22
results found in
351 ms
Page 2
of 3
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/Independence from the Physical.htm
CHAPTER 8
Independence from the Physical
After
the mind and vital, the physical--the third instrument of the spirit in
us--plays a special role in Sri Aurobindo's yoga, since without it no divine
life is possible on this earth. We will only discuss now some points
of
preliminary experience, the very ones Sri Aurobindo discovered at the
beginning
of his yoga; indeed, the yoga of the body necessitates a far greater
development of consciousness than the one we have envisioned up until
now, for
the closer we come down to Matter, the higher the powers of
consciousness
required, because the resistance increases in proportion. Matter is the
place
of the greatest spi
REFERENCES
Most quotations refer to the complete edition of Sri
Aurobindo's works in 30 volumes (The Centenary Edition). Figures in bold
indicate the volume number. Other quotations are taken from the following
editions and books.
Sri Aurobindo: Essays on the Gita
(1959)
Sri Aurobindo: On Yoga II, Tome 2
(1958)
Sri Aurobindo: The Riddle of the World (1951)
Sri Aurobindo: Letters, 3rd series (1949)
Sri Aurobindo: Poems Past and Present (1952)
Sri Aurobindo: The Human Cycle
(1949)
Sri Aurobindo: On the Veda (1956)
Sri Aurobindo: The Life Divine
(1960)
Sri Aurobindo: The Ideal of the Karmayogin (1950)
A. B. Purani: Evening Talks with Sri Aurobindo (1959)
A. B. Purani: Life of Sr
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/An Accomplished Westerner.htm
CHAPTER 1
An Accomplished
Westerner
Humanly speaking, Sri Aurobindo is
close to us, because once we have respectfully bowed before the "wisdom
of
the East" and the odd ascetics who seem to make light of all our fine
laws, we find that our curiosity has been aroused but not our life; we
need a
practical truth that will survive our rugged winters. Sri Aurobindo knew
our
winters well; he experienced them as a student, from the age of seven
until
twenty. He lived from one lodging house to another at the whim of more
or less
benevolent landladies, with one meal a day, and not even an overcoat to
put on
his back, but always laden with books: the French symbolists, Mall
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/Consciousness.htm
CHAPTER 5
Consciousness
A disciple once had to make a
critical decision. He wrote to Sri Aurobindo for advice and was quite
puzzled
when he was told to make his decision from the "summit" of his
consciousness." He was a Westerner and wondered what on earth this could
mean. Was this "summit of consciousness" a special way of thinking
very intensely, a sort of enthusiasm produced when the brain warms up?
For this
is the only kind of "consciousness" we know in the West. For us,
consciousness is always a mental process: "I think, therefore I am."
Such is our own particular bias; we place ourselves at the center of the
world
and bestow the gift of consciousness upon all those who sha
INTRODUCTION
There once was a wicked Maharaja who
could not bear to think that anyone was superior to him. So he summoned
all the
pandits of the realm, as was the practice on momentous occasions, and
put to
them this question: "Which of us two is greater, I or God?" The
pandits began to tremble with fear. Being wise by profession, they asked
for
time; they were also concerned for their positions and their lives. Yet,
they
were worthy men who did not want to displease God. As they were
lamenting their
predicament, the oldest pandit reassured them: "Leave it to me. Tomorrow
I
shall speak to the Prince." The next day, the whole court was gathered
in
a solemn durbar when the old pa
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/The Transformation.htm
CHAPTER 17
The Transformation
The
manifestation of the Spirit in a supramental consciousness and in a new
body, a
new race, is something as inevitable as was the advent of Homo sapiens
after
the primates. The only real question now is whether this new evolution
will
take place with us or without us. This is how Sri Aurobindo expressed
the
dilemma: If a spiritual unfolding on earth is the hidden truth of our
birth
into Matter, if it is fundamentally an evolution of consciousness that
has been
taking place in Nature, then man as he is cannot be the last term of
that
evolution: he is too imperfect an expression of the spirit, mind itself a
too
limited form and instrument
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/The End Which Ever Begins Again.htm
CONCLUSION
The End
Which Ever Begins Again*
The realization of the Vedic rishis
has become a collective one. The Supermind has entered the
earth-consciousness,
descending right into the physical subconscient, at the last frontiers
of
Matter. There remains only one final bridge to cross for the connection
to be
established. A new world is born, said the Mother. At present,
we are
in the midst of a transitional period in which the two are intermingled:
the
old world hangs on, still very powerful, still controlling the ordinary
consciousness, but the new one is slipping in, so modest and unobtrusive
that,
externally, it doesn't change too much, for the momen
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/The Supramental Consciousness.htm
CHAPTER 15
The Supramental Consciousness
It is
quite difficult to define the supramental consciousness in mental terms,
for it
is nonmental by definition, and it defies all our three-dimensional laws
and
perspectives. The word itself may mislead us, because it is not an
epitome of
human consciousness, but another type of consciousness. We might try to
approach it by distinguishing two aspects, one of consciousness or
vision, and
one of power. But this means becoming caught in the mental trap again,
because
these two aspects are inseparable; this consciousness is power,
an active
vision. Often, when Sri Aurobindo and Mother tried to describe their
experience,
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/The Psychic Center.htm
CHAPTER 7
The Psychic Center
We are not the mind, since all our
thoughts come from a universal Mind vaster than ours; we are not the
vital, or
our feelings or actions, since all our impulses come from a universal
Vital
larger than ours; and we are not this body either, for its parts are
made of
Matter, which obeys universal laws greater than ours. What, then, is the
element in us that is not our environment, not our family, not our
traditions
or marriage or job, that is not the play of universal Nature in us or of
circumstances, yet gives us a sense of self, even if everything else
collapses--and especially when everything else has collapsed, at our
hour of truth?
In the c
Resource name: /E-Library/Disciples/Satprem/English/The Adventure of Consciousness/The Silent Mind.htm
CHAPTER 4
The Silent Mind
Mental Constructions
The first stage in Sri Aurobindo's
yoga, and the major task that opens the door to many realizations, is
mental
silence. Why mental silence, one may ask? Clearly, if we wish to
discover a new
country within us, we must first leave the old one behind; everything
depends
upon our determination in taking this first step. Sometimes it can
happen in a
flash. Something in us cries out: "Enough of this grinding!" We at
once are on our way, walking forth without ever looking back. Others say
yes
then no; they vacillate endlessly between two worlds. Let us
emphasize
here that the aim is not to amputate from ourselves any painfully
acqu