Why did Mahavira call the soul 'time' and what is the relationship between time and the soul?
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definition
"The soul is the silent core of time, an equanimous presence that transcends the fleeting nature of existence, revealing the stillness within the dance of change."
According to Osho, Mahavira called the soul 'time' because what distinguishes consciousness from matter is the inner dimension of temporality—samaya—the still, balanced awareness through which being knows itself. Matter merely occupies space; consciousness lives as time. At the crossing of space and time we exist, but the soul is time’s silent core: equanimous, nondual presence beyond passing change (kaal), akin to Einstein’s spacetime insight in spiritual terms.
Your true self isn’t a thing in space but the quiet, aware “time” inside you that stays balanced while everything changes.
Why this matters practically
- Shifts identity from body/roles (space) to awareness (time), reducing anxiety about change.
- Cultivating equanimity (samaya) steadies attention and choices amid life’s dualities.
- Frames daily life as the meeting of outer space and inner time, clarifying presence and priorities.
- Cultivating equanimity (samaya) steadies attention and choices amid life’s dualities.
- Frames daily life as the meeting of outer space and inner time, clarifying presence and priorities.
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