The mind and the soul are separate entities that are part of the psyche. The mind is to the brain as words are to the mouth. The problem that people have now is that they associate the mind, the ego, as themselves. When we are born we have no ego. Our mind is pure. We haven’t developed a sense of discrimination, irrational fears, envy etc. The best example I know of the creation of the ego is, when you are born, your parents give you a name and this is the beginning of the ego. The name is like a basket and all of the experiences we go through in life are like objects placed into that basket and when we are asked we will swear we are that basket and all of its contents. People will associate themselves with those contents, likes and dislikes, prejudice and desires, moulded by their life experiences, I am a footballer, I am an intellectual, I am English, American etc…they will buy a car and say that car is who they are, they will associate themselves with the clothes they wear, you are what you wear and all that. This is ludicrous, we are not our ego. You’d find it hard to explain to someone that you are the things that have happened to you in your life so far.
I agree with a lot of what you are saying. However, you seem to be operating on this supposition that the soul is released at death and no longer has an ego.
As long as the soul exists as an individual, it will have an ego. It is indeed the mind that creates the egos, because it discriminates. At death, the soul only loses the body, but not the mind. The mind and body are not the same.
As long as there is mind, the soul will continue to exist, and as long as it exists, it is capable of experiencing reality. As the mind is dependent on the impressions formed in our lives, whatever impressions have been formed before we die, will continue on with us.
Just like say a hardrive on a computer. That same hardrive can be transferred to another computer, and it would retain all or some of the information. The human body is similar to a biological computer, and the soul is it's hardrive, and the mind it's operating system, the brain it's microprocessor, the sense organs it's peripherals and consciousness the energy that runs the system.
They cannot be synonymous. There is not just a single form of energy, there are many; atomic, electrical, magnetic, kinetic, nuclear, gravitational, chemical, electromagnetic etc and while they ultimately may all be modulations of the same unified energy field, they are still only physical sources of energy and differ from one another. The soul is not a physical energy, it is a spiritual energy, that we could call consciousness/awareness.
I haven’t heard of anything else it can be and I can’t imagine it to be anything else. I’m sure any physicist would agree with me in that energy cannot experience suffering, as it doesn’t have the capability to do so.
Yeah, you cannot cause energy to suffer. You can only cause what is conscious to suffer, because it has the ability to experience.
To answer the OP's concerns. While, a lot of this debate has gone off track and is discussing the philosophy of hell. I think nonetheless it should helpful to you. You first need to work with some definitions of what hell is and how you could get there and how you could prevent going there.
1. If you believe hell is this spiritual realm, presided by Satan, where God sends the sinners upon his final judgement to perish for eternity. Then you should live your life according to the precepts of your religion and prevent yourself from going there.
2. If you belive hell is this state of mind, where you send yourself by your own judgement, then you should live your life, according to what makes you feel content and fulfilled, so that when it comes time to reflect on your life, you are content. If you leave this world with a smile on your face and no regrets, then you cannot go to hell.
If it is the former, then become a devout religious person and live your according to it. This is probably not very helpful for somebody who already has anxiety problems. A lot of religious people, particularly Christians often seem to be worrying about whether they're sinning or not and live in fear of god's judgement. It's very disempowering.
Ask yourself, what kind of god are you praying too, if not worshipping him will mean eternal damnation. If you feel anger/lust, so what, you're a human being and we all experience them. It is just not healthy to live in fear of what happens after death. Live your life as best you can, be a moral and decent human being and leave the rest to fate.
If it is the latter, then you have a lot more freedom and choice. You do not have to live under the dictates of anybody else, you have full control of your own life and your own conscience is your judge. You are not limited by any religious dogma, you are free to explore all your possibilities. Just be honest with yourself, and follow your heart, so that when it is time to go, you have no regrets or incomplete desires. Live life to the full, and you will never have to worry about hell again.
