Does a Living Body Posses A Soul? (Version One)

 

Does Life Have a Spirit?

Reflections on Biology, the Soul, Death, and the Continuity of Existence

(Version One)

 

By:

 

Blogger lim ju boo: Chinese name - lin ru wu  (林 如 武)

I have no intention to write this article today because I have so many more education and interesting articles I have already written awaiting to be posted here in my blog

 

However, my learned brother-in-law Ong Geok Soo who is a very senior structural engineer in Singapore always insist he does not believe in any soul. Today in a our WhatsApp chat, again he told us  when a person goes “kaput” (dies) all the particles and “black matter” in his body goes back to the environment. There is no soul or life left. He says he is “ignorant” about everything - though a learned and qualified senior engineer.

 

I just can’t help writing my disagreement here immediately today - though I have better and more interesting subjects to publish here over the next few weeks in stages.  

I shall give my view in two versions. I shall air my first version here first - and much later only shall I publish my second similar view.  Here’s my first view:

People, including biologists and scientists often ask what makes a person or any animal alive and living, and why do they die after a period of time?

The simplest answer is, they are are alive because of the biochemistry together with the organized physiological functions inside their bodies.

The next question is, then why did the biochemistry and physiological functions stop when they die? . The simplest answer is because there is no life or bioactive biochemical process inside the body anymore?

But in mainstream biology, life is not usually explained as “biochemistry stops because life leaves.” Biology describes death as loss of organized biological function (loss of homeostasis, metabolism, circulation, brain function, etc.). It does not claim to answer whether a soul exists? This does not answer anything at all. We are not getting anywhere trying to answer the question. We are just going round and round the bush trying to evade the question.

In Genesis 2:7 in the Bible it is revealed that when God blew His breath into the non living soil - that has no soul in it, the soil then became a living soul. 

In Christian theology, especially based on Genesis, God’s breath is often interpreted as the divine gift of life, not necessarily that humans contain a literal fragment of God’s soul.

This means this phenomenon  has nothing to do with the chemicals - or biochemistry or physiology that has not even existed inside a living body.  And when the soul leaves the living body, the body dies again and returns as soil.  In other words, nothing can be alive  until a soul enters inside first,  and when the soul leaves, the body dies again

The transformation of dead soil into a living being with a soul is described in theological traditions as the ultimate synthesis of the physical and the divine. This event is clearly reveal to us, but biologically as animals we cannot understand. So we go round the bush unable to answer.

In just a few words, this means we need a soul first before we can become alive? Is that how it is?

However, it is not a simple physical resuscitation, but the moment inanimate matter was permanently fused with the spiritual realm.

Before we came into this world, was our soul already been given to us  by our parents during fertilization?  Was it our parents, especially our mothers who gave  part of her soul (the living flame) to us before we can become alive and living? However, the  belief that parents pass part of their soul at fertilization is poetic and theological, not a scientific or mainstream doctrinal claim. It is very hard to show this experimentally, perhaps only through intuition? Yet it is inconceivable to expect a dead sperm ability to fertilize an egg? So we may safely conclude life is like a living flame of a lighted lamp pass on its flame of life onto another oil lamp. We may say the oil in the lamp are  the nutrients from the food we eat changed into those (bio)chemicals in the body to lit the flame of life itself. That is the soul of life. This explanation may sound more logical now through intuition, but difficult to prove this objectively. 

From a structural standpoint, we  are describing the same fundamental truth: life does not simply vanish; it transforms and sustains new life - from one becoming another - probably through abiogenesis. Interestingly, if we remove the letter “i” from the word “soil” and replace it with the letter “u” it become “soul”. In other words, “I” become “you” - we share life together as living souls.  

 

Both science and religion agree that death is not an absolute end, but they explain the mechanism differently. It is merely transformed from one form to another. Hinduism describe this transformation as "karma"  

Here is how these two perspectives compare and where they diverge. Both views rely on the principle that nothing truly disappears. 

 

Science fits this into the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy. Atom for atom where our physical body is recycled into the ecosystem.

The scientific view is is  material recycling 
Science views this process as strictly physical, mechanical, and impersonal.
No Continuity: The individual identity, memories, and consciousness disappear when brain activity stops. The body as building blocks  is then broken down into basic elements (carbon, nitrogen, calcium).
In death there is impersonal allocation: The  atoms of the body might scatter to a blade of grass, a cloud, and a beetle simultaneously.

