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ARTArticleUnderstanding the Defense Mechanism of RationalizationWe can clearly see the influence of the vital on the mind when we understand the lengths to which the mind will go to justify satisfaction of the needs, desires or actions of the vital nature. The defense mechanism of ‘rationalization’ is a clear example. We understand, intellectually, that something should not be done. In fact, if someone else were to do it, we would castigate them for the action. Yet, we find ourselves not only accepting, but justifying the action when our vital nature wants to do it (or has done it).ARTArticleUnderstanding the Inner BeingAs long as we remain on the surface of our being, and rely entirely on the physical senses and the nervous system of the vital being and the mental processes focused on these outer sensations, actions and phenomena, the inner depths of our being remain hidden from us, occult, and not quite treated as real.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Larger Being of Man and the Process of Transformation of the SubconsciousWestern psychoanalysis focused on a specific segment of the overall human psychological makeup, an area that deals with vestigial instincts and suppressed desires and urges. Obviously any opening and examination of this aspect is fraught with both conce
s and dangers for the individual seeking to deal with these subconscious forces.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Limitations of the Mechanical MindAt a very basic, rudimentary level, less developed in the evolutionary scale than the physical mind, lies what is termed the ‘mechanical mind’. This level relies heavily on programmed repetition. It is programmed to have a simple instruction set, to repeat continuously whatever ‘sets off’ its routine.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Limitations of the Physical MindWe are used to superimposing our higher intellectual control on the physical mind and its operations. The physical mind still acts, but we generally limit its application through this process. At the same time, however, we do not consciously pay attention to its action or the impact of that action on our overall ability to understand and function in our lives.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Moods of the Vital ConsciousnessWhen we are busy fulfilling our desires or ambitions, we notice that the vital energy is generally plentiful and positive, we forget about fatigue and want to carry on with exuberance. This is the normal status of the vital energy carrying out its habitual functions in human life and society. There is a ‘gusto’ to life that is palpable and which weaves itself into whatever we are doing.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Nature of Fear and Its Effects on the BeingWherever 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.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Role, Nature and Action of the Vital MindThe vital mind is the dominant process for most people in the world today who live an exte
al life and work toward some form of fulfillment, success, progress or development in their lives and in their relations to family, friends, community and their society. Very few, comparatively, are those who are predominantly based in the true mental process of the thinking mind or intellect.ARTArticleUnderstanding the Various Causes of Visions of Deities, Saints and SagesThe transcription of inner events and experiences into our mental framework will generally utilize symbols, images and personalities which fit into our background, education, and experience, so as to build a link and acceptance through use of familiar images. We frequently find recounted the appearance of Jesus or the Virgin Mary to those who follow the Christian faith, while a Hindu may see Krishna (or any other Deity, Saint or Sage in the various traditional forms of worship), and a Buddhist, Lord Buddha.ARTArticleUnderstanding Vital Dissatisfaction and Withdrawal of EnergyThere are times when we feel a total lack of inspiration and energy. Dullness pervades, there is no initiative or interest in anything. These times come in the ordinary day to day life, but they are covered up with distractions, entertainment, intoxication, and vital forms of enjoyment. The vital nature thrives on such distractions generally, so the dullness, boredom, lack of drive are forgotten in the excitement of the vital stimuli.ARTArticleUnderstanding, Utilizing and Balancing One’s Vital Energy ReservesWhen we consider the way we take in and expend energy in our lives, we start by looking at food as the source of energy. Food represents the conversion of solar energy into biological energy through the medium of photosynthesis and (for those who eat animal foods), the conversion of the plant material into animal flesh through eating by the animal. The ultimate source of energy from food is therefore the sun.ARTArticleViolence and Non-Violence — in Life and in Yoga‘The law of the jungle.’ ‘Dog eat dog’. ‘Survival of the fittest.’ ‘Darwinian evolution.’ These ideas illustrate the way we understand life on earth, and its requirements for survival and success in worldly life. When Jesus proclaimed ‘the meek shall inherit the earth’, he expressed an idea that until now has shown no signs of coming to pass. He asked people to ‘beat your swords into plowshares’, but we have more ‘swords’ today than ever.ARTArticleViolence and Spiritual ChangeThrough ambition or impatience, the spiritual seeker may try to rush the spiritual progress, and in many cases, this is attempted through various forms of overt or sublimated violence. The overt forms include various extreme penances or even self-punishment, while the sublimated forms may include internal reactions of self-doubt, suicidal thoughts, or inner turmoil of struggle. All of this, however, simply reinforces the focus on and strength of the ego-consciousness, and thus, does not achieve the intended result.ARTArticleVital Disturbances Arise from Universal Nature and Bring Forth Habitual ResponsesIn The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo explores the boundaries of the Ignorance and a framework for attaining knowledge. He describes at some length, the ‘circumconscient’ influence on what we believe are our own internal actions and reactions. We view ourselves through the ego-consciousness and believe we are different and separate from the universal manifestation. Yet, we are formed by, and respond according to, the forces active in the wider creation. The ego represents a nexus or standpoint, but it does not originate the energies that are active.ARTArticleVital Movements Rising Up During the Practice of the YogaEvery individual has all the long-established vital movements embedded deep in the nature. When the force of the yoga begins to open up the various energy centers, particularly the vital centers, these movements are stirred and use the opportunity to capitalize on the new energy and try to fulfill themselves. It is essential that the vital centers open to the action of the higher force, and it is quite common that the seeker will have to face the pressure of these lower movements trying to overwhelm him as this occurs.ARTArticleWaking and Sleep, Day and NightDuring daytime, we see the sun, the atmosphere and the world around us, and our thoughts and activities, for the most part, are focused on the life of the world. At night, we see the vast ranges of space and the myriad of stars, and can thereby recognise that our world is a small part of a much larger and more complex universal creation. Similarly, our waking mind is preoccupied within the framework and limits of the life of the day, while our sleep state moves beyond these boundaries and can openly participate in the wider reality within which the human waking state is just a small element.ARTArticleWesterners and Indian Yoga, Part 1: Is It Possible For Westerns to Practice Yoga?The question is frequently raised as to whether Westerners, with a background and culture grounded in materialism, the fulfillment of the vital ambitions and desires, and the development of the mental faculties, can truly enter into the spirit of yoga and obtain the fruits of the yogic practice in the same way as people who stem from the culture of India, with its long history of spiritual practice and cultural inclinations towards devotion and prayer. There are numerous questions that arise from such an inquiry and Sri Aurobindo takes them up systematically.ARTArticleWesterners and Indian Yoga, Part 2: A Hindu Temperament in a Westerner’s Body?When a Westerner takes up a serious yogic practice, they frequently hear that they must be Hindu souls born into Western bodies. They are then viewed as somehow anomalous to the cast of mind, vital force and emotions that tend to develop through life-long exposure to Western culture, educational systems and social interactions. In some cases, there is speculation about whether they have taken prior births in India and are continuing the yogic practices of the past.ARTArticleWesterners and Indian Yoga, Part 3: Are There Advantages to an Indian Birth for the Practice of Yoga?If we look at the qualities required for bringing about the emergence of the psychic being, the development of a devotional attitude, and support for the idea of focusing on the Ete
al through subordination or even abandonment of the relations of the outer life, it is clear that India has developed an atmosphere and cultural support structure that can be of advantage for the seeker at certain stages of the quest.ARTArticleWesterners and Indian Yoga, Part 4: Obstacles Faced by Westerners and the Soul’s Aspiration to Overcome Them in the Integral YogaAll human beings, regardless of whether they are born in the West, the East, or elsewhere, find the challenges of taking up yoga to be daunting and requiring of them unstinting efforts to understand the obstacles, and identify and implement ways to overcome them. With its long history of support for spiritual practices, India has clearly at least some advantage in terms of preparing the ground for systematic spiritual effort.ARTArticleWesterners and Indian Yoga, Part 5: the Yogic Path Is Not