Hi, can anyone help me know --- what is living and non-living?

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to know what's living and non-living in a spiritual sense. I took up Environmental Biology (just 2 years, lol) so we studied this in a scientific point of view. The rules are:

Living things are made of cells.
Living things obtain and use energy.
Living things grow and develop.
Living things reproduce.
Living things respond to their environment.
Living things adapt to their environment.

So this obviously, are stuff like, us animals, plants, bacteria, virii, etc etc... But how about in a spiritual sense, like for instance water --- is not made up of cells. It is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen bonded together. But ever since I was young and before I even studied anything about spirituality, I've always known it was alive.

And the rocks. Here in my country, the elderly, the ones who know very little of the Science we study at school, but know so much about the world around them, the term they have for rocks that are close to the river and are smooth and dark colored are "living rocks".

My question is, what are the things that Science deems non-living, but is actually alive, spiritually? What determines living and non-living, is it consciousness? How do I know?

Thanks for reading I'm sorry about the length!! :))

As far as I'm concerned, everything is "alive" in a "spiritual" sense. But I'm also an animist, so of course I would take that perspective. What you choose to believe is your responsibility and up to your own personal metaphysical/religious/spiritual ideas.

From the Taoist standpoint, everything has chi (the life fource). Some things have more than others. Rocks can have chi, yet they aren't alive from our viewpoint. Using a rock again for an example, it could be sentient and have a consious soul and sense of self if it has enough chi. But it isn't living. Or take a soul that has departed its body. It is consious, but you couldn't very well say it is alive. Perhaps using the term aware would be better than alive?

Originally Posted by RiversLady

From the Taoist standpoint, everything has chi (the life fource). Some things have more than others. Rocks can have chi, yet they aren't alive from our viewpoint. Using a rock again for an example, it could be sentient and have a consious soul and sense of self if it has enough chi. But it isn't living. Or take a soul that has departed its body. It is consious, but you couldn't very well say it is alive. Perhaps using the term aware would be better than alive?

Thanks! :)) Is it possible to "feel" life?