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When Life emerges in Matter, there must, obviously, be some mechanism for the two principles to interact with one another. Matter must develop ways to sense, respond to and react to the action of the Life-Force. Similarly, when the Life-Force evolves and manifests in Matter, it must also become ... Views: 368
Just as all energy operates along a spectrum of vibration from shorter wavelength to longer wavelength, and this spectrum can be perceived within certain limited ranges based on the capacity of our sense instruments (or tools we develop to extend our range of perception), so also consciousness ... Views: 368
However difficult it is to predict specifically the destiny of any individual, due to the complex interactions that create that destiny (or shall we say ‘destinies’), there is still a sense that life carries out the path of the energies at work, as well as the trajectory those energies follow. ... Views: 367
In his epic poem Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo describes the experience of the awareness moving inwards away from the surface consciousness fixated on external perceptions. “In moments when the inner lamps are lit And the life’s cherished guests are left outside, Our spirit sits ... Views: 367
We tend to have a more or less hidden bias in favor of our own view or position in various matters, which carries out at each level of the ego-standpoint, individual, family, community, religion, country, etc. as it expands its scope. We tend to see things from our unique viewpoint and not take ... Views: 367
We frequently hear people speak about the ‘law of attraction’. In most cases, they treat this as some kind of method or ‘trick’ to attract wealth, fame or other objects of desire to them, through use of a sort of mental focus or vital magnetism effect. The true ‘law of attraction’ however is ... Views: 367
Spiritual aspirants frequently complain about the obstructions provided by the physical body. There is a need to eat, a need to sleep, the constant pressure of physical existence, the wear and tear of the aging process, the potential for illness or injury, and the eventual breakdown and ... Views: 367
Some years ago, a visitor residing temporarily at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in India attempted an experiment. He determined to undertake a period of ‘social’ silence, while remaining active in the community and undertaking various work assigned to him. The rules he set for himself included utilizing ... Views: 367
When the seeker recognises the difficulties attendant upon gaining control and mastery of the subconscient, he looks for leverage to both become conscious of what is currently subconscious to his awareness, and to find ways to change the response and reactions that arise from the ... Views: 366
When we reflect deeply on the development of life and mind out of Matter, it becomes clear that they are not able to manifest in Matter if they do not already exist in their own right and in their own domain. Seers and mystics have described vital worlds. Teilhard de Chardin described a mental ... Views: 366
There is considerable confusion about the role of the ego and the nature of actions one undertakes. Many believe that charitable actions, altruistic or philanthropic actions by definition are unselfish acts and evidence the elimination of ego from the action. This, however, is not accurate. The ... Views: 366
When we observe the standpoint we inhabit closely, we find that we tend to identify ourselves as a distinct ‘person’ or ‘personality’ with specific traits, habits, relationships and viewpoints about ‘who we are’ and ‘what we do’. This is the ego-personality and we tend to try to associate ... Views: 365
We tend to pay attention to the various forms of external communication that take place between people. Written, verbal, and visual non-verbal cues through body language or expression, are all considered to be the major means of creating a relation between individuals. What we do not always ... Views: 365
As long as we focus our attention on the surface perceptions, events and actions, we respond to the vibrations associated with those things. We may focus on our physical needs, our vital desires, our mental interests, our emotional states, or on our aesthetic and artistic sensibilities, or on ... Views: 365
The inconscient level is a substratum for the broader manifestation and is not tied to any particular individual. Before anything can be done to effectively wake up and energize the inconscient, the task of the spiritual seeker is to bring down the light and consciousness through all the higher ... Views: 364
How can something arise out of nothing? How can consciousness develop out of unconscious matter? Western science has tried to explain how life and mind can arise through random recombination of atoms and the impact of energetic forces on these atoms, but Western science has not explained where ... Views: 364
As long as we remain fixed in the mental framework, we tend to create judgments and rules for everything we do that are founded on the limited and fragmented understanding that the mental power possesses. The advent of a new wider, more expansive, more unifying and comprehensive consciousness ... Views: 364
