DEATH 137

do not many of us feel young and vigorous
inside, but cannot get our physical bodies to
do all the work our spirit would fain do ? Death
to the ego is but the shedding of an outer coat,
nothing more, for the ego realises that it is only
a part of itself that manifests in the physical
body and the greater part is not yet called into
being or able to manifest in a physical body.

In death this sheath is laid aside for a while,.
the physical body disintegrates, and in due
course a new body is born to enable the ego to
gain more experience in another life. It is the
false sense of separation that causes death to
appear to be such a tragedy. We long for the
physical presence, because we are such babes in
experience that we have not realised that the
physical plane is in one sense the least part of
our existence though a necessary one to complete
our evolution because there are some lessons
which can only be learnt on the physical plane*
In our summing up of values, we are turned
upside down, the most material and therefore
the lowest manifestation we claim as the
highest and most important. We live, as it
were, for the physical only, so it is natural that
death looms large in our midst. If this life were^
indeed all, then we are in a bad and hopeless
state; in reality it is the smallest part.