to this incompatibility, we are always anxious in our existence in this world as we try to achieve or hold onto material things

which are temporary in nature. If we seriously contemplate the cause of our anxieties, we can appreciate that it is due to our attempts to obtain or hold on to things or goals or situations which have no endurance, goals or situation that do not last. The example of a fish out of water is most appropriate. Suppose a fish, by nature an aquatic animal, is placed on land. No matter how great the amount of comfort or tantalizers offered to it, it will not be satisfied. In fact, it will always be anxious to return to its natural position in the water. We, being spirit in nature, will be anxious as long as we are not in touch with the spiritual nature, and remain immersed in matter.

which is the symptom of life. The non-living elements that our body is made of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen do not possess consciousness and cannot be used to create life. Surprisingly though, the belief that life evolved from chemicals is widespread today and is even found in textbooks in schools. Such a paradigm is not only misleading but has grave implications in the formation of character as well as for the future of society. If life were to have arisen from chemicals, then there is no actual purpose or meaning to life. This would give rise to unscrupulous, irresponsible behavior since it fosters the idea that all ends when life ends, and that there are no consequences to consider. However, surely we attach meaning and purpose to life. Otherwise, why do we strive so hard to achieve any ideal or cause if we are nothing but chemicals? Why search out activities that make us happy? How do we explain our mind or consciousness or intuition? We can see ample evidence around us that one living being begets another to logically conclude that life comes from life and not from matter. A mechanistic paradigm of life which reduces our being to atoms and molecules implies there is no meaning or purpose to life, and encourages exploitation of the world around us as well as of each other. Contact Information Aristotle Motii Nandy Tel: (65) 9853 6359 Email: aristotlemotii@spiriton-ri.com
SPIRITON Renaissance International

Comes from Life

In Search of the Ultimate Reality

LIFE

Life Comes From Life

The theory that life comes from matter is a misleading one. Not only is it unscientific, it does not make any logical sense. Although the scientific paradigm requires one to demonstrate the hypothesis being tested, nowhere around us can we see life being produced out of matter. A living woman gives birth to a child, not a dead woman. Chemicals such as urine, tears, and bile are produced within our body when it is alive; a corpse can never produce such chemicals. The difference between a living body and a dead one is that of consciousness. Our awareness of our body or state of mind is due to the presence of consciousness,

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WHO AM I?
This pamphlet seeks to present a logical exploration of the nature of the self - the first step in understanding the nature of the ultimate reality. With such an understanding, we would be able to make sense of the waves of experiences in our voyage of life, and achieve a level of calm and peace for which we are anxious.

Am I this body?
You surely remember the time when you were a child, walking to school or playing with your friends. You were certainly present then, as you are now

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reading this pamphlet. Of course, you are now more intelligent and do not behave childishly, but you were there and experienced those events and activities as you are experiencing the events around you now. Well, pause and think about this for a moment or two: You were present then as a child, and you are present now. Surely, you would agree that the body you had then, a small childs body is not the same body you have now. Not only have you grown, but scientifically, all the cells in the body are completely changed after a seven-year period.

during the dream. We had a mental or metaphysical body and situation, and we were there observing and aware of what was going on. In that way, we can conclude that we are different from the mind. The next point is that since our bodies are changing in this life, and we remain the same person the conscious being or soul, who is experiencing the events around us through the agency of the senses (the gross body) and the mind (the subtle body) this implies our non-changing or eternal nature. As to the eternal nature of our self ( the conscious being) in the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad-Gita, it is said: of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation. This, seers have concluded by studying the nature of both. The great exponent of the science of Bhagavad-Gita, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada adds: There is no endurance of the changing body. That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of the different cells is admitted by modern medical science; and thus growth and old age are taking place in the body. But the spirit soul exists permanently, remaining the same despite all changes of the body and the mind. That is the difference between matter and spirit. By nature, the body is ever changing, and the soul is eternal. The materials objects can be seen to undergo six stages from the time they come into being till the point they are destroyed. Matter is always changing, hence its transient or temporary nature. We, the souls, who are spiritual in nature, are eternal. Due

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Hence, if you were present when you were a child and you are present now, and the body you had then is not the same body as the one you possess now, the logical conclusion is:

You are different from the body. You are not this body.
So, if you or I am not the body, then who are we? All our activities would seem meaningless if we arent aware of our actual identity. Every day, we do and plan so many activities for the purpose of satisfying or decorating the body. We apply different cosmetics to look physically attractive, make elaborate arrangements for different types of enjoyment, make friends and enemies, etc. Do any of these activities relate to our actual self? If we are not the body, then who are we? Are we the mind? We may sometimes think that we are the mind. But we can appreciate the fact that when we dream during our sleep, we are aware of the events and of our mental bodies in the dream (which is a creation of the mind), and that when we wake up, we may recall what had gone on in that dream. Thus, we were the observer of the situation created by the mind

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