the body that is to): animate the body, brings life and expresses itself through the body. Self-expression in relationship with others through the body.
4. Life span: eternal, imperishable.
5. Nature: Power, Love, Truth, Peace, Purity, etc.
Two mistakes from over identifying with the physical body
1. Limited experience of peace and happiness through the senses.
2. Traps of Limited Identities based on the body such as sex, race, religion, profession, family, etc.
Meditation is to experience each original qualities of the soul versus the experience of self esteem based on the limited identities.
Procedure
BKWSU Introduction (optional): Welcome the participants and give a 5-minutes talk about the University and local centers. An in-depth history of the institution will be taken in the 4th session of Raja Yoga Intermediate course. If the group is 15 participants or less, allow personal introduction for about 15 minutes.
Start With the Lesson Proper
- Ask some participants for their personal reasons for attending the course. Whatever the answers are, explain that meditation is a process of inner healing where they will learn right exercise and diet to re-store the inner balance or balance of the mind.
- In the practice of meditation, there is a need to know and understand who and what is meditating. Who and what lost the inner balance. Therefore, the one, who experiences unhappiness, depression or hopelessness, etc.
- Explore the common knowledge about mind and body as two different kinds of energy. "Today, we are uncertain of the difference and tend to mix the two: instead of seeing the body as the package and the mind as the contents, we see ourselves mainly as the body. Let us state the most obvious difference between body and mind".
1. Main difference between body and mind
2. "Now, experience the difference. Close your eyes and be aware of yourself. (Pause for few seconds.) You are able to be aware of the different parts of your body (legs, arms, feet, etc.). Do your legs, your stomach, etc. have self-awareness? Body is the human (container) where the being resides. The being, which is YOU, situated just above and behind the eyes (between the eyebrows). This is the driver's seat where you do your thinking and directing every movement of the vehicle of the body.
3. After the short exercise, explain the difference between the point of consciousness (which is called the soul) and the mind. "This is where you are conscious of yourself and the world. In fact you are consciousness itself and your mind is your conscious ability to think. The Mind is not separate from you but an integral part of you. YOU ARE THE POINT OF CONSCIOUSNESS within the body, which is called by many names: soul, spirit, aura, being, inner self, life energy, consciousness, essence, etc. For our purpose, we will use SOUL. You are a SOUL. (or I am a SOUL) .
Explain in detail the Characteristics of the Soul
1. Form - conscious point of spiritual (metaphysical) light energy and cannot be seen by the physical eyes.
2. Position - center of the forehead, just above and behind the eyes, inside the brain but separate from the brain. The brain is the computer and you, the soul, are the programmer.
3. Task / Role - animates and directs the body. It is the soul that brings the body to life. Without the body the soul cannot express itself.
4. Life span - Eternal, imperishable: The soul cannot be created nor destroyed. There is no such thing as death of the soul, only the death of the body, at which point the soul leaves the body and takes rebirth (takes another body). (The taking of another body should not be taken in length on the first lesson. When questions come, tell them it will be taken in-depth later on.)
5. Original Nature - Purity, Peace, Love Happiness, Truth, etc. The aim of meditation is to experience each of these original (innate) qualities.
6. Purpose - self-expression in relationship with others (without your body you could not express and relate to others).
Effects of Over Identifying Ourselves With the Physical Form
1. Experiences of the senses - We think that the 5 senses are our only sources of experiences and we begin to depend on external things for our happiness and peace. In the physical world everything changes and comes to an end. When those physical pleasures (experience through the sense organs) end, we become unhappy and peaceless. We desire more and become dependent on external stimulus. Our moods go up and down, conditioned by how satisfied our physical senses are. Anger results when we do not get what we want We become greedy when we get what we want and we want more. Ego develops when we show off what we have gotten. Feeling OK one minute and not OK the next makes us feel powerless and unhappy. Meditation could help to find inner peace and freedom in a life full of ups and downs.
