Loading the searchable article library…
Browse published articles attributed to santosh krinsky, with full-archive search.
The integral yoga is not an attempt to abandon this life and achieve some realisation beyond. There is no promise of a heaven of bliss, nor an escape from the difficulties posed by matter, life and mind and their interaction in the world.
Since the Renaissance, the Western world has put its faith in, and based its goals on the power of the human intellect and vital drive to uplift humanity and solve the problems we face. Tremendous changes have taken place and humanity has made progress in fields as diverse as atomic physics, biochemistry and quantum theory, as well as gaining insight into the need for hygiene and dietary sufficiency, and fields relating to energy, transport, communication, education, and other subject areas too numerous to mention.
We tend to view everything from our individual ego-standpoint, and as a result, we take difficulties as being our own, as well as any obstacles, setbacks or delays being directly tied to ourselves. We tend to believe that we are either bound by some karmic destiny, or by the astrological pattern of the stars to determine the birth we have taken, the situations we have to endure and the obstacles we have to face, as well as the eventual end result.
Albert Einstein stated “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” We have an existential crisis in our world that is being recognized more and more, which includes the climate crisis and its impacts, the pollution crisis and its results, the resource depletion that is fueling wars and mass migrations across the planet, and the species die off that is killing off large numbers of plants, insects and animals across the planet.
There are names for various impacts that the mind has on the health of the physical body. For instance, there is hypochondria, which is noted when an individual accepts a suggestion in the mind that they are suffering from a particular illness. Even if they are not at the time having that particular illness, the very suggestion tends to create an imbalance and can make them very sick and lead to various types of physical symptoms. Fear of illness is another causative factor of actual illness, as it opens up a hole in the protective vital envelope.
We can envision multiple potential future developments in the evolutionary process on earth. One of these involves the manifestation of an entirely new level of consciousness, the supramental, and its creation of a new species, which we may call homo supramentalis for the sake of differentiation, to embody this consciousness and carry out its role. Another one involves the pressure or influence of the supramental to uplift, widen and perfect the action of the mental consciousness. In this latter case, several options also arise.
Ordinary human life is essentially driven by response to outer circumstances, and is based in the desires, needs and reactions of the ego-personality. The interaction between people in a society, whether in the smallest groupings such as the family, or larger groupings of community, country or international relations, is essentially a widening of this same principle. In order to mitigate the effects of the underlying principles of a self-seeking for self-aggrandisement or defense, human society has developed concepts we call morality.
We live in a time of extreme challenge where the entire fate of humanity, and of the planet we live on, is at risk. We have explored in every possible direction and created thereby the ultimate fragmentation, pitting every religion, philosophy and creed against one another in a battle for the hearts and minds of people everywhere. At the same time we have, through modern technology and communication, brought the entire world together and thereby accentuated the clash of ideologies. We find however no solution and no satisfaction in the doctrines of the past.
For spiritual and religious aspirants, there has always been a pressure to give up the focus on family life due to the inherent distraction that a family creates for the seeker. Whether the seeker takes vows and enters a monastery or cloister, or leaves family behind to follow a particular spiritual teacher, or reaches a stage in life to enter the forest and take up the life of the spiritual aspirant full-time, the traditions of the world have made it clear that family is at best a distraction, and at worst, a serious bondage that can hinder the spiritual focus.
The objectives of the integral yoga cannot be looked at as a short-term ‘sprint’ to the goal, but as a longer-term ‘marathon’ where patience and endurance are of paramount importance. In order to achieve that long-term commitment without flagging of the effort, without discouragement and without burning out and giving up, the seeker needs to achieve a balance in the inner psychological standpoint that forces him to stand back from the ever-changing play of the 3 Gunas, and particularly not to get either wrapped up in the ambitious energy of Rajas, nor the discouragement and torpor of Tamas.
Thought has power. Power, however, has its conditions of action. A ‘passing’ thought running through the mind, disappearing as quickly as it enters, does not have the same impact as a concentrated and persistent focus coupled with the gathering of emotional or vital force to accentuate its impact. Similarly, a thought generated more or less mechanically has much less impact overall than one that involves the attention and support of the being.
The term “Divine” is used by Sri Aurobindo, starting with the title of his magnum opus, The Life Divine. How do we understand the term?
Evolution takes time. Hundreds of millions of years were required to move even small steps forward, as universal “time” does not fit into the “human” time-sense. Humanity measures things in terms of an individual lifespan, and in increments that we have devised from our humanity-centric viewpoint. Thus we speak of generations, and look for change to occur in months, years or decades. Centuries seem like ete ity to us, and millennia are beyond our immediate ability to truly understand.
