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ARTArticleTime Perspective on Achieving Spiritual Realisations and Change of Human NatureLife 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 inherent mental powers of the human being (if the individual is not held back by factors such as disasters, wars, famine, mass migration, hunger, etc. of course).ARTArticleTo Be In a State of Attentive ObservationSome 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.ARTArticleTo Become A Conscious Instrument of the Divine ForceThe Mother identifies a distinction between those of goodwill who are ‘unconscious’ instruments of the Divine, and those who can and do become ‘conscious’ instruments of the Divine. Those with good will and aspiration may be guided or impelled to undertake actions which support the divine intention in the manifestation. If they are not fully conscious instruments, however, they will tend to have limiting or contrary movements that partially deflect the true and powerful direction intention.ARTArticleTo Become Conscious of the Source of Our Thoughts, Feelings, and ActionsAs we are primarily based in our ego-consciousness, we tend to accept that ideas we have, feelings we have, emotions we express, needs and desires we seek after, are all what make up ourselves, our personality, our persistent individuality. We identify with a specific religion, political movement, philosophy, or way of life and we think that we somehow are independent and created this for ourselves.ARTArticleTransformation of Human Nature Requires a Shift of Standpoint Away From Absorption in the Actions and Reactions of the Exte
al BeingTransformation of human nature is not practical from a standpoint mired within that nature. Forces push the being in one direction or another, and the individual is under the power of the divergent drives put up by the physical, the vital and the mental being, compounded by the impact of the ever-changing balance of the three Gunas, or qualities of Nature, which either depress or accentuate the response to the various forces and drives acting on one aspect or another of the exte
al being.ARTArticleTransformation of Human Nature Requires the Action of the Psychic Being Connected to the Higher ConsciousnessThe exte
al life and its conditions tend to fixate the attention for most people to such a degree, that they are overwhelmed by the needs of the body, the impositions of the life-energy and the force of desire, and the focus and attention of the mind. Just trying to keep up with all the constant demands of the outer life turns into a “full-time job” and leaves most people with very little time, energy or peace of mind to turn to questions of the deeper significance of life and how one should interface with the divine consciousness that manifests the world.ARTArticleTransitioning the Human Consciousness from Ego-Centric to Soul-Centric BasisIn 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 consciousness, wherein the ego has played an important, essential role in bringing us to the stage where we can express individuality, reflect from an individual standpoint, and develop powers of insight, understanding and action based on the drive of the ego-personality and its individual nexus of experience.ARTArticleUnderstanding Conflicting Powers in the BeingIt is practically a universal experience among religious and spiritual seekers, and even among people who are simply developing some kind of an inner life, that they have an aspiration, a desire to consecrate themselves to some goal, principle or idea, and yet, they struggle with opposing predilections that cause them extreme distress. Some religious devotees, for instance, take on a vow of celibacy as part of their commitment to the religion they follow.ARTArticleUnderstanding Planes of Existence or Planes of ConsciousnessWe reflect on the evolution of consciousness, how Life evolves out of Matter and Mind evolves out of Life in Matter. Nothing can evolve that has not been previously involved, just as a tree can develop out of an acorn, because the genetic coding is 'involved' in that seed and under the proper conditions, it carries out the involved instruction set. This leads to the idea that in order for these levels of consciousness to 'involve' into Matter, they must exist somewhere independently.ARTArticleUnderstanding Societal Expectations and Their Impact on the Individual and His DevelopmentWe generally fail to recognise how much we tend to take on the coloration of the thoughts and feelings of those around us. Just as a chameleon will adapt its body color to blend into its physical environment, we tend to adapt our ideas, opinions, and feelings to match up with those with whom we associate. Even if we tend to take issue with certain things, we frequently remain quiet in the presence of those who would disagree with us, while becoming vocally active in the presence of those who would agree.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Causes and Prevention of IllnessThere are many ideas about the causes of illness, as well as ways to prevent or cure illness. In the West, the prevalent idea is related to what may be called the “germ invasion” theory, namely, that illness is caused by specific physical ‘germs’ (bacteria or viruses) which invade and overpower our physical body and cause disease, which our immune system then needs to be able to withstand and overcome.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Consciousness of the BodyIf we reflect on how many actions or operations of the physical body take place without our mental intervention, it becomes clear that the body has its own highly developed, and essential, form of consciousness that operates independently of the mind. One common example is widely experienced. An individual is walking across ice or some other slippery surface and suddenly starts to lose his balance. Before the mind can react, the body sets in motion a balancing routine and in many cases can prevent an outright fall to the ground.