{"id":4277,"date":"2013-07-13T01:54:46","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4277"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:54:46","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:54:46","slug":"25-series-eleven-vol-16-some-answers-from-the-mother-volume-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/16-some-answers-from-the-mother-volume-16\/25-series-eleven-vol-16-some-answers-from-the-mother-volume-16","title":{"rendered":"-25_Series Eleven.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n

\n <\/span>SERIES ELEVEN<\/font><\/span> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n


\n
\nSeries Eleven <\/font> <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTo a sadhak of the
\nSri Aurobindo Ashram.<\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow can my effort
\nto serve the Divine become more perfect? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nBy wanting Him
\nmore and more in every part of your being \u2013 integrally.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n11 October 1966 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn 1958 the Mother
\nsaid, \u201cIf things go on advancing at this speed, it seems more than possible,
\nalmost evident, that what Sri Aurobindo wrote in a letter is a prophetic
\nannouncement: The supramental consciousness will enter a phase of realising
\npower in 1967.\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Have things
\nadvanced at the required speed? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nYes.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n2 January 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nMay I try to make
\nmy nights conscious? I pray for guidance. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\n1) A short
\nconcentration before going to sleep, with an aspiration to remember the
\nactivities of the night when you wake up.     <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    2) When you wake
\nup, do not make any sudden movement of the head and keep still for a few
\nminutes, with a concentration to remember what happened during your sleep.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n


\n <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b9 Questions and Answers 1957-58,
\nCollected Works Vol. 9, p. 315. <\/font> <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPage
\n\u2013 357<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\n    <\/span>
\n3) Repeat these
\nexercises every day until you begin to perceive a result.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n18 January 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn the human
\nbeing, is the psychic being the entire soul or do both the soul (in its essence
\nas a divine spark in all creatures) and the psychic being exist together? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe soul is the
\neternal essence at the centre of the psychic being. The soul is in fact like a
\ndivine spark which puts on many states of being of increasing density, down to
\nthe most material; it is inside the body, within the solar plexus, so to say.\u00b9
\nThese states of being take form and develop, progress, become individualised and
\nperfected in the course of many earthly lives and form the psychic being. When
\nthe psychic being is fully formed, it is aware of the consciousness of the soul
\nand manifests it perfectly.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n1 February 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nAs soon as I meet
\nor see certain people, certain lower and wrong vibrations arise in me. This is
\nan invariable habit, in spite of the fact that I want to get rid of these
\nreactions. What should I do? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe radical method
\nis to cut off all mental and vital connection with these people; but until you
\nknow how to do this, you must persistently eliminate from your consciousness the
\neffect produced by their influence.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n18 February 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n \u00b9By
\n\u201csolar plexus\u201d, the Mother is referring to the heart (not the navel) region;
\nthis is clear from statements she has made elsewhere; see, for example, in
\nSeries Thirteen of this volume, the last paragraph of her reply of 20 September
\n1969.<\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 358<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nYou have said:
\n\u201cThe Divine is with you according to your aspirations. Naturally, this does not
\nmean that he gives way to the fancies of your outer nature <\/span><\/i>
\n\u2013 I am speaking
\nhere of the truth of your being. Moreover, he sometimes moulds himself according
\nto your outer aspirations, and if you live like the devotees who alternate
\nbetween periods of estrangement and embrace, of ecstasy and despair, the Divine
\ntoo will be farther from you or nearer, depending on what you believe. The
\nattitude is therefore very important, even the outer attitude.\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>What is the
\nmeaning of \u201couter aspiration\u201d and \u201couter attitude\u201d? What is the best outer
\nattitude? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nUnless one
\npractises yoga in the physical being (outer being), it remains ignorant \u2013 even
\nits aspiration is ignorant and so is its goodwill; all its movements are
\nignorant and so they distort and disfigure the Divine Presence. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThat is why the
\nyoga of the body-cells is indispensable.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n25 February 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe Dawn that
\ndoes not pass away\u201d\u00b9 what spiritual state does this marvellous dawn represent?