Some scientists may not see  "life" spark. They  do not see "life" as a fluid substance passed from a plant to a deer. They  sees life as a temporary biochemical process powered by those recycled elements. They are entitled to their personal views, but I see it differently.

 

 
Religion fits this into the conservation of the soul or consciousness. The spiritual essence moves forward into a new vessel.  Religious view is  conscious reincarnation. Most religious traditions view reincarnation as spiritual, purposeful, and personal and continuity of self: The core essence (soul, consciousness, or karmic imprint) remains intact. Science does not say consciousness disappears with certainty, it says there is currently no evidence that personal consciousness survives independently of brain function.

One-to-One Transfer:

 

The soul typically moves from one specific vessel directly into another specific vessel (e.g., human to animal, or human to human).
The moral purpose for reincarnation often involves a spiritual journey, learning lessons, or balancing karma. Are they the same? They are metaphorically the same, but literally different. If we define "reincarnation" broadly as the physical recycling of matter to birth new living things, then science absolutely proves it every day. We are physically made of dead stars, ancient plants, and prehistoric animals. However, if we  define "reincarnation" strictly as the migration of a single soul or consciousness into a new body, science finds no evidence for it, whereas religion holds it as a core truth. 

 

Ultimately, both eyes are looking at the exact same beautiful reality: life relies on death to continue. Science tracks the dance of the atoms, while religion tracks the journey of the soul. 

Let’ s now shifts life  through the lens of religion. Here is how Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity view death, the body, the soul, and the mechanism of spiritual transformation. 

In Hinduism the believe in the the eternal soul (Atman) and Karma
Hinduism lines up  closest with the literal concept of reincarnation driven by spiritual law.  The soul (Atman) is eternal, indestructible, and unchangeable. 
The Body: The body is merely a temporary garment. The Bhagavad Gita states that just as a person discards worn-out clothes to put on new ones, the soul discards a dead body to enter a new one.  The mechanism is, Karma (the law of cause and effect) determines the next life. Good actions lead to a higher rebirth; negative actions lead to a lower one. 

The ultimate goal is  the cycle of rebirth (Samsara) that continues until the soul achieves Moksha (liberation) and merges back into the supreme cosmic reality (Brahman). 

In Buddhism they see rebirth without a permanent soul (Anatta) 
Buddhism offers a unique perspective that actually bridges my  scientific view of "changing forms" with spiritual rebirth. 

 

Buddhism rejects the idea of a permanent, unchanging soul. This concept is called Anatta (non-self).  The body and mind of the individual is a changing collection of physical and mental energies (aggregates).

 Buddhism is subtler than “energy moves forward.” Classical Buddhism describes dependent origination: continuity without a permanent self..

At death, the physical body dissolves.  There is no "soul" moving from body A to body B. Instead, it is the karmic energy and consciousness that flashes forward to ignite a new life, much like using the flame of a dying candle to light a new candle. The flame is neither exactly the same flame, nor a completely different one. 

The ultimate goal is  to break the cycle of suffering and rebirth entirely by achieving Nirvana (extinguisher of the karmic flame). 

In Christianity is is  resurrection and eternal transformation. Christianity rejects reincarnation but strongly believes in the eternal transformation of the individual.  The soul is created by God at conception. It is immortal, but it does not pre-exist this life, nor does it get recycled into another earthly body. The body is sacred (the "temple of the Holy Spirit"). Death is a temporary separation of the soul from the body.  

Instead of karma, Christianity operates on grace, faith, and divine judgment. After death, the soul enters an intermediate spiritual state (heaven, hell, or purgatory in Catholic theology) awaiting the final day of judgment.
The ultimate goal is  the resurrection of the body. Christians believe that at the end of time, their souls will be reunited with their physical bodies, which will be transformed into perfected, glorified, and immortal physical forms to live eternally with God. 
Let me summarize the  differences

In religion is there a permanent soul? What transfers? Destination?
In Hinduism, the answer is yes (Atman) The exact same soul in  another physical body on Earth

In Buddhism,  No (Anatta. Streams of karmic energy Another physical or spiritual form. But how does Buddhism explains rebirth if there is no permanent soul I am not sure.

