Hello everyone. Today, I would like to share some thoughts about the three bodies of a human being.
Sometimes I ask myself: who am I in this world, and where will I go after death?
There may be many ways to explain this question. In today’s reflection, I would like to share my view of the three bodies of a human being. I hope this may give everyone another way to look at life.
Even in this present life, I cannot choose where I was born. I also cannot fully decide where I study, where I work, whom I meet in life, or which opportunities come to me. I do not know when I may become seriously ill or pass away.
Therefore, many important events in life are outside human control. Even in the present, I cannot control many important events in my life.
So in the future, when I die, what will influence what happens after that?
In this reflection, I will share about the three bodies of a human being.
The first is the physical body.
We know that the human body is made of countless cells. Cells gather together to form organs and body parts, and these organs and parts combine to form a human being.
These cells have their own functions and work together harmoniously to create a healthy body.
Each cell is born from an older cell. It is born, grows old, dies, and is broken down into nutrients that can nourish the next cells.
Cells can distinguish cells that are similar or different from themselves, while also carrying out their assigned tasks.
For example, eye cells receive light, nose cells help with smell, skin cells help with sensation, intestinal cells help absorb nutrients, and so on.
A cell can consume nutrients and grow. However, it cannot control where those nutrients come from. Sometimes there are many nutrients, sometimes few; sometimes one substance is lacking, and sometimes another is excessive.
It also does not know where it came from or where it will go after it dies.
Therefore, in the life of a cell, there are also many important events that it cannot control, from the past and present to the future.
One important point is that when a cell looks at other cells, it only sees their shapes and functions. It cannot imagine that above it, there is a human intelligence guiding the entire body.
For the body to be healthy, there is guidance from human intelligence. For example, a person finds food, chooses where to live and work, breathes clean air, and does many other activities. Thanks to this, the cells have conditions to live and function.
This intelligence is different from the physical body because it does not have a concrete shape like a cell.
Intelligence and the physical body support each other.
When cells function normally, the human body is healthy. From a healthy body, a person has the health to study, work, increase knowledge, and develop themselves.
When intelligence develops, I can also distinguish what is good for the body and what is not good.
For example, with understanding, I know that exercise is good for health, that healthy eating and drinking enough water are important, and that harmful substances should be avoided. I also know which things are not good for health and try to avoid them.
In this way, the physical body and the intellectual body support each other.
If a cell cannot understand many events in its own life, such as its existence in the past, present, and future, human intelligence may be able to understand these things.
Human intelligence knows that cells are born from previous cells. Older cells divide, and together with nutrients from outside, they create new cells.
If a cell does not know why sometimes there are many nutrients and sometimes there are few, human intelligence knows that this is related to how the body eats and lives.
When a cell dies, it may also be broken down into substances that continue to take part in nourishing the body.
The intellectual body of a human being is formed from the combined activity of countless cells in a complete body.
Therefore, cells belong to the material body, while intelligence can be understood in another form, related to electrical signals and neural signals.
They are two different forms.
A single cell is very small compared with the whole intelligence of a human being. Because intelligence is the result of the combined activity of countless cells, one cell cannot understand the whole existence of intelligence.
But intelligence can understand the existence of cells and can help cells have better conditions, for example through scientific eating, exercise, and health care.
However, intelligence is a very large system, so it also cannot care for each individual cell separately. I cannot know exactly what every single cell in my body is doing.
I only know general principles and guide the body according to those principles. I cannot pay attention to each cell one by one.
A cell is born, performs its task, and then dies.
However, like the physical body, the intellectual body also cannot control many issues in the past, present, and future.
For example, my intelligence cannot control where I was born, whom I will meet in life, which opportunities will appear, or where I will go after death.
Intelligence cannot control all of these things.
Therefore, from my point of view, intelligence is also part of something larger and is influenced by that larger thing. I call this the karmic body.
If the relationship between the physical body and intelligence can be imagined as the relationship between matter and neural signals, then the relationship between intelligence and karma can be understood through causes and conditions.
The physical body is very small compared with intelligence, because the combined activity of countless cells is needed to create the activity of a human being.
