{"id":4183,"date":"2013-07-13T01:54:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4183"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:54:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:54:00","slug":"10-to-the-students-vol-12-on-education-volume-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/12-on-education-volume-12\/10-to-the-students-vol-12-on-education-volume-12","title":{"rendered":"-10_To-The-Students.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\nTo the Students, Young and Old <\/font> <\/span><\/i><\/b>
\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>
\nT<\/font><\/span>here
\nare, in the history of the earth, moments of transition when things that have
\nexisted for thousands of years must give way to those that are about to
\nmanifest. A special concentration of the world consciousness, one might almost
\nsay, an intensification of its effort, occurs at such times, varying according
\nto the kind of progress to be made, the quality of the transformation to be
\nrealised. We are at precisely such a turning-point in the world’s history. Just
\nas Nature has already created upon earth a mental being, man, so too there is
\nnow a concentrated activity in this mentality to bring forth a supramental
\nconsciousness and individuality. <\/span><\/p>\n

Certain beings who, I might say, are in the secret of the gods,
\nare aware of the importance of this moment in the life of the world, and they
\nhave taken birth on earth to play their part in whatever way they can. A great
\nluminous consciousness broods over the earth, creating a kind of stir in its
\natmosphere. All who are open receive a ripple from this eddy, a ray of this
\nlight and seek to give form to it, each according to his capacity. <\/span><\/p>\n

We have here the unique privilege of being at the very centre of
\nthis radiating light, at the fount of this force of transformation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Aurobindo, incarnating the supramental consciousness in a
\nhuman body, has not only revealed to us the nature of the path to follow and
\nthe way to follow it in order to reach the goal, but has also by his own
\npersonal realisation given us the example; he has provided us, so to say, with
\nthe proof that the thing can be done and that the time has come to do it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Consequently, we are not here to repeat what others have done, but
\nto prepare ourselves for the blossoming of a new consciousness and a new life.
\nThat is why I address myself to you, the students, that is, to all who wish to
\nlearn, to learn always more and always better, so that one day you may be
\ncapable of opening yourselves to the new force and of giving it the possibility <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 72<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

of manifesting on the physical plane. For
\nthat is our programme and we must not forget it. To understand the true reason
\nwhy you are here, you must remember that we want to become instruments that are
\nas perfect as possible, instruments that express the divine will in the world.
\nAnd if the instruments are to be perfect, they must be cultivated, educated,
\ntrained. They must not be left like fallow land or a formless piece of stone. A
\ndiamond reveals all its beauty only when it is artistically cut. It is the same
\nfor you. If you want your physical being to be a perfect instrument for the
\nmanifestation of the supramental consciousness, you must cultivate it, sharpen
\nit, refine it, give it what it lacks, perfect what it already possesses. That
\nis why you go to school, my children, whether you are big or small, for one can
\nlearn at any age and so you must go to your classes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, if you are not in a very good mood, you say, \u201c`How
\nboring it is going to be!\u201d Yes, perhaps the teacher who is taking your class
\ndoes not know how to amuse you. He may be a very good teacher, but at the same
\ntime he may not know how to entertain you, for it is not always easy. There are
\ndays when one does not feel like being entertaining. There are days, for him as
\nfor you, when one would like to be elsewhere than in school. But still, you go
\nto your class. You go because you must, for if you obey all your fancies you
\nwill never have any control over yourselves; your fancies will control you. So
\nyou go to your class, but instead of going there and thinking, \u201cHow bored I am
\ngoing to be; I am sure it is not going to be interesting\u201d, you should tell
\nyourselves, \u201cThere is not a single minute in life, not one circumstance that is
\nnot an opportunity for progress. So what progress am I going to make today? The
\nclass I am going to now is on a subject that does not interest me. But perhaps
\nthat is because something is lacking in me; perhaps, in my brain, a certain
\nnumber of cells are deficient and that is why I cannot find any interest in the
\nsubject. If so, I shall try, I shall listen carefully, concentrate hard and
\nabove all drive out<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 73<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>of my mind this
\naimlessness, this superficial shallowness which makes me feel bored when there
\nis something I cannot grasp. I am bored because I do not make an effort to
\nunderstand, because I do not have this will for progress.\u201d When one does not
\nprogress, one feels bored, everyone, young or old; for we are here on earth to
\nprogress. How tedious life would be without progress! Life is monotonous. Most
\noften it is not fun. It is far from being beautiful. But if you take it as a
\nfield for progress, then everything changes, everything becomes interesting and
\nthere is no longer any room for boredom. Next time your teacher seems boring to
\nyou, instead of wasting your time doing nothing, try to understand why he bores
\nyou. Then if you have a capacity of observation and if you make an effort to
\nunderstand, you will soon see that a kind of miracle has occurred and that you
\nare no longer feeling bored at all. <\/span><\/p>\n