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPerpetual renewal.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n6 March 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThis is how I
\nunderstand the Purusha: <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>The Lord is
\nthe Supreme Purusha, the Purushottama. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>The Atman
\nis the universal Purusha. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>The
\nJivatman is the individual Purusha, and the <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00b9<\/span>The
\nMother, Prayers and Meditations,<\/i> Collected Works Vol. 1, p. 226. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 359<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nphysical Purusha,
\nthe vital Purusha, the mental Purusha and the secret Purusha in the heart are
\nprojections of it. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>The soul is
\nthe Purusha that enters into the evolution. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Is my
\nunderstanding correct? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThis is one way of
\nputting it. Mental definitions are never more than approximations, ways of
\nspeaking.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n10 March 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nMy body is very
\nweak and full of unconsciousness and tamas. How can this body become Your good
\ninstrument? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nAt the centre of
\neach cell lies the Divine Consciousness. By aspiration and repeated self-giving,
\nthe cells must be made transparent.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n18 March 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cTo be aware of
\nthe consciousness of the soul\u201d is this the same thing as uniting with the
\nDivine? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTo become aware of
\nthe consciousness of the soul is the surest and easiest way of uniting with the
\nDivine.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n25 March 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nYou give
\neverything we need, but my capacity to receive is very limited since it takes me
\na long time to assimilate even the little I am able to receive. Untroubled, I
\npray: How can the situation be improved? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThis difficulty
\nusually comes from a lack of unification of the being.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 360<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nCertain
\nparts are recalcitrant and refuse to receive. They have to be educated little by
\nlittle, just as one educates a child \u2013 and little by little too the situation
\nwill improve.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n7 April 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nLooking at the
\npresent state of the world, we can say that the worst has already happened. We
\nawait the day when the Lord will take the earth into His arms and \u201cthe earth
\nwill be transformed\u201d. Is that day drawing near? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt may very well
\nbe that this is what is happening now \u2013 but it is not on the human scale. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nOne moment of the
\nLord probably means many years for us!  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n12 April 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nAlthough there is
\na certain charm and poetry in the fact that there is no formal date for the
\ncreation of our Ashram, could it be said from the true occult point of view that
\nthe Ashram was born with the Mother’s arrival? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe Ashram was
\nborn a few years after my return from Japan, in 1926.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n17 April 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe Lord told You:
\n\u201cOne day thou wilt be my head but for the moment turn thy gaze towards the
\nearth.\u201d\u00b9 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Sweet
\nMother, what does \u201cthou wilt be my head\u201d mean? <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b9Prayers
\nand Meditations, p. 144.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 361<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nThe head is the
\noriginal conceiving Consciousness.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n22 April 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhen I want to be
\ncloser to You, I see that I must overcome my ego. But when I think of overcoming
\nmy ego, I see that I must be closer to You. How can I solve this problem? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe Grace is there
\nto solve it.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n1 May 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow can I be Your
\ngood child? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nBy being yourself,
\nquite simply, very simply.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n5 May 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhen I am able to
\noffer You money or some object, it brings me great joy, and when some part of my
\nbeing offers itself to You the joy I feel is greater still. But in spite of this
\nexperience my whole being is not offered to You. What stupidity! How can I
\nchange this? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nWe are made up of
\nmany different parts which have to be unified around the psychic being, if we
\nare conscious of it or at least around the central aspiration. If this
\nunification is not done, we carry this division within us. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nTo do this, each
\nthought, each feeling, each sensation, each impulse, each reaction, as it
\nmanifests, must be presented in the consciousness to the central being or its
\naspiration. What is in accord is accepted; what is not in accord is refused,
\nrejected or transformed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIt is a long
\nendeavour which may take many years \u2013 but once  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 362<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nit is done, the
\nunification is achieved and the path becomes easy and swift.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n10 May 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow can I get rid
\nof the habit of feeling that I own the material things that belong to me? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIf you belong
\nentirely and totally to the Divine, then all that belongs to you, all that forms
\npart of your material being, belongs to the Divine.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n16 May 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nSometimes I think
\nthat the Agni You have kindled in me is going to burn up everything that
\nseparates me from You. What should I do to contribute to its fulfilment? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nEach time that you
\ndiscover in yourself something that denies or resists, throw it into the flame
\nof Agni, which is the fire of aspiration.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n19 May 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIs it possible to
\nmake my hands conscious so that they do nothing imperfect, incorrect or wrong?
