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not absolute and which dies, would not be identifying with the truth. The truth is Atma which is, always has been, always will be, and is unaffected by any circumstance. “Atma is our true Self,” says Swami.
Identifying ourselves with our physical bodies encourages us to puff up our sense of self-importance and develop arrogance. Despite so much evidence about its limitations, the mind/ego disregards the obvious and continues to laud itself as supreme. Too many of us aempt to inflate our egos to look important, because we feel insecure. We strut around trying to convince ourselves that we know everything, in spite of the overwhelming problems we are unable to solve in our own lives.
The difference between man and God
Is that man thinks that he knows everything And knows nothing,
While God looks like He knows nothing, And really knows everything. (SSB)
Misguided conceit must be undercut to realize our true Self. Following the spiritual path is a humbling experience, in which the ego is annihilated. We do not have to try to be humble. Rather, the spiritual path leads us through humbling experiences, which will be discussed more in subsequent chapters.
Detaching from the Body is Possible
How can we achieve the seemingly impossible task of detaching from identifying ourselves with our bodies? We must have the faith that With Love, Man Is God (Element One), which ultimately means we are not limited and are one with all. We can gain confidence by reading accounts in spiritual literature of people who have risen above body aachment and are unaffected even when subjected to painful conditions. They speak of an inner experience of peace, love, exaltation,
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