Why some people call some spirits as soul?  Soul is a spirit covered with consciousness, which memorizes events from many previous lives.  A soul not only covers up the brightness of a pure spirit, it also will reincarnate over and over again, because of the memories it carries with.

Therefore, when the soul coexists with a flesh, it is time to enhance the spirit within.  Reincarnation will stop when the spirit reaches Buddhaland.  And the only way to elevate the spirit is through the practice of Chan.

Many people could recall their past lives after being hypnotized, or dreamed about past lives.  These are all memories stored in our subconsciousness carried over by the soul.  After sitting under a bodhi tree for six years, Shakyamuni Buddha found the way to terminate reincarnation.  That is to let the spirit to uncover its original brightness.  He taught everyone how to meditate and be enlightened in one life time, just like he did.

Enlightenment is not a physical journey with our body.

How then? Our body has about one hundred years to exist.  It can not be enlightened.  Enlightenment is for that spirit within each of us.  Therefore, Chan practice is to transcend the limitation of our body and mind.  So that our spirit could enhance itself continuously without any hindrances.

Thus, detach from all mental consciousness and physical sensations is the key.  Many people study, memorize, analyze the teachings of Buddha with their mind, or just bow or chant with their body, or just quiet their mind through sitting. Without enhance their spirit, these practices are all practices for the body and mind, unrelated to the spirit within.

Only through Chan meditation, we could transform our knowledge into wisdom.  Eradicate our ego, be one with the universe.

Teaching without words stops delusion.

Then Chan Order of Buddhism is also called the Order of Buddha Heart.  It transmits directly from the heart of Buddha.  When Buddha is in sync, we are enlightened.  As we all know, Chan is taught without words and outside of religion.  Therefore Chan teaching contains no word and no talk.  Word or talk are relative and interdependent in context.  Both are emptiness by nature. Both are detectable "form" and not the "truth", which is undetectable by our senses. 

Both Bodhidharma and QuanYin Bodhisattva reminded us to detach from all "forms". Heart Sutra stated very clearly, that "Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.  Form is no different from emptiness and emptiness is same as form."  It is really up to the practitioner to awaken and witness this simple truth.

Our thoughts, senses and consciousness are all "forms", while the truth of the universe are all formless. We suffer because we are trapped by the form.  The way to entering the realm of "formless exquisite existence" is first to eliminate worries, suffering and hangups from our mind as well as karma of our present and past lives.  Since the karma affects only the Three Realms of our existence, for us to eliminate our karma, we would need the power beyond the Three Realms.  That power only exists in an enlightened Buddha.  With karmic hindrances, we will continue to reincarnate within the Three Realms of desire, form and formlessness.

Commit to enlightenment and let our spirit to go home

The most reasonable to be enlightened is find an enlightened teacher with similar qualities such as Buddha or Jesus.  Then this teacher could help the practitioner to surpass all hindrances, uncover the wisdom within and eliminate all karmic blockage.  Is there another way?

If you are one of the fortunate, who transcended the Three Realms and uncovered your self nature, then please be reminded of the dangerous influence of the Eight Winds (gain, loss, defamation, eulogy, praise, ridicule, sorrow, and joy).  Please be more resolute and committed to deepen your Chan Ding.  Only then your wisdom shall grow and your self nature shall glow.  Soon afterwards, you shall discover that we all have the same spirit and the same glow and all came from the same place.  This is your revelation about "absolute equality".  This is one of the fundamental characteristics of the universe, or simple universal dharma.

In other words, upon this witness of "true equality" and "oneness", you will no longer think or act only for your own interest.  All your notions, intentions or actions will always be for others.  These are the qualities of a Bodhisattva.  Such a state of enlightenment is half way to full Buddhahood.