{"id":1117,"date":"2013-07-13T01:32:39","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:32:39","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:32:39","slug":"06-the-foundation-of-sadhana-vol-23-letters-on-yoga-volume-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/23-letters-on-yoga-volume-23\/06-the-foundation-of-sadhana-vol-23-letters-on-yoga-volume-23","title":{"rendered":"-06_The Foundation of Sadhana.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\nS<\/font>ECTION<\/font>
\nF<\/font>OUR<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

The Foundation of Sadhana<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

                I<\/font><\/b>T<\/font>
\nis not possible to make a foundation in yoga if the mind is restless. The first
\nthing needed is quiet in the mind. Also to merge the personal consciousness is
\nnot the first aim of the yoga: the first aim is to open it to a higher
\nspiritual consciousness and for this also a quiet mind is the first need.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first thing to do in the
\nsadhana is to get a settled peace and silence in the mind. Otherwise you may
\nhave experiences, but nothing will be permanent. It is in the silent mind that
\nthe true consciousness can be built.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A quiet mind
\ndoes not mean that there will be no thoughts or mental movements at all, but
\nthat these will be on the surface and you will feel your true being within
\nseparate from\u00a0 <\/span>them, observing but not
\ncarried away, able to watch and judge them and reject all that has to be
\nrejected and to accept and keep to all that is true consciousness and true
\nexperience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Passivity of the
\nmind is good, but take care to be passive only to the Truth and to the touch of
\nthe Divine Shakti. If you are passive to the suggestions and influences of the
\nlower nature, you will not be able to progress or else you will expose yourself
\nto adverse forces which may take you far away from the true path of yoga.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aspire to the
\nMother for this settled quietness and calm of the mind and this constant sense
\nof the inner being in you standing back from the external nature and turned to
\nthe Light and Truth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The forces that
\nstand in the way of sadhana are the forces of the lower mental, vital and
\nphysical nature. Behind them are adverse powers of the mental, vital and subtle
\nphysical worlds. These can be dealt with only after the mind and heart have <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 635<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

become one-pointed and
\nconcentrated in the single aspiration to the Divine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first step is a quiet mind \u2013
\nsilence is a further step, but quietude must be there; and by a quiet mind I
\nmean a mental consciousness within which sees thoughts arrive to it and move
\nabout but does not itself feel that it is thinking or identifying itself with
\nthe thoughts or call them its own. Thoughts, mental movements may pass through
\nit as wayfarers appear and pass from elsewhere through a silent country \u2013 the
\nquiet mind observes them or does not care to observe them, but, in either case,
\ndoes not become active or lose its quietude. Silence is more than quietude; it
\ncan be gained by banishing thought altogether from the inner mind keeping it
\nvoiceless or quite outside; but more easily it is established by a descent from
\nabove\u2014one feels it coming down, entering and occupying or surrounding the
\npersonal consciousness which then tends to merge itself in the vast impersonal
\nsilence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To quiet the mind in such a way
\nthat no thoughts will come is not easy and usually takes time. The most
\nnecessary thing is to feel a quietude in the mind so that if thoughts come they
\ndo not disturb or hold the mind or make it follow them, but simply cross and
\npass away. The mind first becomes the witness of the passage of thought and not
\nthe thinker, afterwards it is able not to watch the thoughts but lets them pass
\nunnoticed and concentrates in itself or on the object it chooses without
\ntrouble. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are two
\nmain things to be secured as the foundations of sadhana \u2013 the opening of the
\npsychic being and the realisation of the Self above. For the opening of the
\npsychic being, concentration on the Mother and self-offering to her are the
\ndirect way. The growth of Bhakti which you feel is the first sign of the
\npsychic development. A sense of the Mother’s presence or force or the
\nremembrance of her supporting and strengthening you is the next sign.
\nEventually, the soul within begins to be active in <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 636<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

aspiration and psychic perception
\nguiding the mind to the right thoughts, the vital to the right movements and
\nfeelings, showing and rejecting all that has to be put away and turning the
\nwhole being in all its movements to the Divine alone. For the self-realisation,
\npeace and silence of the mind are the first condition. Afterwards one begins to
\nfeel release, freedom, wideness, to live in a consciousness silent, tranquil,
\nuntouched by any or all things, existing everywhere and in all, one with or
\nunited with the Divine. Other experiences come on the way, or may come, such as
\nthe opening of the inner vision, the sense of the Force working within and
\nvarious movements and phenomena of the working etc. One may also be conscious
\nof ascents of the consciousness and descents of Force, Peace, Bliss or Light
\nfrom above.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Silence is always good; but I do
\nnot mean by quietness of mind entire silence. I mean a mind free from
\ndisturbance and trouble, steady, light and glad so as to open to the Force that
\nwill change the nature. The important thing is to get rid of the habit of the
\ninvasion of troubling thoughts, wrong feelings, confusion of ideas, unhappy
\nmovements. These disturb the nature and cloud it and make it difficult for the
\nForce to work; when the mind is quiet and at peace, the Force can work more
\neasily. It should be possible to see things that have to be changed in you
\nwithout being upset or depressed; the change is the more easily done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The difference between a vacant
\nmind and a calm mind is this: that when the mind is vacant, there is no
\nthought, no conception, no mental action of any kind, except an essential
\nperception of things without the formed idea; but in the calm mind, it is the
\nsubstance of the mental being that is still, so still that nothing disturbs it.
\nIf thoughts or activities come, they do not rise at all out of the mind, but
\nthey come from outside and cross the mind as a flight of birds crosses the sky
\nin a windless air. It passes, <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 637<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

