{"id":4272,"date":"2013-07-13T01:54:44","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4272"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:54:44","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:54:44","slug":"06-03-april-1957-vol-09-questions-and-answers-volume-09","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/09-questions-and-answers-volume-09\/06-03-april-1957-vol-09-questions-and-answers-volume-09","title":{"rendered":"-06_03 April 1957.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\n3 April 1957 <\/font> <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAll would change if man could once consent to
\nbe spiritualised; but his nature, mental and vital and physical, is rebellious
\nto the higher law. He loves his imperfection.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spirit is the truth of our being;
\nmind and life and body in their imperfection are its masks, but in their
\nperfection should be its moulds. To be spiritual only is not enough; that
\nprepares a number of souls for heaven, but leaves the earth very much where it
\nwas. Neither is a compromise the way of salvation. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe world knows three kinds of
\nrevolution. The material has strong results, the moral and intellectual are
\ninfinitely larger in their scope and richer in their fruits, but the spiritual
\nare the great sowings. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the triple change could coincide in a
\nperfect correspondence, a faultless work would be done; but the mind and body
\nof mankind cannot hold perfectly a strong spiritual inrush: most is spilt, much
\nof the rest is corrupted. Many intellectual and physical upturnings<\/span>
\nof our soil are needed to work out a little result from a large spiritual
\nsowing. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cEach religion has helped mankind.
\nPaganism increased in man the light of beauty, the largeness and height of his
\nlife, his aim at a many-sided perfection; Christianity gave him some vision of
\ndivine love and charity; Buddhism has shown him a noble way to be wiser,
\ngentler, purer; Judaism and Islam how to be religiously faithful in action and
\nzealously devoted to God; Hinduism has opened to him the largest and
\nprofoundest spiritual possibilities. A great thing would be done if all these
\nGod-visions could embrace and cast themselves into each other; but intellectual
\ndogma and<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\u00a0<\/span>cult-egoism stand in the way.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cAll religions have saved a number of souls,
\nbut none yet has been able to spiritualise mankind. For that there is needed
\nnot cult and creed, but a sustained and all-comprehending effort at spiritual
\nself-evolution. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe changes we see in
\nthe world today are intellectual, moral, physical in their ideal and intention:
\nthe spiritual revolution waits for its hour and throws up meanwhile its waves
\nhere and there. Until it comes the sense of the others cannot be understood and
\ntill then all interpretations of present happening and forecast of man\u2019s future
\nare vain things. For its nature, power, event are that which will determine the
\nnext cycle of our humanity.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thoughts and Glimpses, Cent<\/font><\/span><\/i>.
\nVol. 16, pp. 393-94 0<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mother, here Sri Aurobindo writes: \u201cA great
\nthing would be done if all these God-visions could embrace and cast themselves
\ninto each other; but intellectual dogma and cult-egoism stand in the way.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>How is it possible to fuse into one all these
\nviews?<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is not in the mental
\nconsciousness that these things can be harmonised and synthesised. For this it
\nis necessary to rise above and find the idea behind the thought. Sri Aurobindo
\nshows here, for example, what each of these religions represents in human
\neffort, aspiration and realisation. Instead of taking these religions in their
\noutward forms which are precisely dogmas and intellectual conceptions, if we
\ntake them in their spirit, in the principle they represent, there is no
\ndifficulty in unifying them. They are simply different aspects of human
\nprogress which complete each other perfectly well and should be united with
\nmany others yet to form a more total and more complete progress, a more perfect
\nunderstanding of life, a more integral approach to
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

