Spiritual Sadhana Varies by Individual Based on Temperament and Situation of the Sadhak

Not everyone can achieve spiritual progress using exactly the same methods or disciplines. The “one size fits all” approach tried by many religious or spiritual communities of the past only works if their members are all basically similar in temperament and their spiritual development. We have of course heard the stories of individuals who enter a monastery and who seem to be always “getting in trouble” because they cannot maintain silence all the time, or are not ‘serious’ enough in their demeanor for the rest of the community. We have heard also the stories of young energetic individuals being forced to tamp down their vital enthusiasm artificially to ‘fit in’.

Sri Aurobindo makes an effort to ensure that individual sadhaks not be artificially judgmental about the spiritual practice or discipline followed by another individual which differs from that of someone else. There was an individual residing at Sri Aurobindo Ashram during most of 1973 and early 1974 who, for a period of time, followed an inner discipline of managing speech. His method was to not speak “socially” but to write on a pad in response to questions. However, he agreed to speak when it came to the work he was assigned, so as to ensure good communication. He did not participate in the normal discussions or banter at the dining hall or even in the Samadhi courtyard, but he did not appear to be hostile to anyone, and did not take exception to anyone who wanted to speak or socialize in any way. He was considered to be somewhat ‘different’ but no one interfered with the direction of his sadhana during that period.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “I think no rule can be laid down applicable to all. There are some who have the expansive tendency of the vital, others who have the concentrative. The latter are absorbed in their own intensity of endeavour and certainly they gather from that a great force for progress and are saved the expense and loss of energy which frequently comes to the more communicative and also make themselves less open to reactions from others (though this cannot be altogether avoided). The others need to communicate what is in them and cannot wait for the fullness before they use what they have. Even they may need to give out as well as to take in in order to progress. The only thing is that they must balance the two tendencies, concentrating to receive from above as much or more than they open sideways to distribute.”

“That [mixing with people, laughing, joking, etc.] is a kind of vital expansiveness, it is not vital strength — this expansiveness is also expensive. For when there is this mixing, the vitally strong get strength from it but the vitally weak expend what strength they have and become weaker.”

Sri Aurobindo, Integral Yoga: Sri Aurobindo’s Teaching and Method of Practice, Chapter 11, Human Relationships in Yoga, Mixing with Others, pp 332-335