We Are Not These Bodies 9
The impersonalist school of Sankaracarya, as well
as the Vaisnavas following in the disciplic succession
from Lord Sri Krsna, acknowledge the factual exis-
tence of the soul, but the Buddhist philosophers do
not. The Buddhists contend that at a certain stage
the combination of matter produces consciousness,
but this argument is refuted by the fact that although
we may have all the constituents of matter at our
disposal, we cannot produce consciousness from
them. All the material elements may be present in a
dead man, but we cannot revive that man to con-
sciousness. This body is not like a machine. When a
part of a machine breaks down, it can be replaced,
and the machine will work again, but when the body
breaks down and consciousness leaves the body, there
is no possibility of our replacing the broken part and
rejuvenating the consciousness. The soul is different
from the body, and as long as the soul is there, the
body is animate. But there is no possibility of mak-
ing the body animate in the absence of the soul.
Because.we cannot perceive the soul by dur gross
senses, we deny it. Actually there are so many things
that are there which we cannot see. We cannot see air,
radio waves or sound, nor can we perceive minute bac-
teria with our blunt senses, but this does not mean
they are not there. By the aid of the microscope and
other instruments, many things can be perceived
which had previously been denied by the imperfect
senses. Just because the soul, which is atomic in size,
has not been perceived yet by senses or instruments,
we should not conclude that it is not there. It can,
however, be perceived by its symptoms and effects.