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

\n

the Divine. And even
\nthis unification which already demands a return to the Spirit behind things, is
\nnot enough; there must be added to it a vision of the future, the goal towards
\nwhich humanity is moving, the future realisation of the world, that last
\n\u201cspiritual revolution\u201d Sri Aurobindo speaks about, which will open a new age,
\nthat is, the supramental revolution. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the
\nsupramental consciousness all these things are no longer contradictory or
\nexclusive. They all become complementary. It is only the mental form which
\ndivides. What this mental form represents should be united to what all the
\nother mental forms represent in order to make a harmonious whole. And that is
\nthe essential difference between a religion and the true spiritual life. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Religion exists almost exclusively in its
\nforms, its cults, in a certain set of ideas, and it becomes great only through
\nthe spirituality of a few exceptional individuals, whereas true spiritual life,
\nand above all what the supramental realisation will be, is independent of every
\nprecise, intellectual form, every limited form of life. It embraces all
\npossibilities and manifestations and makes them the expression, the vehicle of
\na higher and more universal truth. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A new religion would not only be useless
\nbut very harmful. It is a new life<\/i>
\nwhich must be created; it is a new consciousness<\/i>
\nwhich must be expressed. This is something beyond intellectual limits and
\nmental formulae. It is a living truth which must manifest. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Everything in its essence and its truth
\nshould be included in this realisation. This realisation must be an expression
\nas total, as complete, as universal as possible of the divine reality. Only
\nthat can save humanity and the world. That is the great spiritual revolution of
\nwhich Sri Aurobindo speaks. And this is what he wanted us to realise. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He has traced its broad outline in the
\nvery book we shall start reading next Wednesday: The Supramental Manifestation.<\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>And the first sentence I read today
\nremains the key of the <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 77<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

entire problem not only
\nfor the individual but also for the collectivity<\/span>: <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll would change if man could once consent to be
\nspiritualised; but his nature, mental and vital and physical, is\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>rebellious to the higher law. He loves
\nhis imperfection.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I would like
\nus to take this as the subject of our meditation. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

(Meditation)<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 78<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n10 April 1957
\n<\/font>
\n<\/a> <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother invaluable result of these activities
\n[sports, etc.] is the growth of what has been called the sporting spirit. That
\nincludes good humour and tolerance and consideration for all, a right attitude
\nand friendliness to competitors and rivals, self-control and scrupulous
\nobservance of the laws of the game, fair play and avoidance of the use of foul
\nmeans, an equal acceptance of victory or defeat without bad humour, resentment
\nor ill-will towards successful competitors, loyal acceptance of the decisions
\nof the appointed judge, umpire or referee. These qualities have their value for
\nlife in general and not only for sport, but the help that sport can give to
\ntheir development is direct and invaluable. If they could be made more common
\nnot only in the life of the individual but in the national life and in the
\ninternational where at the present day the opposite tendencies have become too
\nrampant, existence in this troubled world of ours would be smoother and might
\nopen to a greater chance of concord and amity of which it stands very much in
\nneed.\u2026even a highest and completest education of the mind is not enough without
\nthe education of the body.\u2026The nation which possesses [these qualities] in the
\nhighest degree is likely to be the strongest for victory, success and greatness,
\nbut also for the contribution it can make towards the bringing about of unity
\nand a more harmonious world order towards which we look as our hope for
\nhumanity\u2019s future.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n <\/font><\/span><\/i>Sri
\nAurobindo,<\/font> The Supramental Manifestation,
\npp. 2-4\u00b9<\/font><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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


\n\u00b9<\/font><\/span>This
\n\u201cMessage\u201d of 30 December 1948 was given for the first issue of the Bulletin of Physical<\/i> Education<\/i> of the Ashram (February 1949). It forms the introduction
\nof The Supramental Manifestation upon
\nEarth, <\/i>which contains eight articles originally written by Sri Aurobindo
\nfor the <\/font> Bulletin<\/font><\/i><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 79<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

Sweet Mother, during our tournaments there are
\nmany who play in a very bad spirit. They try to hurt others in order\u00a0 <\/span>to win. And we have noticed that even the little
\nones are learning to do this. How could it be avoided? <\/span><\/i>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