The idea of a trinity of aspects or statuses of the Divine has arisen throughout the major religious and spiritual traditions of the world. It is relatively easy to conceptualise this by looking at how we experience the world. We start with an individual perspective, and reference life from that standpoint. Our interaction with the world provides a second aspect, that of the universal creation of which we are a part and within which we participate. The third aspect is the one that the Upanishads reference when they try to avoid the limited definitions available to our mental framework.
The human being is composed of a number of different forces working along their own lines and attempting to find some kind of harmonious interaction between the parts of the being. There is the physical body, the vital being, the mental being, the psychic being and the spiritual planes beyond that. Many times, the vital or the mental adopts a mode of action without taking into account the needs, and limitations, of the physical body. This is true for spiritual seekers as well as those living the life of the world.
Spiritual experience is not realised through following a manual or cookbook. There is not an actual way that any prescriptive documentation can both tune the consciousness to the spiritual plane, nor avoid the many chances of confusion that can arise through mistake or through misapplication or through misleading indications provided either by the vital nature, or forces inimical to the yogic development of the seeker. It is easy to be led astray as various types of ideas, emotions, feelings, sensations, experiences and directions come during the practice.
Is it our destiny to create a divine life on earth? When we look around at the world today, we see innumerable problems, crises and contradictions that provoke many to feel utterly hopeless. Everywhere people have experienced the pain, the challenges, the aggressive opposition of ideas, ideologies, religions, creeds, movements and expressions. Some have given up and determined to simply live for today, “eat, drink and be merry” they say, as they abandon the thought that there is any purpose to their existence or to the universal existence itself.
There are no exemptions from the issues, obstacles and difficulties that attend the work of bringing forth a new evolutionary principle and thereby impacting, changing and vastly reorganizing the existing status quo of the mind-life-body complex in the world. The issues must be addressed. The individual, however, may deal with these issues differently, based on how embedded he is in the existing ego-personality versus his ability to separate himself and shift his standpoint towards the divine standpoint.
There is considerable confusion about spirituality and spiritual practice. We tend to conflate “good works” with spiritual progress, when in many cases, these good works, while necessary and helpful in the world at large, actually arise from a mental or vital call to action rather than from the Divine as a direct imperative. The first goal in Yoga is to realise the Divine, to shift the consciousness from the human mental, separative and fragmented standpoint to the Divine standpoint.
Western science has attempted to understand existence by analysis, first and foremost of the outer forms and forces we experience in the world around us. The mind’s analytical and organisational capabilities have been brought intensively to bear upon the forms of existence, the material basis, the vital life-forms and the developments of mental capacity. Charles Darwin conducted extensive research which he recounted in his seminal work in the field titled The Origin of Species.
The Bhagavad Gita rightly occupies an important spot in the spiritual tradition of India. The teaching of the Gita is expansive and detailed, exploring the paths of Knowledge, Devotion and Works and providing insight into the attitude of the seeker, the relation to the teacher, and the nature of the divine consciousness, transcendent, universal and individual. Sri Aurobindo translated in various places the verses of the Gita, which were brought together by Anilbaran Roy in the book Bhagavad Gita and Its Message.
As we experience relationships in the world, whether family, friend or significant others, we begin to appreciate how complex, demanding and ‘messy’ they are. To cultivate and support relationships takes time, effort and understanding. When we don’t agree 100% with someone, we find that even among the closest individuals, there are potentials for misunderstanding, disharmony and disturbance, even if these are temporary in nature.
People come to the spiritual quest for a number of different reasons. Some of these are due to disappointment or trouble in the outer life, with work, with relationships, with failures or setbacks or with disease, illness, remorse or grief. Others come seeking for the powers, mental, vital or physical that one will acquire through the spiritual quest. Still others come seeking for knowledge and wisdom. All of these motives, however, are trying to respond to stated needs of some aspect of the ego-personality.
Our mind and senses are generally turned outwards and we constantly are prodded to pay attention to events, people and circumstances in the outer world. We build up careers, we start families, we entertain ourselves, we satisfy the desires that arise as a result of our interaction with the outer world. This focus is punctuated by major life changes, birth, school, puberty, adult life and its various forms of responsibilities, and then disease, old age and eventually death, for ourselves and our loved ones.
We transcribe and filter impulses and feelings that arise from the physical body and the vital action through our minds, and thus, we generally confuse the awareness or the response that arises through this process as a mental functioning. Sri Aurobindo distinguishes between the physical mind, the vital mind and the mind proper and assigns to the mind proper the roles of logic, intelligent differentiation, reasoning and planning, etc.