In Christianity,  yes (Created once) The soul to a spiritual realm is the  final, glorified resurrection body.

There are  scientific concepts of energy conservation that echo these spiritual ideas. These are The First Law of Thermodynamics
The scientific anchor for these spiritual ideas is

1. The First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy. 
The core rule is energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change from one form to another. The First Law of Thermodynamics concerns physical energy. It cannot be used as scientific evidence for survival of consciousness or souls.

2. The Cosmic Balance: The total amount of energy in the universe remains completely constant. Every spark of energy present at the dawn of time is still here today. 
3. How Science Echoes Spiritual Transformation
When viewed through the lens of physics, the journey of the body and its energy mirrors the spiritual concepts of rebirth and transformation in three distinct ways:
4. The Body as Borrowed Energy. Our  living body is a highly organized, temporary state of energy. We maintain this state by consuming plants and animals (absorbing their energy). At death, this organization stops. The energy isn't gone; it simply shifts from kinetic and chemical energy within you into heat, soil nutrients, and new microbial life. We  return the borrowed energy back to the universe. 
5. The "Ghost" Heat Signal.  When a person dies, their body heat radiates outwards into the room, the air, and the surrounding structures. In a very literal, measurable thermodynamic sense, our physical warmth leaves our body and disperses into the world, transforming into the movement of surrounding atoms.
5. The Quantum Connection: On a fundamental level, the atoms making up your body today are billions of years old. They were forged inside dying stars, cycled through prehistoric oceans, and passed through countless previous living organisms before forming “us."

 
The Key Departure: Information vs. Substance:

 
While the echo between science and spirituality is strong, physicists draw one hard line regarding identity: 

Spiritual Views: The information (our memories, personality, soul, or karma) is preserved and moves together as a single packet into the next life.

Scientific Views: The substance (the energy and atoms) is preserved, but the information is scrambled. Our atoms disperse randomly. One of our carbon atoms might wind up in a tree, another in a cloud, and another in an insect. 

In short, science proves we are immortal because our energy cannot die. It just disagrees with religion on whether we  will remember being us  in the next form.

We can also  look at life from another angle, if  explore how astrophysicists trace our atomic origins to stardust, or how quantum mechanics views the concept of information.

 

I shall stop here - till the next version.

 

I hope this helps my highly qualified and learned  brother-in-law - Erg. Ong Geok Soo and other readers too understand better. 

 

The Power of Rain: Science, Storms, and Silent Grace Behind a Drop of Rain

 

The Power of Rain: Science, Storms, and Silent Grace Behind a Drop of Rain  

It was raining exceedingly heavily for several hours in my place here in Gombak, Selangor yesterday on 29 March 2026 . I remember a similar occurrence way back during the second week of December 2021 These incidences prompted me to write this  article on

“The Measure of Rain: Physics, Power, and Providence”

The rains came without rest, day after day, night after night—falling endlessly over Selangor. Sleep became a stranger to me, not only because of the relentless sound of rain upon the roof, but also due to a lingering pain in my leg from a venous stasis ulcer that had troubled me since the time of the COVID pandemic.

And so, in those long sleepless nights, as the rain poured down in sheets, a simple yet profound question arose in my mind:

Where did all this water come from? And how powerful was this rain, really?

Peninsular Malaysia is shaped by geography in a most interesting way. Running like a spine from north to south is the great Titiwangsa Mountains, with Gunung Tahan rising to over 2,000 metres above sea level. These mountains form a natural barrier, often shielding the western coast from the full force of the north-east monsoon, which typically drenches the eastern regions of the peninsula.

Most rain-bearing clouds in the tropics form below about 2,500 metres, and under usual conditions, the mountain range prevents much of this moisture from crossing over. Yet yesterday (March 29, 2026) afternoon till evening, and also way back in December 2021, something unusual occurred. The rains broke through, and the western states, especially Selangor—experienced extraordinary downpours.

Rainfall is usually reported in millimetres, a unit that many accept without fully appreciating its meaning. In reality, 1 millimetre of rain represents 1 litre of water falling over every square metre of land. This simple relationship allows us to translate rainfall into something far more tangible: volume and mass.

During that extraordinary period, parts of Selangor recorded rainfall exceeding 380 millimetres.