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

With children it is
\nabove all ignorance and bad example which cause the harm. So it would be good
\nif, before they begin their games, all the group-leaders, the captains, call
\ntogether all those they are in charge of and tell them, explain to them exactly
\nwhat Sri Aurobindo says here, with detailed explanations like those we have
\ngiven in the two little books The Code of
\nSportsmanship and The Ideal Child [or What a Child Should Always Remember]. <\/i>These
\nthings must be repeated often to the children. And then, you must warn them
\nagainst bad company, bad friends, as I told you in another class. <\/span><\/p>\n

And above
\nall, set them the right example.\u2026Be yourself what you would like them to be.
\nGive them the example of disinterestedness, patience, self-control, constant
\ngood humour, the overcoming of one\u2019s little personal dislikes, a sort of
\nconstant goodwill, an understanding of others\u2019 difficulties; and that equality
\nof temper which makes children free from fear, for what makes children
\ndeceitful and untruthful, and even cunning, is the fear of being punished. If
\nthey feel secure, they will hide nothing and you will then be able to help them
\nto be loyal and honest. Of all things the most important is good example. Sri
\nAurobindo speaks of that, of the invariable good humour one must have in all
\ncircumstances, this self-forgetfulness: not to throw one\u2019s own little troubles
\non others; when one is tired or uncomfortable, not to become unpleasant,
\nimpatient. This asks for quite some perfection, a self-control which is a great
\nstep on the path of realisation. If one fulfilled the conditions needed to be a
\ntrue leader, even if only a leader of a small group of children, well, one
\nwould already be far advanced in the discipline needed for the accomplishment
\nof the yoga. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 80<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

It is from
\nthis aspect that the problem should be seen, the aspect of self-mastery, of
\ncontrol, of the endurance which will not allow your personal condition to react
\non your group-work or collective action. To forget oneself is one of the most
\nessential conditions for being a true leader: to have no selfish interests, to
\nwant nothing for oneself, to consider only the good of the group, of the whole,
\nthe totality that depends on one; to act only with that aim in mind, without
\nwanting any personal profit from one\u2019s action. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A leader of a small group can thus become
\na perfect leader for a large group, for a nation, and prepare himself for a
\ncollective role. It is a training-ground of great importance, and that is truly
\nwhat we have attempted and are continuing to try out here: to give to everyone
\nas soon as possible a responsibility, big or small, so that he learns to become
\na true leader. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>To be a true leader one must be completely
\ndisinterested and efface from oneself as much as possible all self-regard and
\nall selfish movements. To be a leader one must master one\u2019s ego, and to master
\none\u2019s ego is the first indispensable step for doing yoga. And this is what can
\nmake sports a powerful aid for the realisation of the Divine. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Very few people understand this, and
\ngenerally those who are against this outer discipline of sports, this
\nconcentration on the material realisation, are people who completely lack
\ncontrol over their physical being. And to realise the integral yoga of Sri
\nAurobindo the control of one\u2019s body is a first indispensable step. Those who
\ndespise physical activities are people who won\u2019t be able to take a single step
\non the true path of integral yoga, unless they first get rid of their contempt.
\nControl of the body in all its forms is an indispensable basis. A body which
\ndominates you is an enemy; it is a disorder you cannot accept. It is the
\nenlightened will in the mind which should govern the body, and not the body
\nwhich should impose its law on the mind. When one knows that a thing is bad,
\none must be capable of not doing it. When one wants something to be realised,
\none must
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 81<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\nbe able to do it and not be stopped at every
\nstep by the body\u2019s inability or ill-will or lack of collaboration; and for that
\none must follow a physical discipline and become master in one\u2019s own home. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It is very fine to escape into meditation
\nand from the height of one\u2019s so-called grandeur look down on material things,
\nbut one who is not master in his own home is a slave.  <\/span><\/p>\n

(Silence)<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

No questions over there?
\nNo?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mother, one of the problems that arises in
\nphysical activities is that in order to be perfect at one game or one
\nparticular activity, one needs to concentrate only on that game or activity. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