\nWhat is the way to do it, Divine Mother? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is quite
\npossible, by concentrating on the hands when they are doing something. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThe hands of
\npainters, sculptors, musicians (especially pianists) are usually very conscious
\nand always are skilful. It is a question of training.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n29 May 1967 <\/span><\/i>\n<\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 363<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nI want to overcome
\na difficulty: it is that when I perceive faults or weaknesses in myself,
\nsomething tries to justify them or to prevent me from attending to them. <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThis \u201csomething\u201d
\nis the insincerity of an ignorant self-esteem which has not yet understood that
\nit is nobler and loftier to recognise one’s faults in order to correct them,
\nthan to conceal them in the hope that they will not be noticed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nAs for all
\npsychological problems, here too sincerity, a total and uncompromising
\nsincerity, is the true remedy.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n1 June 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nPlease tell me how
\nI can get rid of the past, which clings so heavily. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTo get rid of the
\npast is something so difficult that it seems almost impossible. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut if you give
\nyourself entirely and without reserve to the future, and if this giving is
\nconstantly renewed, the past will fall away by itself and no longer encumber
\nyou.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n14 June 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nOne morning as I
\nwas reading Your book Prayers and Meditations, I wished to know which movement
\ncomes first, \u201cto live in Thee\u201d or \u201cto live for Thee\u201d. Before the mind could set
\nto work to find the answer, the reply that came to me spontaneously was this:
\n\u201cThe two states are complementary to each other.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nYes, the two
\nstates are complementary, but that does not necessarily mean that they are
\nsimultaneous. Most often, \u201cto live for Thee\u201d comes first and if the being is
\nunified and sincere, \u201cto live in Thee\u201d soon follows.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 364<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nBut of course, for
\nthe first to be perfect, the second must be present.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n24 June 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nYour hands are
\nopen to give everything, but I can only receive a small part of it because I am
\nnot receptive enough. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThis is the exact
\nimage of the state of the world which suffers because it is not receptive, when
\nit could live in beatitude if it would open to the Divine Love. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut there is a
\nremedy: <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nSincere and
\nconstant aspiration. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n6 July 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nI have begun to
\nsee that both the personal effort of the sadhak and its result depend on the
\nDivine Grace. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nAbout this, one
\ncould say humorously that we are all divine, but we are hardly even aware of it,
\nand what we call \u201courselves\u201d is that in us which is unaware that it is divine.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n


\n13 July 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nTo establish the
\nreign of the Divine on earth, who is slower \u2013 man or the Divine Himself? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTo man the Divine
\nseems slow. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIn the eyes of the
\nDivine man is slow indeed! <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut perhaps in
\nthese two cases, the slowness is not the same.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n20 July 1967 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span>Page
\n\u2013 365<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nMay I know whether
\nit is true that after death a dead man very often returns in his daughter’s
\nchild? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nFirst the dead man
\nmust have a daughter in order to be reborn in her child. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is not an
\nabsolute rule \u2013 far from it \u2013 but the case is quite frequent in India where the
\nbelief in frequent reincarnations is still quite common. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n30 July 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nI asked myself,
\n\u201cHow can one express the inexpressible?\u201d The reply came, \u201cBy living it, by
\nbecoming it, by being it.\u201d What does the Mother say? <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThat is correct.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n7 August 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nOne thing escapes
\nmy understanding: how can You find time to do all that You do? Perhaps physical
\ntime does not exist for You! <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe body is able
\nto bear the pressure of time because it knows and feels quite concretely that it
\ndoes not itself live and act, but that only the Supreme Lord exists and that He
\nalone lives and acts. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThis, moreover, is
\nthe secret of all endurance.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n12 August 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHere is an amusing
\nphrase from an anonymous author: \u201cThank God, I am an atheist.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe phrase would
\nbe even more amusing if he had written:  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 366<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\n\u201dThank God for
\nmaking me an atheist.\u201d  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n22 August 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nFrom what I
\nunderstand, You said that the psychic beings of the disciples of the Ashram all
\nbelong to the same family. In spite of this, there is often a lack of
\ncollaboration among us. Why is that, Mother? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIf I did say this
\n(probably not quite in these words), it could only refer to a universal family
\nopen to all differences and even all divergences. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut in any case,
\nmutual misunderstanding and lack of collaboration can only come from the outer
