{"id":1958,"date":"2013-07-13T01:38:32","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=1958"},"modified":"2013-12-01T12:36:43","modified_gmt":"2013-12-01T20:36:43","slug":"39-sri-aurobindos-teaching-vol-36-autobiographical-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/03-cwsa\/36-autobiographical-notes\/39-sri-aurobindos-teaching-vol-36-autobiographical-notes","title":{"rendered":"-39_Sri Aurobindo’s Teaching.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo\u2019s Teaching<\/font>1<\/sup>
\n\t\t\t<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The teaching of Sri Aurobindo starts from that of the ancient \t\t\tsages of India that behind the appearances of the universe there is \t\t\tthe Reality of a Being and Consciousness, a Self of all things one \t\t\tand eternal. All beings are united in that One Self and Spirit but \t\t\tdivided by a certain separativity of consciousness, an ignorance \t\t\tof their true Self and Reality in the mind, life and body. It is \t\t\tpossible by a certain psychological discipline to remove this veil \t\t\tof separative consciousness and become aware of the true Self, \t\t\tthe Divinity within us and all. \t\t\t<\/p>\n

Sri Aurobindo\u2019s teaching states that thisOne Being and Consciousness \t\t\tis involved here in Matter. Evolution is the method \t\t\tby which it liberates itself; consciousness appears in what seems \t\t\tto be inconscient, and once having appeared is self-impelled to \t\t\tgrow higher and higher and at the same time to enlarge and \t\t\tdevelop towards a greater and greater perfection. Life is the \t\t\tfirst step of this release of consciousness; mind is the second; \t\t\tbut the evolution does not finish with mind, it awaits a release \t\t\tinto something greater, a consciousness which is spiritual and \t\t\tsupramental. The next step of the evolution must be towards the \t\t\tdevelopment of Supermind and Spirit as the dominant power in \t\t\tthe conscious being. For only then will the involved Divinity in \t\t\tthings release itself entirely and it become possible for life to \t\t\tmanifest perfection. \t\t\t<\/p>\n

Butwhile the former steps in evolutionwere taken by Nature \t\t\twithout a conscious will in the plant and animal life, in man \t\t\tNature becomes able to evolve by a conscious will in the instrument. \t\t\tIt is not however by themental will in man that this can be \t\t\t<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t1 This statement was published along with \u201cSri Aurobindo\u2019s Asram\u201d
\n\t\t\t(see pages 530 \u2013 \t\t\t31) in the Hindu of Madras on 20 February 1934 and in pamphlets
\n\t\t\tentitled \u201cThe \t\t\tTeaching and the Asram of Sri Aurobindo\u201d in March and August 1934.
\n\t\t\tIt has been \t\t\treproduced many times since then.\u2014Ed. \t\t\t<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tPage \u2013 <\/font>547<\/font><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n

wholly done, for the mind goes only to a certain point and after \t\t\tthat can only move in a circle. A conversion has to be made, \t\t\ta turning of the consciousness by which mind has to change \t\t\tinto the higher principle. This method is to be found through \t\t\tthe ancient psychological discipline and practice of Yoga. In \t\t\tthe past it has been attempted by a drawing away from the \t\t\tworld and a disappearance into the height of the Self or Spirit. \t\t\tSri Aurobindo teaches that a descent of the higher principle is \t\t\tpossible which will not merely release the spiritual Self out of the \t\t\tworld, but release it in the world, replace the mind\u2019s ignorance or \t\t\tits very limited knowledge by a supramental truth-consciousness \t\t\twhich will be a sufficient instrument of the inner Self and make \t\t\tit possible for the human being to find himself dynamically as \t\t\twell as inwardly and grow out of his still animal humanity into a \t\t\tdiviner race. The psychological discipline of Yoga can be used to \t\t\tthat end by opening all the parts of the being to a conversion or \t\t\ttransformation through the descent and working of the higher \t\t\tstill concealed supramental principle. \t\t\t<\/p>\n

