Know Yourself and Individuality

[Kebo]

We hear talk about the ancient education given in ancient Egypt or Kemet and how the mystery temples had the phrase Know Yourself above the entrances. If that's a fact what were the ancient Africans guiding people towards in the self. Was it Jah, or were they also directing ones to individuality.

If this ancient African education was developing individuality in the self then Ancient African civilization had a humane selfless government which is hard to believe for a mind attuned to the ideologies of today's governments. That ancient education would have been generous and bold. It seems the education designed by modern governments and by their ideology is to teach conformity and obedience to authority in order to maintain order. Could Ancient human ancestors really be teaching individuality or was it only a guide to the truth that we all have Jah inside, something simple and non-threatening and non-freedom giving. And was this mystery education only for the elite classes who didn't pose a threat to the government. In any case a lack of conformity and more individuality is what we need on this planet. There's nothing more original and less boring than individuality.

Kebo

[Ras Mandingo]

Love Kebo.

I always feel like adding to the "know yourself"...RECOGNIZE YOURSELF.

It's amazing the times people seem not to recognize themselves in certain situations.

Knowledge of self is the key to any other kind of knowledge.

And man now can go to the moon but seem unable to go some meters inside of oneself to the unique intimacy of each and every one.

Nowadays governments seems more interested in stimulating a culture where people can be easily manipulated for the lakc of information not to depend on the sugestions and indications of the stabilishment.

But what do we understand by knowlesge of self???

I see it as knowledge of mind/body/soul which is the trinity that makes us humans. What is going on inside of us? If we can check the inside we can see it's the complementary part of the outside, and the link between them is life.

More Love,

Mandingo.

[iyah360]

Peace.

There is no seperation between knowing thyself and coming to a greater overstanding of the Most High. The two are not two at all. The seperation is a product of western categorization which tends to seperate the arts, sciences and religion into different compartments.

The Greeks of course received much of their philosophy from the Egyptians :: a quote to think about is this:

"My advice to you, whoever you may be,
Oh you who desire to explore the Mysteries of Nature;
if you do not discover within yourself that which you seek,
neither will you find it without.
If you ignore the excellence of your own house,
how can you aspire to find excellence elsewhere?
Within you is hidden the treasure of treasures.
Oh Man! Know thyself, and you will know the universe and the Gods.

- The Oracle of Delphi"

This is the same as the Rasta conception of I and I. Mighty God is a living man. Selassie I liveth in the hearts of all flesh.

[Ras Mandingo]

Give thanks Iyah!!!

A mighty Jah is a living man.

The quote from the Oracle of Delphis is very similar to what I have read in "The Secret Teaching of Jesus".

About the Oracle of Delphis, I read once that archeologists found rests of cannabis that used to be burned in teh oracle to make it "speak" to one inner self. Just a curiosity.

Now, I guess the sentence would be better written like that:

A mighty Jah is a living HUMAN (man and woman together and in interaction - one completing the other perception).

Lao Tsu used to say that we could know all the universe without leaving our houses.

What we have inside is the reflection of the external.

Internally we have rivers, oceans, forests...and so is life outside INI temples.

So the inside and the outside live together and the KINGDOM is inside and outside simultaneously.

Love & Respect

Mandingo.

[iyah360]

7 CHAKRAS, THE CROWN IS THE SEVENTH, . REMEMBER TO KEEP THE HIGHEST OF PLACES HOLY, ALL ELSE FOLLOWS. BUILDING THE TEMPLE OF MAN.

Exodus 20:8 - 11
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Revelation 5:1-5
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

[Kingston]

Yes...

I think some of us are drawn to these topics because of our desire to proceed and advance our person, ablilities and knowledge of self.

I agree with the idea that in order to properly relate and help others we must first understand ourselves with respect to strengths, ideas and even limitations.  This is reasoning but it differs from progressing a topic of discussion for in this reality, the indivdual is progressing.

I thinks this quote fits in with this topic.

"Don't allow yourself be directed by an identity that calls itself your guide. Why? Because invoking infinity is much larger, much more satisfying, more valid for the experience of the soul than being directed by an entity."  
                                                        -Edgar Evans Cayce

Respect...

..Kingston..

