True Self or The I AM

"we are a Soul with a physical body, not a physical body with a Soul"

- Master Choa Kok Sui

Having discussed about different bodies in earlier articles, it should not be forgotten that “the body is our animal, the horse upon which we ride.” As Master Choa Kok Sui describes.

Often the soul, which is the true self, is pictured riding a chariot and the horses in this case symbolize our different bodies. Each body has its own preferences which sometimes, if not controlled, affect the journey throughout one’s life time. So it is the responsibility of the soul or true self, to control the bodies. For example the emotional body is basically the body of desires; it wants to get angry, to feel envy, to be depressed not because it wants to hurt us, but only because it likes violent vibrations and constant change of moods. However, the soul or our true self does not want all these lower emotions, therefore there should be proper discrimination between the true self’s wants and the wants of the emotional body.

The same is also applied to the mental body as it wishes to separate, to distinguish, to think more of itself and less of others. Even when we have turned it into the spiritual path, it still tries to think of its own progress instead of the divine work and for the help of others.

However, as Holy Masters has always emphasized, we are not this mind also. The mind is only for us to use. It is only a subtle instrument of the soul, the true self. So here again discrimination is necessary. We must watch unceasingly, or we will fail. Weaknesses normally happen when the Soul, the true self, loses control over the physical, emotional and mental bodies.

In fact there must be a certain degree of discrimination; discrimination between the real and the unreal, and it is to be practiced not only at the beginning of the spiritual path, but also at every step of it. This discrimination is basically the one that leads man to enter the spiritual path as it points out what is real, lasting and what is not. But even when the choice is made and one has entered the spiritual path, discrimination should still be made between what is right and what is wrong, the important and the unimportant, the selfish and the unselfish.

To have a better understanding of our true nature and true self it is recommended to recite the “Soul Affirmation” in a regular basis, especially in difficult times.

“I AM that I AM,
I AM not the body. The body is the vehicle of the Soul.
I AM not the emotion. I AM not the thought. The carpenter is not the furniture.
The emotions and the thoughts are the products of the Soul.
I AM not the mind. The computer user is not the computer.
The mind is only a subtle instrument of the Soul.
I AM the Soul.
I AM that I AM.”

Master Choa Kok Sui