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SERIES NINE Series Nine
To a young teacher in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education.
Sweet Mother, With what attitude should I read Sri Aurobindo's books when they are difficult and when I don't understand? Savitri, The Life Divine, for example.
Read a little at a time, read again and again until you have understood.
Sri Aurobindo says: “Yoga is nothing but practical psychology.”¹ What does this sentence mean? The whole paragraph is not clear to me.
Because you know nothing about psychology. Study psychology and you will understand what he means.
Sri Aurobindo says: “In whatever form and with whatever spirit we approach him, in that form and with that spirit he receives the sacrifice.”² What does this mean?
It means that all we offer, we necessarily offer to the Supreme, because He is the sole Reality behind everything.
Sri Aurobindo has written: “He who chooses the Infinite has been chosen by the Infinite.”³ And what about the others, Mother? What good is life if the Divine does not want us? I believe that in truth the Divine has chosen us all; but what does this sentence mean, then?
¹The Synthesis of Yoga, Cent. Vol. 20, p. 39. ²Ibid., p. 102 ³Ibid., p. 47. Page –243 In truth the Divine has chosen everyone and everything, and everyone and everything will return to Him. But for some it will take thousands of lives, while for others it will happen in this very lifetime. This is what makes the difference. 23 May 1960 Sweet Mother, You have said that I do not think well. How can one develop one's thought?
You must read with much attention and concentration, not novels or dramas, but books that make you think. You must meditate on what you have read, reflect on a thought until you have understood it. Talk little, remain quiet and concentrated, and speak only when it is indispensable. 1 June 1960 Sweet Mother, You have asked the teachers “to think with ideas instead of with words”.¹ You have also said that later on you will ask them to think with experiences. Will you throw some light on these three ways of thinking?
Our house has a very high tower; at the very top of this tower there is a bright and bare room, the last before we emerge into the open air, into the full light. Sometimes, when we are free to do so, we climb up to this bright room, and there, if we remain very quiet, one or more visitors come to call on us; some are tall, others small, some single, others in groups; all are bright and graceful. Usually, in our joy at their arrival and our haste to welcome them, we lose our tranquillity and come galloping down to rush
¹On Education, Cent. Vol. 12, p. 187. Page – 244 into the great hall that forms the base of the tower and is the storeroom of words. Here, more or less excited, we select, reject, assemble, combine, disarrange, rearrange all the words in our reach, in an attempt to portray this or that visitor who has come to us. But most often, the picture we succeed in making of our visitor is more like a caricature than a portrait. And yet if we were wiser, we would remain up above, at the summit of the tower, quite calm, in joyful contemplation. Then, after a certain length of time, we would see the visitors themselves slowly, gracefully, calmly descend, without losing anything of their elegance or beauty and, as they cross the storeroom of words, clothe themselves effortlessly, automatically, with the words needed to make themselves perceptible even in the material house. This is what I call thinking with ideas. When this process is no longer mysterious to you, I shall explain what is meant by thinking with experiences. 1 June 1960 My dear child, I have just read your good letter. Fear nothing: those who are sincere in their aspiration will remain here and receive all the help needed to be able to change in themselves what needs to be changed. You can be sure that my force will always be with you so that you can make all the progress you want to make. Have confidence, my child; everything will be all right. 5 June 1960 Sweet Mother, Sri Aurobindo speaks of a “central knot of desires” which must be cut. How can one do it, where should one start? Page – 245 The central knot of desires is the sense of separate personality; it is the ego. With the disappearance of the ego, the desires disappear. 13 June 1960 Sweet Mother, One day in class you said, with your hands wide open, that we should give you everything, even our defects and vices and all the dirt in us. Is this the only way to get rid of them, and how can one do it?
One keeps one's defects because one hangs on to them as if they were something precious; one clings to one's vices as one clings to a part of one's body, and pulling out a bad habit hurts as much as pulling out a tooth. That is why one does not progress. Whereas if one generously makes an offering of one's defect, vice or bad habit, then one has the joy of making an offering and one receives in exchange the force to replace what has been given, by a better and truer vibration. 13 June 1960 Sweet Mother, It happens that when we love You deeply and are intimately in contact with You, we have the impression that the Divine belongs to us exclusively (and not that we belong to Him). Why?
The two are equally true and they ought to be felt simultaneously. But human egoism always has the tendency to take rather than to give. This is where that impression comes from. 3 July 1960 Sweet Mother, It is much easier for me to approach You than to approach Sri Aurobindo. Why? You are all that Sri Aurobindo is for us, as well as a divine and loving Mother. So is it necessary to try to establish the same relation with him?
You yourself have answered your own question. I am for you a mother who is very close to you, who loves and understands you; that is why it is easy for you to approach me with a loving confidence, without fear and without hesitation. Sri Aurobindo is always there to help you and guide you; but it is natural that you should approach Him with the reverence due to the Master of Yoga. 3 July 1960 Page – 246 Sweet Mother, What exactly is the soul or psychic being? And what is meant by the evolution of the psychic being? What is its relation to the Supreme?
