Spirit and soul - what is the difference between them?

Spirit and soul ... What is the difference between these two concepts? For an ordinary person this question remains open. However, it is very important. In different religions and teachings, it is answered ambiguously. First, you need to consider these terms separately. The soul is the immaterial essence of the personality that dwells in its body. In other words - the "life engine" of man. Together with the soul begins its life path and the body shell, which cognizes the environment with its help. Without a soul, there will be no life. The spirit is the highest degree of the essence of personality. He draws and leads man to God. It is the presence of the spirit that distinguishes people as higher beings in the hierarchy of the animal world.

Philosophy and the soul

Philosophers from ancient times tried to find an answer to the question, what is spirit and soul, what is their difference and similarity. The concepts of spirit and soul in philosophy designate the layers of the perfection of our world and are most thoroughly embodied in people. They are the steps between human consciousness and reality. The soul is considered an aggregate quantity that combines the psychic characteristics of the individual, which determine its sociality. In the soul world, all the life experiences of a person, his mental states and inclinations find their shelter. The soul is the link between the inner and the outer. It combines the sphere of social life with the inner qualities of a person, helps the person to adapt in the surrounding society, interact with other individuals.

Philosophy and Spirit

Spirit and soul - what's the difference? Philosophy does not give a concrete answer. This science only suggests that the spirit is the highest value-worldview stratum. He is the center of human spirituality. Spiritual is not considered only individual, it represents a unique combination of morality, art, language, philosophy. The most significant human manifestations, such as love, faith, freedom, refer to the spiritual world. In many philosophical teachings, the terms spirit and soul have relation to the world as a whole, and not to a single individual.

Vedism and Soul

Our ancestors believed that the soul was given to man for working out negative qualities. It has a choice, that is, it can develop in a negative or positive direction. Its business, which side to choose, is negative or positive. The soul in Vedism is considered a substance of subtle matter and part of the energy shell of the planet. The Vedas said that the soul chooses an incarnation for itself, that is, the date and place of birth. At the time of death of a person, the soul tries to return to the original point, that is, to the native city of the deceased. In Vedism, it is believed that the soul is like a punched tape with holes. This tape seems to envelop the spiritual grain and can negatively affect the positive impulses of the spirit itself. For this reason, depressive conditions occur, and the body becomes weaker and more vulnerable.

Vedism and Spirit

Ancient Vedas considered a person spiritual if he reached a specific energy level. Spirit and soul - what's the difference? Vedic books point to the belief that the spirit is the original in man. It is given to the person from the very beginning of its existence. Spirit helps a person to improve, despite the negative influence of the surrounding world. The Vedas said that the spirit sums up the energy of all its incarnations. And if he could not collect enough energy from his past lives, then one can not call a person spiritless because his spirit is just beginning his cultivation path. Vedism says that a person can not exist without a spirit, but without a soul life is possible.

Orthodoxy and the soul

Spirit and soul - what's the difference? Orthodoxy, as a religion, answers this question in the following way. It is believed that the soul is a fine thread between a person and the outside world, it connects man and reality. The spirit, on the contrary, helps an individual to get in touch with God. All living beings have a soul, but only God's Son, that is, man, is endowed with spirit. The body is animated with the help of the soul, and it, in turn, - with the help of the spirit. At the moment of the birth of a person, a soul is sent to him, but not a spirit. He comes at the time of repentance. Spirit is responsible for the mind, and the soul is obliged to control feelings and emotions. Man is able to exercise control over his soul, but he has no power over spirit. The soul is inclined to experiencing physical suffering. The spirit does not have such sensations and is not attached to the bodily shell. By its nature, the spirit is non-material, and communication has only a soul. And the soul, on the contrary, is inextricably linked with the body. The soul can be tainted with sinful actions. But the spirit carries within it the divine power and can not be affected by sin.

Spirit in Islam

Spirit and soul - what's the difference? In Islam for a long time asked this question. Unlike Orthodoxy, here the concepts of spirit and soul are treated somewhat differently. It is believed that the spirit is endowed with an infinite number of qualities and skills. He can distinguish with the help of consciousness, be conscious with the mind, be in unity with the conscience, listen to the dream, love with the heart. Some abilities of the spirit are manifested through the material human organs, others are limited by them. In Islam, it is said that the spirit is the law of Allah, who rules the bodily shell. Traditionally, in the Islamic religion the human body is designated by the cell, and the spirit is personified in the image of a bird. Such an allegory gives many reasons for reflection. For example, the body lives and serves the spirit, but the spirit does not owe anything to the body. Increasing the size of the cage, the bird can not do more. Similarly, we can say about physical and spiritual beauty. Decorating the cage, you can not make the bird more beautiful. Also, a man's physical health does not indicate his spiritual development. In Islam it is said that the spirit after the death of the body becomes free and freed from the bondage of the shell. Next, he himself expects the Day of Judgment. The new physical form of the spirit is already in the afterlife.

Soul in Islam

In the religion of Islam, too, is the question of what is spirit and soul, what is the difference between them? The main book of the Quran leads undeniable facts of the existence of the human soul. Islam talks about the origin of the soul as follows. First, a man forms for a hundred and twenty days in his mother's abdomen, then an angel appears, which gives the embryo a soul. Thus the angel comes with a certain mission: he records the date of birth of a person, the duration of his life and the date of death. In Islam it is said that the soul leaves its physical shell on the fortieth day after the death of a person. The theory of reincarnation in Islam is completely denied. It is believed that after the soul leaves the human body, it goes to the world of souls. The body is buried and becomes part of the earth. After the expiration of a certain time period, according to the religion of Islam, Allah will raise the bodies of all the dead and return each person his own soul. After this, all people will appear before the God of all worlds, in order to answer for their sinful deeds.

Vague difference

So, spirit and soul - what is the difference between these concepts? As can be seen from this article, each religion interprets the meaning of these words in its own way. But in basic ideas about the soul and spirit of both religion, and philosophical teachings converge. The difference between spirit and soul is that the soul is inextricably linked with the body, and the spirit, on the contrary, seeks only God, rejecting everything physical and worldly. It is very important to find a fine line between your spirit and soul. Then they can be kept in harmony, because basically the spirit reaches for high ideals, and the soul is too prone to the negative influence of the surrounding world. When a person realizes for themselves what the difference between spirit and soul is, he can safely live and enjoy every moment. Of course, this is not an easy task. But he who has patience and endurance, can find himself and establish a harmonious connection between soul and spirit.