Now consider this:

Selangor spans an area of about 8,104 square kilometres. If we imagine, for simplicity, that this rainfall was spread evenly across the entire state, the total volume of water would amount to:

over 3 billion cubic metres of water

or more than 3 trillion litres

In terms of mass, this is approximately:

3 trillion kilograms of water falling from the sky

Such a figure is almost beyond comprehension. It is no wonder that rivers overflowed, drainage systems failed, and entire housing areas were submerged beneath floodwaters.

To better grasp this immense quantity, let us compare it with the capacity of our water reservoirs. A typical dam in Selangor holds on the order of tens to hundreds of millions of cubic metres of water. The rainfall from this single event alone would have been sufficient to fill many of these reservoirs dozens of times over, if it could all have been captured.

But of course, nature does not distribute water so conveniently. Rain falls unevenly, rivers channel it rapidly downstream, and when the volume exceeds the land’s capacity to absorb or carry it, floods become inevitable.

Yet an even deeper question arises:

What is the source of the energy behind such immense rainfall?

The answer lies far beyond our skies, in the Sun.

The Sun continuously bathes the Earth with energy, at a rate of about 1.366 kilowatts per square metre at the top of the atmosphere. This energy drives the evaporation of vast quantities of water from the oceans, especially from warm bodies such as the South China Sea. Invisible water vapour rises into the atmosphere, carried by winds across great distances.

As this vapour cools and condenses into clouds, enormous amounts of energy are released. This process is far more than the simple falling of rain—powers the towering clouds, the storms, and the monsoon systems we experience.

If we estimate only the gravitational energy involved in lifting this mass of water to a height of a few kilometres, we obtain a figure on the order of:

10¹⁶ joules

This is already an enormous amount of energy. Yet in truth, it represents only a small fraction of the total energy involved in storm systems, where the release of latent heat during condensation plays a far greater role.

When compared to the Sun’s total energy output—about 3.8 × 10²⁶ joules per second—the energy involved in even such a massive rainfall event is but a tiny fraction. And yet, that tiny fraction is sufficient to reshape landscapes, flood cities, and profoundly affect human lives.

1. Dam Capacities in Selangor

Sungai Tua (Batu) Dam→ 36.6 million m³

• Sungai Selangor Dam
  → ~235 million m³
• Langat Dam
  → ~31–35 million m³

Rainfall conversion:

Volume 

= Rainfall (m) x Catchment Areas= (m^2) 

Or in simple terms:

1 mm rain = 1 litre per m² = 0.001 m³ per m² 

What Really Fills a Dam?

A dam is NOT filled by rainfall over the whole state

It is filled by rain over its catchment area (river basin)

Catchment Areas (Approximate)

1. Batu Dam → 50 km²

2. Sungai Selangor Dam → ~600 km² (typical basin scale from design & reservoir size)

3. Langat Dam → ~200–300 km² (approx. river basin)

 

Calculation on Rainfall Needed to Fill Each Dam

A. Batu (Sungai Tua) Dam

Capacity = 36.6 million m³

• Catchment = 50 km² = 50 × 10⁶ m² 
  
  

About 730 mm rainfall needed

B. Sungai Selangor Dam

• Capacity = 235 million m³
• Catchment ≈ 600 km² = 600 × 10⁶ m²

About 400 mm rainfall needed

 C. Langat Dam

• Capacity ≈ 31 million m³
• Catchment ≈ 250 km

About 120–150 mm rainfall needed

REAL Example — Heavy Continuous Rain

Let us now imagine:

Scenario:

• Heavy monsoon rain
• 50 mm per day
• Lasts 5 days continuously

Total rainfall:

What Happens?

Batu Dam:

• Needs ~730 mm
• 250 mm gives:

Only 1/3 full

Sungai Selangor Dam:

• Needs ~400 mm

More than half full

Langat Dam:

• Needs ~130 mm

Overflow likely → flooding

Not all dams respond the same way to rain

• Small catchment → needs more rainfall
• Large catchment → fills quickly
• Moderate catchment → most sensitive to floods

7. Why Floods Occur Even Before Dams Fill

Because:

• Rain falls faster than rivers can carry
• Soil becomes saturated
• Water flows directly into rivers So flooding happens before dams are full

We  now see something very deep:

• A single storm of 200–300 mm

Can fill major dams or cause overflow and disaster

This is exactly what happened in December 2021.