[Ras Mandingo]

Iyah,

Give thanks for the illustration of the position of the Chackras. Beautiful. So, yes, we must work to open the 6 chackras to make the energy keep it's natural flow to the one on the top of our heads. When we can't do so, the energies will tend to be blocked in some Chackra and this will manifest in some king of distortion or manias.

Very important topic.

About the Sabbah.

I beleive that we should have time and space for everything all days.

I mean, why wait for six days to offer one to the Most High?

I beleive that everyday we can work, feel, think, move, eat...is just a question of organization.

Sometimes we have to work on Sabbah with no choice not to do so when we need the money. But this doesn't make the Sabbah less holy in my view.

Blessings,

Mandingo.

[iyah360]

Peace.

Ras Mandingo said:

"I beleive that we should have time and space for everything all days.
I mean, why wait for six days to offer one to the Most High?
I beleive that everyday we can work, feel, think, move, eat...is just a question of organization.
Sometimes we have to work on Sabbah with no choice not to do so when we need the money. But this doesn't make the Sabbah less holy in my view."

I used these passages to illustrate the fact that each of the seven days represent a phase in the building of a temple. This can be interpreted to be the building of the spiritual man. When their is righteousness in the highest of regions, the rest follows. In order to open this highest of points in the spiritual body, the levels below must be in working order with no blockages. It is like a circuit passing electricity. Rituals such as keeping the seventh day holy as the "Sabbath" are meaningless unless one comes to an overstanding as to what it refers to.

Many spiritual traditions emphasize the covering of the Ras(head). Many people who follow the Jewish faith cover the crown chakra with the yamuka as do some others. Bobo dreads keep the head in a turban or wrap, in essence they are symbolically keeping the highest place(the seventh seal) in a state of holiness. Who is worthy to open the 7 seals? The Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah from the ROOT of David. The first Chakra is the ROOT chakra, so here again is an esoteric reference to the spiritual body composed of the seven chakras.

The King wears the Crown(chakra).

[Kebo]

Thanks to the brothers for sharing and keeping this reasoning going.

Thats some interesting information on the seven chakras. With the seventh chakra being the crown of the King, or the Queen. Inside every human must have the same make-up, same essential design and our goal is to make the design come alive.

Once an individual comes alive then the human has a unique thing to offer the world and that is their individuality. When I think of individuality I think of diversity, a one of a kind, and to witness it is to witness something unique. As a individual I can sense the individuality of others. I cannot sense my own individuality. Just like I can hear the accents in the speech of others but I cannot hear my own, to me I'm accentless.

To be able to experience the individuality in the self that others perceive in you is what I think is discovering the treasure, the kingdom. Because in REALIZING this unique individuality you get to realize your VALUE. In realizing your value you are no longer worthless but valuable and then have something to offer the world that no one else can offer. And individuality is beauty and sought after by the community and one will never have to question their place in the community, or feel like a nobody because that falsehood of the mind will be discredited in the light of their own individuality. Individuality is diversity. Let there be no seeking after a standard or ideal but instead a seeking after ourselves which is diverse and unique and individual and valuable and interesting and treasurable and irreplacable like an original creation is.

Kebo

[leslie]

interesting...i once read that melanin is critical in reaching one's fullest potential. how true is this assumptin and how can we use this to our benefit? any ideas.......

[iyah360]

Peace.


I find the melanin argument intriguing, but I must say I do not know enough about it to answer the question.

"The Pineal Gland is about the size of a pea, and is in the center of the brain in a tiny cave behind and above the pituitary gland which lies a little behind the root of the nose. It is located directly behind the eyes, attached to the third ventricle.

The true function of this mysterious gland has long been contemplated by philosophers and Spiritual Adepts. Ancient Greeks believed the pineal gland to be our connection to the Realms of Thought. Descartes called it the Seat of the Soul.

