{"id":4203,"date":"2013-07-13T01:54:08","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4203"},"modified":"2013-12-01T21:09:25","modified_gmt":"2013-12-02T05:09:25","slug":"59-mothers-action-in-a-class-of-aged-16-to-18-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\/59-mothers-action-in-a-class-of-aged-16-to-18-vol-12-on-education-volume-12","title":{"rendered":"-59_Mother’s-Action-in-a-Class-of-Aged-16 to 18.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\n
\n(8)<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n


\n <\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n


\n
\nMOTHER’S ACTION IN A CLASS OF CHILDREN<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n


\n
\nAGED SIXTEEN TO EIGHTEEN<\/span><\/font><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

In 1968, while a reorganisation of the school was taking place,
\nMother declared that she was ready to reply to any questions that the students
\nwished to ask her about interesting subjects of study. When someone asked her
\nto choose a subject, she replied: \u201cDeath.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

This offer was made to all the students.
\nThe following work represents the response of a French class to Mother’s offer. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 341<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

In the course of each session, the
\nquestions were formulated by each student individually and sent together to
\nMother. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(The students wrote to Mother, asking to be allowed to work with
\nher on a study on death. Mother gave these instructions orally to the teacher.}
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The subject is: What is death? <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

How should you begin? You must look into yourself, look inside; do
\nnot try to know by reading books or to find out what is happening in the vital
\nand the mind: what you feel, what you think about death. <\/span><\/p>\n

The research should be carried out exclusively on a material
\nplane: what is death, from the physical point of view? <\/span><\/p>\n

You must concentrate and find the answers in yourself. Don’t make
\nany speeches. Say only one sentence. The more intelligent you are, the less
\nwords you need to express yourself.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>27 April 1968<\/span><\/i><\/span> <\/span><\/i>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

(The
\nstudents’ replies to the question, \u201cWhat is death, from the physical point of
\nview?\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAll
\ncirculation of blood in the brain cells stops.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen
\nthe brain stops functioning and the decomposition of the body begins, that is
\ndeath.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe
\ncessation of all physical activity due to the absence of the energy source, or
\nsoul.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe
\nactual fact of death makes me think of an experience in which one is projected
\nwith increasing force into space.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

(Mother wrote to the class :} <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I read what you sent with interest. And here is my reply: <\/span><\/p>\n

Death is the phenomenon of decentralisation and dispersion of the
\ncells which make up the physical body.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 342<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

The consciousness is, by its very nature, immortal, and in order
\nto manifest in the physical world, it assumes more or less lasting material
\nforms. <\/span><\/p>\n

The material substance is in course of transformation in order to
\nbecome a multiform and increasingly perfect and lasting mode of expression for
\nthis consciousness. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

18 May 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

(This time, Mother gave separate replies to the questions \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>and sent them to the teacher:}<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here are my replies to your students’ questions. I hope they will
\nbe able to understand. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

If a cell becomes conscious of its own personality, is it not
\nliable to act only in its own self-interest, taking no account of the
\ncollective interest? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What is the self-interest of a cell!\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Does the decentralisation occur all at once or by degrees? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Everything does not disperse all at once; it takes a long time. <\/span><\/p>\n

The central will of the physical being abdicates its will to hold
\nall the cells together. That is the first phenomenon. It accepts dissolution
\nfor one reason or another. One of the strongest reasons is the sense of an
\nirreparable disharmony; the other is a kind of disgust with continuing the
\neffort of coordination and harmonisation. In fact, there are innumerable
\nreasons, but unless there is a violent accident, it is above all this will to
\nmaintain cohesion which abdicates for one reason or another, or <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 343<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\u00a0<\/span>without reason. It is this
\nwhich inevitably precedes death.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Must each cell be conscious of its oneness with the centre? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is not like that. It is still a semi-collective consciousness,
\nit is not an individual consciousness of the cells. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Does decentralisation always occur after death, or can it start
\nbefore? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It often starts before. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Do the cells disperse in space or in the body itself? If they
\ndisperse in space, the body must surely disappear with the cells? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, the body dissolves after death, but that takes a long
\ntime. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

In the expression \u201cdispersion of the cells\u201d, doesn’t the word
\n\u201cdispersion\u201d have a special meaning? If so, what is it? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I used the word dispersion of the cells in its most concrete
\nsense. <\/span><\/p>\n