Similarly, intelligence is only one part of karma. Karma is the combination of intelligence together with countless surrounding factors.
For example, whom I meet in life, how I think, what I say, how I act, which relationships I maintain, and which opportunities I take.
If a cell is a very small component compared with intelligence, then intelligence is also a very small component compared with karma.
Karma is the combination of many factors, such as thoughts, words, actions, relationships, opportunities we encounter, and how we respond to them.
When I encounter a situation, I receive information through hearing, seeing, feeling, and other senses. Then I analyze, think, respond, speak, communicate, and act.
I also maintain relationships, choose work directions and professions, decide where to work, and continue living in different environments.
All of these things contribute to forming karma.
This karma guides me from the past and present into the future.
For example, in the past, I was born from my father and mother. The fact that my parents met was also the result of many factors: they knew each other, lived or appeared in places where they could meet, loved each other, and gave birth to me.
That was the combination of many factors.
Even the person I am now is the result of countless past factors, including intelligence, actions, communication, living environment, and relationships.
The future is similar.
My current thoughts, words, actions, relationships, work, way of working, way of taking opportunities, and the people I meet will all contribute to shaping my future.
Therefore, the karmic body is much larger than the intellectual body, and it can guide me toward a different future.
Karma is also similar to the relationship between intelligence and the physical body.
Intelligence is much larger than each individual cell, so I cannot care for every cell one by one. But intelligence can guide the body based on general principles.
When the body is healthy, intelligence also has better conditions to be healthy, learn, and develop.
Karma is similar. Karma is much larger than intelligence, and it does not always control every small thought, but it may operate according to general principles.
When intelligence is good, I can distinguish right from wrong, do good things, and avoid harmful things. In this way, I contribute to creating good karma.
Good karma may then guide me toward good conditions in the present and future.
When a person has good intelligence, can distinguish right from wrong, does good deeds, and avoids harmful deeds, that person contributes to creating good karma.
Good karma may also help a person meet better opportunities, encounter better relationships, and learn new things.
In this way, karma and intelligence also support each other.
Some people believe that this life is the only life. From that perspective, good karma may still help us meet good things, avoid harmful things, and live a better life.
Others believe that there is a next life. From that perspective, karma may also guide us toward better realms or conditions.
Therefore, in the present moment, I do not need to think too much about things that are too large for me to control.
Just as a cell is very small compared with intelligence, intelligence is also very small compared with karma.
A cell cannot control the whole intelligence. Similarly, my intelligence cannot control all of karma.
But the important thing is that each cell does its own task well, contributing to a healthy body.
When the body is healthy, I have better conditions to study, develop, and improve my intelligence.
Similarly, my intelligence needs to distinguish right from wrong, do good deeds, and avoid harmful or unwholesome deeds. This can contribute to good karma, and good karma may guide me toward better conditions.
Therefore, I do not need to think too much about karma. I should simply do well the tasks within my ability.
Just as each cell does its task well to help the body stay healthy, I also try to use my intelligence to distinguish right from wrong, do good things, and avoid bad things.
In life, we often hear that good people meet good things and avoid harmful things. From this point of view, when a person has good intelligence and often chooses good things, those choices contribute to creating good karma.
On the other hand, thoughts such as greed, hatred, jealousy, or spending too much time on harmful things may lead to bad choices and actions, thereby contributing to bad karma.
Meanwhile, thoughts and actions such as loving others, not speaking badly about others, not saying words that create division, caring for and helping others within one’s ability, and not hurting others are good things that may contribute to good karma.
Therefore, today I wanted to share about the three bodies of a human being.
The first is the physical body.
The second is the intellectual body.
The third is the karmic body.
The smaller thing cannot completely control the larger thing, and the larger thing also cannot control every small part individually. Instead, it operates according to general principles.
These three bodies support one another. They can develop together in a better direction, or they can decline together. An important part is that the lower level must complete its own task properly.
A healthy physical body creates conditions for intelligence to develop. Intelligence that can distinguish right from wrong, do good things, and avoid bad things contributes to good karma. And good karma may then create more favorable conditions for a human being.
Thank you for reading.