That is quite wrong. In
\nthe very first issue of the Bulletin I explained this in full detail.\u00b9
\n\u201cConcentration and Dispersion\u201d, Bulletin, April 1949. It is altogether wrong.
\nIndeed someone who has acquired control over himself and developed the power of
\nconcentration can apply this power of concentration to things that are
\napparently extremely different, even sometimes opposite, and he ought to be
\nable to do them without one thing interfering with the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>There is only the question of time to
\nbe considered, but this question may be resolved by two things: first by an
\nenlightened and methodical organisation of one\u2019s life, then by doing away with
\nthe wastage of time which most people spend in useless activities \u2013 if these
\nwere to disappear it would be a blessing for everyone \u2013 and first among them I
\nput chattering, that is, speaking uselessly, among friends, colleagues\u2026in all
\nactivities. The time one can waste in talking is tremendous! When one word
\nwould be enough, one says fifty. And that is not the only loss of
\ntime.\u2026Actually, when one is short of time, it means one<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00b9
\n\u201cConsciousness and Dispersion\u201d, Bulletin,
\n<\/i>April 1949.<\/font><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 82<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

does not know how to
\norganise one\u2019s life. Of course, there are people who do too many things, but
\nthat too shows a lack of organisation in life. <\/span><\/p>\n

A true
\norganisation gives a place to each thing to the extent that it is required. You
\nall know very well that with ten to fifteen minutes of well-coordinated
\nexercises, you can give your body all the necessary training. This you have
\nbeen taught here and it has been proved to you. For the balance of the body
\nthis is enough. Naturally there are all sorts of other qualities given by
\ngames, but you don\u2019t play for more than an hour each day at the most, as far as
\nI know, and that is not much time spent in the day. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It is an excuse! Organise your life and
\nyou will see that you have room for everything\u2026even for being a good student. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 83<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n17 April 1957<\/font><\/a><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cPerfection is the true aim of all
\nculture, the spiritual and psychic, the mental, the vital and it must be the
\naim of our physical culture also. If our seeking is for a total perfection of
\nthe being, the physical part of it cannot be left aside; for the body is the
\nmaterial basis, the body is the instrument which we have to use. Śarīram<\/span> khalu<\/span> dharmasādhanam<\/span>, says the old Sanskrit adage, \u2014 the
\nbody is the means of fulfilment of dharma, and dharma means every ideal which
\nwe can propose to ourselves and the law of its working out and its action. A
\ntotal perfection is the ultimate aim which we set before us, for our ideal is
\nthe Divine Life which we wish to create here, the life of the Spirit fulfilled
\non earth, life accomplishing its own spiritual transformation even here on
\nearth in the conditions of the material universe. That cannot be unless the
\nbody too undergoes a transformation, unless its action and functioning attain
\nto a supreme capacity and the perfection which is possible to it or which can
\nbe made possible.\u201d <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Supramental Manifestation, p. 5<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Mother, how can the functioning of the body
\n\u201cattain to a supreme capacity\u201d? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Precisely by
\ntransformation. This implies a total transformation. Sri Aurobindo speaks about
\nit later in what follows. <\/span><\/p>\n

For the
\nmoment, our body is simply a doubtful improvement on the animal body, for if we
\nhave gained from a certain point of view, we have lost from another. It is
\ncertain that from the point of view of purely physical capacities many animals
\nare superior to us. Unless by a special culture and transformation
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\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\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\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\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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Page
\n\u2013 84\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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

