Hundred Questions - I (khuda or ana)
I (khuda or ana)
Q47 You have said that there are innumerable souls dwelling in the human body. In this case what does it mean when we say "I"? Is it a separate soul or a compendium (majmu`ah) of all the souls?
A47 This is a useful question, for in connection with this question can be discussed many important points of "self" and "self-recognition". Thus it should be known that "khwudi (Persian) or ana (Arabic)" which a human being uses for his "I" is a unique and unprecedented reality in his existence. Therefore, it is neither a separate soul, nor is it a compendium of all the souls. It is rather the oneness (wahdat) of all those souls and faculties that are in the existence of man. This oneness, which is like the "I" of a human being, is like the oneness of God. In other words it is like monoreality.
Just as in a successful government, individuals come and go, but the law and the government continue to remain the same. Similarly, in a human being souls and faculties continue to come and go but his "I", that is, the oneness of the particles or atoms of existence (entity), continues to remain the same as it used to be, and knowledge and consciousness always continue to be transferred to the particles of the soul.
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