This gland is activated by Light, and it controls the various biorhythms of the body. It works in harmony with the hypothalamus gland which directs the body's thirst, hunger, sexual desire and the biological clock that determines our aging process . . . While the physiological function of the pineal gland has been unknown until recent times, mystical traditions and esoteric schools have long known this area in the middle of the brain to be the connecting link between the physical and spiritual worlds. Considered the most powerful and highest source of ethereal energy available to humans, the pineal gland has always been important in initiating supernatural powers. Development of psychic talents has been closely associated with this organ of higher vision."
from: http://www.crystalinks.com/thirdeyepineal.html

Some have said that the pineal gland(3rd eye, 6th chakra) is calcified in certain people, due to adaptation and evolution to certain environments and lack of exposure to an adequate amount of sun for prolonged periods. We have all heard of S.A.D., seasonal affective disorder which is brought upon by improper function of the pineal gland which produces seratonin and melatonin which regulates many natural rythms of the body . ..  this can be triggered by the grey winter months, a direct correlation with the LACK of certain frequencies and light from the sun.

Fluoride, which is put in many major water supplies has been shown to accumulate in the pineal gland and thus calcify it:

"IFIN Bulletin #269: Fluoride and the pineal gland. Luke published.

Dear All,

The wheels of science grind very slowly. Finally, the first half of the work that was the subject of Jennifer Luke's Ph.D. thesis; presentation in Bellingham, Washington (ISFR conference) in 1998 and a videotaped interview I had with her (see www.fluoridealert.org/videos.htm), has been published in Caries Research (see abstract below).

In my view this work is of enormous importance and could be (or should be) the scientific straw that breaks the camel's back of fluoridation. Many of our subscribers are familiar with the details but let me repeat them here.

When Luke found out that the pineal gland - a little gland in the center of the brain, responsible for a very large range of regulating activities (it produces serotonin and melatonin) -was also a calcifying tissue, like the teeth and the bones, she hypothesized it would concentrate fluoride to very high levels. The gland is not protected by the blood brain barrier and has a very high perfusion rate of blood, second only to the kidney.

Luke had 11 cadavers analyzed in the UK. As she predicted she found astronomically high levels of fluoride in the calcium hydroxy apatite crystals produced by the gland. The average was 9000 ppm and went as high as 21,000 in one case. These levels are at, or higher, than fluoride levels in the bones of people suffering from skeletal fluorosis. It is these findings which have just been published.

It is the ramifications of these findings which have yet to be published. In the second half of her work she treated animals (Mongolian gerbils) with fluoride at a crack pineal gland research unit at the University of Surrey, UK (so there is no question about the quality of this work). She found that melatonin production (as measured by the concentration of a melatonin metabolite in the urine) was lower in the animals treated with high fluoride levels compared with those treated with low levels.

Luke hypothesizes that one of the four enzymes needed to convert the amino acid tryptophan (from the diet) into melatonin is being inhibited by fluoride. It could be one of the two enzymes which convert tryptophan to serotonin or one of the two which convert serotonin to melatonin.

Significance? Huge. Melatonin is reponsible for regulating all kinds of activities and there is a vast amount of work investigating its possible roles in aging, cancer and many other life processes. The one activity that Luke is particularly interested in is the onset of puberty. The highest levels of melatonin ( produced only at night) is generated in young children. It is thought that it is the fall of these melatonin levels which acts like a biological clock and triggers the onset of puberty. In her gerbil study she found that the high fluoride treated animals were reaching puberty earlier than the low fluoride ones.

We know from recent studies - and considerable press coverage - that young girls are reaching puberty earlier and earlier in the US. Luke is not saying that fluoride (or fluoridation) is the cause but her work waves a very worrying red flag. Fluoride's role in earlier puberty needs more thorough investigation. Of an interesting historical note, in the Newburgh versus Kingston fluoridation trial (1945-1955), it was found that the girls in fluoridated Newburgh were reaching menstruation, on average, five months earlier than the girls in unfluoridated Kingston, but the result was not thought to be significant at the time (Schlessinger et al, 1956).

When one considers the seriousness of a possible interference by fluoride on a growing child's pineal gland (and for that matter, elderly pineal glands) it underlines the recklessness of fluoridation. The precautionary principle would say, as would basic common sense, that you don't take these kind of risks with our children for a benefit which, at best, amounts to 0.6 tooth surfaces out of 128 tooth surfaces in a child's mouth (Brunelle and Carlos, 1990, Table 6)."

from: http://www.fluorideaction.org/ifin-269.htm

[Ras Mandingo]

Iyah,

Give thanks for the reply.