And so, we come to a humbling realization.

The rains that fell over Selangor in December 2021 resulting in the floods that followed, the rivers that overflowed, the lives disrupted, were all part of a vast and continuous cycle powered by the Sun. From the quiet evaporation of seawater to the towering clouds of the monsoon, from invisible vapour to torrents of rain, it is a cycle of immense scale and power.

Without the Sun, none of this would exist. No winds would blow, no clouds would form, no rains would fall.

As I lay awake through those long nights, listening to the relentless downpour, I realized that what seemed like a simple act of rain was, in truth, a manifestation of forces far greater than we often imagine.

It was not merely rain.

It was the power of the Sun, the oceans, and the atmosphere, working together in a grand and ceaseless dance over our planet.

Let me now give my spiritual reflection — beyond the physics of rain

After all the calculations have been done, after the volumes measured and the energies estimated, there remains something that numbers alone cannot fully contain.

For what is rain, truly?

We have seen that it begins with the Sun—its radiant energy lifting oceans into the sky, forming clouds that travel across vast distances before returning to the Earth. Science explains this beautifully, and truthfully. Yet, even in its precision, it points toward something greater.

For behind this orderly process lies a harmony that invites reflection.

The oceans do not overflow endlessly into the skies, nor do the clouds empty themselves without rhythm or restraint. There is balance, namely; delicate, dynamic, yet enduring. The same forces that bring destruction through floods are also those that sustain life: filling rivers, nourishing crops, replenishing reservoirs, and sustaining every living cell.

Rain, therefore, is not merely an event. It is part of a cycle of provision.

In moments of great storms, such as the floods that struck Selangor, one may be overwhelmed by the sheer force of nature. Homes are submerged, lives disrupted, and the power of water becomes almost frightening. Yet even within such events, one may ask:

Is there only chaos, or is there also purpose beyond our immediate understanding?

From a spiritual perspective, the natural world often reveals both power and provision intertwined. The same rain that floods also cleanses, renews, and restores. The same rivers that overflow in one season sustain life in another.

There is a passage in the Scriptures that comes to mind:

“He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
— (Matthew 5:45)

Rain falls without discrimination. It is given freely, not earned. It sustains all life—plant, animal, and human alike. In this sense, rain may be seen not only as a physical process, but also as a quiet expression of grace.

And yet, there is another dimension to consider.

You reflected, my dear brother, on the immense energy involved—the trillions of kilograms of water, the vast forces at work, all ultimately powered by the Sun. Science tells us how this happens, but it does not fully answer why such a finely balanced system exists at all.

Why should the Earth be positioned at just the right distance from the Sun?
Why should water possess such unique properties; evaporating, condensing, expanding, and sustaining life?
Why should the atmosphere behave in ways that allow this continuous cycle to persist?

These are questions where science reaches its boundary, and contemplation begins.

For some, the answer lies in natural laws alone.
For others, these laws themselves point toward a deeper order—a design, or at least a profound coherence that is not easily dismissed as mere accident.

I  once beautifully reflected on the human body as an intelligent system and wondered whether such intelligence could arise without a guiding source. In much the same way, the water cycle of our planet, so vast, so precise, and so essential, can evoke a similar sense of awe.

Not as proof, perhaps, but as invitation.

And so, the rain becomes more than water.

It becomes a reminder:

• Of our smallness in the face of nature
• Of our dependence on forces beyond our control
• And perhaps, of a provision that is given, not earned

In the quiet moments after the storm, when the waters recede and the skies begin to clear, one may look back and see not only destruction, but also renewal, the earth softened, the reservoirs replenished, life continuing.

Thank you for reading, dear friends and readers of my blog

References for further reading:

Meteorology & Rainfall Malaysian Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID Malaysia)

1.  Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia)

2.  Journal of Physics: Conference Series (2020) — Rainfall data in Malaysia

3.   Hydrology & Water Cycle

• NASA – Water Cycle Overview
• NOAA – Precipitation and storms

Solar Energy & Physics

• NASA Solar Radiation Data
• European Space Agency – Solar constant and Earth energy balance

Optional Spiritual Reference

The Holy Bible (e.g., Matthew 5:45, Psalm 147:8)