disturbs nothing, leaving no
\ntrace. Even if a thousand images or the most violent events pass across it, the
\ncalm stillness remains as if the very texture of the mind were a substance of
\neternal and indestructible peace. A mind that has achieved this calmness can
\nbegin to act, even intensely and powerfully, but it will keep its fundamental
\nstillness \u2013 originating nothing from itself but receiving from Above and giving
\nit a mental form without adding anything of its own, calmly, dispassionately,
\nthough with the joy of the Truth and the happy power and light of its passage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is not an undesirable thing
\nfor the mind to fall silent, to be free from thoughts and still \u2013 for it is
\noftenest when the mind falls silent that there is the full descent of a wide
\npeace from above and in that wide tranquillity the realisation of the silent
\nSelf above the mind spread out in its vastness everywhere. Only, when there is
\nthe peace and the mental silence, the vital mind tries to rush in and occupy
\nthe place or else the mechanical mind tries to raise up for the same purpose
\nits round of trivial habitual thoughts. What the sadhak has to do is to be
\ncareful to reject and hush these outsiders, so that during the meditation at
\nleast the peace and quietude of the mind and vital may be complete. This can be
\ndone best if you keep a strong and silent will. That will is the will of the
\nPurusha behind the mind; when the mind is at peace, when it is silent one can
\nbecome aware of the Purusha, silent also, separate from the action of the
\nnature.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To be calm,
\nsteady, fixed in the spirit, dhīra<\/i>,
\nsthira<\/i>, this quietude of the mind,
\nthis separation of the inner Purusha from the outer Prakriti is very helpful,
\nalmost indispensable. So long as the being is subject to the whirl of thoughts
\nor the turmoil of the vital movements, one cannot be thus calm and fixed in the
\nspirit. To detach oneself, to stand back from them, to feel them separate from
\noneself is indispensable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the
\ndiscovery of the true individuality and building up of it in the nature, two
\nthings are necessary, first, to be conscious of one’s psychic being behind the
\nheart and, next, this separation of the Purusha from the Prakriti. For the true
\nindividual <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 638<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

is behind veiled by the
\nactivities of the outer nature.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is simply because you are full
\nof mental and vital activities and relations. One must get the power to quiet
\nthe mental and vital, if not at first at all times, yet whenever one wills \u2013
\nfor it is the mind and vital that cover up the psychic being as well as the
\nself (Atman) and to get at either one must get in through their veil; but if
\nthey are always active and you are always identified with their activities, the
\nveil will always be there. It is also possible to detach yourself and look at
\nthese activities as if they were not your own but a mechanical action of Nature
\nwhich you observe as a disinterested witness. One can then become aware of an
\ninner being which is separate, calm and uninvolved in Nature. This may be the
\ninner mental or vital Purusha and not the psychic, but to get at the
\nconsciousness of the inner manomaya<\/i>
\nand prāņamaya<\/i> puruşa<\/i> is always a step towards the
\nunveiling of the psychic being. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

         Yes, it would be better to get full control of
\nthe speech \u2013 it is an important step towards going inward and developing a true
\ninner and yogic consciousness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Remember first that an inner
\nquietude, caused by the purification of the restless mind and vital, is the
\nfirst condition of a secure sadhana. Remember next, that to feel the Mother’s
\npresence while in external action is already a great step and one that cannot
\nbe attained without a considerable inner progress. Probably, what you feel you
\nneed so much but cannot define is a constant and vivid sense of the Mother’s
\nforce working in you, descending from above and taking possession of the
\ndifferent planes of your being. That is often a prior condition for the twofold
\nmovement of ascent and descent; it will surely come in time. These things can
\ntake a long time to begin visibly, especially when the mind is accustomed to be
\nvery active and has not the habit of mental silence. When that veiling activity
\nis there, much work <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 639<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

has to be carried on behind the
\nmobile screen of the mind and the sadhak thinks nothing is happening when
\nreally much preparation is being done. If you want a more swift and visible
\nprogress, it can only be by bringing your psychic to the front through a
\nconstant self-offering. Aspire intensely, but without impatience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keep the quietude and do not mind
\nif it is for a time an empty quietude; the consciousness is often like a vessel
\nwhich has to be emptied of its mixed or undesirable contents; it has to be kept
\nvacant for a while till it can be filled with things new and true, right and
\npure. The one thing to be avoided is the refilling of the cup with the old
\nturbid contents. Meanwhile wait, open yourself upwards, call very quietly and
\nsteadily, not with a too restless eagerness, for the peace to come into the
\nsilence and, once the peace is there, for the joy and the presence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Calm, even if it seems at first
\nonly a negative thing, is so difficult to attain, that to have it at all must
\nbe regarded as a great step in advance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In reality, calm
\nis not a negative thing, it is the very nature of the Sat-Purusha and the
\npositive foundation of the divine consciousness. Whatever else is aspired for
\nand gained, this must be kept. Even Knowledge, Power, Ananda, if they come and
\ndo not find this foundation, are unable to remain and have to withdraw until
\nthe divine purity and peace of the Sat-Purusha are permanently there. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aspire for the
\nrest of the divine consciousness, but with a calm and deep aspiration. It can
\nbe ardent as well as calm, but not impatient, restless or full of rajasic
\neagerness. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Only in the
\nquiet mind and being can the supramental Truth build its true creation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

First aspire and pray to the
\nMother for quiet in the mind, purity, <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 640<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

calm and peace, an awakened
\nconsciousness, intensity of devotion, strength and spiritual capacity to face
\nall inner and outer difficulties and go through to the end of the yoga. If the
\nconsciousness awakens and there is devotion and intensity of aspiration, it
\nwill be possible for the mind, provided it learns quietude and peace, to grow
\nin knowledge.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To be calm, undisturbed and quiet
\nis not the first condition for sadhana but for siddhi. It is only a few people
\n(very few, one, two, three, four in a hundred sadhaks) who can get it from the
\nfirst. Most have to go through a long preparation before they can get anywhere
\nnear it. Even afterwards when they begin to feel the peace and calm, it takes
\ntime to establish it \u2013 they swing between peace and disturbance for a fairly
\nlong time until all parts of the nature have accepted the truth and the peace.
\nSo there is no reason for you to suppose you cannot progress or arrive. You are
\nfinding a great difficulty with one part of your nature which has been
\naccustomed to open itself to these feelings, separation from the Mother and
\nattachment to relatives, and is not willing to give them up \u2013 that is all. But
\neverybody finds such obstinate difficulties in that part of the nature, even
\nthe most successful sadhaks here. One has to persevere until the light conquers
\nthere.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One can go forward even if there
\nis not peace \u2013 quietude and concentration are necessary. Peace is necessary for
\nthe higher states to develop.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 II<\/b> <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The words \u201cpeace, calm, quiet,
\nsilence\u201d have each their own shade of meaning, but it is not easy to define
\nthem. <\/p>\n

Peace \u2013 śānti<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Calm \u2013 sthiratā<\/i>. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 641<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