The soul and the psychic being are not exactly the same thing, although their essence is the same. The soul is the divine spark that dwells at the centre of each being; it is identical with its Divine Origin; it is the divine in man. The psychic being is formed progressively around this divine centre, the soul, in the course of its innumerable lives in the terrestrial evolution, until the time comes when the psychic being, fully formed and wholly awakened, becomes the conscious sheath of the soul around which it is formed. And thus identified with the Divine, it becomes His perfect instrument in the world. 16 July 1960 Page – 247 Sweet Mother, You have said that once we have found our psychic being, we can never lose it. Isn't that so? But can we come into contact with it from time to time when we are receptive?
When you have established contact with your psychic being, it is, in effect, definitive. But before this contact is established, you can, in certain circumstances, consciously receive the psychic influence which always produces an illumination in the being and has more or less lasting effects. 16 July 1960 Sweet Mother, The soul individualises itself and progressively transforms itself into a psychic being. What are the best conditions for its rapid growth?
It would be more correct to say that the soul puts on a progressive individual form which becomes the psychic being. For since the soul is itself a portion of the Supreme, it is immutable and eternal. The psychic being is progressive and immortal. All the methods of self-knowledge, self-control and self-mastery are good. You have to choose the one that comes to you spontaneously and best corresponds to your nature. And once {247having chosen the method, you must use your intelligent will to apply it with an unfailing perseverance that does not shrink from any obstacle, any difficulty. It is a long and minute work which must be undertaken with sincerity and continued with an increasing sincerity ever more scrupulous and integral. The easy paths generally lead nowhere. 28 July 1960 Page – 248 Sweet Mother, Does an outer life of evil deeds and a base consciousness have an effect on the psychic being? Is there a possibility of its degradation?
A base and evil life can only have the effect of separating the outer being more and more completely from the psychic being, which retires into the depths of the higher consciousness and sometimes even cuts off all relation with the body, which is then usually possessed by an asuric or rakshasic being. The psychic being itself is above all possibility of degradation. 28 July 1960 Sweet Mother, How does the soul influence a being who is normally unconscious?
The soul's influence is a kind of radiance that penetrates through the most opaque substances and acts even in the unconsciousness. But then its action is slow and takes a very long time to obtain a perceptible result. 31 July 1960 Sweet Mother, Sri Aurobindo says that the voice of the ordinary conscience is not the voice of the soul. What is it then?
The voice of the ordinary conscience is an ethical voice, a moral voice which distinguishes between good and evil, encourages us to do good and forbids us to do evil. This voice is very useful in ordinary life, until one is able to become conscious of Page – 249 one's psychic being and allow oneself to be entirely guided by it – in other words, to rise above ordinary humanity, free oneself from all egoism and become a conscious instrument of the Divine Will. The soul itself, being a portion of the Divine, is above all moral and ethical notions; it bathes in the Divine Light and manifests it, but it can truly govern the whole being only when the ego has been dissolved. 12 August 1960 Sweet Mother, You have said that to be allowed to sit in Sri Aurobindo's room and meditate there, “one must have done much for Him”¹ What do You mean by that, Mother? What can one do for the Lord which will be this “much”?
To do something for the Lord is to give Him something of what one has or of what one does or of what one is. In other words, to offer Him a part of our belongings or all our possessions, to consecrate to Him a part of our work or all our activities, or to give ourselves to Him totally and unreservedly so that He can take possession of our nature in order to transform and divinise it. But there are many persons who, without giving anything, always want to take and to receive. These people are selfish and they are not worthy of meditating in Sri Aurobindo's room. 26 September 1960 Sweet Mother, How are the messages that You give us on Blessings days chosen? How should we read them and what new things in particular should we look for in them?
¹.Words of the Mother, Cent. Vol. 13, p. 29. Page – 250 The messages are usually chosen according to the occasion or the need of the moment, so that each person may be able to find in them either the force or the knowledge that will help him to make progress. In each one the will to progress is the needed thing that is what opens us to the divine influence and makes us capable of receiving what it brings us. 26 September 1960 Sweet Mother, Sri Aurobindo tells us: “First be sure of the call and of thy soul's answer”¹ before following the path of Yoga, or else the end will be a disaster. But how can we know if the call is really there or not? And as for our soul, would it not always choose Yoga?
Sri Aurobindo means that one should not mistake a mental ambition or a vital caprice for the spiritual call for that alone is a sure sign that one should take up Yoga. The spiritual call is heard only when the time has come, and then the soul responds and sets out on the path; it does not allow itself to be deceived by any ambition, pride or desire, and so long as it does not receive the Divine command to take up the path, it waits patiently, knowing that to start out too soon is useless, to say the least, and may be harmful. 17 October 1960 Sweet Mother, Sri Aurobindo tells us: “God's grace is more difficult to have or to keep than the nectar of the Immortals.”² What does this mean? Doesn't the Divine Grace always pour down on us, depending only on our receptivity?
