Matter by nature  is dead and a life particle is in essence intrinsically alive. So whatever, it  is, there's no question of life dying. Because it's not matter, see, it's,  another distinct element and one of its characteristics is, it exists. Okay? So  I exist. My existence is not going to cease. Where and when I'm in connection  with matter, then matter appears to be alive, okay? But matter by nature is  always dead. So there's no question of matter being alive. It's just a question  of matter appearing to be alive because it comes into contact with a life  particle. There's no question of of the life particle no longer being alive.  Life is life. Life is alive. Life is life. So I am life. I am a life particle.  That's why I'm, there, there in ancient Greece, Socrates was going to be  poisoned due to teaching these kinds of strange doctrines, okay? So, uh he was  asked by his student, Crito, he said, "How, Socrates, how would you want  to be buried?" You know. "How are you going to want to be buried? What  should we do?" And Socrates says, "You can do whatever you want with  me.” Basically, he says, "But first you'll have to catch me."
Audience: Laughter
Jagad  Guru: And Crito is trying to figure it out, you know,  and Socrates says, "Crito's problem is he thinks I'm this dead body that  he sees here sitting, sees sitting here.” The body is already dead, it's just  that the life particle—the person is in it and therefore it appears to be  alive. And the body takes on its natural characteristic—dead, dead body—when  the life particle leaves it. So, uh this is a very traditional view. I mean,  this slight, it's, there's various views. I mean we could get into intricate  discussions on differences on this view, like the so-called Christian view or  the Buddhist view or the Muslim view or the Hindu view or whatever all these,  whatever they are. Different views. But this is the basic, general idea—that  there is another worldview—that it's not just matter out there, you see? It's  not just material energy that exists. But, rather, there's another fundamental  element, a spiritual element, an element that continues to exist, okay? That a  person is of this other element, of this spiritual element, this non-material  element.
Siddhaswarupananda - founder of Science of Identity Foundation