What is the soul, the Atman?

[AiR]

If somebody were to ask the question - what is the soul, the spirit, the atman, it would seem like a simple question, but it would be so difficult to explain.

The atman is the life within; it is the very existence that’s in us. The atman creates life. It comes into existence when we are manifested as this body and when the manifestation is over. When we die the atman seems to leave the body, leaving the body behind. The body is made up of five elements of space, fire, earth, air and water and the atman occupies the body and then when the body dies, the atman leaves the body and what’s left behind are the five elements - the same five elements.

So, what is that soul, the atman? Where did it come from? Where did it go? What exactly created the atman? What is the atman made up of? If it is invisible, intangible, un-describable, then what is it? We say it is an atman, a spirit, the soul, but what is the soul?

Well, such a simple question sometimes is so difficult to understand or to explain. That’s why it is necessary to introspect, to meditate, to deeply contemplate on who we are. What is the true meaning of our spirit or our soul, our atman? The answer is not something that can come to anybody because we are so distracted by this world that our mind refuses to concentrate. The mind is so distracted by all the senses and the circumstances around us that we are unable to pay attention to a simple thing like our soul, our atman, whereas this is the most important aspect of our life.

AiR

[Dalek Prime]

Our soul, that is, our consiousness, is to the body what the hole is to a doughnut. Once I eat that doughnut, the hole, defined by the doughnut, is gone. Let's try to keep things simple, otay?

I may revise my thinking, but for now, it's best to consider conciousness/soul not as a thing, but as a process. Though we are vastly more complex than a computer, the software has no use outside it's body, the machinery. Instructions are not processed, including basic I/O. So our conciousness/soul to our organic machinery.

Honestly, this whole thread belongs in philosophy of mind or epistemology, not religion.

[sthitapragya]

If somebody were to ask the question - what is the soul, the spirit, the atman, it would seem like a simple question, but it would be so difficult to explain.

The atman is the life within; it is the very existence that’s in us. The atman creates life. It comes into existence when we are manifested as this body and when the manifestation is over. When we die the atman seems to leave the body, leaving the body behind. The body is made up of five elements of space, fire, earth, air and water and the atman occupies the body and then when the body dies, the atman leaves the body and what’s left behind are the five elements - the same five elements.

So, what is that soul, the atman? Where did it come from? Where did it go? What exactly created the atman? What is the atman made up of? If it is invisible, intangible, un-describable, then what is it? We say it is an atman, a spirit, the soul, but what is the soul?

Well, such a simple question sometimes is so difficult to understand or to explain. That’s why it is necessary to introspect, to meditate, to deeply contemplate on who we are. What is the true meaning of our spirit or our soul, our atman? The answer is not something that can come to anybody because we are so distracted by this world that our mind refuses to concentrate. The mind is so distracted by all the senses and the circumstances around us that we are unable to pay attention to a simple thing like our soul, our atman, whereas this is the most important aspect of our life.

AiR

Let us assume that after meditation and deep contemplation we figure out who we are and we understand what the soul or atman is. What then? What will change? What purpose will that knowledge serve? Why do you consider it the most important aspect of your life?

[Harbal]

The body is made up of five elements of space, fire, earth, air and water and the atman

I think it's mostly water.

[raw_thought]

Atman is a Hindu concept. According to Hinduism Atman is Brahman. We are God slumming it!