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Spiritualism is based on spirit or soul. To know and to realise spirit is true spiritualism. In order to pursue true spiritualism, it is very essential to understand what is soul and how it exists. Let us see it in the following steps.
Step 1:

Soul - Soul is the true self or true identity of a being. Everybody tells - this is my hand, this is my head or this is my body. Then who is telling - this is mine? It is the true self or inner self of a being telling. Soul is the source of life and consciousness of a being. Not only life and consciousness but the blueprint of the entire body structure lies in self. The Upanishads describe that this soul is unborn and never dies. It is originated from nothing and nothing is originated from it. It is everlasting, eternal, primeval and indestructible. It is smaller than the smallest as well as greater than the greatest. It sits like a Lord on the chariot of body. Mind becomes charioteer and drives the chariot with the reins of senses.

Step 2:

Gross body - Soul always resides in a body. Either it resides in a gross body, which is visible or in a subtle body, which is invisible. Gross body is the visible manifestation of soul. What lies in the soul is directly visible on the body like a motion picture. Light is invisible but it manifests and is felt when it falls or gets obstructed and reflected by objects of different sizes and shapes. So objects are the bases on which light manifests. Similarly body is the base on which soul manifests.

 

Step 3:

Subtle body - Since gross body is material and destructible, after destruction or death of gross body, soul enters into a subtle body. Subtle body is nothing but a mental creation. Everybody experiences it in dream. In a dream, soul or mind remains in a subtle body. In the waking state, gross body and gross world appear to be real and similarly in the dreaming state, subtle body and subtle dreaming world appear to be real. In sleep, when one dreams, one's body remains static but subtle body remains very much active. This shows that two bodies are different. Subtle body is a mental creation and the dreaming world is also a mental creation. Soul or mind creates its own world and enjoys it in its own way.

So for a man in sleep, subtle body and subtle dreaming world is a reality like gross body and gross world of a waking man. Soul always remains in a body, be it gross or subtle.

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