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Introduction to Physical, Vital, Mental

No. 1 to 9 stages of human development.

Man's development starts from the body and moves up to the mental. His further development to spirit is not considered here. We know Man means Mind. We see him as a body. The physical is body, the vital is nerves which are full of energy, and mental is the brain that houses the Mind. Each of these three planes is subdivided into Mind, Vital, and Physical because in all planes there is the mental element, the vital energy, and the physical part. The brain is the physical part of Mind. Mental sensations are its vital part. Thought is the mental part of the mind. The nerves are the physical seat of the vital. Its mental part - cunning - consists of the thought of the vital which takes care of its physical safety. Enthusiasm, excitement, interest, passion, etc. are the sources of energy for the vital. When the physical rises to the vital, its first expression is passion. In the table, it occupies No. 6. Physical skill is the mental part of the physical. As the mental emotion is discernible in our sentiment, physical emotion is there seated in No. 8. It is the stage in which folklore is created by rural poets. So, we have 9 divisions as follows.

Mind

Mental mental

  (1)

Mental vital

 (2)

Mental physical

   (3)

The mental plane

Brain

Vital

Vital

 mental

  (4)

Vital

vital

 (5)

Vital

physical

   (6)

The vital plane

Nerves

Physical

Physical mental

  (7)

Physical

vital

 (8)

Physical

physical

   (9)

The physical plane

Body

 

This is a convenient classification to handle issues of development with certain clarity. As every part consists of all the other parts in itself, no rigid exclusion can be attempted. The philosopher is mental while the ploughman is physical, This is obvious. Such a clear-cut distinction cannot be made with a thoughtful leader who is ascribed to No. 3 because of his capacities for organisation. Those abilities of organisation need some courage in a fairly healthy body. For convenience sake in this introduction we indicate the major attribute of each of these numbers before we take up each of these numbers for a more detailed discussion. Each of these numbers can be considered at two levels of surface and depth. The surface is called consciousness and the depth is known as substance. An attempt is made in the table below to ascribe one major trait for each number above in the surface and below in the depth.

 

1)

           Concept

          ------------

  Self-effectuating Idea 

2)

             Sensation

             ------------

              Emotion

3)

Decision

------------

Determination

4)

            Cunning

            ----------

   Shrewd astuteness

5)          

               Courage

               ----------

               Heroism

6)

Attachment

---------------

Passion

7)

              Skill

            --------

           Capacity

8)

         Sensational Poetry

         -----------------------

               Folklore

9)

Live body

-------------

Animate clay

To be exhaustive, each human trait can be allotted a number. Apart from the division of surface and depth, we can also subdivide these traits into positive and negative. Such subdivisions are endless. Suppose history is traced as a journey through these nine stages, it will be interesting to evaluate the leader in each epoch in these terms and see what the lowest of men was. It will reveal two facts that 1) even long ago the heights of thought were born, and 2) even today the clod persists.  To evaluate the bulk of the vanguard and the rearguard in each century will trace the curve of human growth.



story | by Dr. Radut