Andrea Harrison Mariana Zinna
“There is a higher, non-material nature that lives in the being, a nature that must be attended to because if we only deal with the needs of the physical body, we cannot find happiness.”
When I was a university student, in my very early twenties, I wondered why adults, most of the time, were not happy or didn’t enjoy their lives. And why their material possessions, instead of providing joy, were often a cause of anxiety and therefore suffering… This question went deeper and deeper in myself; as time passed, I became interested in philosophy and I also began to study traditional religions and ancient spiritual knowledge from the East. In that journey, I had the opportunity of meeting with scholars on the subject, authors; such as Howard Resnick and Kennet Valpey. After many years of formal studies and personal experience I was able to understand a few things, which for me, are the great truths about the soul such as these words of wisdom from the Bhagvad Gita As It Is. Then many of my questions were very clearly answered.
I am aware that these ideas can sound very strange, very foreign, in western religious culture; but if we try to open up for a minute and think about them in different terms, may be, they will make real sense. For example, we could think that in one lifetime, our bodies change as we grow up and then grow old. In fact, modern science tells us that cells within the body undergo constant regeneration; meaning that old cells die away and new ones take their place. Believe it or not, it is estimated that within a few years, practically all the cells of the body change!! (*bottom image)
Our body's ability to replace worn out cells with shiny new ones is key to the long lifespan we're so used to. There are a couple things we keep all our lives, like the visual cortex, but almost everything wears out and gets replaced, at least for part of our lives. And yet, despite the continual change of the body, we perceive that we are the same person. That is because we are not the material body, but the spiritual soul seated within.
The soul can be perceived by intelligence, and we can find it in the heart.
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Graphic Sources: Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, New York Times, Nature, PBS, American Academy of Dermatology, FASEB Journal, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.