Wielding the Torch of Perfect Sincerity — the Way of Realisation on the Spiritual Path

Some years ago, there was a movie coming out of Hollywood that was based on the premise that someone was ‘cursed’ with having to tell the truth at all times. The premise was developed as a comedy with the idea that rather than using flattering terms or avoiding any harsh statements, the individual would blurt out whatever thought or feeling occurred to him inwardly. The person involved was an atto
ey who had to defend clients in Court and thus, the comedic plot was thickened even further. While honesty does not require people to simply spill their impressions, feelings, emotions or thoughts of the moment out in full at each moment, the story line made its point, that we essentially live a life that at best hedges on full truth, and at worst, is purposely deceptive based on self-interest.

If we turn our attention then to the question of spiritual practice by an individual, we can transfer the thought process behind this premise to our own lives, our own inner thoughts, motives, drives, feelings, emotions, desires and needs and compare these to the pure self-giving and consecration needed for the opening to the Divine and the tranformation of our lives.

The Mother presents a challenge to us to try this even for half an hour! We will soon recognise the ground that needs to be covered to become true doers of divine works.

The Mother notes: “Fundamentally, whatever be the path one follows — whether the path of surrender, consecration, knowledge — if one wants it to be perfect, it is always equally difficult, and there is but one way, one only, I know of only one: that is perfect sincerity, but perfect sincerity!”

“Do you know what perfect sincerity is?…”

“Never to try to deceive oneself, never let any part of the being try to find out a way of convincing the others, never to explain favourably what one does in order to have an excuse for what one wants to do, never to close one’s eyes when something is unpleasant, never to let anything pass, telling oneself, ‘That is not important, next time it will be better.’ “

“Oh! it is very difficult. Just try for one hour and you will see how very difficult it is. Only one hour, to be totally, absolutely sincere. To let nothing pass. That is, all one does, all one feels, all one thinks, all one wants is exclusively the Divine.”

“I want nothing by the Divine, I think of nothing but the Divine, I do nothing but what will lead me to the Divine, I love nothing but the Divine.”

“Try — try, just to see, try for half an hour, you will see how difficult it is! And during that time take great care that there isn’t a part of the vital or a part of the mind or a part of the physical being nicely hidden there, at the back, so that you don’t see it (Mother hides her hands behind her back) and don’t notice that it is not collaborating — sitting quietly there so that you don’t unearth it… it says nothing, but it does not change, it hides itself. How many such parts! How many parts hide themselves! You put them in your pocket because you don’t want to see them or else they get behind your back and sit there well-hidden, right in the middle of your back, so as not to be seen. When you go there with your torch — your torch of sincerity — you ferrt out all the corners, everywhere, all the small corners which do not consent, the things which say ‘No’ or those which do not move: ‘I am not going to budge. I am glued to this place of mine and nothing will make me move.’… You have a torch there with you, and you flash it upon the thing, upon everything. You will see there are many of them there, behind your back, well stuck.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pp. 119-120