Page 153 - The Truth of the Life of This World
P. 153
The brain is a collection of cells made up of protein and fat molecules. It is formed of
nerve cells called neurons. There is no power in this piece of meat to observe images,
to constitute consciousness, or to create the being we call "myself".
of Assisi once put it, "What we are looking for is what is looking." 21
This book in your hand, the room you are in - in brief, all the images
before you - are perceived inside your brain. Is it the blind, deaf, uncon-
scious component atoms that view these images? Why did some atoms
acquire this quality, whereas most did not? Do our acts of thinking, com-
prehending, remembering, being delighted, being unhappy, and every-
thing else consist of chemical reactions among these atoms' molecules?
There is no sense in looking for will in atoms. Clearly, the being who
sees, hears, and feels is a supra-material being, "alive," who is neither mat-
ter nor an image. This being interacts with the perceptions before it by
using the image of our body.
This being is the soul.
The intelligent being reading these lines is not an assortment of atoms
and molecules and the chemical reactions between them, but a soul.
The Real Absolute Being
We are brought face to face with a very significant question: If the world
we confront is comprised of our soul's perceptions, then what is the source
of these perceptions?
For an answer, consider that we perceive matter only in our imagina-
tions, but can never directly experience of its counterparts outside. Since
matter is actually a perception to us, it is something "constructed." That is,
The Truth of the Life of This World 151