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ARTArticleAs We Become Aware of the Extent of the Challenges, We Come Nearer to the Solutions RequiredIn the preceding page, a passage from The Synthesis of Yoga by Sri Aurobindo was cited. The Mother is commenting on her impressions while reading that passage.ARTArticleAscent and Integration Define Spiritual Progress for the SeekerTransforming human nature does not happen ove
ight. There are thus periods when the spiritual force is actively experienced and descending into the being; and then, there are other periods where it needs to adjust the responses of the mind, the life energy and the physical body to both hold and accommodate the impact of the force and thereby create the needed changes. Sri Aurobindo describes this process as one of ascent and integration.ARTArticleAspiration, Desire and the Action of the Divine ForceAspiration is frequently confused with a form of vital desire that ‘wants’ some kind of spiritual development, experience or result. Aspiration, however, originates in the psychic being, while desire stems from the vital being. The characteristics of the two are therefore dramatically different from one another.ARTArticleAttaining Mastery Over the Sex ImpulseAs the spiritual seeker begins to address the question of mastery over the sex-impulse, he becomes aware of the difficulties of tackling a deeply embedded process that stretches back into the early phases of animal evolution, and thus, has acquired a strong power base within the being. This power base for the sexual impulse includes long-established response mechanisms that trigger internal surges of certain hormones that direct the reaction of the mind, the heart, the nervous system, the vital and physical systems.ARTArticleAttracting a stable RelationshipHow to attract a Good stable relationship?
If you are reading this, it might be because you are at a stage where you are fed up with a lack of suitable partners out there or have had your share of kissing frogs. You wonder why people around you manage to have great relationships or how come they have met someone and you’re still single? Maybe you think you are just unlucky in love, that all your relationships end in disaster or you just cannot get one off the ground. You are waiting for the elusive Mr/Miss right to come waltzing into your life.ARTArticleAwareness and True Discrimination of Forces Are Essential for the Spiritual Seeker to Avoid Distractions and Deviations from the PathWhen a spiritual seeker begins to appreciate the forces at work in the world that try to influence and manipulate his behaviour, one of the first reactions tends to be to try to close oneself off, wall oneself off, not take cognizance of these forces. This is the power of the anchorite meditating in the cave, the forest or the desert or the monk or devotee residing in the monastery, ashram, abbey or cloister. The removal of potential distractions can indeed be a powerful aid to protect the seeker at certain stages.ARTArticleBalance and Harmony in Relation to Food and the Nourishment of the BodyIt is a human trait. We tend to oscillate between extremes. Too much, or too little, seems to be our method of living. Wise men, sages and Rishis throughout the ages have counseled ‘moderation in all things’, the ‘middle way’, the way of ‘balance’. These tenets for living are also helpful in our understanding of our physical body and its proper maintenance.ARTArticleBalancing Detachment, Indifference and Caretaking of the BodyWhen we hear that we must cultivate detachment and indifference to the physical body as the instrument of our exte
al interactions in the world, we tend to immediately jump to the idea that we must renounce everything and simply let the body do whatever happens without any care or conce
for its fate. This is due to the nature of our minds that want simple ‘black and white’ answers without any form of ‘nuance’ involved.ARTArticleBalancing the Spiritual Practice Between Positive Focus and Addressing Faults and WeaknessesThere is a tendency among human beings to react with extremes. Something is either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. ‘black’ or ‘white’, ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. This occurs due to the linear nature of the mental consciousness aided by a vital nature that wants to assert itself by being ‘right’.ARTArticleBases of Yoga — IntroductionAs one begins the actual practice of yoga, one becomes aware of the various forms of difficulties in gaining the cooperation of and control over the various parts of our internal being. The mind races when we try to sit for meditation. We become aware of desires and compulsions that formerly were hidden to our view. The physical body presents its difficulties and limitations. We are faced with a complex and interdependent web of powers and parts of the being which are not all in harmony with the central aspiration that is driving the practice.”ARTArticleBases of Yoga: Summary and ConclusionsIn various