            Quiet \u2013\u00a0 <\/span>aca\u00f1calatā.<\/i><\/p>\n

Silence \u2013 niścala-nīravatā.<\/i><\/p>\n

Quiet<\/i> is a condition in which there is
\nno restlessness or disturbance.<\/p>\n

Calm<\/i> is a still unmoved condition which
\nno disturbance can affect \u2013 it is a less negative condition than quiet.<\/p>\n

Peace<\/i> is a still more positive condition;
\nit carries with it a sense of settled and harmonious rest and deliverance.<\/p>\n

Silence<\/i> is a state in which either there
\nis no movement of the mind or vital or else a great stillness which no surface
\nmovement can pierce or alter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quiet is rather negative \u2013 it is
\nthe absence of disturbance.<\/p>\n

Calm is a
\npositive tranquillity which can exist in spite of superficial disturbances.<\/p>\n

Peace is a calm
\ndeepened into something that is very positive amounting almost to a tranquil
\nwaveless Ananda.<\/p>\n

Silence is the
\nabsence of all motion of thought or other vibration of activity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Calm is a strong and positive
\nquietude, firm and solid \u2013 ordinary quietude is mere negation, simply the
\nabsence of disturbance.<\/p>\n

Peace is a deep
\nquietude where no disturbance can come \u2013 a quietude with a sense of established
\nsecurity and release.<\/p>\n

In complete
\nsilence there are either no thoughts or thoughts come, but they are felt as
\nsomething coming from outside and not disturbing the silence.<\/p>\n

Silence of the
\nmind, peace or calm in the mind are three things that are very close together
\nand bring each other.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quietness is when the mind or
\nvital is not troubled, restless, drawn about by or crowded with thoughts and
\nfeelings. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 642<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Especially when either is
\ndetached and looks at these as a surface movement, we say that the mind or
\nvital is quiet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Calmness is a
\nmore positive condition, not merely an absence of restlessness, over-activity
\nor trouble. When there is a clear or great or strong tranquillity which nothing
\ntroubles or can trouble, then we say that calm is established.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These [tranquillity and
\nstillness] are general words, of a general, not a special yogic significance.
\nQuiet, calm and peace can all be described as tranquillity: silence is akin to
\nwhat is meant by stillness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is the silence of the mind and
\nvital \u2013 silence implying here not only cessation of thoughts but a stillness of
\nthe mental and vital substance. There are varying degrees of depth of this
\nstillness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first is the ordinary
\nfundamental calm of the individual Adhar \u2013 the second is the fundamental
\nlimitless calm of the cosmic consciousness, a calm which abides whether
\nseparated from all movements or supporting them. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is the calm
\nof the Atman, the Self above, silent, immutable and infinite.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peace is more positive than calm
\n\u2013 there can be a negative calm which is merely an absence of disturbance or
\ntrouble, but peace is always something positive bringing not merely a release
\nas calm does but a certain happiness or Ananda of itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is also a
\npositive calm, something that stands against all things that seek to trouble,
\nnot thin and neutral like the negative calm, but strong and massive. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 643<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

In peace there is besides the
\nsense of stillness a harmony that gives a feeling of liberation and full
\nsatisfaction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shanti is peace or calm \u2013 it is
\nnot Ananda. There can of course be a calm Ananda.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peace is a sign of mukti \u2013 Ananda
\nmoves towards siddhi.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The peace need not be grave or
\njoyless \u2013 there should be nothing grey in it \u2013 but the gladness or joy or sense
\nof lightness that comes in the peace must be necessarily something internal,
\nself-existent or due to a deepening of experience \u2013 it cannot like the laughter
\nof which you speak be conveyed by an external cause or dependent upon it, e.g.
\nsomething amusing, exhilarating etc.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The joy also should be deep
\nwithin, then it will not conflict with the deeps of peace and inner consciousness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They [peace and patience] go
\ntogether. By having patience under all kinds of pressure you lay the
\nfoundations of peace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It [purity] is more a condition
\nthan a substance. Peace helps to purity \u2013 since in peace disturbing influences
\ncease and the essence of purity is to respond only to the Divine Influence and
\nnot to have an affinity with other movements. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 644<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Purity is to accept no other
\ninfluence but only the influence of the Divine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Purity means freedom from soil or
\nmixture. The divine Purity is that in which there is no mixture of the turbid
\nignorant movements of the lower nature. Ordinarily, purity is used to mean (in
\nthe common language) freedom from sexual passion and impulse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Divine Purity is a more wide
\nand all-embracing experience than the psychic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Purity or impurity depends upon
\nthe consciousness; in the divine consciousness everything is pure, in the
\nignorance everything is subject to impurity, not the body only or part of the
\nbody, but mind and vital and all. Only the self and the psychic being remain
\nalways pure.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A pure mind means a mind quiet
\nand free from thoughts of a useless or disturbing character.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A quiet mind is a mind that does
\nnot get disturbed, is not restless and always vibrating with the need of mental
\naction.<\/p>\n

What you are
\ntalking about is a concentrated mind, concentrated on something or on a
\nsubject. That is quite different.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you imagine that a quiet mind
\ncannot reject anything and it is only the unquiet mind that can do it? It is
\nthe quiet mind that can best do it. Quiet does not mean inert and tamasic. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 645<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

That is absurd. Doing nothing
\nwith the mind is not quiet or silence. It is inactivity that keeps the mind
\nthinking mechanically and discursive instead of concentrating on an object \u2013
\nthat is all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Passive peace is not supposed to
\ndo anything. It is by the complete solid presence of peace alone that all
\ndisturbance is pushed out to the surface or outside the consciousness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is not the usual character of
\npassive peace that it can only concentrate in inaction. It can be there and
\nconcentrate in or behind action also.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is this quiet and spontaneous
\naction that is the characteristic divine action. The aggressive action is only,
\nas you say, when there is resistance and struggle. This does not mean that the
\nquiet force can’t be intense. It can be more intense than the aggressive, but
\nits intensity only increases the intensity of the peace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, certainly, there is a mental
\npeace, a vital peace, a peace of the physical Nature. It is the peace of a
\nhigher consciousness that descends from above.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is the same peace \u2013 but is
\nfelt materially in the material substance, concretely in the physical mind and
\nnervous being, as well as psychologically in the mind and vital or subtly in
\nthe subtle body.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 646<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Certainly, peace, purity and
\nsilence can be felt in all material things \u2013 for the Divine Self is there in
\nall.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is on the Silence behind the
\ncosmos that all the movement of the universe is supported.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is from the
\nSilence that the peace comes; when the peace deepens and deepens, it becomes
\nmore and more the Silence.<\/p>\n

