Tantra article series: ||

In the last article, we discussed about the entire reality being a reflection of Shiva, the energy and Shakti, the materialistic prakriti that we perceive. This reflection falls on the observers’ brain. Who is the observer? He is Shiva himself. The soul is a reflection of this energy. Therefore, it has no beginning, end, purpose or reincarnation. But Tantra believes in reincarnation. To understand this we differentiate between the physical body, the subtle body and the soul.
Physical body is made of the panchabhutas, the body which is flesh, bones and blood. The subtle body is the sound, form, feel, smell and taste of the physical body. The assembly of the 5 senses is the mind. What you mean to yourself is called ahankara. All this make up the subtle body.
Imagine a pot filled with water which reflects the moon. the pot is the physical body, the water is the subtle body and the reflection is the soul. The soul is the manifestation of the collective consciousness, god. Death is the breaking of the pot. It has no effect on the moon. There is only one consciousness that is reflected upon billions of pots. Maya deceives us into seeing that the physical or subtle body is not the soul. We make the reality with whatever we perceive easily. The understanding that the soul is beyond the physical and subtle bodies, the pot or the water, is salvation according to tantra.