Limited by Race, Origin or Religious or Cultural BackgroundThe objective of the integral yoga is to support the evolutionary process of the development and integration of the next stage of consciousness, beyond the mental consciousness. This step is necessary to overcome the limitations of the current mental framework which have helped create the existential crisis we are facing in the world today. This is not a yoga intended solely for individual salvation. As it is working to support an evolutionary process, it necessarily involves all of humanity in some way or another.ARTArticleWhat Does Sri Aurobindo Mean by Transformation of the Nature?In setting forth a goal of transformation of the nature through the advent of the spiritual consciousness and the supramental level, Sri Aurobindo goes beyond the goals of other traditional spiritual paths which have ‘liberation’ as the goal. He describes the impact of each new manifestation of consciousness as representing a radical change that affects the preceding levels. This occurred with the advent of the vital life-force in a world of physical matter, and can be seen also in the advent of mind in a world of life and matter.ARTArticleWhat Is Cosmic Consciousness?Our normal human consciousness revolves around the standpoint and awareness of our ego-personality. We look at things from our own viewpoint, and determine our relation to everything that takes place based on how we perceive these things to impact the ego. We tend to treat the universal creation in reference to ourselves, such as believing and acting on the belief that the sun revolves around the earth. This earth-centric viewpoint is an extension of our individual ego-centric viewpoint.ARTArticleWhat Is Meant By the Concept of Mental Health?For the most part, Western psychology is focused on treating what is considered ‘abnormal’ in order to help an individual fit into society and act ‘normally’. Much focus is put on exte
al causes of various forms of disturbance and how the individual can adjust, adapt or respond to those disturbances. The approach leads to a constant need for ‘therapy sessions’ as there are countless causes of disturbance, looked at from an exte
al standpoint, all the time in everyone’s life.ARTArticleWhat is the Atman? How Do We Experience the Self?As long as we are enmeshed in the ego-life, it is essentially impossible to conceive of the status or existence of the Atman. We relate to the physical world, we relate to other individuals as if we are just this limited human existence and being, we perceive and react to everything from our own egoistic framework.ARTArticleWhat Is Transformation of the Nature?Sri Aurobindo describes a goal for humanity which involves a change of consciousness and the transformation of human nature. There is considerable debate about whether it is possible to change human nature, or whether we are doomed to be stuck in our animal nature for all times. Sri Aurobindo acknowledges that the process of changing human nature is difficult, that the long-held habits of the physical and vital nature of man continue to exert their strong control over our actions, despite our highest ideals and mental conceptions.ARTArticleWhere Does Desire Come From?Everyone experiences the tug of desire. We observe something and suddenly we want to have it. We experience something pleasant and we want to have it happen once again. Sometimes we feel a sudden urge for something after being exposed to a commercial message. At other times we can simply be in a room where people are engaged in exercising the impulse of desire of various sorts and we find that the vibration of desire wells up within us. This is considered to be a normal part of life, so most people do not even pay attention to the process or the result.ARTArticleWhich Gemstone is good for you?One of the important sub-branches of Astrology is Vedic Gemology which ideally suggests that the Ruby ( Manak ) should be worn on the Right-hand Ring finger. Further, it is said that it should most ideally be set in Gold. These are all well-established norms for thousands of years.ARTArticleWhy astrology is a super science?Often when I use the word super science for Hindu astrology with Lahiri ayanamsha and seven, seven only, karakas of Jaimini, many people mistake it for Hindu chauvinism without understanding that our Rishis are super scientists.
Those of the Rishis who were doing astrology had three excellences --technical, intellectual, and moral--all combined in a harmonious manner as cannot be seen in any country, civilization, or century in the entire history of the world.ARTArticleWhy Do Some People Believe the Practice of Yoga Causes Illness or Death?People in the West who have been introduced to yoga, primarily Hatha Yoga, come to understand that there can be substantial health benefits to the practice of yoga. Meditation has also been shown to help reduce stress, aid in achieving rest and sleep, and thereby enhance health for the practitioner. With all of these known and supported benefits, we still see that in some people’s minds there is a connection between ill health and yoga.