In a more
\noutward sense the word Silence is applied to the condition in which there is no
\nmovement of thought or feeling etc., only a great stillness of the mind.<\/p>\n

But there can be
\nan action in the Silence, undisturbed even as the universal action goes on in
\nthe cosmic Silence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The passive silence is that in
\nwhich the inner consciousness remains void and at rest, makes no reaction to
\nouter things and forces.<\/p>\n

The active
\nsilence is that in which there is a great force that goes out on things and
\nforces without disturbing the silence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rest of the being from effort,
\ndisturbance etc. The Spirit is eternally at rest even in the midst of action \u2013 peace
\ngives this spiritual rest. Tamas is a degradation of it and leads to inaction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the entirely silent mind there
\nis usually the static sense of the Divine without any active movement. But
\nthere can come into it all the higher thought and aspiration and movements.
\nThere is then no absolute silence but one feels a fundamental silence behind
\nwhich is not disturbed by any movement. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 647<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

You always seem to think that
\nbecause the silence is there in the consciousness, the whole consciousness must
\nbe equally affected by it. The human consciousness is not of one piece like
\nthat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is not possible for the
\nspontaneous silent condition to last always at once but that is what must grow
\nin one till there is a constant inner silence \u2013 a silence which cannot be
\ndisturbed by any outward activity or even by any attempt at attack or
\ndisturbance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The condition
\nyou describe shows precisely the growth of this inner silence. It has to fix
\nitself eventually as the basis of all spiritual experience and activity. It
\ndoes not matter if one does not know what is going on within behind the
\nsilence. For there are two conditions in the yoga, one in which all is silent
\nand there is no thought, feeling or movement even though one is acting
\noutwardly as others do \u2013 another in which a new consciousness becomes active
\nbringing knowledge, joy, love and other spiritual feelings and inner
\nactivities, but yet at the same time there is a fundamental silence or
\nquietude. Both are necessary in the development of the inner being. The
\nabsolutely silent state, which is one of lightness, voidness and release,
\nprepares the other and supports it when it comes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nIII<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, a settled peace and strength
\nsupporting the intensity and poise in which everything foreign falls off, is
\nthe true basis.<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That is of course how it should
\nbe. It should go so far indeed that you will feel this peace and vastness as
\nyour very self, the abiding stuff of your consciousness \u2013 unchangeably there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 648<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

It is very good indeed. The peace
\nand silence must settle deep in, so deep that whatever comes from outside can
\nonly pass over the surface without troubling the settled calm within. It is
\ngood also that the meditation comes of itself \u2013 it means that the yoga Force is
\nbeginning to take up the sadhana.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the peace is fully
\nestablished everywhere in the being, these things [reactions of the lower
\nvital] will not be able to shake it. They may come first as ripples on the
\nsurface, then only as suggestions which one looks at or does not care to look
\nat but in either case they don’t get inside, affect or disturb at all. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is difficult
\nto explain, but it is something like a mountain at which one throws stones \u2013 if
\nconscious all through the mountain may feel the touch of the stones, but the
\nthing would be so slight and superficial that it would not be in the least
\naffected. In the end even that reaction disappears.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If the peace or silence is once
\nabsolutely established, no amount of movements on the surface can impair or
\nabolish it. It can bear all the movements of the universe and yet be the same.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Of course. It is quite usual to
\nfeel an established peace in the inner being even if there is disturbance on
\nthe surface. In fact that is the usual condition of the yogi before he has
\nattained the absolute samatā<\/i> in
\nall the being.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Even when there is the peace and
\nthe wideness, these things [vital physical ego-movements] can float on the surface
\nand try to come in \u2013 only then they do not occupy the consciousness but touch
\nit merely. It is what was regarded by the old yogis as <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 649<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

a mechanical remnant of Prakriti,
\na continuation of its blind habit which remained after the essential liberation
\nof the self. It was treated lightly as of no importance \u2013 but that view is not
\ntenable in our sadhana which aims not only at a liberation of the Purusha but
\nat a complete<\/i> transformation of the
\nPrakriti also.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, the inward move is the right
\none. To live within in the peace and silence is the first necessity. I spoke of
\nthe wideness because in the wideness of silence and peace (which the yogins
\nrecognise as the realisation of self at once individual and universal) is the
\nbasis for harmonising the inward and the outward. It will come.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the peace is deep or wide it
\nis usually in the inner being. The outer parts do not ordinarily go beyond a
\ncertain measure of quietude \u2013 they get deep peace only when they are flooded
\nwith it from the inner being.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, certainly \u2013 the peace starts
\nin the inner being \u2013 it is spiritual and psychic but it overflows the outer
\nbeing \u2013 when it is there in the activity, it means either that the ordinary
\nrestless mind, vital, physical has been submerged by the flood of the inner
\npeace or, at a more advanced stage, that they have been partially or wholly
\nchanged into thoughts, forces, emotions, sensations which have in their very
\nstuff an essence of inner silence and peace. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The inner spiritual progress does
\nnot depend on outer conditions so much as in the way we react to them from
\nwithin \u2013 that has always been the ultimate verdict of spiritual experience. It
\nis why we insist on taking the right attitude and persisting in it, on an inner
\nstate not dependent on outer circumstances, a state of <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 650<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

equality and calm, if it cannot
\nbe at once of inner happiness, on going more and more within and looking from
\nwithin outwards instead of living in the surface mind which is always at the
\nmercy of the shocks and blows of life. It is only from that inner state that
\none can be stronger than life and its disturbing forces and hope to conquer. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To remain quiet
\nwithin, firm in the will to go through, refusing to be disturbed or discouraged
\nby difficulties or fluctuations, that is one of the first things to be learned
\nin the Path. To do otherwise is to encourage the instability of consciousness,
\nthe difficulty of keeping experience of which you complain. It is only if you
\nkeep quiet and steady within that the lines of experience can go on with some
\nsteadiness \u2013 though they are never without periods of interruption and
\nfluctuation; but these, if properly treated, can then become periods of
\nassimilation and exhaustion of difficulty rather than denials of sadhana.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A spiritual
\natmosphere is more important than outer conditions; if one can get that and
\nalso create one’s own spiritual air to breathe in and live in it, that is the
\ntrue condition of progress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You should realise that while
\nquiet surroundings are desirable, the true quiet is within and no other will
\ngive the condition you want.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aspire, concentrate in the right
\nspirit and, whatever the difficulties, you are sure to attain the aim you have
\nput before you.<\/p>\n

