"I Ching" states: "I" is aligned to Heaven and Earth. Thus it encompasses the Tao of Heaven and Earth. It explains not only the observable world, but also the unobservable world of spirits. It embraces the law of beginning, end and regeneration of all phenomena and matters. It knows that all matters are formed by spirits and vitality, and the soul governs the changes of the matters.

The generic term "soul" is actually comprised of "Hun" (the Spirit of Consciousness) and "Po" (the Spirit of Sense). The soul is the pivot of a man's life or death. When the human body grows, the soul disperses into the nerve endings to form the "Hun" and the sensual organs to form the "Po". The "Hun" consists of three components: the first component is the "Sheng-hun" (the Spirit of Growth), the second is the "Jue-hun" (the Spirit of Awareness), and the third is the "You-hun" (the Spirit of Thought and Inspiration). "You-hun" is what most people refer to when they speak of soul.

Plants, vegetables, trees...etc have only the "Sheng-hun". Animals and all living beings visible to the eyes other than human beings have the "Sheng-hun" and "Jue-hun". Human beings have all the three, "Sheng-hun, Jue-hun and You-hun". Hence the soul of a human being is complete with conscience knowing what is right and what is wrong.

The "Po" in the sensual organs, that is; the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, generates the six senses. The six sensual organs then generate the seven emotions of happiness, rage, sadness, joyousness, love, hatred and lust. These are the seven components of the "Po". When one deals with other people and attends to various daily chores, his "Po" generates desires and emotions and is expended by converting into physical energy. That also depletes the souls to the extent that it cannot be restored to its original True Self and cannot return to God's kingdom.

While the True Self is the essence of the human life, the "Hun" and the "Po" are the human life. That is why all Saints preached the doctrine of practising both the True Self and the life. The "Qi" (spirit) of "Hun" and "Po" is just like an invisible bond linking the soul and the body. They function as a medium synchronizing the soul and the body. The "Qi" of "Hun" and "Po" is called the "silver ribbon". When the True Self resides in the body, one is alive. When the True Self departs from the body, one dies. When a person is alive, his "Hun" resides in the liver and his "Po" resides in the lung. When the "Hun" and "Po" reside in the body, one is alive. When the "Hun" and "Po" leave the body, one dies. The "You-hun" is the seed for the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

When a person dies, his "Sheng-hun" stays at the funeral hall while his "Jue-hun" stays at his grave. His "You-hun" reports to Hell for judgement. It is the "You-hun" which becomes a human or ghost, a Saint or a Sage, the good or the bad, or an animal. The True Self is the first to enter the body before birth and the first to leave the body upon death.

At the moment an infant gives his first cry, the "Hun" enters his body. When the "Hun" enters the body, the True Self is connected with the "Qi" of "Hou-tien" (the space where all lives live after Heaven and Earth were created); the "Hun" is then dependent on the body to manifest itself. If the "You-hun" does not enter the body, even with the True Self, the infant cannot live. That is why infants must cry at the time of birth in order to live.

The "Po" depends on the coagulation of vitality and the "Qi" in "Hou-tien" for existence. It takes forty-nine days after birth for the seven components of the "Po" to become fully established. Similarly, the seven components will not totally vanish until forty-nine days after death.

The True Self cannot be created or destroyed. It cannot be contaminated or purified. It cannot be enhanced or degraded. The True Self cannot be drown in water, nor burned in fire. The True Self resides in a different body for every life, just like one moves from a house to another; the True Self does not change. The True Self always resides in the Right Portal.

The Right Portal is also known as The Third Eye, The Divine Eye or The Narrow Gate in the Bible. Unite the True Self and life into one, you will realize the mystic nature of the Right Portal, says Heaven.

Author: T.A Chew