Theosophy
GA 9
I-3. The Spiritual Being of Man
[ 1 ] The soul-being of man is not determined by the body alone. Man does not wander aimlessly and without a purpose from one sense impression to another; neither does he act under the influence of every casual incitement which plays upon him either from without or through the processes of his body. He reflects upon his perceptions and his acts. By reflecting upon his perceptions he gains knowledge of things: by reflecting upon his acts he introduces a reasonable coherence into his life. And he knows that he will fulfil his duty as a human being worthily only when he lets himself be guided by correct thoughts in knowing as well as in acting. The soul of man, therefore, is confronted by a twofold necessity. By the laws of the body it is governed by natural necessity; but it allows itself to be governed by the laws which guide it to exact thinking because it voluntarily acknowledges their necessity. Nature subjects man to the laws of metabolism, but he subjects himself to the laws of thought. By this means he makes himself a member of a higher order than that to which he belongs through his body. And this order is the spiritual. The spiritual is as different from the soul as the soul is different from the body. As long as we speak only of the particles of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen which are in motion in the body, we have not got the soul in view. The soul-life begins only when within the motion of these particles, the feeling arises: “I taste sweetness” or “I feel pleasure.” Just as little have we the spiritual in view as long as we consider merely those soul-experiences which course through a man who gives himself over entirely to the outer world and his bodily life. This soul-life is rather the basis of the spiritual just as the body is the basis of the soul-life. The scientist, or investigator of nature, is concerned with the body, the investigator of the soul (the psychologist) with the soul, and the investigator of the spirit with the spirit. To make clear to oneself through thought upon and observation of one's own self the difference between body, soul, and spirit, is a demand which must be made upon those who seek by thinking to enlighten themselves regarding the nature of man.
III. Die geistige Wesenheit des Menschen
[ 1 ] Das Seelische des Menschen wird nicht allein durch den Leib bestimmt. Der Mensch schweift nicht richtungs- und ziellos von einem Sinneseindruck zum andern; er handelt auch nicht unter dem Eindrucke jedes beliebigen Reizes, der von außen oder durch die Vorgänge seines Leibes auf ihn ausgeübt wird. Er denkt über seine Wahrnehmungen und über seine Handlungen nach. Durch das Nachdenken über die Wahrnehmungen erwirbt er sich Erkenntnisse über die Dinge; durch das Nachdenken über seine Handlungen bringt er einen vernunftgemäßen Zusammenhang in sein Leben. Und er weiß, dass er seine Aufgabe als Mensch nur dann würdig erfüllt, wenn er sich durch richtige Gedanken sowohl im Erkennen wie im Handeln leiten lässt. Das Seelische steht also einer zweifachen Notwendigkeit gegenüber. Von den Gesetzen des Leibes wird es durch Naturnotwendigkeit bestimmt; von den Gesetzen, die es zum richtigen Denken führen, lässt es sich bestimmen, weil es deren Notwendigkeit frei anerkennt. Den Gesetzen des Stoffwechsels ist der Mensch durch die Natur unterworfen; den Denkgesetzen unterwirft er sich selbst. — Dadurch macht sich der Mensch zum Angehörigen einer höheren Ordnung, als diejenige ist, der er durch seinen Leib angehört. Und diese Ordnung ist die geistige. So verschieden das Leibliche vom Seelischen, so verschieden ist dieses wieder vom Geistigen. Solange man bloß von den Kohlenstoff-, Wasserstoff-, Stickstoff-, Sauerstoffteilchen spricht, die sich im Leibe bewegen, hat man nicht die Seele im Auge. Das seelische Leben beginnt erst da, wo innerhalb solcher Bewegung die Empfindung auftritt: ich schmecke süß oder ich fühle Lust. Ebensowenig hat man den Geist im Auge, solange man bloß die seelischen Erlebnisse ansieht, die durch den Menschen ziehen, wenn er sich ganz der Außenwelt und seinem Leibesleben überlässt. Dieses Seelische ist vielmehr erst die Grundlage für das Geistige, wie das Leibliche die Grundlage für das Seelische ist. — Der Naturforscher hat es mit dem Leibe, der Seelenforscher (Psychologe) mit der Seele und der Geistesforscher mit dem Geiste zu tun. Durch Besinnung auf das eigene Selbst sich den Unterschied von Leib, Seele und Geist klarzumachen ist eine Anforderung, die an denjenigen gestellt werden muss, der sich denkend über das Wesen des Menschen aufklären will.
III. The spiritual essence of man
[ 1 ] The human soul is not determined by the body alone. Man does not wander aimlessly and without direction from one sensory impression to another; nor does he act under the impression of any stimulus that is exerted on him from outside or through the processes of his body. He thinks about his perceptions and his actions. By reflecting on his perceptions, he acquires knowledge about things; by reflecting on his actions, he brings a rational context into his life. And he knows that he only fulfills his task as a human being worthily if he allows himself to be guided by correct thoughts both in his cognition and in his actions. The soul therefore faces a twofold necessity. It is determined by the laws of the body through natural necessity; it allows itself to be determined by the laws that lead it to correct thinking because it freely recognizes their necessity. Man is subject to the laws of metabolism through nature; he subjects himself to the laws of thought. - In this way man makes himself a member of a higher order than that to which he belongs through his body. And this order is the spiritual order. As different as the physical is from the spiritual, so different again is the latter from the spiritual. As long as one speaks only of the carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen particles that move in the body, one does not have the soul in mind. The life of the soul only begins where the sensation arises within such movement: I taste sweet or I feel pleasure. Nor do we have the spirit in mind as long as we merely look at the spiritual experiences that pass through a person when he abandons himself entirely to the outside world and his bodily life. Rather, it is the soul that is the basis for the spiritual, just as the body is the basis for the soul. - The natural scientist deals with the body, the psychologist with the soul and the spiritual scientist with the spirit. To clarify the difference between body, soul and spirit by reflecting on one's own self is a requirement that must be made of those who want to enlighten themselves about the essence of the human being through thinking.