If we understand that we are souls do we need to reject the whole life we have built on our bodily identity?

Anwser Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So if you understand that we are souls, then that means whatever identity we have had, it implies that we are not that. So it’s a big challenge. We have charted a whole life based on that identity.
How do we accept this? Actually, there is a functional identity and there is a fundamental identity. Functional identity means that we all take up certain roles as function. Sometimes some of your students, you know, just to earn some more money, you might take up some job.
You might work as a babysitter for someone. Now, at that time, you’re called a babysitter, but that is not your identity. It’s a functional identity you assume.
You might work in some other role. You might work in the library as a library assistant. That’s not who you are.
So but the functional identity is not wrong, but it is not complete. It is there for that function, for that particular time. So like that, when we say our identity, it is not say I’m American or I’m male or I’m female.
It is not that it is wrong. It is a functional identity for a particular function. Even if tomorrow I understand I’m a soul, still I’ll have to function in the body that I have and I’ll have to take care of the body.
So it’s not rejection of our present identity. It’s more expansion of our present identity. That it is that I’m not just the body.
I am more than the body. So we begin this expansion of our identity. And when we understand, when we understand our fundamental identity, that means that at a functional level, suppose, say, if I identify myself as a library assistant and I lose that job, then who am I? If that had been my identity, if that alone had been my identity, then I’m no one.
I become no one. But if I understand, OK, you know, I’m a student. So I’m so I’m this person.
I have these relatives. I’m this. These are my brothers, sisters.
These are my parents. I have a whole identity. So even if that functional identity is damaged, is lost, still I continue to exist.
So like that, even what near to the experiences and understanding of our spiritual identity point out to this, that even if some damage happens at the body level. So my functional identity may be lost. But my fundamental identity will always remain.
So when we live in the world with spiritual knowledge, we learn the art of harmonizing our functional identity and our fundamental identity. So I understand I’m a soul, but I’m in a particular body. I’m in a particular position in society.
So if I’m a student, I continue to be a student. If I’m a professional, I continue to be a professional. But I act with spiritual knowledge.
So spiritual life is not just about intellectual analysis and conceptualization. It’s a practical action in the light of that knowledge. And that is something you can learn more in the associative spiritually minded people.
How do we do that? How to balance or harmonize our functional identity and our fundamental identity? Yeah. What are you supposed to do? OK, I’m a spirit soul.