This however cannot be done at once or in a short time or by \t\t\tany rapid or miraculous transformation. Many steps have to be \t\t\ttaken by the seeker before the supramental descent is possible. \t\t\tMan lives mostly in his surface mind, life and body but there is \t\t\tan inner being within him with greater possibilities to which he \t\t\thas to awake\u2014for it is only a very restricted influence from it \t\t\tthat he receives now and that pushes him to a constant pursuit \t\t\tof a greater beauty, harmony, power and knowledge. The first \t\t\tprocess of Yoga is therefore to open the ranges of this inner \t\t\tbeing and to live from there outward, governing his outward \t\t\tlife by an inner light and force. In doing so he discovers in \t\t\thimself his true soul which is not this outer mixture of mental, \t\t\tvital and physical elements but something of the Reality behind \t\t\tthem, a spark from the one Divine Fire. He has to learn to \t\t\tlive in his soul and purify and orientate by its drive towards \t\t\tthe Truth the rest of the nature. There can follow afterwards \t\t\tan opening upward and descent of a higher principle of the \t\t\tBeing. But even then it is not at once the full supramental
\n\t\t\tLight and Force. For there are several ranges of consciousness
\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tPage \u2013 <\/font>548<\/font><\/p>\n

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between the ordinary human mind and the supramental
\n\t\t\tTruthconsciousness. \t\t\tThese intervening ranges have to be opened up \t\t\tand their power brought down into the mind, life and body. \t\t\tOnly afterwards can the full power of the Truth-consciousness \t\t\twork in the nature. The process of this self-discipline or sadhana \t\t\tis therefore long and difficult, but even a little of it is so much \t\t\tgained because itmakes the ultimate release and perfectionmore \t\t\tpossible. \t\t\t<\/p>\n

There are many things belonging to older systems that are \t\t\tnecessary on the way\u2014an opening of the mind to a greater \t\t\twideness and to the sense of the Self and the Infinite, an emergence \t\t\tinto what has been called the cosmic consciousness, mastery \t\t\tover the desires and passions; an outward asceticism is \t\t\tnot essential, but the conquest of desire and attachment and a \t\t\tcontrol over the body and its needs, greeds and instincts is
\n\t\t\tindispensable. \t\t\tThere is a combination of the old systems: the way of \t\t\tknowledge through the mind\u2019s discernment between Reality and \t\t\tthe appearance, the heart\u2019s way of devotion, love and surrender \t\t\tand the way of works turning the will away from motives of
\n\t\t\tselfinterest \t\t\tto the Truth and the service of a greater Reality than the \t\t\tego. For the whole being has to be trained so that it can respond \t\t\tand be transformed when it is possible for that greater Light and \t\t\tForce to work in the nature. \t\t\t<\/p>\n

In this discipline, the inspiration of the Master, and in the \t\t\tdifficult stages his control and his presence are indispensable\u2014 \t\t\tfor it would be impossible otherwise to go through it without \t\t\tmuch stumbling and error which would prevent all chance of \t\t\tsuccess. The Master is one who has risen to a higher consciousness \t\t\tand being and he is often regarded as its manifestation or \t\t\trepresentative. He not only helps by his teaching and still more \t\t\tby his influence and example but by a power to communicate \t\t\this own experience to others.<\/p>\n

This is Sri Aurobindo\u2019s
\n\t\t\tteaching and method of practice. It is not his object to develop any
\n\t\t\tone religion or to amalgamate the older religions or to found any
\n\t\t\tnew religion, for any of these things would lead away from his
\n\t\t\tcentral purpose. The one aim of his Yoga is an inner
\n\t\t\tself-development by which each
\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tPage \u2013 <\/font>549<\/font><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n

one who follows it can in time discover the one Self in all and \t\t\tevolve a higher consciousness than the mental, a spiritual and supramental consciousness which will transform and divinise \t\t\thuman nature. <\/p>\n

February 1934<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tPage \u2013 <\/font>550<\/font><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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