For most people, the trauma associated with the death of the body and the corresponding dissolution of the vital and mental being that formed within the life of that individual, means that there is no realistic way for any memory of past lives to remain intact and carry forward. The psychic ... Views: 364
Humanity has developed a method for exploration of the world around us, and in recent times, the exploration has expanded to include exploration under the vast oceans, exploration of the solar system and further reaches of outer space. Attention has now turned to the internal foundations of life ... Views: 364
European culture takes credit for ‘discoveries’ that it makes despite the fact that societies in other parts of the world have long known about these things. Thus, Europeans ‘discovered’ America while disregarding the fact that it was already populated with numerous tribes of indigenous people, ... Views: 364
Why do we have a physical body? We undergo pain and suffering related to having a body as we age, experience illness, injury, the infirmities of old age, and eventually the process of death of the body, in some cases through very painful means. Those who conclude that the body is purely an ... Views: 363
Life is so short! When one wants to accomplish something extraordinary or difficult, it takes considerable time and focus. If we reflect however, that the first 16 years or more are formative years and are focused on physical growth, development of vital powers of action, and cultivating the ... Views: 362
There are two types of spontaneity and each of them proceeds from a different cause and has a vastly different effect. Spontaneity is generally understood in the context of responding ‘naturally’ to situations without a lot of thinking, planning or detailed consideration of one’s actions or ... Views: 362
There is a subtle interaction that takes place in any social setting. Even an individual who is awake and conscious of his own thought and expression may, and frequently is, subtle impacted and influenced by the physical, vital and mental forces with which he is in contact. When an individual ... Views: 361
it can be especially difficult for those who are highly educated in the field of Western science, medicine, or other studies that focus on the logical intellect of the mind, to actually appreciate and be receptive to the play of forces that occurs outside the normal perceptive range of the ... Views: 361
We may believe that we create our own thoughts and ideas, but a close examination makes it clear that streams of thoughts, ideas, mental energies are constantly bombarding us, both overtly through what we read, what we hear, what we see and what we experience, and covertly through the subtle ... Views: 361
We have numerous historical anecdotes about individuals who were creative and productive in their own field, but who had elements of their being that seemingly could not hold the creative force easily and devoted into various forms of dissipation when they were not directly engaged in their ... Views: 360
The voice of reason, the urging of desire, the warning of what we call the conscience, all of these are aspects of the inner dialogue that takes place within the individual as he determines his direction and his response to life situations. None of these are, however, the voice of the soul. How ... Views: 360
Many people consider the concept of ‘karma’ to be some form of moral retributive factor that brings back to an individual the ‘fruits’ of his actions. Thus, they believe, if a man does something considered wrong, dishonest, underhanded, the universal law of karma will eventually right the score. ... Views: 360
When we respond to a vibration, either at the physical level, the vital level or the mental level, we open a pathway for that vibration to impact us in some way, and, having once been accepted for admittance, it creates a propensity for us to admit it the next time it comes our way. In this way, ... Views: 360
In order to carry out the spiritual practices and work for the transformation of human nature, the vital being needs to agree to changes its habitual sources of satisfaction and fulfillment to an entirely different basis. The pursuit of pleasure, and the accompanying experience of pain, is ... Views: 360
When we reflect on the difficulties involved with both the transformation of the individual to a spiritual, gnostic consciousness and the need for this individual change to proliferate and transform society, it becomes necessary to focus on what the transitional phase or steps might be and how ... Views: 359
We understand that there is an electro-magnetic spectrum, ranging from very short wavelengths to extremely long wavelengths. We can visualize the color spectrum with a similar range. There is also a sound spectrum. In each instance of a vibrational spectrum, there is a range within which we can ... Views: 359
The earth is the locus of the evolutionary principle. It is said that when the gods themselves want to grow and evolve, they must consent to take birth on the earth. It is therefore important to understand that the beings who take birth on the earth-plane are, for the most part, taking part in ... Views: 359
We tend to attract those energies, beings and forces to us that respond to the vibratory pattern of our thoughts, emotions, feelings, desires and physical state. Keeping this in mind, we can review our relationship to places of worship, whether a temple, mosque, church or other. Some ... Views: 359
Whatever you do will come back to you!
