Source: ChatGPT. If you are reading on a phone, please rotate your screen horizontally to better view the tables.
I – SPIRITUAL DICTIONARY
This table lists common concepts found in modern spiritual journeys, reinterpreted through the lens of Early Buddhism (Theravāda) to preserve their depth and non-self orientation:
| Modern Spirituality | English | Non-self Translation | Pāli | Buddhist Interpretation |
| Soul | Soul | Stream of consciousness / Awareness | Viññāṇa-sota | Consciousness stream |
| Higher Self | Higher Self | Deep intuition | Paññā, Yoniso manasikāra | Wisdom / Rooted attention |
| Soul karma | Soul karma | Mental karma – Habitual tendencies | Saṅkhāra-vāsanā | Mental formation tendencies |
| Soul mission | Soul mission | Directional karma / Intentional movement | Bhava-kamma, Kamma-patha | Path of action |
| Reincarnation | Reincarnation | Continuity of consciousness | Patisandhi-viññāṇa | Re-linking consciousness |
| Spiritual awakening | Spiritual awakening | Mindfulness awakening / Emergent wisdom | Bodhi, Sambodhi | Awakening / Full Enlightenment |
| Spirit guide | Spirit guide | Kalyāṇa-mitta / Dharma light | Kalyāṇa-mitta | Spiritual companion |
| Shadow self | Shadow self | Latent defilements / Mental taints | Āsava, Anusaya | Mental obscurations / latent tendencies |
| Soul contract | Soul contract | Karmic meeting of causes | Kamma-vipāka | Karmic consequence |
| Personality / Ego | Personality / Ego | Five Aggregates / Name-and-form | Pañcakkhandhā | Pañca-skandha |
| Intuition | Intuition | Wordless wisdom / Non-verbal perception | Paññā + Sati | Wisdom and mindfulness |
| Energy field / Aura | Energy field / Aura | Karmic field / Mental tone | Linked to Cetasika | Mental factors |
| Destiny / Fate | Destiny / Fate | Karmic result – Forming conditions | Vipāka, Niyāma-dhamma | Karmic result / Natural law |
| Subconscious | Subconscious | Store consciousness / Subtle mind stream | Bhavaṅga-citta | Life-continuum consciousness |
| Karmic imprint | Karmic imprint | Habitual mental tendencies | Saṅkhāra-vāsanā | Latent formations |
| Channeling / Mediumship | Channeling / Mediumship | Delusive perception / Not recommended | Vipallāsa (discouraged in Theravāda) | Trance state / distortions |
| Soulmate | Soulmate | Karmic companion on the path | Kalyāṇamitta | Spiritual friend |
| Energy healing | Energy healing | Mind-body harmonization | Sammā-vāyāma / mettā bhāvanā | Right effort / Loving-kindness meditation |
| Starseed | Starseed | Sentient being with unusual awareness | Sattā paṇḍita / aññatarasattā | Conscious being with unique tendencies |
| DNA activation | DNA activation | Activation of karmic inheritance | Nāma-rūpa saṅkhāra | Formation awakening |
| Chakra | Chakra | Biological energy centers | Nābhi-majjhaṭṭhāna | Energy centers (navel, heart, head) |
| Healing | Healing | Process of transforming suffering | Dukkha-nirodha-patipadā | Path of cessation of suffering |
| Vibrational frequency | Vibrational frequency | Mental-physiological resonance | Samādhi-bala / cittassa lahutā | Mental lightness / Meditative strength |
II – DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SPIRITUAL CONCEPTS
Below are common terms in modern spirituality that often reinforce ego. We reinterpret them through non-self Buddhist language and provide clarifications:
| Common Concepts (often ego-related) | Non-self Translation (Based on Pāli Buddhism) | Explanation |
| Soul | Stream of consciousness (viññāṇa-sota) | Not an eternal entity, but a conditioned flow of consciousness. |
| Self / Ego | Five aggregates without self (pañcakkhandhā) | Form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness are all conditioned phenomena. |
| Higher Self | Pure awareness / Silent knowing | A quiet inner wisdom beyond ego identity—no fixed ‘who’. |
| Past life memory / soul | Residue of karmic habits (saṅkhāra-vāsanā) | Tendencies left by past volitional acts, not a specific personal soul. |
| Soul mission | Directional tendencies of consciousness | Not a fixed fate, but a karmic direction that can be transformed. |
| Divine inner voice | Arising of intuition / insight | Not someone else speaking, but wisdom arising from silence. |
| Spiritual awakening | Enlightened mind / aroused mindfulness | Realizing impermanence, non-self, and suffering—not remembering ‘who I was’. |
| Soul karma | Mental volition (saṅkhāra-kamma) | Not unchangeable destiny, but transformable mental action. |
| Soul journey | Karmic unfolding – path to cessation | Not for personal growth, but to end greed, hatred, and delusion. |
| Spiritual guidance | True Dharma – Good friend – Inner reflection | Not relying on external entities but practicing through morality, concentration, and wisdom. |
III – HOW TO APPLY THIS
☸️1. In Early Buddhism (Pāli Canon):
The term ‘soul’ is not accepted because it implies:
– An eternal self
– Contradicts the doctrine of non-self (anattā)
Recommended alternative terms:
| Term | Explanation | Spiritual Principle |
| Stream of consciousness (viññāṇa-sota) | A continuous flow of awareness across lifetimes | Not a ‘person’ but a conditioned process |
| Volitional formations (saṅkhāra) | Mental fabrications creating karmic habits | Deeply tied to rebirth and causality |
| Knowing mind (citta) | Present-moment awareness, without ego | Essential to meditation practice |
Suggested expression:
“I don’t call it a soul. I call it a stream of consciousness — nameless, formless, a continuum of karma and knowing. I call it Awareness.”
✳️2. Practice examples:
| Original Sentence | Non-self Translation |
| “My soul chose this life to learn X.” | “The continuing consciousness brought me to this X experience as a karmic result.” |
| “I feel my Higher Self pushing me to change.” | “A deep intuition arose in me—it feels like the right time to change.” |
| “This is my soul mission.” | “This is the direction of my karma, and I vow to walk it mindfully.” |
✴️3. Can we call ‘Soul’ as ‘Consciousness’?
Yes, if we understand it as deep consciousness, not just thinking mind.
| Proper understanding | Misunderstanding to avoid |
| ‘Consciousness’ = wordless knowing, stream of awareness | Not just ‘ego mind’ or personal awareness |
| Can also use ‘awareness’, ‘knowing stream’, ‘silent mind’ | Avoid reducing it to logical thought or identity |
Conclusion: It is entirely fine to use “awareness,” “consciousness,” or “stream of knowing” instead of ‘soul’ depending on what tone you want to emphasize.
✨4. Can we call ‘Higher Self’ as ‘Intuition’?
Yes—provided you understand intuition as deep non-verbal knowing, not emotional impulse.
| ‘Higher Self’ | Non-self Translation |
| A purer, more elevated self | → Deep intuition, silent awareness, or emerging insight |
| Often described as an inner pull from nowhere | → ‘A silent inner knowing that doesn’t rely on reasoning’ |
Intuition is the echo of deep awareness when the mind is still.
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