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The Temple of the Soul by Derek Ayre Don't blindly believe what you are about to read. What follows is not meant to create any form of belief in your mind. I have written it to support the expansion of your awareness of being. You may have heard it said that the body is the temple of the soul, well I hope with this article that I can dig a little deeper into the "mechanics" of this statement. What are we? We are human beings. That is "Beings" who are human. But what is "Being?" Being is being, that which is existence... I am. therefore I exist, therefore I experience... With me so far? Now, how do I know that I am? That I experience? How am I aware of it? Through my body. My body is the only way that I can know it. Therefore, my body is the "tool" of my experience. But when I am happy, where do I feel this? In the body... If you were to define happiness, eventually all you would come up with is a list of physical sensations because there is no other way to know you are happy apart from on a physical level. In fact there is no other way to know anything! But what about the mind? I cannot find my thinking processes (the mind) without some sort of feedback and that feedback has to be some sort of sensation. The sensation of the existence of my mind may be in my head. And my head is a physical manifestation. But what about dreams? Think about that one. Dreams are also experienced again in a physical way. The more intense the dream, the more physical it becomes, even though it is all experienced in the head. Does this question and answer process give me a clearer understanding of the statement, "The body is the temple of the soul"? I think it does... Every single thought, every single feeling has its origins in the body. Even the eyes that see, see physically. An image is presented to the retina and then there is a "sensation" of seeing - albeit a very subtle sensation. In Eastern disciplines, particularly in Zen, a great emphasis is placed on the importance of focusing on the body and the experience of this discipline definitely elicits strong physical sensations that can eventually lead to enlightenment. I have submitted this article, not because I profess to know - as a Zen practitioner I indeed realise that I DO NOT know. I have presented it to assist you, the reader, to think... No, "think" is really an inadequate word to use here. I should say I have presented it to assist you to meditate and expand your awareness on the reality of "Being". To bring the question "Who am I", more intensely into your mind. Please feel free to respond to this article via e-mail or on my bulletin board. In fact I encourage you to do so... Thanks for reading. Derek http://www.ayrehypnotherapy.co.uk Derek has been in practice as a registered therapist(UK) since 1976 and has helped many people, realize their goals and improve the quality of their life, on a face to face basis, in groups and on line. He is a Zen practitioner and this reflects in his work End of Article Questions?  I encourage you to me www.ayrehypnotherapy.co.uk   Further Reading.... Books UK Purchases from United Kingdom In Search of the Real Me: Achieving Personal Balance Mental Fitness: Basic Workouts for Mind,Body and Soul The Centering Book: Awareness Activities for Children and Adults to Relax the Body and Mind   Books USA Purchase from United States In Search of the Real Me: Achieving Personal Balance Mental Fitness: Complete Workouts for Mind, Body, and Soul The centering book: Awareness activities for children and adults to relax the body and mind top © Copyright 2000. Derek Ayre. All Rights Reserved.