It is in the
\npeace behind and that \u201csomething truer\u201d in you that you must learn to live and
\nfeel it to be yourself. You must regard the rest as not your real self, but
\nonly a flux of changing or recurring movements on the surface which are sure to
\ngo as the true self emerges.<\/p>\n

Peace is the
\ntrue remedy; distraction by hard work is only a temporary relief \u2013 although a
\ncertain amount of work is necessary for the proper balance of the different
\nparts of the being. <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 651<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

To feel the peace above and about
\nyour head is a first step; you have to get connected with it and it must
\ndescend into you and fill your mind and life and body and surround you so that
\nyou live in it \u2013 for this peace is the one sign of the Divine’s presence with
\nyou, and once you have it all the rest will begin to come. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Truth in speech
\nand truth in thought are very important. The more you can feel falsehood as
\nbeing not part of yourself, as coming on you from outside, the easier it will
\nbe to reject and refuse it. <\/p>\n

Persevere and
\nwhat is still crooked will be made straight and you will know and feel
\nconstantly the truth of the Divine’s presence and your faith will be justified
\nby direct experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the light and peace are full
\nin the vital and physical consciousness, it is this that remains always as a
\nbasis for the right movement of the whole nature.<\/p>\n

To remain
\nwithin, above and untouched, full of the inner consciousness and the inner
\nexperience, \u2013 listening when need be to one or another with the surface
\nconsciousness, but with even that undisturbed, not either pulled outwards or
\ninvaded \u2013 that is the perfect condition for the sadhana.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What you have written about your
\ncondition seems to be correct as a whole. There is certainly a greater calm
\nwithin and a freedom of the inner being which was not there once. It is this
\nwhich gives you the equality you feel there and the capacity to escape from the
\nmore serious disturbances. When one has this basis of inner calm, the
\ndifficulties and imperfections of the surface can be dealt with without upset,
\ndepressions, etc. The power to go among others without any invasion is also due
\nto the same cause.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As for the
\nsecond question, there is no general rule, but your attitude is the right one
\nfor you \u2013 for you have not the need of any particular development of capacity,
\nhaving behind a sincere <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 652<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

attitude of a more general and
\npenetrating and pervasive character. Others who feel the need of a particular
\ndevelopment actually ask for it and get it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The silence is the silence of the
\ninner consciousness and it is in that silence unmoved by outward things that
\nthe true activity of the consciousness can come without disturbing the silence
\n\u2013 true perceptions, will, feelings, action. There also one can feel more easily
\nthe Mother’s working. As for the heat, it must be the heat of Agni, the fire of
\npurification and tapasya; it often feels like that when the inner work is going
\non.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What you feel
\nabout dealing with people is quite correct. It is the psychic way of looking at
\nthese things.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I have read again the message of
\nthe yogi quoted in your letter but apart from the context nothing much or very
\ndefinite can be made out of it. There are two statements which are clear
\nenough:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIn silence is
\nwisdom\u201d \u2013 it is in the inner silence of the mind that true knowledge can come;
\nfor the ordinary activity of the mind only creates surface ideas and
\nrepresentations which are not true knowledge. Speech is usually the expression
\nof the superficial nature; therefore to throw oneself out too much in such
\nspeech wastes the energy and prevents the inward listening which brings the
\nword of true knowledge…. \u201cIn listening you will win what you are thinking of\u201d
\nmeans probably that in silence will come the true thought-formations which can
\neffectuate or realise themselves. Thought can be a force which realises itself,
\nbut the ordinary surface thinking is not of that kind; there is in it more
\nwaste of energy than in anything else. It is in the thought that comes in a
\nquiet or silent mind that there is power.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTalk less and
\ngain power\u201d has essentially the same meaning; not only a truer knowledge, but a
\ngreater power comes to one in the quietude and silence of a mind that, instead
\nof bubbling on the surface, can go into its own depths and listen for <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 653<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

what comes from a higher
\nconsciousness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is probably
\nthis that is meant; these are things known to all who have some experience of
\nyoga.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The peace liberates from all
\ndependence on outer contacts \u2013 it brings what the Gita calls the ātmarati<\/i>. But at first there is a
\ndifficulty in keeping it intact when there is the contact with others because
\nthe consciousness has the habit of running outwards in speech or external
\ninterchange or else of coming down to the normal level. One must therefore be
\nvery careful until it is fixed; once fixed it usually defends itself, for all
\nouter contacts become surface things to a consciousness full of the higher
\npeace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You have attained the silent
\ninner consciousness, but that can be covered over by disturbance \u2013 the next
\nstep is for calm and silence to be established as the basis in the more and
\nmore outward consciousness…. Then the play of the ordinary forces will be
\nonly on the surface and can be more easily dealt with.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That is the right way \u2013 to keep
\nthe peace of the higher consciousness; then even if there is vital disturbance,
\nit will only be on the surface. The foundation will remain till the Force can
\nrelease the true vital.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you get peace, then to clean
\nthe vital becomes easy. If you simply clean and clean and do nothing else, you
\ngo very slowly \u2013 for the vital gets dirty again and has to be cleaned a hundred
\ntimes. The peace is something that is clean in itself, so to get it is a
\npositive way of securing your object. To look for dirt only and clean is the
\nnegative way.  <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 654<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