we succeed in really
\ntransforming our capacities, it could be said that from the point of view of
\nstrength and muscular power a tiger or a lion is far superior to us. From the point
\nof view of agility a monkey is far superior to us; and, for instance, a bird
\ncan travel without needing any exterior mechanism or plane, which is not yet
\npossible for us\u2026and so on. And we are bound by the animal necessities of the
\nfunctioning of our organs; so long as we depend, for instance, on material
\nfood, on absorbing matter in such a crude form, we shall be quite inferior
\nanimals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, I
\ndon\u2019t want to anticipate what we are going to read, but all this purely animal
\nfunctioning of our body, all this part which is exactly the same as in animal
\nlife \u2013 that we depend for life on the circulation of the blood and to have
\nblood we need to eat, and so on, and all that this implies \u2013 these are terrible
\nlimitations and bondages! As long as material life depends on that, it is
\nobvious that we won\u2019t be able to divinise our life. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>So, we must assume that animality<\/span> in the human being should be replaced by another
\nsource of life, and this is quite conceivable \u2013 not only conceivable but
\npartially realisable; and this is obviously the aim we ought to set before
\nourselves if we want to transform matter and make it capable of expressing
\ndivine qualities. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In the very, very old traditions \u2013 there
\nwas a tradition more ancient than the Vedic and the Chaldean<\/span>
\nwhich must have been the source of both \u2013 in that ancient tradition there is
\nalready mention of a \u201cglorious body\u201d which would be plastic enough to be
\ntransformed at every moment by the deeper consciousness: it would express that
\nconsciousness, it would have no fixity of form. It mentioned luminosity: the
\nconstituent matter could become luminous at will. It mentioned a sort of
\npossibility of weightlessness which would allow the body to move about in the
\nair only by the action of will-power and by certain processes of control of the
\ninner energy, and so on. Much has been said about these things. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 85<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

I don\u2019t know
\nif there ever were beings on earth who had partially realised this, but in a very
\nsmall way there have been partial instances of one thing or another, examples
\nwhich go to prove that it is possible. And following up this idea, one could go
\nso far as to conceive of the replacement of material organs and their
\nfunctioning as it now is, by centres of concentration of force and energy which
\nwould be receptive to the higher forces and which, by a kind of alchemy, would
\nuse them for the necessities of life and the body. We already speak of the different
\n\u201ccentres\u201d in the body \u2013 this knowledge is very widespread among people who have
\npractised yoga \u2013 but these centres could be perfected to the point where they
\nreplace the different organs by a direct action of the higher energy and
\nvibrations on matter. Those who have practised occultism well enough, in its
\nmost integral form, it could be said, know the process of materialisation of
\nsubtle energies and can put them in contact with physical vibrations. Not only
\nis it something that can be done, but it is something which is] done. And all
\nthat is a science, a science which must itself be perfected, completed, and
\nwhich will obviously be used for the creation and setting in action of new
\nbodies which will be able to manifest the supramental life in the material
\nworld.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>But, as Sri Aurobindo says, before this
\ncan be done, it is good to utilise all that we have in order to increase and
\nmake more exact the control of physical activities. It is very obvious that
\nthose who practise physical culture scientifically and with coordination
\nacquire a control over their bodies that\u2019s unimaginable for ordinary people.
\nWhen the Russian gymnasts came here, we saw with what ease they did exercises
\nwhich for an ordinary man are impossible, and they did them as if it was the
\nsimplest thing in the world; there was not even the least sign of effort! Well,
\nthat mastery is already a great step towards the transformation of the body.
\nAnd these people who, I could say, are materialists by profession, used no
\nspiritual method in their education; it was solely by material means and an
\nenlightened<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 86<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

use of human will that
\nthey had achieved this result. If they had added to this a spiritual knowledge
\nand power, they could have achieved an almost miraculous result.\u2026Because of the
\nfalse ideas prevalent in the world, we don\u2019t usually see the two things
\ntogether, spiritual mastery and material mastery, and so one is always
\nincomplete without the other; but this is exactly what we want to do and what
\nSri Aurobindo is going to explain: if the two are combined, the result can
\nreach a perfection that\u2019s unthinkable for the ordinary human mind, and this is
\nwhat we want to attempt. <\/span><\/p>\n

