The body. A Prison or a Temple?

What's your take?

Here's mine:
It's relative. Those who are young, perfect health, think they have eternity ahead of them tend to see it as a temple.

Those who have life long health problems, leukemia, cancers off and on, auto immune disease, and the old who are fragile, slow, and decaying see it as a prison for the soul and can't wait to finally be leaving here.

Personally, remembering that I pre-existed as a Soul prior to being born into a body, I know inherently that I am not the body. Its an Avatar suit for existence here on earth. Yet even when astral-projecting there is the silver cord, which seems like a ball and chain to keep the soul tethered to the body until the body itself dies.

At the end of the day, I do think it is a prison cell. Then again my view is biased because of pre-existence and a harsh life, having seen many tragedies, death, starvation, and hatred in my life.

I would say the body is a temple. As we eat healthy, exercise, and also make sure were in good health our bodies will feel amazing. However, when a person is in pain or very ill they'll feel terrible about their bodies. We can cut the numbers of that as we do eat healthy, exercise, and have check ups. That is my opinion on your thread.

If I had to choose I'd go with cage
But I prefer to go with the term 'means of transportation'
How I transport my soul, my consciousness around on my journey
And that's how we're stuck until we evolve and shed the need for a physical being

reply to post by Neocrusader

And that's how we're stuck until we evolve and shed the need for a physical being

What does that then look like, and how is that done?

Interesting take. Thanks!!!

Monday to Friday my body is a temple.
Come the weekend it is an amusement park.

reply to post by dominicus


My current vision is something like our soul ( ill just keep it to soul for now for ease ) as a form of energy both as an individual but also connected to everything else at a level I can only imagine, a mass consciousness of knowlege if we're talking evolution

If we're talking more down the lines of reincarnation, something along the lines of what Einstein said, who even had a belief in the after life
Life is energy, energy doesn't die, it changes it transforms, it never dies
So yeah absolutely why not
But although I agree to the possibility, it's not something I have experience of. Yes I feel strong ties to certain historic periods such as the times of chivalry or the samurai, but not to the point of feeling a former life

Something I have pondered recently though is the possibility of a finite amount of energy of this type, a sort of maximum amount of soul energy able to be sustained at any one point
As our numbers have increased flora and fauna have decreased, or the other way around for a simple example

I guess the body is both a temple and a prison.

reply to post by dominicus

The body. A Prison or a Temple?

I wouldn't exactly call it a Temple. It's more like a modest condo with a shrine to an obscure God in the bedroom.

My days of rugged masculinity are over and now it's a balding, beer gut, myopic, type of conveyance but some beautiful women still find it comforting and exciting....go figure.

Since another being designed the earther-human-form-body, it isn't even ours to begin with - DNA of human form is a patented process.

"A" body is a temporary condition, if that isn't obvious to everyone I can't understand why. It is wonky, awkward and poorly suited for much, we spend most of our time tending to it and little else. For a being that needs nothing, this is the polar extreme, as the body needs constant maintenance and it takes very, very little to bring it to its knees. You must feed it and water it everyday, yet food and water are commodities controlled by the folks who made the bodies to begin with, and they dole them out as they see fit. With illness, degradation, food, water and protection from the elements, I'd say there isn't much to learn here but how to stay alive, with a few minutes here and there for a laugh or two.

It is a prison cell, on a prison cell, where organic beings (humans and earth) who are infinite in nature are trapped for a period of time experiencing just about the most absurd limitation you can have and still be eternal - it's a jalopy in a consciousness expression with interstellar, faster then light, non-physical craft.

And no, you do not need to have a body to "learn" anything to move on to live without a body, there are COUNTLESS souls out there who don't bother with the human-earth-dna machine.

The body is a vessel. It can become either a prison or a temple, depending on your circumstance and the choices you make. But you are not bound to it against your will. You can destroy the vessel (ie. "kill yourself") and you will no longer be bound to it. No big deal if you believe in afterlife and heaven. Big no-no if you are religious though.

Originally posted by dominicus
What's your take?

Here's mine:
It's relative. Those who are young, perfect health, think they have eternity ahead of them tend to see it as a temple.

Those who have life long health problems, leukemia, cancers off and on, auto immune disease, and the old who are fragile, slow, and decaying see it as a prison for the soul and can't wait to finally be leaving here.

Personally, remembering that I pre-existed as a Soul prior to being born into a body, I know inherently that I am not the body. Its an Avatar suit for existence here on earth. Yet even when astral-projecting there is the silver cord, which seems like a ball and chain to keep the soul tethered to the body until the body itself dies.

