Does our breath make the sound so ‘ham – does that suggest we are God?

Podcast:

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.

Summary

Does the sound of our breath—So Hum—prove that we are God? This insightful exploration dives into ancient Vedic literature, non-dualistic schools of thought, and the true meaning of spiritual identity and duality.

• The Pendulum of Spiritual Extremes: When moving past the temporary nature of matter, thinkers often swing to the opposite extreme—assuming that because matter is finite, the spirit must be infinite and identical to God.
• Finite Parts of the Infinite: Rather than being the supreme infinite, a more holistic philosophical view (supported by texts like The Bhagavad Gita) suggests we are eternal, finite sparks—distinct parts of the infinite Divine.
• The Logical Flaw of Strict Oneness: Claiming there is absolute oneness without any duality raises unresolved philosophical problems, such as how twoness emerged from oneness and who experiences liberation.
• Interpreting “So Hum”: The breath’s sound can be interpreted in multiple ways, representing a wake-up call from spiritual amnesia where we realize our true spiritual nature rather than merging into God.
• Transcending Dualities vs. Erasing Identity: True spiritual liberation is not about erasing separate identity, but overcoming a “separatist mentality”—moving away from independent defiance toward loving harmony with the divine.
• Balancing Logic and Scripture: While various spiritual teachers emphasize the oneness of the absolute, interpretations that demand the suspension of logic and rejection of scripture require careful introspection.

Full Transcription

Does our breath make the sound Cho Hum which indicates that actually we are that, that we are God? The answer if we are God is a simplified and even distorted understanding of impersonalist schools of thought. Now those schools of thought draw their credentials, draw their basis from the Upanishadic literature which are philosophical texts from ancient India which ponder the nature of reality. Now in such texts the focus is on analysis to go beyond illusion.

And thus if we consider a pendulum, a pendulum’s tendency is if it is at one extreme it tends to go to the other extreme. So for example when we identify with our physical self, the body and matter, the matter is eternal, matter is the opposite of eternal, it’s temporary. Matter is finite, matter is often the source of distress.

So therefore when we think of something that is beyond matter, there is a tendency to attribute to matter the qualities that are opposite to matter. And this is valid to some extent. So matter is temporary, we all long for life and love eternal.

So is there something eternal? Yes, that is at the spiritual level of reality. Spirit is joyful and that is why despite being in a world where there is so much distress, we all seek joy constantly. And the inference that because matter is finite, the spirit has to be infinite, that is where the pendulum starts going towards the other extreme which is somewhat unhealthy.

So right now we are finite beings and the question remains how does the infinite ever come under the control of the finite matter? We may say the question of origins is always perplexing and no one has really satisfactory answers to that. Even if we agree to that for the argument, still the question remains that why does the infinite sense this infinitude when not able to break free from the shackles of finiteness. So the more holistic inference where we come to the middle of the pendulum is that yes, we are eternal beings but we are not infinite beings.

We are finite beings who are parts of the infinite. And we are The Bhagavad Gita says that we are eternally His parts. So similarly there is the conception of duality that is very commonly described in the Vedic literature as a source of delusion.

What exactly duality means is substantially debated among different schools of thought. Even within the Vedic context. The idea that life subjects us to dualities.

Pleasure, pain, honour, dishonour, health, sickness. These are accepted as dualities that we need to study in tolerating. But beyond that there is the duality which again the pendulum goes to that extreme.

We need to see oneness amidst duality. But there is this tendency to say that actually there is no duality between us and anything else at all. And thus the idea of God itself is at one level considered to be an illusion that needs to be transcended.

So there is no difference between us and God. There is only the one spiritual consciousness that exists forever. That is the claim.

The problem with this claim is that again from that oneness how did twoness emerge? And more importantly if there is only oneness then who is there to experience that oneness? Who is there to experience liberation? Now exactly what sound our breath makes and what it implies that is open to interpretation. Soham could mean not just he I am. It could mean that I am.

And that could refer not just to God or to all pervading absolute. That could also refer to spirit. Our present physical identification of ourselves as a body and our essential identity as a spiritual being can seem so different that when we become self-realized it is almost like we wake out of a spiritual amnesia and recognize ourselves to be significantly different from and with far greater potential than our present self or our present conception of the self.

Now even if we argue that Soham is the sound made by the breath still that does not have to mean that we are God. And secondly as far as the removal of duality is concerned what it essentially means is that we transcend the idea that this is enjoyable and that is not and we progress towards experiencing lasting purity where the removal of duality is the removal not of separate identity but separatist mentality where we seek pleasure independent and often in defiance from the divine. When there is a loving harmony with the divine there is a supreme fulfillment.

And there can be many respected spiritual teachers who may talk about the oneness of the absolute and as far as the inferences make logical and scriptural sense they can be accepted but where those inferences start requiring the suspension of logic and the rejection of scripture then we need to put a pause button and introspect carefully to understand what is the reality and how we can appreciate it.