(October 13, 2012 at 5:14 am)Akincana Krishna dasa Wrote: But you are the same person. You are the same conscious entity as you were 7 years ago, although your body has completely changed. If your mom has any pictures of you as a baby or a little kid, you can prove this point to yourself.
I take issue with this. I am not the same conscious entity that I was 7 years ago. My experience didn't change, but the way I view, interpret, and how I integrate that experience in my daily existence has changed greatly. I'm guessing you'd call this spiritual evolution or that I'm attaining some level of enlightenment. However, I don't view it as such. Rather I'd say that I have come to a greater understanding of psychology (my own and those of people who have impacted my experience). I did not achieve some form of transcendence (in the religious sense).
The idea that we are comprised of several senses of self that integrate and work together to form a sense of one's 'self' as a complete identity is supported by modern psychology. But that sense of 'self,' as a complete identity is changeable, otherwise psychology would prove useless.