Can you hold the simultaneous awareness as both a limited human and an unlimited soul? This may be a concept with which you are unfamiliar. We are not our bodies, or our egos.  We have bodies.  Bodies allow who we really are (Soul, Spirit, God, Universe, Source, Creator) to experience this world through the senses and experiences that our bodies provide. The Buddha taught that the body was useful for cultivating awareness, but it should not be confused with the Self that we are. Our bodies and minds make us human.

In the documentary Awake: The Life of Yogananda, Prof. Hotenda Wadhwa of Columbia Business School comments on Yogananda’s message for us.

“He (Yogananda) was constantly encouraging you to simultaneously be able to think of yourself as this little blip on the planet. But on the other hand, you also had infinite potentialities. You had the eternal soul in you. So, can you simultaneously operate with that awareness of recognizing, in a humble way, the limited bounds of your human life and at the same time, the infinite potentialities of you as a soul?”

This is one of the things that makes awareness so important. The ability to see beyond your limited human self to your unlimited self as an unbounded soul.  With this ability, you can catch yourself when you are trapped in the unreal, reactive Ego-Mode that experiences pain and suffering, and shift into the true, responsive Spirit Self Mode, which is joyful, loving, and at peace, no matter what is happening in the world.

That doesn’t mean you don’t care, or that what is happening isn’t heart-wrenching. But when you come from the fear-based ego-mode, you are less able to respond with actions that will serve you and those around you.

Mindful awareness is strengthened by the ability to observe yourself and your reactions to events, situations, and other people. How could you observe yourself if you were only a body?  The body lacks that ability. When you identify with your body, your capacity to choose skillful responses remains limited.