The Immortal Soul and Its Evolution Beyond Matter

Soul, spirit, consciousness and the true self are names for one thing: the essence of life experiencing this existence. Wherever the teachings use one of these names for what a person is, they mean the same. Other traditions have their own names for it. Seicho-No-Ie speaks of the true image and the Upanishads of the atman. UPL honours these names without taking on everything each tradition teaches with them.

The soul is recognised as an immortal emanation of divine light, transcending the physical form. This view aligns with the idea that humans are not merely matter but spiritual beings on an evolutionary journey. In an image from the Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, the holy sutra of Seicho-No-Ie written by Masaharu Taniguchi: like the silkworm that crafts a cocoon from silk, humans use the thread of their minds to shape their physical existence. However, this ‘body cocoon’ is merely a temporary form, a vessel for the soul’s experiences and growth in the material world. Upon death, the soul breaks free from this cocoon, emerging into a broader, freer realm to continue its journey. This transition underscores the notion that the essence of a person is spiritual, not material.