If we were radio people we would deny the existence of a radio signal and insist that all this comes from us. We would find the theory of a radio signal body to be reprehensible. Even more outrageous, would be the idea that we could converge with this radio signal body and be that body. This illustration is not far-fetched, at least not in Buddhism.
We find such a body mentioned in the Pali Nikayas a number of times which is a spiritual body, which is like a sword drawn from its scabbard. We also find this body described in the Lankavatara Sutra.
"By manomaya ['as willed'] is meant the power to move about as speedily and unobstructedly as is willed. Like the mind that moves unobstructedly over mountains, walls, rivers, trees, and other objects, even beyond many hundreds of thousands of yojanas, by merely thinking of objects seen and perceived previously, with its own thought continuously and uninterruptedly working regardless of the limitations of the body; so when the manomayakaya is obtained in the realisation of the samadhi known as mayopama [māyā-like], one acquires the ten Powers (bala), the tenfold Self-mastery (vaśita), and the six Psychic Faculties (abhijñā), is adorned with the distinguishing marks, and born in the family of Holy Path, and, thinking of the objects of his original vow which is to bring all beings to full maturity, moves about among them as unobstructedly as the mind moves on.”
The manomaya is none other than the animative principle of our corporeal body of birth, but not limited by it—certainly not limited by its death! Over time it is realized by the adept after their initial awakening to pure Mind. As samadhi increases over many years (our constant reconnecting with pure Mind), the adept becomes more of the animative principle, withdrawing from their previous attachment to the corporeal body which has been a matter of habit. There comes a time when the manomayakaya dominates the corporeal body.
From the standpoint of evolutionary theory, man should eventually rise to the level of being foremost a spiritual entity with the corporeal body as subordinate; not like it is now with the corporeal body dominating our existence with no sign of a spiritual body!
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