places, Sri Aurobindo has noted that yoga is applied psychology. The practitioner of yoga is confronted by all of the instincts, habits, trained responses and reactions of human nature and is asked to address and change these in order to uplift the human being to the next stage of the evolutionary cycle, thereby transforming the understanding, the response and the action of the individual.ARTArticleBasic Overview of the Mental ConsciousnessThe mental consciousness evolved subsequent to the emergence of the physical consciousness and the vital consciousness. It appears in rudimentary forms in various animals, and advances to a much higher state of activity and power in the higher primates, including human beings, as well as ocean-going mammals such as dolphins and whales.ARTArticleBasic Overview of the Vital ConsciousnessThe life force brings mobility and increased responsiveness compared to the physical being. It operates primarily under the impulsion of attraction and repulsion. The predominant quality or Guna is Rajas, which brings energy, action, and progress, while at the same time, its deformations can bring all manner of vital disturbances, such as reactions of anger, greed, lust, vanity, fear, etc. Rajas tends to push beyond limits and if it does this to the physical body, eventually suffering can result, including breakdown of the body if the force was more than it could handle.ARTArticleBecoming Aware of Our Faults Is the First Step Toward Overcoming ThemIt is difficult for an individual to see his own shortcomings or faults. Many times we see them reflected in others and we exte
alise them to such a degree that we take exception to the other person, not recognising that we are seeing our own faults displayed in front of us. If we have a confrontation with someone they may point out these faults, but we are generally less receptive to hearing it when it comes from a perceived opponent or enemy.ARTArticleBeyond Mental Ideas to Spiritual ExperienceThe human mind is always at work, trying to figure out what life is all about, where we came from, why we are here, what we are to do, what lies in the future. We have developed a countless number of ideas, philosophies, religious concepts, and we become adherents to those that make sense to our minds. In many cases, we then wield our various ideas, philosophies and religious dogmas against each other and create division, separation and warfare.ARTArticleCauses and Prevention or Elimination of IllnessThe physical body has an ingrained response, for most people, to vibrations that precipitate illnesses. The vector carrying that vibration (whether one calls it ‘germs’, ‘bacteria’, ‘virus’, or ‘suggestion’) strikes the protective vital envelope, or aura, surrounding the body. If it finds an opening, or if it can create an opening, it enters into the physical body and begins the process of activation of its characteristic vibration, leading to the appearance of symptoms.ARTArticleChanging Each Part of Human Nature Through the Progressive Action of the Divine ShaktiThe change of human nature does not happen all at once, nor does it change every aspect or part of the being instantaneously. Once the divine Force begins to descend, it works its way systematically through the various parts of the being, starting with those that are most receptive to its action and thereby presenting the least resistance. In the ordinary course, the mind and the emotional center tend to be the most receptive and able to begin to adapt their action under the influence of the psychic being and the descending Force.ARTArticleChanging Human Nature Rather Than Abandoning the Exte
al LifeOur mental process tends to take us to extremes. We want simple answers, without a lot of nuance. Thus, when we seek spiritual liberation, we tend to take the concept of renunciation or rejection to mean that we abandon the exte
al life to focus on our spiritual pursuits. If our vital nature does not cooperate with this, we try to suppress it, and if that does not succeed, we even try to punish or torture our physical or vital being, or create a sense of anguish in our emotional or mental being.ARTArticleChanging or Eliminating a Habit of the Physical ConsciousnessThe physical consciousness is very much driven by habit, routine and fixed response patterns. We can observe this in our eating routines, our sleep routines, and other habitual actions. The mind and the vital can influence the physical consciousness through programming routines or habits into it, essentially training the physical to respond to specific stimuli and act in a certain manner when presented with the situation. All forms of physical exercise and repetitive activity are building new habits into the physical consciousness.ARTArticleChanging placesChanging places
At one time a student of mine was asking about my time as a monk in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. He listened to my words and when I had finished speaking he said, 'Ah yes, but the monks life is a special life.'
