The concepts of the subtle bodies in the ancient spiritual traditions

Abstract

The idea that humans are multidimensional, i.e., that beyond their physical body, humans have other, subtler bodies, through which they can interact with the universe, is very ancient. Understanding of a human as a complex multidimensional phenomenon laid the foundations for the development of many Eastern and Western esoteric schools. Contemporary spiritual teachers and researchers continue the ancient tradition. Each esoteric tradition describes a human and his/her bodies from different angles, and none fully describes it which is probably impossible. This paper aims at investigating the concepts of the subtle bodies in the ancient spiritual traditions.