What is the purpose of the physical body?

The soul, which is a conscious, divine portion of God, has to live inside the physical body in order to make progress. The body is a temple, and inside the temple is the shrine, the soul. The body is our outer protection and, at the same time, our instrument for manifestation. Without the body the soul is helpless. Until manifestation takes place in the physical world, we cannot offer the real Truth to the world at large. The purpose of the body is to manifest the Reality of the soul. The soul needs the body to manifest the Truth. The body needs the soul to realise the highest Truth. When the soul inspires us to do something, it also gives us the necessary capacity. Unfortunately, the unaspiring body, vital and mind often do not obey the dictates of the soul. The desires of the body often directly contradict the divine necessities of the soul, because this material body is unconsciousness itself. But when the physical body starts to become one with the soul's inspiration and aspiration, then God’s Light can find a fit receptacle in the seeker.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Pioneer-runners of tomorrow’s world-peace-dawn: ultramarathon running and self-transcendence, Agni Press, 1998
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