I answered, 'Not when you're a monk.When you are a monk that life is your ordinary life.’ARTArticleCharacteristic Relations of the Physical, Vital and Mental Beings to Life, Oneself and Others, Work and Facing DifficultiesUnderstanding the operation of the three Gunas, or qualities of Nature, is an important part of understanding yogic psychology. The Bhagavad Gita devotes considerable effort to describing the Gunas and their functionality. For most people, however, translating things like reactions, responses, attitudes, etc. into the language of the Gunas is a difficult task. This is particularly the case for Westerners who have no background or grounding in the yogic psychology and its terminology. Dr. Dalal has found a way to describe the action of the Gunas as a type of ‘attitude’ of response.ARTArticleChoosing What You Empower in the New YearThe end of the year is a very powerful time. And one that presents some unique opportunities and challenges. Along with “holiday” pressures, we must also contend with the natural shifting of “energy” that comes as we approach the close of the year. As one creative cycle ends and another begins – as it does with the turn of our calendar year – the larger energies that move us forward will need to rearrange themselves. There will be a necessary shifting of momentum.ARTArticleCo-dependence Means Always Having to Say You're Sorry!You would never consider your self an addict. You could quit anytime, right? What am I talking about? No, I am not talking about alcohol or drugs or even gambling. I am talking about co-dependent relationships. CAN you quit anytime? Probably not.
Statistics have proven that some people can only exist at their best in a symbiotic relationship where one person feeds off of the other. This is being co-dependent. It is not healthy to anyone to live in a relationship like this but many people today do not know that; they don't even realize their relationship is like that.ARTArticleCoincidence or Control?The mind, with its need to correlate facts, gather evidence and develop proofs, finds it difficult, if not impossible, to credit ideas that seem to fall outside the logical reason based on the mind’s limited understanding of the oneness of the universal creation. The mind sets up certain ‘rules’ and holds doggedly to them until such time as more ‘facts’ come to conveniently overtu
the past rules. Witness the idea that the sun revolves around the earth, which only in recent centuries was overtu
ed by a new understanding of the operations of the solar system.ARTArticleComing Face to Face With, and Overcoming the Failures, Limitations and Sins of One's Past Life in the Spiritual QuestWhen an individual takes up the spiritual quest, he tends to accept certain principles of action which, by definition, contradict the values, principles and life-actions of his past experience. In many cases this causes a considerable amount of doubt and conce
as he tries to overlay his present value-set onto the past, and judge the past based on his present understanding. Of course, in every person's past there are numerous actions which can be called up before the mind's eye which do not meet this test.ARTArticleComparing a Vacant Mind and a Calm MindWhen one steps back and begins to observe the mind’s action and what Swami Vivekananda calls the ‘mind-stuff’, chitta, a number of different statuses can be seen. The normal human mind is usually constantly active and it jumps from one thing to another in response to impulses, impressions, sensations, vital or physical drives or emotional or mental preoccupations or focus. There are other states as well.ARTArticleConcentration of Conscious Force Through Work Can Bring Deeper RealisationsIn the Taittiriya Upanishad, Sri Aurobindo translates the term tapasya variously as ‘concentration in thought’ or ‘concentration of force’. Elsewhere he aligns the terms chit-shakti as ‘consciousness-force’, co-equal with the principles of sat, existence and ananda, bliss as the supreme existence, Sat-Chit-Ananda. The Upanishad equates this concentration of conscious force, tapasya, as the Ete
al.ARTArticleCONFRONTATION OR CONVERSATION?One of humanity’s biggest fears is that of confrontation. So often when feeling like someone is in our face, we don’t speak our feelings and then we’re angry afterward. Our anger can then manifest as passive-aggressive behavior. But truly it’s not about dealing with our behavior or learning to speak up that’s the underlying issue – it’s what we believe about confrontation.ARTArticleConsciousness and Self-MasteryAs noted, to be conscious is a broadly applicable term, not just to one’s own body-life-mind complex but to all factors in the universal creation, the flow of time, the development of circumstances, the relations between the individual and the society, world, environment and universal forces. A seeker, however, generally wants to start with the basics, becoming conscious of his own nexus of awareness and learning how to achieve control and mastery within that limited scope.ARTArticleConsciousness Exists in Matter and Responds to Caring Good WillWhen we look at existence from the point of view of our material consciousness, we tend to treat material things as ‘inanimate objects’ without consciousness. We attribute to plants, and then to animals, increasing levels of conscious awareness and with the advent of the mental consciousness, we acknowledge that there is consciousness. Rene Descartes famously declared, ‘I think, therefore I am.’ Yet this view of things is considered to be the opposite of the actual state of affairs.