\nphysical and vital being which is formed in this life and is not yet under the
\nrule and influence of the psychic. As soon as one is united with one’s psychic,
\nall the conflicts due to clashing bad wills can no longer exist.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n24 August 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow can one use
\nshadow to realise the Light? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPainters use
\nshadow to bring out the light. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nShadow is the
\nsymbol of the inconscient. This is where men rest at night from the effort of
\nthe day to become conscious. When consciousness becomes all-powerful, shadow
\nwill no longer be necessary and will disappear. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n4 September 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIt is said that
\nthere are certain methods in the Tantras to open the chakras from below, whereas
\nin the integral yoga the chakras open from above by the descent of the Mother’s
\nforce. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 367<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nWhat is the
\ndifference between the results of the opening of the chakras in these two
\nsystems? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIn Sri Aurobindo’s
\nintegral yoga, there are no such rigid rules and distinctions. Each one follows
\nhis own path and has his own experiences. Nevertheless, Sri Aurobindo has often
\nsaid and written that his yoga begins where the others leave off. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThis is to say
\nthat yoga ordinarily consists in awakening the physical consciousness and making
\nit rise gradually towards the Divine. Whereas Sri Aurobindo has said that to do
\nhis yoga, one must already have found the Divine and united with Him — then the
\nconsciousness descends through all the states of being down to the most
\nmaterial, bringing the Divine Force with it so that the Force can transform the
\nwhole being and finally divinise the physical body.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n20 September 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn the message for
\nthe radio You substituted the word \u201cunion\u201d for the word \u201cunity\u201d\u00b9. May I know,
\nSweet Mother, why this change was made? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nBecause most
\npeople, when they hear the word \u201cunity\u201d, understand uniformity and nothing can
\nbe further from the truth.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n25 September 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nDoes spontaneity
\ncome spontaneously or does one have to follow a discipline to obtain it? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nSpontaneity in
\nfeelings and action comes from a permanent <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n   <\/span> <\/span>
\n<\/font>
\n\u00b9
\n\u201cO India, land of light and spiritual knowledge! Wake up to your true mission in
\nthe world, show the way to union and harmony.\u201d  \u2013 Message for the inauguration
\nof All India Radio, Pondicherry, 23 September 1967. Words of the Mother,
\nCollected Works Vol. 13, p. 376.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 368<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\ncontact with the
\npsychic, which brings order into the thoughts and automatically controls the
\nvital impulses.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n30 September 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nYou have taught me
\nthe importance of awakening the divine consciousness in the body, and now I pray
\nto You to awaken my body’s aspiration towards You. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe cells of the
\nbody thirst for the Divine Consciousness and when they are brought into contact
\nwith It their aspiration becomes very intense.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n21 October 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nI have heard about
\nthe aspiration to be simply what You want. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThat is the best
\nstate for advancing swiftly on the path.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n26 October 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nTwo extremely rich
\nmen who claim to be very religious and virtuous, are not paying what they owe
\naccording to their accounts. One of them refuses to speak to me about it and the
\nother says, \u201cHave trust in God, you will not lose your money.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>If the
\nMother could make these two men honest (even temporarily, long enough for them
\nto settle this affair) \u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is said that
\nChrist healed the sick and even raised the dead. One day an idiot was brought to
\nhim to be cured. But Christ slipped away, saying that to make a stupid man
\nintelligent is an impossibility.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 369<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nTo make a
\ndishonest man honest is an even more impossible miracle.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n8 November 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhich is swifter
\nfor transformation: Divine Love or Mahakali’s force? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nKali’s force is
\nnecessary only for those who are not yet open to Divine Love. For one who is
\nopen to Divine Love, nothing more is needed.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n11 November 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nBy Your Grace, my
\nbody is now collaborating to get rid of its laziness. That even the body has a
\nwill of its own is a new experience for me. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nWhen the body is
\nconverted, it knows how to collaborate.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n29 November 1967<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhich came first
\nin the manifestation, the god or the Asura? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe oldest
\ntradition says that the first four emanations of the Mahashakti \u2013 Consciousness,
\nLove, Truth and Life \u2013 cut themselves off (separated themselves) from their
\nSupreme Origin and became Unconsciousness, Suffering, Falsehood and Death.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThen a second
\nemanation was made to repair the damage. They are the Gods. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nNaturally, this is
\na way of speaking which corresponds to a Reality that is difficult to put into
\nwords. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n2 December 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 370<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nTransformation
\ndemands a very high degree of aspiration, surrender and receptivity, doesn’t it?