2. Traps of Limited Identities- We create many limited identities or labels for ourselves. Firstly, when we think we are the body, we give it labels. Each label is a different identity - nationality, family, religion, profession, race, sex, etc. Each identity brings with it certain values, which determine certain ways of thinking and acting. Secondly, we put labels on others. We put them in boxes and that also ends in conflict Christian against Muslim, Black against White, labor against management, and so on. Once again the result is anger and conflict, contrary to our true nature andour desire for peace.
No need to reject your body. When you know the right relationship between you and your body, you can take care of it in the right way, because it will not take care of you! My True Identity as SOUL - is the key to experience your real nature of peace and happiness; key to understanding yourself and key to harmonizing with others. Meditation is the method to experience and cultivate that "I am a soul" or soul consciousness.
Method of Meditation
Explain first why Raja Yoga meditation is open-eyed.
In meditation, you experience yourself as a soul. Sit in a comfortable position, let go of all different limited bodily identities, try to let go of all sounds and sights around you and turn inward toward yourself. Focus your attention up to that point in the forehead where you the soul is seated. If your mind seems to be running with many thoughts or memories, just observe them and watch them come and go. Gently keep bringing your attention back to yourself here-and-now, sitting on your seat of consciousness. Gradually your mind becomes more peaceful and your thoughts slow down. Create the thought of peace, concentrate your attention on that thought and gradually it becomes your experience. Try this once or twice a day to start with, in a quiet place at home or at work. These are the first steps to learning how to meditate and regain control of your thoughts, feelings and your life experience. If you find it a little difficulty, be patient Don't give yourself a hard time. Regular practice will make your perfect.
Sample commentary
"In the past I often thought of myself by the name which I am called, or by what my body looks like, or the job I've been doing or the role I've been playing ... I now understand that these roles, names and appearances are connected with my body, with the part I play in life ... I now going to allow myself to feel the life force within my body ... I am living energy, emanating from an infinitesimal point, radiating out in the form of light and vibrations ... I am a star, radiating energy and light ... This is I, the soul, the inner being ... I give life to my body, my body is my vehicle and I the soul, am the life within this body ... I can make the body move ... I can keep the body at rest ... I, the soul, exist and I can think and feel ...
(Pause)
Sometimes I feel pain and hurt, and sometimes I feel tranquility and peace ... Now, I understand that the pain and hurt I have felt come to me through the body, and my qualities of peace and tranquility are the true nature of the soul ... I focus on I, the soul ... My awareness of my body fades ... I begin to feel light, travelling beyond the awareness of my body into the consciousness of being a soul ... Deep reserves of peace and calmness emerge from within me ... Deep within myself, I feel my own original pure energy of peace ... I am surrounded by a feeling of peace immersed in a deep experience of peace ...
(Pause)
My life extends beyond my body ... Even without a body, I, the living energy, will continue ... I am eternal ... I am a being of light, the embodiment of peace ... My awareness is beyond fear, beyond hurt and pain ... I am safe because I can never lose myself ... I am for always ... I exist forever, and l am so peaceful, content just to be who I am and for these few moments free of the limitations of the physical world ...
(Pause)
Within myself I can experience the limitless wealth of my treasures of peace, happiness, love and serenity, and I share this with others now ... I share my own pure energy of peace and love with those who are close to me, either physically close or those who may be far away and whom I can bring close in my mind ...
(Pause)
As I love and accept myself and others, I, the soul re-gains the feeling of my own harmony and fullness ... My inner spirit is re-balancing. I have the strength to love and be peaceful and I have the freedom just to be me ... And in my own time, when I feel ready, I allow my thoughts to return to the room in which l am sitting, but only when l am ready."
Assignment
Points of Application, Some suggestions are:
1. Practice seeing others as subtle beings of spiritual light on the forehead. "I am a soul and I am seeing my brother soul."
2. As soon as you wake up, remind yourself; "I the soul have entered this body to express my original qualities of peace and love." Before you sleep remind yourself; "I the soul am putting my body to rest. I am closing the windows of the senses to allow myself to rest."
3. Practice while you do your activities and work throughout that "I am a soul acting through this body of 5 elements. I am the actor in this costume of the body."