How can you have peace and quiet
\nwhen you are always thinking of \u201clower forces\u201d and \u201cattacks\u201d and \u201cpossessions\u201d
\netc.? If you can look at things naturally and quietly, then only you can have
\nquiet and peace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The depression and vital struggle
\nmust have been due to some defect of over-eagerness and straining for a result
\nin your former effort \u2013 so that when a fall in the consciousness came, it was a
\ndistressed, disappointed and confused vital that came to the surface giving
\nfull entry to the suggestions of doubt, despair and inertia from the adverse
\nside of Nature. You have to move towards a firm basis of calm and equality in
\nthe vital and physical no less than in the mental consciousness; let there be
\nthe full downflow of Power and Ananda, but into a firm Adhara capable of
\ncontaining it \u2013 it is complete equality that gives that capacity and firmness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The failure is due not to want of
\ncapacity but to want of steadiness \u2013 a restlessness in the vital and a sort of
\nardent hastiness that lacks in care of detail and in perseverance. What you
\nneed is the inner silence and the solid strength and force that can act through
\nthis inner silence, making the vital its instrument but not allowing it to
\ncondition the action by its defects.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It [peace] has to be brought down
\nto the heart and navel first. That gives it a certain kind of inner stability \u2013
\nthough not absolute. There is no method other than aspiration, a strong quiet
\nwill and a rejection of all that is not turned towards the Divine in those
\nparts into which you call the peace \u2013 here the emotional and higher vital. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 655<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n

The movement of universality by itself
\ncannot prevent the vital from disturbing \u2013 it is the complete surrender and the
\ncomplete descent of peace into all the being down to the most material that can
\ndo it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The mind and vital are always
\nmore open to universal forces than the material. But they can be more restless
\nthan the material so long as they are not subjected to the peace from Above.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The calm from above came to you
\nand established your connection with the Above, and if you hold firmly to it,
\nyou will be able to remain calm. But to be rid of these vital disturbances, you
\nhave to get down the Power and Will that is also there above \u2013 or at least so
\nto be connected with it that it will act whenever you call upon it against the
\nforces of the Ignorance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Equanimity and peace in all
\nconditions, in all parts of the being is the first foundation of the yogic
\nstatus. Either Light (bringing with it Knowledge) or Force (bringing strength
\nand dynamism of many kinds) or Ananda (bringing love and joy of existence) can
\ncome next according to the trend of the nature. But peace is the first
\ncondition without which nothing else can be stable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is true that through whatever
\nis strongest in him a sadhak can most easily open to the Divine. But… peace
\nis necessary for all; without peace and an increasing purity, even if one
\nopens, one cannot receive perfectly all that comes down through the opening.
\nLight too is necessary for all \u2013 without light one cannot take full advantage
\nof all that comes down. <\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 656<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

When the mind is silent there is
\npeace and in the peace all things that are divine can come. When there is not
\nthe mind, there is the Self which is greater than the mind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The silence and peace are
\nthemselves part of the higher consciousness \u2013 the rest comes in the silence and
\npeace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is the Vaishnava feeling that
\nthe Vedantic peace is not enough, the love and joy of the Divine is more
\nprecious. But unless the two things go together, the love and joy felt is
\nperhaps intense, but impermanent, and it is also true that it gets easily
\nmixed, misdirected or turns to something that is not the true thing at all.
\nPeace and purity must be got as the foundation of the consciousness, otherwise
\nthere is no firm standing ground for the divine play.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At last you have the true
\nfoundation of the sadhana. This calm, peace and surrender are the right
\natmosphere for all the rest to come, knowledge, strength, Ananda. Let it become
\ncomplete.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It does not
\nremain when engaged in work because it is still confined to the mind proper
\nwhich has only just received the gift of silence. When the new consciousness is
\nfully formed and has taken entire possession of the vital nature and the
\nphysical being (the vital as yet is only touched or dominated by the silence,
\nnot possessed by it), then this defect will disappear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The quiet
\nconsciousness of peace you now have in the mind must become not only calm but
\nwide. You must feel it everywhere, yourself in it and all in it. This also will
\nhelp to bring the calm as a basis into the action.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The wider your
\nconsciousness becomes, the more you will be able to receive from above. The
\nShakti will be able to descend and bring strength and light as well as peace
\ninto the system. What you feel as narrow and limited in you is the physical <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 657<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

mind; it can only widen if this
\nwider consciousness and the light come down and possess the nature. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The physical
\ninertia from which you suffer is likely to lessen and disappear only when
\nstrength from above descends into the system.<\/p>\n

Remain quiet,
\nopen yourself and call the divine Shakti to confirm the calm and peace, to
\nwiden the consciousness and to bring into it as much light and power as it can
\nat present receive and assimilate.<\/p>\n

Take care not to
\nbe over-eager, as this may disturb again such quiet and balance as has been
\nalready established in the vital nature.<\/p>\n

Have confidence
\nin the final result and give time for the Power to do its work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If not aspiration, at least keep
\nthe idea of what is necessary \u2013 (1) that the silence and peace shall become a
\nwideness which you can realise as the Self \u2013 (2) the extension of the silent
\nconsciousness upwards as well so that you may feel its source above you \u2013 (3)
\nthe presence of peace etc., all the time. These things need not all come at
\nonce, but by realising what has to be in your mind, any falling towards a
\ncondition of inertia can be avoided.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wideness and calmness are the
\nfoundation of the yogic consciousness and the best condition for inner growth
\nand experience. If a wide calm can be established in the physical
\nconsciousness, occupying and filling the very body and all its cells, that can
\nbecome the basis for its transformation; in fact, without this wideness and
\ncalmness the transformation is hardly possible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is the right fundamental
\nconsciousness that you have now got. The tamas and other movements of the lower
\nuniversal nature are bound to try to come in, but if one has the calm of <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 658<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

the inner being which makes them
\nfelt as something external to the being and the light of the psychic which
\ninstantly exposes and rejects them, then that is to have the true consciousness
\nwhich keeps one safe while the more positive transformation is preparing or
\ntaking place.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The
\ntransformation comes by the descent of the Force, Light, Knowledge, Ananda,
\netc. from above. So you are right in your feeling that you should open with a
\nquiet aspiration or invocation for the descent of the Light from above. Only it
\nmust be an aspiration in this calm and wideness, not disturbing it in the least
\n\u2013 and you must be prepared for the result being not immediate \u2013 it may be
\nrapid, but also it may take some time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The experience of this \u201csolid
\nblock\u201d feeling indicates the descent of a solid strength and peace into the
\nexternal being \u2013 but into the vital-physical most. It is this always that is
\nthe foundation, the sure basis into which all else (Ananda, light, knowledge,
\nBhakti) can descend in the future and stand on it or play safely. The numbness
\nwas there in the other experience because the movement was inward; but here the
\nYogashakti is coming outward<\/i> into the
\nfully aware external nature, \u2013 as a first step towards the establishment of the
\nyoga and its experience there. So the numbness which was a sign of the
\nconsciousness tending to draw back from the external parts is not there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To be full of peace, the heart
\nquiet, not troubled by grief, not excited by joy is a very good condition. As
\nfor Ananda, it can come not only with its fullest intensity but with a more
\nenduring persistence when the mind is at peace and the heart delivered from
\nordinary joy and sorrow. If the mind and heart are restless, changeful,
\nunquiet, Ananda of a kind may come, but it is mixed with vital excitement and
\ncannot abide. One must get peace and calm fixed in the consciousness first,
\nthen there is a solid basis on which the Ananda can spread itself and in its
\nturn <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 659<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

