SOME FUNDAMENTALS Auroville and Religions We want the Truth. For most men, it is what they want that they label truth. The Aurovilians must want the Truth whatever it may be. Auroville is for those who want to live a life essentially divine but who renounce all religions whether they be ancient, modern, new or future. It is only in experience that there can be knowledge of the Truth. No one ought to speak of the Divine unless he has had experience of the Divine. Get experience of the Divine, then alone will you have the right to speak of it. The objective study of religions will be a part of the historical study of t

THE MOTHER ON First Edition 1977, Reprinted 1993, 1999 © Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry, India. Published by Madanlal Himatsingka on behalf of Vak Trust, Pondicherry - 605002 Filmset and printed at All India Press, Pondicherry - 605001 This is a collection of messages, talks and answers from The Mother which relate to Auroville. It is not exhaustive but fairly complete. With the exception of three passages in the second chapter (A Dream, The Ideal Town, Synthesis of Cultures) all the items included here refer specifically to Auroville. An asterisk* following the dat

THE MOTHER ON   AUROVILLE   Content   Pre-Content   Post-Content     The Vision and The Soul The Soul: The Matrimandir   Conception and Birth A Dream; The Ideal Town; Synthesis of cultures; Divine Initiation; New Consciousness; Auroville Symbol; Auroville Charter.   To Be A True Aurovilian Conditions for Living in Auroville   Some Fundamentals Auroville and Religions; Unity, Harmony, Collaboration; Work and Discipline; Truth and Falsehood; Money; Cleanliness;

CONCEPTION AND BIRTH A Dream There should be somewhere upon earth a place that no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of good will, sincere in their aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the supreme Truth; a place of peace, concord, harmony, where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his suffering and misery, to surmount his weakness and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the care for progress would get precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passion

Matrimandir Construction Q : For the construction of the Matrimandir, will only Aurovilians do the work or will there also be hired workers and other people of good will? It is preferable that the work be organised without paid labour so that it is sure to continue in all circumstances. 16.2.1971 * As we are in a period of construction, it is imperative that the Aurovilians who live at the Centre work on the construction of the Matrimandir. Those who do not want to work on the Matrimandir should not live at the Centre. 10.4.1971 * The safety and strength of the construction should come before personal qu

GUIDANCE IN YOGA Moral laws have only a very relative value from the point of view of Truth, besides they vary considerably according to the country, the climate and the period. Discussions are generally sterile and without productive value. If each individual makes a personal effort of perfect sincerity, uprightness and good will, the best conditions for the work will be realised. (Reply to a member of the Auroville study group) Aug, 1966 * Everything can be part of "sadhana"; it depends on the inner attitude. Naturally, if one lets himself be invaded by the Western atmos-rhere, farewell to the sadhana. But even in the most ma

Money The conflict about money is what might be called a "conflict of ownership", but the truth is that money belongs to no one. This idea of possessing money has warped everything. Money should not be a "possession": like power it is a means of action which is given to you, but you must use it according to... what we can call the "will of the Giver", that is, in an impersonal and enlightened way. If you are a good instrument for diffusing and utilising money, then it comes to you, and it comes to you in proportion to your capacity to use it as it is meant to be used. That is the true mechanism. The true attitude is this: money is a force intended for the work on earth, the wo

Life-aspects (To find the necessary funds for Auroville one could proceed in the following manner: Find in every country a very wealthy person who would be the centre for collecting funds for Auroville. Advantages: Such a person would carry weight, would be an example for the others and would never give the impression of begging.) In principle this way is alright. But in practice, and to avoid all possibility of failure (because failure would have a deplorable effect), we must wait for an indication from circumstances of which I will be immediately informed. And then I will give the signal to go ahead. Nov , 1965 * Begging is not permitte

The Aspiration Talks (From March to July 1970, the Mother met a group of people from Aspiration each week. Some of the meetings were a bath of silence', in others she would answer questions. The Mother wanted to revise the texts of these talks before publication, but this did not happen. Here are some extracts edited by the compiler.) We would like to speak to you about work in Aspiration. What we would like to know, what we are looking for is the right attitude.... What is the trouble? The trouble is.... Each one pulls in his own direction. Each one pulls in his own direction. No one is really in contact with what is true.... We should t

TO BE A TRUE AUROVILIAN Conditions for Living in Auroville 1.The first thing needed is the inner discovery, to find out what one truly is behind social, moral, cultural, racial and hereditary appearances. At the centre there is a being, free and vast and knowing, who awaits our discovery and who should become the active centre of our being and our life in Auroville. 2.One lives in Auroville to be free from moral and social conventions; but this freedom must not be a new enslavement to the ego, to its desires and ambitions. The fulfilment of one's desires bars the way to the inner discovery which can only be achieved in the peace and t