This remedy is good in almost every case.
\nSometimes, in certain circumstances, everything seems dull, boring, stupid;
\nthis means that you are as boring as the circumstances and it clearly shows
\nthat you are not in a state of progress. It is simply a passing wave of boredom,
\nand nothing is more contrary to the purpose of existence. At such a moment you
\nmight make an effort and ask yourself, \u201cThis boredom shows that I have
\nsomething to learn, some progress to make in myself, some inertia to conquer,
\nsome weakness to overcome.\u201d Boredom is a dullness of the consciousness; and if
\nyou seek the cure within yourself, you will see that it immediately dissolves.
\nMost people, when they feel bored, instead of making an effort to rise one step
\nhigher in their consciousness, come down one step lower; they come down even
\nlower than they were before and do stupid things, they make themselves vulgar
\nin the hope of amusing themselves. That is why men intoxicate themselves, spoil
\ntheir health, deaden their brains. If they had risen instead of falling, they
\nwould have made use of this opportunity to progress. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, the same thing holds true in all circumstances, when life
\ngives you a severe blow, one of those blows which men call a<\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 74<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<span<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>misfortune. The first thing
\nthey try to do is to forget, as if they did not forget too soon! And in order
\nto forget, they do all kinds of things. When something is very painful, they
\ntry to distract themselves what they call distracting themselves, that is,
\ndoing stupid things, lowering their consciousness instead of raising it. If
\nsomething extremely painful happens to you, never try to deaden yourself; you
\nmust not forget, you must not sink into unconsciousness. Go right to the heart
\nof the pain and there you will find the light, the truth, the strength and the
\njoy which are hidden behind this pain. But for that you must be firm and refuse
\nto let yourself slide. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this way every event in life, great or small, can be an
\nopportunity for progress. Even the most insignificant details can lead to
\nrevelations if you know how to profit from them. Whenever you are engaged in
\nsomething which does not demand the whole of your attention, use it as an
\nopportunity to develop your faculty of observation and you will see that you
\nwill make interesting discoveries. To help you to understand what I mean, I
\nshall give you two examples. They are two brief moments in life which are
\ninsignificant in themselves, but still leave a deep and lasting impression. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first example takes place in <\/span>Paris<\/span>. You have to go out into this immense city; here all is noise,
\napparent confusion, bewildering activity. Suddenly you see a woman walking in
\nfront of you; she is like most other women, her dress has nothing striking
\nabout it, but her gait is remarkable, supple, rhythmic, elegant, harmonious. It
\ncatches your attention and you are full of wonder. Then, this body moving along
\nso gracefully reminds you of all the splendours of ancient Greece and the
\nunparalleled lesson in beauty which its culture gave to the whole world, and
\nyou live an unforgettable moment all that just because of a woman who knows how
\nto walk! <\/span><\/p>\n

The second example is from the other end of the world, from <\/span>Japan<\/span>. You have just arrived in this beautiful country for a long stay
\nand very soon you find out that unless you have at<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 75<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\nleast a minimum knowledge of the language, it will be very difficult for
\nyou to get along. So you begin to study Japanese and in order to become
\nfamiliar with the language you do not miss a single opportunity to hear people
\ntalking, you listen to them carefully, you try to understand what they are
\nsaying; and then, beside you, in a tram where you have just taken your seat,
\nthere is a small child of four or five years with his mother. The child begins
\nto talk in a clear and pure voice and listening to him you have the remarkable
\nexperience that he knows spontaneously what you have to learn with so much
\neffort, and that as far as Japanese is concerned he could be your teacher in
\nspite of his youth. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this way life becomes full of wonder and gives you a lesson at
\neach step. Looked at from this angle, it is truly worth living.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/font><\/span>Bulletin<\/span>,<\/font><\/span><\/i> November 1953 <\/font> <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/font><\/i><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 76<\/span><\/p>\n

\t<span<\/p>\n


\n <\/font><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

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

To the Students, Young and Old \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0   \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are, in the history of the earth, moments of transition when things that have existed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12-on-education-volume-12","wpcat-118-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4183\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}