As he goes on
\nto say \u2013 we shall probably read it next time \u2013 first one has to fight against a
\nformidable mass of stupid prejudices which create an irreconcilable antagonism
\nbetween material and spiritual life. And it is something so deep-rooted in
\nhuman consciousness that it is very difficult to eradicate it, even in those
\nwho think they have understood Sri Aurobindo\u2019s teaching! And many people said,
\nwhen for altogether different reasons I began to hold meditations again, \u201cAh!
\nAt last! We are returning to spiritual life….\u201d This was indeed what prevented
\nme from holding them for a long time. It was in order not to encourage this
\nstupidity. But for other reasons it was necessary to do it and so I did. So
\nlong as this foolishness is not uprooted from human consciousness, the
\nsupramental force will always find it considerably difficult not to be engulfed
\nin the obscurity of a human thought which understands nothing. That\u2019s all. All
\nthe same, we shall succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I chose this book, The Supramental Manifestation<\/i>, in order to have the opportunity of
\nputting you into contact with a truth expressed in an almost combative form, in
\norder to fight against this old division, this total lack of understanding of
\nthe eternal Truth. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>And perhaps, when we have finished
\nreading it, I shall be able to tell you why we have started the meditations
\nagain \u2013 but certainly not \u201cto return to spiritual life\u201d! <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>And it is so deep-rooted. Oh! Even those
\nwho outwardly <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 87<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\u00a0<\/span>profess to understand \u2013 when they think of the
\nspiritual life, they immediately think of meditation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>There we are. Now, we shall have one all the
\nsame, but for another reason! <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Meditation)<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 88<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n24 April 1957
\n<\/font>
\n<\/a> <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cA divine life in a material world implies
\nnecessarily a union of the two ends of existence, the spiritual summit and the
\nmaterial base. The soul with the basis of its life established in Matter ascends
\nto the heights of the Spirit but does not cast away its base, it joins the
\nheights and the depths together. The Spirit descends into Matter and the
\nmaterial world with all its lights and glories and powers and with them fills
\nand transforms life in the material world so that it becomes more and more
\ndivine. The transformation is not a change into something purely subtle and
\nspiritual to which Matter is in its nature repugnant and by which it is felt as
\nan obstacle or as a shackle binding the Spirit; it takes up Matter as a form of
\nthe Spirit though now a form which conceals and turns it into a revealing
\ninstrument, it does not cast away the energies of Matter, its capacities, its
\nmethods; it brings out their hidden possibilities, uplifts, sublimates,
\ndiscloses their innate divinity. The divine life will reject nothing that is
\ncapable of divinisation; all is to be seized, exalted, made utterly perfect\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the pursuit of perfection we can
\nstart at either end of our range of being and we have then to use, initially at
\nleast, the means and processes proper to our choice. In Yoga the process is
\nspiritual and psychic; even its vital and physical processes are given a
\nspiritual or psychic turn and raised to a higher motion than belongs properly
\nto the ordinary life and Matter, as for instance in the Hathayogic and
\nRajayogic use of the breathing or the use of Asana\u2026On the other hand, if we
\nstart in any field at the lower end we have to employ the means and processes
\nwhich Life and <\/span><\/i>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 89<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

Matter offer to us and respect the
\nconditions and what we may call the technique imposed by the vital and the
\nmaterial energy. We may extend the activity, the achievement, the perfection
\nattained beyond the initial, even beyond the normal possibilities but still we
\nhave to stand on the same base with which we started and within the boundaries
\nit gives to us. It is not that the action from the two ends cannot meet and the
\nhigher take into itself and uplift the lower perfection; but this can usually
\nbe done only by a transition from the lower to a higher outlook, aspiration and
\nmotive: this we shall have to do if our aim is to transform the human into the
\ndivine life. But here there comes in the necessity of taking up the activities
\nof human life and sublimating them by the power of the spirit. Here the lower
\nperfection will not disappear; it will remain but will be enlarged and
\ntransformed by the higher perfection which only the power of the spirit can
\ngive.\u201d
\n <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n The
\nSupramental Manifestation, pp. 5-8 <\/font> <\/span><\/i>
\n
\n
\n <\/span><\/font><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Sweet
\nMother, here Sri Aurobindo speaks of \u201cthe higher perfection\u201d and \u201cthe lower
\nperfection\u201d\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The higher perfection is
\nthe spiritual perfection, integral union with the Divine, identification with
\nthe Divine, freedom from all the limitations of the lower world. That is
\nspiritual perfection, the perfection that comes from yoga \u2013 quite independent
\nof the body and the physical world \u2013 which, in ancient times, meant first
\nrejecting the body and the physical life so as to have a relation only with the
\nhigher world and finally with the Divine. That is the higher perfection. <\/span><\/p>\n

