The Phenomenon of Consciousness Leaving the Body (I)

The mind consciousness has the phenomenon of leaving the body. At such times, first, one is in meditative concentration (samādhi); second, the mind consciousness has a very independent introspective nature (pratyavekṣā-lakṣaṇa), able to introspect upon the state of one's own body, and to introspect upon one's own thoughts and feelings. However, this differs from the introspection that occurs when the mind consciousness has not left the body—it is relatively objective, as if observing another person. This is very similar to a person's soul leaving the body: when a person undergoes surgery, the six consciousnesses cease and there is no perception; or after a person falls into a coma or dies, the consciousness-spirit leaves the body, watches the body, and tries to find a way to return to the body, wanting to come back to life. These two phenomena are the same, only the mental states differ. After the mind consciousness leaves the body, the body is numb like wood, without emotion or thought, but it can still move. The mind consciousness observes the body just as it would observe another object.