STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

 
ALL Souls (atmas) were, are and will be in the Over-Soul (Paramatma).
Souls (atmas) are all One.
All souls are infinite and eternal. They are formless.
All souls are One; there is no difference in souls or in their being and existence as souls.

There is a difference in the consciousness of souls;
there is a difference in the planes of consciousness of souls;
there is a difference in the experience of souls and thus
there is a difference in the state of souls.

Most souls are conscious of the gross body (sthul sharir);
some souls are conscious of the subtle body (pran);
a few souls are conscious of the mental body (mind or mana);
and
a very few souls are conscious of Self.

Most souls have experience of the gross sphere (world);
some souls have experience of the subtle sphere (world);
a few souls have experience of the mental sphere (world); and
a very few souls have experience of the Over-Soul.

Most souls are on the gross plane (anna bhumika);
some souls are on the subtle plane (pran bhumika);
a few souls are on the mental plane (mano bhumika); and
a very few souls are on the plane beyond the mental plane (vidnyan).

Most souls have great binding; some souls have little binding; a few souls have very little binding; and a very few souls have absolutely no binding.

All these souls (atmas) of different consciousness, of different experiences, of different states are in the Over-Soul (Paramatma).

If, now, all souls are in the Over-Soul and are all One, then why is there any difference in the consciousness, in the planes, in the experiences and in the states?

The cause of this difference is that the souls have different and diverse impressions (sanskaras).¹

Most souls have gross impressions; some souls have subtle impressions; a few souls have mental impressions; and a very few souls have no impressions at all.

Souls having gross impressions, souls having subtle impressions, souls having mental impressions and souls having no impressions, are all souls in the Over-Soul and all are One.

Souls with gross impressions have consciousness of the gross body (sthul sharir) and have experience of the gross sphere.

Souls with subtle impressions have consciousness of the subtle body (pran) and have experience of the subtle sphere.

Souls with mental impressions have consciousness of the mental body (mana or mind) and have the experience of the mental sphere.²

¹[See also: Meher Baba, "The Formation and Function of Sanskaras," DISCOURSES, 6th ed., 3 vols. (San Francisco: Sufism Reoriented, Inc., 1967), 1: 54-64. Ed.]

²

SPHERE		BODY
MYSTIC	MYSTIC	SUFI	VEDANTIC
Gross Sphere (World)	Gross Body	Jism-e-Kasif	Sthul Sharir
Subtle Sphere (World)	Subtle Body	Jism-e-Latif	Sukshma Sharir (Pran)
Mental Sphere (World)	Mental Body	Jism-e-Altaf	Karan Sharir (Manas)