become an enduring part of the
\nconsciousness and the nature.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A great wave (or sea) of calm and
\nthe constant consciousness of a vast and luminous Reality \u2013 this is precisely
\nthe character of the fundamental realisation of the Supreme Truth in its first
\ntouch on the mind and the soul. One could not ask for a better beginning or
\nfoundation \u2013 it is like a rock on which the rest can be built. It means
\ncertainly not only a Presence, but the Presence \u2013 and it would be a great
\nmistake to weaken the experience by any non-acceptance or doubt of its
\ncharacter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is not
\nnecessary to define it and one ought not even to try to turn it into an image;
\nfor this Presence is in its nature infinite. Whatever it has to manifest of
\nitself or out of itself, it will do inevitably by its own power, if there is a
\nsustained acceptance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is quite true
\nthat it is a grace sent and the only return needed for such a grace is
\nacceptance, gratitude and to allow the Power that has touched the consciousness
\nto develop what has to be developed in the being \u2013 by keeping oneself open to
\nit. The total transformation of the nature cannot be done in a moment; it must
\ntake long and proceed through stages; what is now experienced is only an
\ninitiation, a foundation for the new consciousness in which that transformation
\nwill become possible. The automatic spontaneity of the experience ought by
\nitself to show that it is nothing constructed by the mind, will or emotions; it
\ncomes from a Truth that is beyond them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you keep the wideness and calm
\nand also the love for the Mother in the heart, then all is safe, for it means
\nthe double foundation of the yoga: the descent of the higher consciousness with
\nits peace, freedom and serenity from above and the openness of the psychic
\nwhich keeps all the effort or all the spontaneous movement turned towards the
\ntrue goal. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 660<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

The quietude and silence which
\nyou feel and the sense of happiness in it are indeed the very basis of
\nsuccessful sadhana. hen one has got that, then one may be sure that the sadhana
\nis placing itself on a sound footing. You are also right in thinking that if
\nthis quietude is fully established all that is concealed within will come out.
\nIt is true also that the happiness of this peace is far greater than anything
\nouter objects can bring \u2013 there can be no comparison. To become indifferent to
\nthe attraction of outer objects is one of the first rules of yoga, for this
\nnon-attachment liberates the inner being into peace and the true consciousness.
\nIt is only when one sees the Divine in all things that objects get a value for
\nthe yoga, but even then not for their own sake or as objects of desire, but for
\nthe sake of the Divine within and as a means of the divine work and
\nmanifestation.  <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nIV<\/b> <\/p>\n

Equality is to remain unmoved
\nwithin in all conditions. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Equality is the chief support of
\nthe true spiritual consciousness and it is this from which a sadhak deviates
\nwhen he allows a vital movement to carry him away in feeling or speech or
\naction. Equality is not the same thing as forbearance, \u2013 though undoubtedly a
\nsettled equality immensely extends, even illimitably, a man’s power of
\nendurance and forbearance. Equality means a quiet and unmoved mind and vital,
\nit means not to be touched or disturbed by things that happen or things said or
\ndone to you, but to look at them with a straight look, free from the
\ndistortions created by personal feeling, and to try to understand what is
\nbehind them, why they happen, what is to be learnt from them, what is it in
\noneself which they are cast against and what inner profit or progress one can
\nmake out of them; it means self-mastery over the vital movements, \u2013 anger and
\nsensitiveness and pride as well as desire and the <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 661<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

rest, \u2013 not to let them get hold
\nof the emotional being and disturb the inner peace, not to speak and act in the
\nrush and impulsion of these things, always to act and speak out of a calm inner
\npoise of the spirit. It is not easy to have this equality in any full perfect
\nmeasure, but one should always try more and more to make it the basis of one’s
\ninner state and outer movements. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Equality means
\nanother thing \u2013 to have an equal view of men and their nature and acts and the
\nforces that move them; it helps one to see the truth about them by pushing away
\nfrom the mind all personal feeling in one’s seeing and judgment and even all
\nthe mental bias. Personal feeling always distorts and makes one see in men’s
\nactions, not only the actions themselves, but things behind them which, more
\noften than not, are not there. Misunderstanding, misjudgment which could have
\nbeen avoided are the result; things of small consequence assume larger
\nproportions. I have seen that more than half of the untoward happenings of this
\nkind in life are due to this cause. But in ordinary life personal feeling and
\nsensitiveness are a constant part of human nature and may be needed there for
\nself-defence, although, I think, even there, a strong, large and equal attitude
\ntowards men and things would be a much better line of defence. But for a
\nsadhak, to surmount them and live rather in the calm strength of the spirit is
\nan essential part of his progress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first
\ncondition of inner progress is to recognise whatever is or has been a wrong
\nmovement in any part of the nature, \u2013 wrong idea, wrong feeling, wrong speech,
\nwrong action, \u2013 and by wrong is meant what departs from the truth, from the
\nhigher consciousness and higher self, from the way of the Divine. Once
\nrecognised it is admitted, not glossed over or defended, \u2013 and it is offered to
\nthe Divine for the Light and Grace to descend and substitute for it the right
\nmovement of the true Consciousness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There can be no firm foundation
\nin sadhana without equality, samatā<\/i>.
\nWhatever the unpleasantness of circumstances, however <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 662<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