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Difference Between Psychic and SpiritualEvery language has its limitations, particularly surrounding areas of development that were not central to the people who developed and utilized that language. This makes it difficult to translate concepts that are self-evident in one language easily or effectively into another language. This has created substantial confusion and misunderstanding in all fields of life-activity and conceptual development. In some cases, an attempt is made to bring across the concept through a detailed explanation that tries to pick up and communicate the nuances.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Existence of and Interaction With the Higher Ranges of Consciousness Above the MindJust 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 operates also along a spectrum with different and increasing powers of consciousness active starting from the most dense, inert material consciousness, extending up through the vital levels and into the emotional and mental levels. Consciousness however does not stop at the mental level.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Limiting Frames of Our Existence and the Process for Breaking Free of the Bonds of those FramesAs long as we live within a certain frame of understanding, we cannot truly understand who or what we are, or why we do what we do, as we are bound by the limitations of that frame. Thus, as we are born in a particular culture, or a particular society, or a particular religious persuasion, or social setting, we tend to take on the habits, predilections, customs, and traits that pertain within that frame.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Mechanism of the Exte
al Nature and the Way to Overcome Its LimitationsAs the seeker attempts to follow a spiritual path, he frequently finds that he struggles with old habits, desires, feelings, cravings, emotions and ideas. He believes these are part of ‘who he is’ and he thus cannot find a way to overcome them, In some cases, he is deeply attached to some of these things as expressing his unique personality. He does not have any key as to how to go about a self-exceeding in this circumstance.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Multiple Personalities Within the BeingWestern psychologists have identified extreme cases of what they call ‘multiple personality disorder’. This is when an individual has divergent personalities that take over the frontal being and manifest themselves in different ways, in most cases suppressing the others to such a degree that the individual does not carry active knowledge of the thoughts or acts of the leading personality at any point in time to the other parts when any of them come forward.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Physical Body in its Gross and Subtle AspectsWhen a particular power of consciousness is intended to participate in the evolution in the exte
al world, it utilizes the physical body as the foundation or anchor of its action. This fixes its action in the world, while at the same time, imposes limits on the power due to the watering-down effect of having to leave its native, subtler world of unrestricted freedom within its own sphere, and acting within the limits imposed by material nature.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Physical Mind and the Process of ChangeThere is in Nature, a conservative force that resists change. There is a benefit inasmuch as it ensures that life does not devolve into chaos, and there is a further benefit that it forces the change-process to become much more solid and effective in order to eventually bring out the intended evolutionary result. The physical mind is that part of the mental aspect of the being which embodies this conservative force. It is rooted in the palpable, solid and visible exte
al world and does not recognise, or accept easily, the reality of vital worlds, mental worlds or spiritual worlds and powers.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Relationship of Various Parts and Planes of the Being to Our Current Exte
al Mental, Vital and Physical ConsciousnessSri Aurobindo frequently describes going inward to discover the deepest inner being, the psychic being, or soul, as one way to come into contact with the truth of one’s existence and unify one’s being with the Divine. This is a way to overcome the artificial wall of separation that we set up that treats the Divine as something “other” than who or what we are, essentially recognising the inherent oneness of the entire creation, rather than accepting the illusion of duality.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Separate Aspects of Being That Make Up the Human Individual’s PersonalityMost people look at what they consider to be their personality in a very simple and straightforward manner. The mixture of ideas, thought-process, emotional responses, vital reactions, desires and physical needs and cravings is simply ‘who they are’. When they conclude that something needs to change, they try any number of strategies such as invoking resolutions, development of will-power, or even, various forms of self-education and training of some aspect of their being.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Transmission of Our Vital InheritanceFew are those individuals who were conceived through a consecrated and conscious act of prayer and dedication by the parents. Those individuals are blessed with the opportunity to live a life of dedication and devotion.