And the lower
\nperfection is to be able to make the human being in his present form and in his
\nbody, in his relation with all terrestrial things, do the utmost he can. This
\nis the case of all great men of genius: artistic genius, literary genius,
\ngenius <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 90<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

in organisation, the
\ngreat rulers, those who have carried physical capacities to their maximum
\nperfection, human development to the limit of its possibilities; and, for
\ninstance, all those who have complete control over their bodies and succeed in
\ndoing miraculous things, as we saw, for example, during the war, with the
\nairmen: they made their bodies do things which at first sight seemed quite
\nimpossible, they obtained from them an endurance, a skill, a power which were
\nalmost unthinkable. And from every point of view: from the point of view of
\nphysical strength, of intellectual realisation, of the physical qualities of
\nenergy and courage, of disinterestedness, goodness, charity; all human qualities
\ncarried to their utmost limits. That is the lower perfection. <\/span><\/p>\n

The higher
\nperfection is spiritual and super-human. The lower perfection is human
\nperfection carried to its maximum limits, and this may be quite independent of
\nall spiritual life, all spiritual aspiration. One can be a genius without
\nhaving any spiritual aspiration. One can have all the most extraordinary moral
\nqualities without having any spiritual life. And even, usually, those who have
\na very great power of human realisation are satisfied \u2013 more or less satisfied \u2013
\nwith their condition. They feel they are self-sufficient, that they carry in
\nthemselves the source of their realisation and their joy, and it is usually
\nvery difficult to make them understand and feel that they are not the creators
\nof their own creations, whatever they may be. Most of them, with very rare
\nexceptions, if they were told, \u201cYou are not the originator of this work you are
\ndoing, it is a force higher than you and you are only its instrument\u201d, they
\nwould dislike it very much \u2013 and they will send you about your business!
\nTherefore, these two perfections are really divergent in ordinary life. It was
\nsaid in the old yoga that the first condition for doing yoga was to be
\ndisgusted with life. But those who have realised this human perfection are very
\nrarely disgusted with life, unless they have met with personal difficulties
\nsuch as the ingratitude of people around them, the lack of understanding of
\ntheir genius which was not sufficiently appreciated \u2013 so all this disgusts <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 91<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

them, but otherwise, so
\nlong as they are in their period of success and creation, they are perfectly
\nsatisfied. So, as they are satisfied \u2013 above all, self-satisfied \u2013 they don\u2019t
\nneed to seek anything else.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not essentially
\ntrue, but this is usually how things happen, and unless there is in this genius
\na soul which is perfectly conscious of itself and has come to accomplish a
\nspecific work on earth, he may very well be born, grow up and die without
\nknowing that there is anything other than this earthly life. And above all it
\nis this, you see, this feeling of having achieved the utmost realisation which
\ngives a satisfaction that keeps one from needing anything else.\u2026If they have a
\nsoul that\u2019s fully conscious of itself and fully conscious of its purpose in the
\nphysical world, there could be a vague feeling that all this is pretty hollow,
\nthat all these achievements are a little too superficial and that something is
\nlacking; but that comes only to those who are predestined, and after all, in
\nthe mass of humanity, there are not very many of them. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Only those who are predestined can
\ncombine these two perfections and realise something integral.\u2026This is quite
\nrare. The great spiritual leaders have very rarely been great realisers<\/span> in the physical world. It has happened, but it is
\nvery rare. Only those who are conscious incarnations of the Divine naturally
\ncarry in themselves the possibility of the two perfections, but this is
\nexceptional. People who had a spiritual life, a great spiritual realisation,
\nwere able at certain exceptional moments to have a capacity for outward
\nrealisation; this also was exceptional, but it was intermittent and never had
\nthe integrality<\/span>, the totality, the perfection of
\nthose who concentrated on material realisation. And this is why those who live
\nonly in the external consciousness, for whom the earthly material life is all
\nthat really exists, concrete and tangible, perceptible to all, always feel that
\nspiritual life is something hazy, something almost mediocre from the material
\npoint of view.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I have met many people \u2013 \u201cmany\u201d, well,
\nquite a number \u2013
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 92<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