¹Cent. Vol. 17, p. 39. ²{Cent. Vol. 17, p. 40. Page – 251 The Grace is always there, eternally present and active, but Sri Aurobindo says that it is extremely difficult for us to be in a condition to receive it, keep it and make use of what it gives us. Sri Aurobindo even says that it is more difficult than to drink from the cup of the gods who are immortal. To receive the divine grace, not only must one have a great aspiration, but also a sincere humility and an absolute trust. 17 October 1960 Sweet Mother, Why isn't it possible to live always on the same height of consciousness? Sometimes I fall despite every effort and aspiration. Sri Aurobindo speaks of a “period of assimilation”. What is it, Mother?
It is because an individual is not made up all of one piece, but of many different entities which are sometimes even contrary to one another: some want the spiritual life, others are attached to the things of this world. To make all these parts agree and to unify them is a long and difficult task. The force and the light received by the more developed parts spread gradually into the rest of the being by a process of assimilation, and during this period of assimilation the progress of the more developed parts seems to be interrupted. This is what Sri Aurobindo has spoken of. 29 October 1960 Sweet Mother, Often it is possible to live moments of supreme ecstasy because one is in contact with one's Personal Divine. How to approach the Transcendent Divine? Page – 252 It is utterly certain that if you were truly in contact with “your personal divine”, you would know perfectly well “how to approach the Transcendent Divine”. For the two are identical; it is only the mode of approach that differs: one is through the heart, the other through the mind. 29 October 1960 Sweet Mother, In the last question, I expressed myself very poorly and Your reply made me feel very insincere. What I wanted to say is that in our best moments of receptivity, we are in contact with a Presence to whom we feel an imperative need to give ourselves and who is the object of all our love and adoration. This Presence I have called the “Personal Divine”, who is in fact none other than You. I know that it is not possible to have a complete conception of the Divine at this stage. So now tell me, Mother, if it is possible to have an idea of the “Transcendent Divine”.
My reply contained the answer to your question, for I understood very well that you were not claiming anything, but had expressed yourself poorly. To discover the Transcendent Divine one has to follow the intellectual discipline, the way of knowledge, and by successive eliminations arrive at the one sole Truth, the Absolute beyond form and time and space. It is a long and difficult path, a very arduous path. Whereas with one's heart, one can set out to discover the Immanent Divine. And if one knows truly how to love, without desire or egoism, one finds Him very soon, for always He comes to meet you in order to help you. 12 November 1960 Page – 253 Sweet Mother, Sri Aurobindo tells us: “God in his perfection embraces everything; we also must become all-embracing.” There is a lot of misunderstanding among the young people about this sentence. What does it mean exactly?
It should be understood clearly that there is no question here of any physical embracing, as practical jokers with the tastes and habits of street-urchins might like to suggest and who seek in what Sri Aurobindo has written an excuse for their excesses. The divine embraces are embraces of soul and of consciousness, and they can be reproduced among human beings only by a widening of the consciousness, understanding and feelings a widening that enables you to understand everything and love everything, without preference or exclusiveness. 26 November 1960 Sweet Mother, We are told that before the children came to the Ashram, the conditions were a lot stricter and the discipline more rigorous. How and why have these conditions changed now?
Before the children came, only those who wanted to do sadhana were admitted to the Ashram, and the only habits and activities tolerated were those that were useful for the practice of sadhana. But as it would be unreasonable to demand that children should do sadhana, this rigidity had to disappear the moment the children were introduced into the Ashram. 26 November 1960 Page – 254
Sweet Mother, Is it possible to love You perfectly, absolutely, before finding the psychic being within us?
In terrestrial man, it is only the psychic being that knows true love. As for perfect love, it exists only in the Divine. 26 April 1961 Sweet Mother, In the New Year Message of 1961 You say: “This wonderful world of delight waiting at our gates for our call to come down upon earth” Will you please explain this? Hasn't it already come down?
It is not the world of delight that has come down, but only the supramental Light, Consciousness and Force. 26 April 1961 Sweet Mother, How can one most effectively call this wonderful world of delight?
An absolute sincerity in the aspiration. 26 April 1961 Sweet Mother, When this delight comes down, what will the visible results be in the world?
A generalised goodwill and harmony. 26 April 1961 Page – 255 Sweet Mother, These days they print your symbol and Sri Aurobindo's name on all sorts of things, on all the thousand and one little trifles of daily life which have to be thrown away once they have served their purpose, as for example matchboxes, pencils, toothbrushes, combs, even the borders of a sari, which are much trampled on. Is it good to use these precious things in such a free and common way? And then what can we do with these things, Mother, when we no longer need them? We can't throw them away. The old calendars, for example; we have a thick pile of them.
The Lord is everywhere, in everything, in what we throw away as in what we keep preciously, in what we trample on as in what we adore. We must learn to live with respect and never forget His constant and immutable Presence. 2 June 1961 If you are speaking of calendars with photographs, it is preferable to cut out the photos, and if you do not want to keep them, give them to X who makes good use of them. And if you are telling me that the photos are damaged, this will make you understand how necessary it is to take care of the things we use. That is what I mean when I speak of living with respect. June 1961 Sweet Mother, Is there a dynamic and rapid way to find one's psychic being and to raise one's consciousness?
The only way that can be rapid is to think only of that and to want only that. It is effective, but not very practical for the work! 27 May 1963 Page – 256 |
