Features of existence
According to the Vedic view, the human form of life consists of a gross and a subtle body (see CD12). The subtle body has a full ability to exist totally separate from the physical body. It contains all the capacities for thinking, feeling, willing and creating different experiences. For example, the underlying principle of seeing is not the eye. The eye is only an instrument. The underlying principle of hearing is not the ear. It is the capacity of hearing. The underlying principle of speaking is not the tongue; but it is the speaking and message transmitting capacity. The fact that all the senses are silent during a dream for example, and not involved with their objects and still thinking, feeling, willing, tasting and fearing exists, proves this. So there are obviously different levels of existence and awareness, where we are able to move and experience things without the interaction of the physical body.
One has to understand the elements - earth, water, fire, air and ether. What are these elements? How do they interact? What do they produce? One has to understand how they produce taste, hearing, smell, sensual perception and sensual objects.
The mind is above the senses, directing all their interactions. Above the mind is the intelligence. The intelligence can interfere with the mind if the mind gets too sensual, too carried away. Take for example, the concern about our own existence or the deviated ego, where the ego thinks “I am this body”. This is called the “false ego” where the ego is so obsessed with the pleasures and experiences of the physical body that it is not paying attention to the inner calls of the highest spiritual identity.
A nationalist, for example, becomes obsessed with the idea of some country, and later becomes disheartened, leaves nationalism and becomes a socialist, wanting to free humanity from the oppression of capitalism. Then, after some time he becomes disgusted with socialism and embraces some other kind of “-ism” or some other type of effort. So, in all cases he is obsessed with something which is just a kind of temporary identification. Just like children switch toys, they are obsessed with one toy, the next moment they throw it away and become obsessed with another toy. In reality none of these toys or “-isms” have any importance in the life of the soul, they are all different forms of false identification.