We try, as human individuals, to make changes in our lives. Self-help information proliferates, and people try numerous methods to change various habits, cravings and directions in their lives. We have a proverb that it is harder to change human nature than to straighten out a dog’s tail, which implies that, in the end, it is not possible. Strategies we employ include attempting to force change through will-power, suppression of habits we would like to eliminate, and a variety of disciplines that attempt to harness one or another power of our nature to bring about change.
Are we witnessing the first signs of the development of a mind of Light in the world today? If we look back at human civilisation over the last several thousand years, we can see several bright spots where individuals or relatively small groups of people broke out of the fixation on material acquisition and personal satisfaction of desire to try to achieve a new standpoint that would take into account the needs of a larger collectivity and a focus on achieving peaceful relations between people.
The Bhagavad Gita declares “yoga is skill in works”. For work to be a practice of yoga, there must be first the inward orientation that can make it into a consecrated and focused effort, and outwardly this translates into a skillful organization of the work and a harmonious development, keeping balance that cares for the relationship of the work to the larger framework within which it is taking place.
Humanity is facing a crisis of existential proportions. Climate change, pollution, income inequality, access to fresh water and food, and the consequences that lead to mass migration, war, and increased risk of pandemic disease vectors all are forcing us to confront our entire way of looking at and thinking about life. We look for solutions through science and technology, through research into the material forces of the universe, through a moral revolution, through religious conversion, or through intellectual plans and ideas, ideologies and creeds for living.
Traditional paths of yoga, and in particular the yoga practice organised and codified by Patanjali, hold Samadhi as an ultimate state of consciousness that puts the seeker into a state of superconscious reality that effectively links him to the Divine reality and purpose of existence. Swami Vivekananda in his lectures on Raja Yoga describes the methods of attaining to Samadhi and the results therefrom. He indicates that Samadhi, the yogic trance, differs from entering into the sleep state by the results that eventuate.
A seeker treading the path of spiritual growth and enlightenment is confronted with a confusing mix of experiences and insights, as well as obstacles and setbacks of various kinds. A working knowledge of the various “moving parts” involved in the consciousness of the human being is valuable to help the seeker address the issues that arise. Sri Aurobindo has identified the major elements of human awareness as well as the stages that develop during the growth and evolution of consciousness.
Spiritual seekers have long looked at liberation from the bondage of life in the world, and oneness with the Transcendent, the Absolute, as the key focus to demand their attention. This is of course an essential step in freeing the individual from the current limits of mind, life and body, and yet, if it is treated as an exit rather than a necessary stage for the transformation of life, it leads away, rather than towards the universal creation and its intention in manifestation. Sri Aurobindo has set a further stage of actual transformation of life to create a divine life on earth.
Evolution takes time. Hundreds of millions of years were required to move even small steps forward, as universal “time” does not fit into the “human” time-sense. Humanity measures things in terms of an individual lifespan, and in increments that we have devised from our humanity-centric viewpoint. Thus we speak of generations, and look for change to occur in months, years or decades. Centuries seem like ete ity to us, and millennia are beyond our immediate ability to truly understand.
The mental consciousness likes to make ‘black and white’ decisions. Thus, it tends to set up oppositions between reliance on the spiritual force for healing, and the use of physical means such as medicines or other medical interventions. When we recognise, however, the complexity of the human instrument, and the variable rate at which the different parts of the being open with receptivity to a higher spiritual force and are able to assimilate it, it becomes clear that taking a dogmatic approach is not productive.
Genetic engineering. It is everywhere in our lives, whether we recognise it or not. The question arises as to how humanity responds to it, and what, if anything, we can do about it. In the past, genetics was involved with attempts at selective breeding. Over multiple generations certain traits were chosen as preferable and plants or animals were developed through selection, breeding programs, etc. Eventually over time, the preferred trait was brought forward. it is the method used to breed new varieties or colors or qualities in flowers, for instance.
he long legacy of the Yogic tradition is founded on the recognition that there is a greater Reality that exists, that the human individual is a participant, in fact a part of that reality, and that it is possible through the practices of yoga, including various psychological and psycho-physical forms of discipline, to refocus the attention away from the day to day activities of the world and toward the greater reality.
The opening of the chakras has been the subject of a tremendous amount of focus in the yoga literature, with emphasis on the awakening of the kundalini energy at the base of the spine, and the rising up of this energy through each of the chakras up to the crown of the head. The dangers associated with this process have also been described, as a sudden opening of one of the lower chakras can lead to serious psychological and physical imbalances and dangers, particularly if there is not a trusted and experienced guide to help one manage the experience.