You mentioned covering the head to keep it holy. This reminded me of the Nazarite idea of not cutting the hair. How do you see it?

Mandingo.

[iyah360]

Ras Mandingo.

Metal wire which is tightly wound will conduct more electrical current than metal wire which is seperated into strands. The same could quite possible hold true for the hair as well.

Following this logic, locks are likely to be antennas which pick up more vibrations, energy and frequencies than hair which is not locked. This is merely speculation on my part. The fact that the hair is so close to two of the highest regions in the spiritual man (6th and 7th chakra) would tend to make me thing that antennas in this area could be conducive to picking up frequencies more readily. Again, mere speculation, but worth thinking about if one is wearing locks for spiritual reasons.

The Egyptians of high status sometimes wore wigs or grew their hair in locks to denote authority and power. i have heard some speculate that this tradition is carried on today by the judges within the English judicial system who wear wigs to denote this very same thing.  

The nazarite vow seems to be similar in that one is seperating oneself in obedience to a higher authority.

[iyah360]

I need to make a correction. I said: "Metal wire which is tightly wound will conduct more electrical current than metal wire which is seperated into strands." I actually found out that coiled wire creates a greater magnetic field than a strand of wire, bunduct more electrical current. The principle I elaborated on is the same though.

[Kingston]

Greetings all...

Following the ideas related to the chakras is this article which, I feel, nicely describes each of the seven bodies one will encounter on the path of self realization and absolute mindfulness.

Nice reasoning here.

Respect...

..Kingston..

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The Seven Bodies
"Your constant utilization of thought to give continuity to your separate self is 'you'.  There is nothing there inside you other than that."  U.G. Krishnamurti



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    All should be aware that an overly serious discussion of the seven bodies can lead to a form of pseudo-spiritual fascism.  Fixation with categorizing different levels of consciousness tarnished the image of the Theosophical movement in the early 20th century as it led to a foolish competition among members.  Many Theosophists arrogantly claimed to be on a higher level of consciousness than the rest of the group, as if jumping levels were the only criteria for gauging the value of a human being.

    Ultimately, human worth is subjective and rests, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder.  Who is to say that even a Buddha is better than your wife, son, or daughter?  Those you love most are of highest value to you, not the far away yogi or monk.  No real or imagined hierarchy of beings on higher levels of consciousness are of importance unless you make them important.  Full enlightenment and three dollars will buy you a cup of coffee and a doughnut at almost any diner in America.  

    The traditional Eastern description of the seven bodies is derived from subjective feeling, not from objective testing.  It is therefore advised that you take the descriptions of the seven bodies as subjective states of consciousness, not as proven physical science.  The dividing line between the grossly physical body and the subtle body is not clear.  The third and fourth bodies, for example, may in fact be stages of consciousness of the purely physical human brain.

    That which  travels with you from one life to the next has not been quantified in any reliable way.  For example, subjectively your dog may know your automobile very well.  Your dog may have ridden in your car, smelled it, felt it, and seen it as clearly as you, but does that mean that your dog knows what an automobile is objectively?  Even the words of enlightened teachers cannot be taken as fact on these issues, because history shows that the "enlightened ones" make as many mistakes as anyone else.  Unfortunately, the very real phenomena of enlightenment does not endow infallible wisdom.  It is with these warnings that we enter the intriguing world of the seven bodies.

1)  The first body is the physical body which medical science continues to map and explore.  Those who reside primarily in the first body are concerned with the simple basics of life; food, shelter, and family.  They may believe in organized religion or superstitions, but they lack deep involvement in anything beyond the mere physical.

2)  The second body has been called the etheric, energetic, or emotional body, which is closely communicative with the physical.  Acupuncture has some effect on the second energy body which is barely beyond our flesh and bone.  The second layer of being can be energized by deep breathing, yoga postures, jogging, and good health in general.  It is said that the second body loses energy after death and travels in a de-energized seed form from one lifetime to the next, but this belief has not been proven as fact.  The kundalini energy channel is in the second body so progress in kundalini is said to go with you even beyond your physical death to your next birth.