who wanted to
\ndemonstrate that spiritual powers gave a great capacity for outer realisation
\nand who tried, in certain exceptional spiritual states or conditions, to paint
\nor to compose music or write poetry; well, everything that they produced was
\nthoroughly second-rate and could not be compared with the works of the great
\ngeniuses who had mastered material nature \u2013 and this of course gave the
\nmaterialists a good opening: \u201cYou see, your so-called power is nothing at all.\u201d
\nBut this was because in their external life they were ordinary men; for the
\ngreatest spiritual power, if it enters material that\u2019s not educated, will
\nproduce a result far superior to what that individual would have been able to
\nachieve in his ordinary state, but far inferior to what a genius who has
\nmastered matter can produce. It is not enough that \u201cthe Spirit bloweth<\/span>\u201d, the instrument must also be capable of manifesting
\nit. <\/span><\/p>\n

I believe
\nthat is one of the things Sri Aurobindo is going to explain: why it is
\nnecessary to give to the physical, external being, its full development, the
\ncapacity of controlling matter directly; then you put at the disposal of the
\nSpirit an instrument capable of manifesting it, otherwise\u2026Yes, I knew several
\npeople who in their ordinary state could not write three lines without making a
\nmistake, not only spelling mistakes but mistakes of language, that is, who
\ncould not express one thought clearly \u2013 well, in their moments of spiritual
\ninspiration, they used to write very beautiful things, but all the same these
\nvery beautiful things were not so beautiful as the works of the greatest
\nwriters. These things seemed remarkable in comparison with what they could do
\nin their ordinary state; it was true, their present possibilities were used to
\nthe maximum, it was something that gave a value to what otherwise would have
\nhad none at all. But supposing you take a real genius \u2013 a musician or artist or
\nwriter of genius \u2013 who has fully mastered his instrument, who can use it to
\nproduce works that express the utmost human possibility, if you add to this a
\nspiritual consciousness, the supramental force, then you will have something
\ntruly divine. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 93<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

And this is precisely
\nthe key to the effort Sri Aurobindo wanted us to make. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>And your body, if you draw from it all
\nthe possibilities it holds, if you educate it by the normal, well-known,
\nscientific methods, if you make this instrument into something as perfect as
\npossible, then, when the supramental truth manifests in that body, it will
\nbecome immediately<\/i> \u2013 without
\ncenturies of preparation \u2013 a marvellous instrument for the expression of the
\nSpirit. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That is why Sri Aurobindo used to
\nrepeat and has always said: You must work from both ends, not let go of one for
\nthe other. And certainly, if you want to have a divine consciousness, you must
\nnot give up spiritual aspiration; but if you want to become an integral divine
\nbeing on earth, take good care not to let go of the other end, and make your
\nbody the best possible instrument. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It is a disease of the ordinary human
\nintellect \u2013 which comes, moreover, from separation, division \u2013 to make a thing
\nalways either<\/i> this or<\/i> that. If you choose this, you turn
\nyour back on that; if you choose that, you turn your back on this. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It is an impoverishment. One must know
\nhow to take up everything, combine everything, synthesise everything. And then
\none has an integral realisation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>(Turning
\nto the children)<\/i> Do you have anything to say? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It is much better to do than to say.
\nNow I have given you some encouragement. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 94<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n
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