When the concentration which forms the body comes to an end and
\nthe body dissolves, all the cells that have been especially developed and have
\nbecome conscious of the divine Presence within them, are scattered and enter
\nother combinations in which they awaken, by contagion, the consciousness of the
\nPresence that each one has had. And in this way, by this phenomenon of
\nconcentration, development and dispersion, all  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 344<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

matter evolves and learns by contagion, develops by contagion, has
\nthe experience by contagion. <\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, the cell dissolves with the body. It is the
\nconsciousness of the cells that enters other combinations. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>5
\n June 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When the will of the physical being abdicates without reason, is
\nit without any physical `reason or without any reason at all? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The physical consciousness is conscious only physically; the will
\nof the physical being can abdicate without any reason of which it is aware. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What causes the physical being’s disgust with continuing the
\neffort of coordination and harmonisation? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Usually, this disgust occurs when there is, in one part of the
\nbeing (an important part, either vital or mental), an absolute refusal to
\nprogress. And so, physically, this is manifested as a refusal to strive against
\nthe deterioration which comes with time. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Where is the connection between the central will of the physical
\nbeing and the cells established? And how? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The cells have an inner composition or structure which corresponds
\nto the structure of the universe. So the link is established between identical
\nexternal and internal states.\u2026 It is not \u201cexternal\u201d, but it is external for the
\nindividual. That is, the cell, in its internal composition, receives the
\nvibration of the corresponding state in the composition of the whole. Each cell
\nis composed of different radiances, with a wholly luminous centre, and the
\nconnection is established between light and light. That is, the <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 345<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

will, the central light, acts on the cell by touching the
\ncorresponding lights, by an inner contact of the being. Each cell is a world in
\nminiature corresponding to the whole.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>15 July 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Is the will for progress enough to prevent the deterioration that
\ncomes with time? How can the physical being prevent this deterioration? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

That is precisely what the transformation of the body is: the
\nphysical cells not only become conscious, but receptive to the true
\nConsciousness-Force; that is, they allow the working of this higher
\nConsciousness. That is the work of transformation. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

How does the will, the central light, which is not material, act
\non the gross matter of the cell? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is just like asking, \u201cHow does the will act on matter?\u201d All
\nlife is like that. You should explain to these children that their whole
\nexistence is the result of the action of the will, that without will, matter
\nwould be inert and immobile and that it is precisely the fact that the
\nvibration of will acts on matter that makes life possible. Otherwise there
\nwould be no life. If they want a scientific answer and want to know how, it is
\nmore difficult, but the fact is there, it is a fact that can be seen at every
\nsecond.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/span><\/i>20 July 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How does one become conscious of the physical being? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mankind, nearly all of mankind, is conscious only of the physical
\nbeing. With education, the number of men who are conscious of their vital and
\nmind is increasing. As for the human beings <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 346<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

who are conscious of their psychic being, they are relatively few.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you mean, \u201cHow does one awaken the consciousness of the
\nphysical being? that is precisely the aim of physical education. It is physical
\neducation that teaches the cells to be conscious. But for the development of
\nthe brain, it is study, observation, intelligent education, above all
\nobservation and reasoning. And naturally, for the whole education of the
\nconsciousness from the point of view of character, it is yoga.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Does the central will of the physical being have a particular
\nlocation in the body? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is the brain.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Can one experience death without dying? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly. One can experience death yogically; one can even
\nexperience it materially, if death is short enough so that the doctors do not
\nhave time to pronounce you dead. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

After death, which part of the being becomes aware that one is
\ndead? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Any part of the being that survives can become aware that the body
\nis no longer there. It depends. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

How can one tell for certain that the physical body is dead? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Only when it decomposes. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

How can one control or prevent the process of disintegration? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

By carefully maintaining the physical balance.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 347<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

When one dies, does one necessarily feel physical pain? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Not necessarily. <\/span><\/p>\n

28 September 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>What should we do in our daily lives to stop the process of death?
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The method is to detach one’s consciousness from the body and to
\nconcentrate it on the deeper life, so as to bring this deeper consciousness
\ninto the body. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

If the sense of \u201cself\u201d has identified itself more with the mind in
\nlife, is this the same sense of \u201cself\u201d that has all the experiences after
\ndeath, that is, that retains at the same time the memories of life? I am asking
\nthis about the mind, for it remains formed a little longer than the other parts
\nafter death.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is not true that the mind is more durable. The psychic
\nconsciousness which has identified itself with the little physical part leaves
\nthis little physical person. Insofar as this consciousness has shaped the life,
\nit remembers what it has shaped and the memory is closely linked to the psychic
\nconsciousness in the events. Wherever the psychic consciousness has not taken
\npart in events, there is no memory. And only the psychic consciousness can
\ncontinue; it is not the mind that retains memories, that is quite incorrect.  <\/span><\/p>\n

1 February
\n 1969<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

(A few days later, during a conversation with the teacher about
\nthis student, Mother said, by way of conclusion:}<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In fact, there is no death. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 348<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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