At the end of the day, I do think it is a prison cell. Then again my view is biased because of pre-existence and a harsh life, having seen many tragedies, death, starvation, and hatred in my life.

edit on 9-4-2013 by dominicus because: (no reason given)

As children of God, we are not actually here in this image. We are connected to the image for sure. This verse explains.

Matthew 18

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Do a review of my angel series of threads. There is good information there from other sources like Rumi the Sufi and the book of Enoch. Also, the thread I did on the Gospel of Philip has many secrets locked there as well.

2 Corinthians 5:8

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

This is because you are not the image. You are the one casting it. Look in a mirror and see the reflection of a reflection.

Not a cage, nor exactly a temple, but a magic tool. Everything we do, experience, feel, sense is done with the help of this body. Everything we learn is through this body. A wonderful tool, our body is even more than that, is the material expression of our spiritual self. Self consciousness is possible only because we own a physical form.

We wouldn't learn much without experiencing the material realm, with it's pleasures and sufferings included. How else we would feel the miracle of a morning breeze, the ecstasy of a great perfume, the horrors of deep pain? How else would we know the difference between hot and cold, between misery and happiness? Going through old age, suffering and death is probably the most valuable lesson we can get. So gratitude and respect for this amazing tool that is our body I think is the right attitude. Only our failures to learn the lessons keep us coming back again and again, and make us feel trapped. IMHO.

reply to post by dominicus


Niether. The body is a playground.

If one thinks it is a prison, he belongs there.

As a younger person, I felt more like my body was my temple. I thought it was ALOT stronger than it apparently is however. I ate right, exercised, etc... But then, I suppose I abused it believing it was capable of doing things I felt it should be able to handle... Lesson learned, I am not She-Ra. Human beings are fragile, you are not invincible, your bones will age, your body will weaken, no matter what. Take CARE of your physical self, inside and out, because no matter the strength inside-if you weaken the vehicle that carries your soul, its like a snail with a broken shell..things creep in, you start feeling weak on the inside...its depressing. Treat your body as a temple, go easy on it, bones can break, discs wear down..the there's those nerves... My body was my temple, my body is now my prison. Sorry for the "waaah" rant. I'm in my early 30's, but I've done a number to this vehicle-o-mine..be careful with yours, youngens..it doesn't take long sometimes... Take care of yourselves people!

Originally posted by dominicus
Yet even when astral-projecting there is the silver cord, which seems like a ball and chain to keep the soul tethered to the body until the body itself dies.

At the end of the day, I do think it is a prison cell. Then again my view is biased because of pre-existence and a harsh life, having seen many tragedies, death, starvation, and hatred in my life.

There are seat belts on roller coasters for a reason.

reply to post by dominicus



"Your body is a beautiful instrument. It is marvelous in what it can do. But its real value is determined by what it serves. If it serves a conflicted agenda of the mind, then the body will do destructive things to itself and to other bodies in the world around you."

We are all here for a reason - to make a contribution based on our unique nature and talents. This is your calling in the world.

How would you accomplish this without a body, a physical vehicle for moving around and interacting with people here? As a wandering spirit you would be ignored by most people. If you could catch anyone's attention you would probably scare the bejeezus out of them. Not very useful.

The body feels like a prison only because you have not accepted that you are here to accomplish something. If you do, you will feel gratitude for your body. Immense gratitude. It has its aches and pains, and yes it's burdensome to take care of it, but it's so very useful to what you are here to do.

Of course you will eventually have to let it go and move on. That will be wonderful too. But it's not time for this right now. It's time to find your life's purpose and make that contribution that only you can make. The world needs you.

reply to post by dominicus


Both and none.

Choice in the experience will dictate to one how they wish to label their body.

As you posted the environment around a person will also dictate to one how they label in what they reside.

It could be called a shell, which could be a prison, a temple, a veil to hide true form of nothingness.

Many philosophical and theological ideologies speak of the body as a temple or prison and personally makes too much sense through my experience of the life I'm living and lives I'm witnessing.

reply to post by dominicus


I agree for many reasons...

I wrote a few Threads on this subject as well... pondering the question, "is the body a prison"

The conclusion I've come to is that we have little to no control over the body... it is a temporary prison in which we are eventually released...

The heart, possibly said Chakra are the temples of God on earth...

S&F... good thread

Madame Blavatsky described the human being as; "The lowest matter, connecting to the highest spirit, via the mind." Mind, body, and soul, in unity, comprise a human, it is folly to try to become fully spirit while incarnated in a body, or to be completely absorbed in ones physicality and neglect the spirit, or to abuse the mind and overthink either of them. It is our highest goal in life, to become fully human, in this definition.