    The billions of human beings on earth who primarily reside in the second level of consciousness create the majority of our culture, art, politics, and organized religion.  The second stage is not meditative, but is richly and complexly emotional.  No human being could aspire to becoming an important actor with great "emotional range" unless they were at least a conscious resident of the second body.  The majority of humans world wide reside in the second stage of consciousness, but this ranking of stages implies no overall superiority of human worth.  A person in the first stage may be a good hearted and hard working individual, while a second stage person may become a decadent drug addict, thief, and murderer.  Imagine the earth viewed from the perspective of deep space, the thin layer of our "humanity" barely visible as a dulling of the earth's atmosphere due to the pollution we create.  Who can judge any human worth from the eternal cosmic perspective?          

3)  The third body, sometimes called the astral body, is the first body of meditation.  When you sit in meditation and start to feel bigger than the purely physical, that is the astral revealing itself.  It is colorful and pleasant and is rumored to contain memories of past lives.  The third and fourth bodies are closely associated with the functions of the brain, just as the second body is closely associated with the function of the total physical body, including functions of the peripheral nervous system and internal organs.

    When one says that a person is in the third stage of consciousness, that means that is where he or she resides most of the time.  Consciousness fluctuates up and down, burning brighter or becoming dimmer when one is tired or less attentive.  Those who primarily reside in the third body have frequent jaunts into the fourth stage but also fall back into the second body when their awareness is less activate.  Those students who primarily reside in the fourth body have frequent excursions into the fifth level of consciousness, which is called a 'satori.'  Even those in the third stage may, on rare occasion, jump up temporarily to the fifth stage for a glimpse of freedom.  These glimpses may be initiated by intense practice or, more usually, initiated by close proximity to a teacher who resides in the fifth, sixth, or seventh stage.  You can call this transference, transmission, or simply a "contact high."    

    The vast majority of people who practice meditation are in the second or third stage, but you would be surprised at the number of letters I receive from novice students who, upon reading this essay, automatically assume they are in the fifth stage or even higher.  Many are in a blind rush to become enlightened and naively think they can achieve the ultimate after a few short years of practice.  It is a common mistake to believe that intellectual knowledge about enlightenment is equivalent to enlightenment itself.  The Indian sage Ramana Maharshi once said that enlightenment was an "unlearning," not a learning.  Meditation is a knack, an energy phenomena of consciousness itself.  It is not an accumulation of borrowed wisdom dumped, like a landfill, into the thinking part of the mind.  One must become a connoisseur of eternity and develop tremendous patience in order to make real progress in meditation.  

4)  The fourth body has been called the mental body and subjectively feels larger than the third body.  Some enlightened teachers have claimed that the second, third, fourth, and fifth bodies are all the same size as the physical body, but that point is open to debate.  A newer and equally unproven theory states that only the second body is the same size as the physical body and that the third and fourth bodies are roughly the size of the human brain.  Regardless of actual size, subjectively the fourth body feels oceanic and is filled with more intense energy and light than the third body.  The fourth is highly projective and is the instrument of clarity, imagination, and vivid dreams.

    The greatest artists of earth history have been awakened to the fourth body and drew inspiration and energy from its depths.  Frank Lloyd Wright was an obvious example of a fourth body artist and architect.  His homes radiate the mysteries of higher consciousness and celebrate man's intimate connection with nature.  Americans love Frank Lloyd Wright's homes, but many cannot comprehend what is so unique about them, even though they admire them.   The answer lies in his depth of consciousness which he gracefully expressed in wood, stone, and art glass.

    Those who reach the fourth stage often imagine they are enlightened and become even more arrogant and selfish than they were before attaining it.  Most Indian and Tibetan gurus and contemporary Japanese "Zen masters" are in this fourth stage, and that is why most are not very helpful to their own students.  The potential for ego inflation is difficult to resist but can be fought off by remembering that the fourth stage is relatively easy to attain and there are many thousands of mid-level fourth body students in the world at any given time.  Anyone who tries to attain the fourth stage can do so by the simple use of methodology.  While there is nothing unusual about entering this expanded state of consciousness, it does take us one step closer to true wakefulness.