disagreeable the conduct of
\nothers, you must learn to receive them with a perfect calm and without any
\ndisturbing reaction. These things are the test of equality. It is easy to be
\ncalm and equal when things go well and people and circumstances are pleasant;
\nit is when they are the opposite that the completeness of the calm, peace,
\nequality can be tested, reinforced, made perfect.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is very good that you have had
\nthis experience; for this kind of consciousness full of equality (samatā<\/i>) is just the thing that has
\nto be acquired and the very basis on which a sound yogic consciousness full of
\nthe Mother can be built up. If it can be fixed, then most of the trouble and
\ndifficulty of sadhana disappears \u2013 all necessary changes can proceed quietly
\nwithout these disturbances and upsettings which break and hamper the progress.
\nAlso in it there can grow a right and clear understanding of people and things
\nand how to deal with them without friction which can make work and action much
\nmore easy. Once this consciousness has come, it is bound to return and
\nincrease.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is no use listening to what
\npeople say or to suggestions. Both are things by which one must learn not to be
\naffected. A certain samatā<\/i> in
\nthese matters is needed in order to get the firm poise. The one thing that
\nmatters is the realisation of the Divine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It [the true activity of the
\nsenses] is to record the divine or true appearance of things and return to them
\nthe reaction of an equal Ananda without dislike or desire.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Complete samatā<\/i> takes long to establish and it is dependent on three
\nthings \u2013 the soul’s self-giving to the Divine by an inner <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 663<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

surrender, the descent of the
\nspiritual calm and peace from above and the steady, long and persistent
\nrejection of all egoistic, rajasic and other feelings that contradict samatā<\/i>. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first thing
\nto do is to make the full consecration and offering of the heart \u2013 the increase
\nof the spiritual calm and the surrender are the condition for the rejection of
\nego, rajoguņa<\/i>, etc. to be
\neffective.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the peace of the higher
\nconsciousness descends, it brings always with it this tendency towards
\nequality, samatā<\/i>, because
\nwithout samatā<\/i> peace is always
\nliable to be attacked by the waves of the lower nature.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Equality is a very important part
\nof this yoga; it is necessary to keep equality under pain and suffering \u2013 and
\nthat means to endure firmly and calmly, not to be restless or troubled or
\ndepressed or despondent, to go on with a steady faith in the Divine Will. But
\nequality does not include inert acceptance. If, for instance, there is
\ntemporary failure of some endeavour in the sadhana, one has to keep equality,
\nnot to be troubled or despondent, but one has not to accept the failure as an
\nindication of the Divine Will and give up the endeavour. You ought rather to
\nfind out the reason and meaning of the failure and go forward in faith towards
\nvictory. So with illness \u2013 you have not to be troubled, shaken or restless, but
\nyou have not to accept illness as the Divine Will, but rather look upon it as
\nan imperfection of the body to be got rid of as you try to get rid of vital
\nimperfections or mental errors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yogic samatā<\/i> is equality of soul, equanimity founded on the sense of
\nthe one Self, the one Divine everywhere \u2013 seeing the One in spite of all
\ndifferences, degrees, disparities in the manifestation. The mental principle of
\nequality tries to ignore or else to destroy the differences, degrees and
\ndisparities, to act as if all <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 664<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

were equal there or to try and
\nmake all equal. It is like Hridaya, the nephew of Ramakrishna, who when he got
\nthe touch from Ramakrishna began to shout, \u201cRamakrishna, you are the Brahman
\nand I too am the Brahman; there is no difference between us\u201d, till Ramakrishna,
\nas he refused to be quiet, had to withdraw the power. Or like the disciple who
\nrefused to listen to the Mahout and stood before the elephant, saying, \u201cI am
\nBrahman\u201d, until the elephant took him up in his trunk and put him aside. When
\nhe complained to his Guru, the Guru said, \u201cYes, but why didn’t you listen to
\nthe Mahout Brahman? That was why the elephant Brahman had to lift you up and
\nput you out of harm’s way.\u201d In the manifestation there are two sides to the
\nTruth and you cannot ignore either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n⁂<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No doubt, hatred and cursing are
\nnot the proper attitude. It is true also that to look upon all things and all
\npeople with a calm and clear vision, to be uninvolved and impartial in one’s
\njudgments is a quite proper yogic attitude. A condition of perfect samatā<\/i> can be established in which
\none sees all as equal, friends and enemies included, and is not disturbed by
\nwhat men do or by what happens. The question is whether this is all that is
\ndemanded from us. If so, then the general attitude will be of a neutral
\nindifference to everything. But the Gita, which strongly insists on a perfect
\nand absolute samatā<\/i>, goes on to
\nsay, \u201cFight, destroy the adversary, conquer.\u201d If there is no kind of general
\naction wanted, no loyalty to Truth as against Falsehood except for one’s
\npersonal sadhana, no will for the Truth to conquer, then the samatā<\/i> of indifference will
\nsuffice. But here there is a work to be done, a Truth to be established against
\nwhich immense forces are arranged, invisible forces which can use visible
\nthings and persons and actions for their instruments. If one is among the
\ndisciples, the seekers of this Truth, one has to take sides for the Truth, to
\nstand against the forces that attack it and seek to stifle it. Arjuna wanted
\nnot to stand for either side, to refuse any action of hostility even against
\nassailants; Sri Krishna, who insisted so much on samatā,<\/i> strongly rebuked his attitude and <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 665<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

insisted equally on his fighting
\nthe adversary. \u201cHave samatā<\/i>,\u201d he
\nsaid, \u201cand seeing clearly the Truth, fight.\u201d Therefore to take sides with the
\nTruth and to refuse to concede anything to the Falsehood that attacks, to be
\nunflinchingly loyal and against the hostiles and the attackers, is not
\ninconsistent with equality. It is personal and egoistic feeling that has to be
\nthrown away; hatred and vital ill-will have to be rejected. But loyalty and
\nrefusal to compromise with the assailants and the hostiles or to dally with
\ntheir ideas and demands and say, \u201cAfter all, we can compromise with what they
\nask from us\u201d, or to accept them as companions and our own people \u2013 these things
\nhave a great importance. If the attack were a physical menace to the work and
\nthe leaders and doers of the work, one would see this at once. But because the
\nattack is of a subtler kind, can a passive attitude be right? It is a spiritual
\nbattle inward and outward; by neutrality and compromise or even passivity one
\nmay allow the enemy forces to pass and crush down the Truth and its children.
\nIf you look at it from this point, you will see that if the inner spiritual
\nequality is right, the active loyalty and firm taking of sides is as right, and
\nthe two cannot be incompatible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I have, of
\ncourse, treated it as a general question apart from all particular cases or
\npersonal questions. It is a principle of action that has to be seen in its
\nright light and proportions. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 666<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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