The material world is a kind of virtual reality in which we souls, who are transcendental, spiritual persons, identify with the bodies we inhabit. We suffer because we think that whatever happens to our

Among all the species of life we souls may inhabit, human life is the best because it affords us the higher intelligence with which to make spiritual progress. In plant or animal bodies, our consciousness

In contrast to some attitudes toward nature as an “It” that is separate from humans, Hindus see the surrounding world as a “Thou” of which they are an interdependent part. Humans and their society are