5)  Going beyond the fourth stage to the fifth level is the truly difficult task for students of meditation.  Those who attain the fifth body are said to have reached the first stage of self-realization (examples - see Swami Chidananda and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche).  To reach the fifth body one must journey upwards, not just outwards, and this higher plane facilitates a continuous state of superconsciousness.  The fourth body, also known as the mental body, can be described as an ocean of light that is highly projective.  The fifth body is an absolutely non-projective layer of energy that is just beyond that ocean of light, beyond the thought process, and beyond the human mind.  Subjectively, the fifth body feels like an infinity of warm and comfortable darkness that softly envelopes the mind ocean.  The fifth body is the last and final layer of our individual personal being.

    The Soul Awareness method described in Meditation Handbook is a means by which students of meditation who are in the fourth stage can gain reliable glimpses of the fifth stage.  A glimpse of the fifth body can be called a satori, a temporary peak at self-realization.  Many students confuse the blissfulness of the third and fourth bodies they experience during meditation sessions with satori, which is a much more rare phenomena.  Even to experience an authentic satori is relatively easy.  To live in satori, the fifth stage, is relatively impossible.  It is almost like the difference between visiting Hawaii and actually owning Hawaii.

    I envy those who have attained the fifth body permanently because the fifth stage is the first comfortable level of consciousness where one truly feels at home.  Until the fifth stage is attained we live as strangers to ourselves because we have not yet come home to our essential being.  Until the fifth we do not know our "original face" and thus we suffer greatly.  

    Words are tools of communication and as such I prefer to call the second, third, fourth, and fifth bodies the soul as one indivisible unit.  These four bodies cannot fly off in different directions at the same time and they are all layers of the same human being.  I believe it is dehumanizing to consider these bodies to be mere fragments of a living person.  Love and respect are important and there is no need to overly dissect the ones we love as if they were mere mechanical devices.  The basic dictionary definition of the word 'soul' is "the non-material aspect of a person" and the second, third, fourth, and fifth bodies all fit that description well.

    It is my personal theory that Siddhartha Gautama was born self-realized in the fifth body due to positive work he had done in previous lives.  He then went into the forest and used the method of denial of soul to achieve the sixth and then the seventh stage.  That is why a denial of soul became part of his message to humanity.  Siddhartha was denying attachment to the soul but not the actual fact of a human soul.  You cannot give away a house unless you first own a house and a denial of soul before reaching the fifth body may hinder rather than help.  First you have to realize your soul fully, live with it for awhile, and then voluntarily give it up to go beyond for even greater fullness.  

6)  The sixth stage, the cosmic body, is said to be discovered through a jump from all that is human into all that is above and beyond the mere human being.  The sixth body is described as the same size as the physical universe and its realization is well beyond the limits of mind and words.  This is the truly "uncharted" and "pathless" territory that Jiddu Krishnamurti spoke about so intensely (example - see the 17th Karmapa).

    Claims made by some gurus that the higher bodies are capable of time travel are false.  All seven bodies and all of life exists in the here and now.  Even a full Buddha is not capable of seeing into the future in any magical way beyond ordinary reasonable guesses.  Unfortunately, there is much self-promotion in the world of gurus which often leads to exaggeration.  Likewise, such often claimed powers as the ability to materialize matter and the attainment of an all-seeing and infallible wisdom are equally fictitious.

    The powers of astral projection, distant vision, and telepathic communication are attained by enlightened humans animals, but these abilities do not make the enlightened ones perfect or infallible.  Our basic humaneness, with all its fallibility, is locked into our DNA code.  Meditation, no matter how profound, cannot change that situation as long as you inhabit a human physical body.

7)  The seventh body is said to be beyond size and form and is the limitless void from which all is born.  The seventh stage is known as 'nirvana' and allows the ultimate liberation (example - see Ramana Maharshi).  Some teachers have stated that the seventh stage can only be fully realized after the physical body dies.  They suggest that there are really only six bodies.  The seventh stage is simply a designation for those who have attained the sixth body so completely that they have finally run out of all attachments, thus making it impossible for them to be reborn in physical form again.  A 'Bodhisattva' is one who intentionally remains attached in the sixth stage in order to return through reincarnation to help others.

Christopher Calder