Whichever method one chooses to begin the practice, eventually the seeker finds that mental control is not going to achieve the result on its own. There comes a time when the recognition comes that active intervention cannot achieve what an opening or receptivity to the higher Force can provide. This makes sense when one reflects on it. The ‘mind-stuff’ (citta) reacts both to inbound perceptions and impulses and to mental process.
People take up the practices of Yoga with many different objects in mind. Many do so from the viewpoint of the individual ego, seeking for fitness, health, energy, prosperity, fame, or for individual spiritual realisations, spiritual experiences, acquisition of special powers, conquest of death or ultimate salvation. These goals are all based in the ego and are ultimately illusory, as the ego is not an independent actor per se. They all measure the results of Yoga based on the individual’s value scale and judgment.
Concentration of various sorts is a part of yogic development generally. In most cases, particular paths recommend very specific forms of concentration, whether it be visualisation, recitation of mantras, or specific devotional exercises. The integral yoga also utilizes concentration, but does not prescribe a very specific fixed regimen for everyone, recognising that each individual has his own starting point, specific issues to address and resolve and different phases in the yogic sadhana.
For most people, their lives are focused on the exte al world and their inner life consists mainly of brooding over or planning actions within that context. Even the distinction between extrovert and introvert is primarily a difference in ways of response to the world. The extrovert tends to be social and outgoing, while the introvert may be more indrawn and focused on the internal monologue about their exte al reality.
We are asked to meditate and for most, the question arises, what is meditation? How do i do it and what is supposed to happen when I meditate. Those with an active or highly devotional nature may find it difficult to sit for formal meditation, but for those who have a developed mental process, meditation can be an important part of their spiritual practice. To understand what is meant by the term ‘meditation’, Sri Aurobindo has provided a brief overview:
How do medicines work? What exactly do they do in the body? How do we explain the effect of placebos, which are involved in a reasonably large percentage of cures? What about cases of spontaneous remission of disease? Is it possible to recover from “antibiotic resistant” bacterial diseases? Can the vital sheath be strengthened to prevent illness from entering the body?
The highest ideals of humanity can be looked at from the point of view of human capability or from the view of a divine purpose to the manifestation. The difference in viewpoint leads to different focus and result. From the human viewpoint, we would look at how to improve, perfect and optimize the capacities of our mind, life-energy and physical bodies. For the physical body, we see a strong emphasis on achieving new feats of physical fitness and performance, increasing the strength and resiliency of the body, and reaching new heights of human accomplishment.
Western psychology has been fixated on dreams and dream interpretation since the dream interpretation work of Sigmund Freud. C. G. Jung took the review of dreams deeper by exploring what he called the ‘collective unconscious’ and the archetypes and symbols that arise widely in dreams. Dreams have always had an outsized importance for people, and ancient cultures had shaman priests who were adept at interpreting dreams. Shakespeare attributed significance to dreams and used them as a way to move the story he was telling forward.
Wherever we focus attention, we create a direct relationship with the object of that attention. It may be through aspiration towards a higher consciousness, devotion to an ideal or through love for a revered guide or teacher; or it may be through the reaction of fear about some person, event or circumstance. However it comes about, this focus creates a beacon or signal to the object of focus to interact with us.
A number of years ago, a crowd of anti-war protesters in Washington DC were gathered in front of a federal building and were suddenly confronted with a phalanx of heavily armed police wielding guns, batons and potentially tear gas cannisters, arriving with numerous paddy wagons, who surrounded them and began to move in. A vibration of fear went through the people assembled there, as they thought they could be beaten, arrested, or both. Then someone began to chant “OM” and the crowd picked it up.
The West, in particular, believes in the power of thought to solve problems. The educational system focuses its attention on analysis and categorization, and eventually adds the precepts of logical thought as a methodology to work through problems step by step. The scientific method, as it is called, tests a hypothesis by setting up experiments and systematically eliminating options that do not fit, until a conclusion is reached that fits the facts to the hypothesis. The systems of logic follow a strict line of development forcing a ‘solution’ at the end of the process.
When we look back at the history of the practices of Yoga, we find several lines of development. One is to move the consciousness away from focus on the outer world and its events, activities and insistent occupations to focus entirely on entering a status of unity with the Divine, the Absolute, whether conceived of as unmoving or moving, impersonal or personal.
It is likely that most people have experienced a state of concentration at some point in their lives, whether it is focusing on a specific project they are involved with, preparing for an examination, or playing some game of sport that involves focus on a consistent basis. Many people report times when they are “in the zone” and without active thought, they nevertheless are concentrated on the effort at hand and experience an unusual state of focused awareness. Various spiritual paths describe detailed forms of visualisation that represent a practice involving and developing concentration.