Spiritual Evolution

​We’ve all been indoctrinated with the idea of biological evolution of the various forms of life. But regardless of how our current biological form may have developed, the fact is that the body is actually only a vehicle that is used for the activities of its occupant. To speak about the evolution of the body is not very different than speaking about the evolution of the automobile. And regardless of the model of the car, whether in 1917 or 2017, it is meant to serve the desires of the driver. Likewise the vehicle of the body is meant to serve the desires of its driver – the soul within.

More significant than the evolution of the body is the evolution of its driver, because we are the driver, not the vehicle. The evolution for the driver is an evolution of consciousness. We are, first and foremost, consciousness, and to speak about the evolution of consciousness is to speak about what we are conscious of.
The Spiritual Science explains that the variety of material bodies offered to the jiva are exactly suitable to fulfill its wishes. Want to swim in the sea? There are 900,000 different forms of sea life. Want to fly? There are 1 million species of birds. Of horses and other four-legged creatures there are 3 million varieties. Add to that 1,100,000 forms of insects and reptiles, and 2 million trees and plants. At the top of the list is the human species, endowed with free will, of which there are some 400,000. All in all there are 8,400,000 different bodies that are available to us.

We can think of each body as a type of specialty vehicle the jiva can “drive” to experience the material energy in a unique way. To make the experience complete the body acts as a filter of the consciousness so that the jiva is totally in harmony with the experience. The consciousness experienced by an ant is not the same human consciousness but is exactly suitable for ant activities. Similarly, the consciousness of a bird is exhibited to the exact degree required for the full experience. Likewise for a dog, cat, parrot, and so on.

Pet owners and those who work with animals are familiar with the consciousness of specific breeds of dogs, or horses. Each pedigree has a specific temperament and qualities. Sheep dogs, for example, are naturally inclined to herd sheep. Other breeds are more suited to hunting, and bloodhounds with their keen sense of smell are used for tracking. The behavior is inherent in the body which acts as a filter for the consciousness of the pure soul within.

All animals have their instincts that they naturally follow and by nature’s rule, never violate. The human species are different in that, by this stage of evolution, the jiva must now learn how to use free will, and has the possibility to act as they wish.

Some people think that because humans have done so many destructive acts that animals, who always live in harmony with nature, are superior to men. But the fact is that animals are controlled from within by nature’s laws, whereas human beings are not. In the process of learning to properly use their free will human beings make mistakes, and learning from those mistakes is a necessary part of their spiritual evolution.

The spiritual living being evolves through each of these species, one after the other. While doing so the consciousness of the jiva evolves with the change in body and gradually becomes more and more aware.

We begin with the simplest form of life where the consciousness is almost totally restricted, and in successive incarnations the consciousness and awareness is experienced to a successfully higher degrees.

While their type of body affords them different experiences, animal activities are quite restricted: finding food, finding a mate, defending against predators, and sleeping. Observe them and you will see that that’s really all they do. The challenge for the human being is to learn to lift their consciousness above these animal behaviors. The fact that we eat at a dining table while the dog eats off of the ground does not change the basic function of eating. Eating with tablecloths and silverware is still just eating. Having sex in a soft bed with romantic music is not fundamentally different than any animal’s sexual activity in the wild. Having a house for defense is basically still defense, and sleeping is sleeping for all. Human beings, with developed intelligence and reason can go beyond eating, sleeping, mating and defending, however polished.

The actual standard of living for human beings is to be more conscious of others, more conscious of the environment, more conscious of how we live and how we affect the world. Ultimately human consciousness gives us the opportunity to realize that we are not the body but spiritual beings, and, understanding the power of spirit, to transcend material life completely never to be born here again.

We are all at different stages of spiritual evolution, some more self-absorbed or more materialistic than others. The only way to understand who is more evolved is not by the color of their skin, the way they dress, their education, or their job title, but simply by observing their behavior. A highly evolved soul is the embodiment of good qualities and blesses the lives of everyone they touch.

The goal of our spiritual evolution is to realize our spiritual nature and develop our personal relationship with God. This is called self-realization. The possibility is there for every one of us, now, in this life, to achieve such perfection. This is what each of us is ultimately meant to achieve. It will happen sooner or later, but why wait? We have nothing to lose but pain and suffering.