The slightest misery one gives to any living being does return back to him - such is the law of Nature! So, the pain given to other’s bodies will be reflected in the same way to one’s own body indeed.
However, these are all effects of one’s past ... Views: 358
The Mother advises that the way to establish unity in the being is to treat the psychic being or the central aspiration as the guiding principle, and then observe and manage the mind, the life-energy and the body to conform to the intentions expressed by that central guiding principle. It is ... Views: 358
As the evolutionary pressure begins to develop individuals who undergo the spiritual transformation we have been discussing, there is still the issue of how these individuals can impact the wider life of humanity. Isolated individuals surrounded by an untransformed mass of humanity and the ... Views: 358
The mind, vital, and physical body tend to pull one in different directions, based on their differing needs, wants or desires, and propensities. This creates a tension in the being when the pulls from these aspects come into conflict with one another. For instance, someone has the desire to ... Views: 358
When most people think about ‘sincerity’, they focus on the truth of the speech aligning with the actions of the individual. They expect this alignment to manifest itself in actuality. Expressions of good will or condolence, for instance, are sincere if they align with the true feelings of the ... Views: 358
The questions of what happens to us after we die, whether we are reborn, and if so, in what form or manner have occupied human beings from time immemorial. What is the purpose of life and what are we, as conscious individuals, supposed to do with the life we are living?
The Tibetan Book of ... Views: 358
In one of his aphorisms, Sri Aurobindo points out “the ego was the helper; the ego is the bar.” We frequently get the feeling that somehow the ego is truly an obstacle to our spiritual development, without looking at it through the lens of the evolutionary arc of the development of ... Views: 358
It is common for an individual to take some kind of illumination of the mind, or some strong positive emotion in the heart, for instance, as a sign of their contact with the soul. Yet in many, if not most, cases the contact is with a mental or vital movement tinged with the influence of the ... Views: 357
The establishment of the witness-consciousness, separated from and observing the actions of the external nature, is an important process, not just for those taking up the practice of the integral yoga; rather, it can be a valuable tool for everyone to be more effective in directing their own ... Views: 357
First, we must remember that Sri Aurobindo and the Mother relate the term ‘psychic’ to the soul, the aspect of the individual that maintains a direct connection with the Divine. The soul is an organising principle within the earth-consciousness and, while it maintains a connection to the Divine, ... Views: 357
In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna becomes conscious of the sin of fighting against and killing his relatives, revered teachers and elders, and declares that the moral code supports the idea that he should not fight. Sri Krishna responds that the divine intention is not limited by human-made moral ... Views: 356
To the extent we fail to see the underlying motivations and desires that drive our thoughts and our actions, we tend to take a relatively benign view of who we are and how we respond to life. Similarly, to a great degree we tend to assign a similar motivation to others, although, it must be ... Views: 356
As human beings typically rely on their mental capacities to understand things, seekers frequently take the advice of tracing back to the roots of the impulses, thoughts, feelings they experience as requiring a method akin to the processes followed in psychotherapy. Western psychotherapy uses ... Views: 356
As we are basically fixated on the physical world within which we reside, we tend to look at the development of forms and the relationship of form to function on the physical level. Scientists such as Darwin studied the evolution of species. Mendel looked at the genetic factors that have later ... Views: 356
For much of human history, spirituality has been looked upon as a contradiction of an active life in the world. The anchorite in the desert, the renunciate, the Sannyasin, the monk or nun in the cloister are held up to us as the examples of dedication to spiritual growth and purpose. All of ... Views: 356