BODY-CONSCIOUSNESS  & SOUL-CONSCIOUSNESS –

In Body Consciousness, Vices are just virtues that have lost their direction and power. When I have inner strength, my tendencies and talents are reflected in the form of virtues. If the self is weak, those same tendencies emerge as vices.

In the state of spiritual insecurity the following five main negative forces or vices or emotions are born:

1. Desire or Lust – The urge towards sense satisfaction as a means of fulfillment.
2. Anger – the feeling of animosity when any of other vices are threatened.
3. Greed – The attempt to find fulfillment through the acquisition of material goods, position or status, or through the physical senses as with food.
4. Attachment – the attempt to find security through developing rela- tionships of ownership or possessiveness with people and objects.
5. Ego or Vanity – The cultivation of a self-image that is false, tempo- rary or unreal.

We all human beings have these five vices, but these vary in the form of degree or extent. This degree varies from person to person in the range of 25% to 90%. No one is perfect.

In Soul Consciousness, Soul is one’s Consciousness:

How one sees others is definitely based on the consciousness with which one views him/her. So many possibilities of perception arise when one has to deal with others. Many times one does not see others, as they really are, but merely as part of their national, cultural or social background. Age, sex, profession, social status and degree of beauty add to the compartments that become subtle or obvious barriers in our relationship with them. They camouflage our own self-identity and tint the glasses through which we observe and therefore react to others.

If we replace all of these categories with the vision of the soul as a tiny dot of conscious energy as distinct from the physical body and all its identifying at- tributes, it brings a great sense of freedom. One can move away from all the prejudice in a very effective way. Different results are attained according to the level of awareness.

Following is the example of the boss towards his/her employees.

	BODY-CONSCIOUSNESS	SOUL-CONSCIOUSNESS
AWARENESS	I am the boss here; I know more than everyone here. After all, that is why I am the boss.	I am a spiritual being; I have to play out a role of responsibility. Each of my employees has his/her own specific role.
THOUGHT	They should listen to me. After all I am the one who pays their salaries.	Let me listen to their suggestions. Perhaps we can improve some- thing.
DECISION	I will show them who is the boss here.	Let me understand each of their specialties.
ACTION	The boss shouts and argues with them	A two-way dialogue ensues.
RESULT	Ill-feeling between boss and em- ployees	Respect and a climate of trust are maintained.

Consciousness at last:

There is no such thing as unconsciousness, because who is unconscious has no way of knowing that he is unconscious. It is your thinking that makes you feel that you are alive, that you are conscious. That is possible only when the knowledge you have about things is in operation. You become conscious only through the help of thought.

Body Consciousness –Desire, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Ego, = Sorrow

Soul Consciousness – Peace, Knowledge, Love, Purity, Bliss, = Happiness