Most people, however, are conceived without much thought or consideration going into the process, at least in terms of creating a pure, focused, dedicated, and consecrated process of conception. Many people of course consciously choose to have children, but do not go further than that they are willing for a child to be conceived.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Various Aspects of Mental ActivityWestern medical researchers have invested a considerable amount of time and attention on gaining an understanding of the way the brain functions, mapping the regions of the brain responsible for various types of activities, and monitoring the function of neurotransmitter chemicals and nervous system synapses in the way we perceive exte
al stimuli and the way we respond to the world. For Western science, the brain represents the operation of the ‘mind’.ARTArticleUnifying the Entire Being Around the Aspiration for the DivineA spiritual seeker identifies with his aspiration and the focus and actions that come about as a result of that aspiration. It may be acts of prayer, acts of giving, acts of consecration, acts of meditation, or dedicated works. During the moments that he is engaged in these acts, he feels like the spiritual purpose of his life is being carried out.ARTArticleUntying the Knot of the Ego-ConsciousnessAs long as an individual is locked within a framework of understanding, he is unable to truly recognise or exceed the limits of that framework. The ego-consciousness is such a frame of awareness. It creates the sense of a separate individual, apart and having his own autonomy in contra-distinction to the rest of the creation. It creates a sense of “self” and “other” that drives the individual to see things in a fragmented manner.ARTArticleUtilizing the Mental Power to Aid the Understanding of Our Complex BeingMany years ago, Sri M P Pandit suggested that a devotee write an article about the importance of precise bookkeeping and accounting while engaged in service. There was a prevailing sentiment that such ‘mental ideas’ were antithetical to the kind of absolute devotion and surrender that put everything in the hands of the Mother, and which thereby assumed that everything would work out, money would come as needed and everything would be properly handled.ARTArticleVital Energy in Ordinary Life and in the Spiritual LifeWe generally do not question the movements of the vital nature in our ordinary daily life. They are so much a part of what we consider to be human nature and human experience that we simply accept them and treat them as inevitable. It is true that human society has developed a framework within which such vital expressions are deemed acceptable, but this is a moving target depending on the society and the time.ARTArticleVital Motivations in Action May Disguise Their True Nature from the Spiritual SeekerIndividuals become famous as great philanthropists. Some pledge their wealth to a great cause, such as solving the climate crisis, others undertake to build hospitals or feed large numbers of people. These individuals are looked up to and used as examples of selfless individuals. Yet, a deeper examination generally finds that in most cases there is a vital motivation that prods the individual into this line of action and takes advantage of it for some form of vital fulfillment or satisfaction.ARTArticleWhat Is a ‘Natural” Response to Circumstances for the Human Individual?When we see any individual stopping to reflect, choose his line of action and make a specific, conscious determination of how to respond, we consider this action to be unnatural, stilted, and we imply that it is somehow subject to some kind of ulterior motive, and thus, tend to distrust it. Based on this general conception, we have a bias in favor of vital spontaneity, which we believe more perfectly expresses the true feelings of the individual than some kind of planned response.ARTArticleWhat Is a ‘Natural” Response to Circumstances for the Human Individual?When we see any individual stopping to reflect, choose his line of action and make a specific, conscious determination of how to respond, we consider this action to be unnatural, stilted, and we imply that it is somehow subject to some kind of ulterior motive, and thus, tend to distrust it. Based on this general conception, we have a bias in favor of vital spontaneity, which we believe more perfectly expresses the true feelings of the individual than some kind of planned response.