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTransformation
\ndemands a total and integral consecration. But isn’t that the aspiration of
\nevery sincere sadhak? <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nTotal<\/span><\/i>
\nmeans vertically in all the states of being, from the most material to the most
\nsubtle. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIntegral<\/span><\/i>
\nmeans horizontally in all the different and often contradictory parts which make
\nup the outer being (physical, vital and mental).  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n4 December 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe fragrance of
\nthe flowers given by the Mother is often something extraordinary. <\/span><\/i>\n<\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nFlowers are very
\nreceptive and they are happy when they are loved.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n15 December 1967 <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\nI have forgotten
\nthe Divine for so long in this life and in former lives. But a drop of Your
\nGrace can enable me to make up for all the lost time. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nWhatever the past
\nmay have been, it is not time that is needed to establish contact with the
\nDivine, but sincerity of aspiration.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n19 December 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nCan one’s
\naspiration for the Divine have the required intensity and sincerity without the
\ntears and anguish that are mentioned in nearly all the old legends of the
\nsaints? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTears and anguish
\nindicate the presence of a weak and paltry  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 371<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nnature which is
\nstill unable to receive the Divine in all his power and glory. Not only are they
\nunnecessary, they are useless and an obstacle to realisation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n23 December 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nYou put something
\ninto Your words which enables us to see the Truth that words cannot convey. What
\nis it that accompanies Your words? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nConsciousness.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n27 December 1967 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nI think that
\nalways, at every moment, someone or other is calling You, and You answer.
\nDoesn’t this disturb Your sleep or Your rest? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nDay and night
\nhundreds of calls are coming — but the Consciousness is always alert and it
\nanswers. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nOne is limited
\nonly materially by time and space.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n3 January 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow is it that
\nordinarily the richer one is (materially), the more dishonest one is? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is because
\nmaterial wealth is controlled by the adverse forces \u2013 and because they have not
\nyet been converted to the Divine Influence, though the work has begun. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThat victory will
\nform part of the triumph of Truth. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nWealth should not
\nbe a personal property and should be at the disposal of the Divine for the
\nwelfare of all.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n4 January 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span>Page
\n\u2013 372<\/span><\/p>\n

\n


\nWhen Mother says
\nthat wealth should not be a personal property, I understand that what should
\ncome is more a change of psychological attitude on the part of those who own
\nmoney than any change in the law of property. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

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

\n    <\/span>
\nOnly the
\npsychological change can be a solution.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n6 January 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe disciples of
\nthe Ashram have a sure and easy way to put their money at the disposal of the
\nDivine: they offer it to the Mother. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>But how can
\nothers do it? Can it be said that each one should get rid of the sense of
\nproperty and spend his money according to the Divine command within, from time
\nto time? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nI am sure that if
\nsomeone is advanced enough on the path to receive the knowledge that money is an
\nimpersonal power and should be used for the progress of the earth, this person
\nwill be developed enough inwardly to receive the knowledge of how best to make
\nuse of the money.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n8 January 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe day before
\nyesterday, as I was arranging my vase for You, I said to a flower, \u201cOh, you are
\ngoing to Mother!\u201d and it really smiled. The same thing happened again yesterday
\nand today. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThat is very
\ninteresting indeed. Was it a rose or a hibiscus?  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n27 January 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nA hibiscus gave me
\nthis experience. <\/span><\/i>
\n  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 373<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\n Yes, it is a very
\nconscious flower \u2013 I have had many proofs of it.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n27 January 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIs constant
\nremembrance of the Divine the beginning of union? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nA beginning of
\nunion comes even before constant remembrance. When the remembrance is constant,
\none often feels a Presence that imposes itself on the remembrance.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n29 January 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhile speaking
\nabout the \u201cTranscendent Mother\u201d (and the upper petal of the Transformation
\nflower), You said, \u201cThe Transcendent is both one and two (or dual) at the same
\ntime.\u201d What does this mean? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nBeyond the
\ncreation lies the perfect Oneness, but potentially it contains duality since the
\nMahashakti will manifest for the needs of the creation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n5 February 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nLast Monday You
\nspoke to me about the Transcendent which is both one and two at the same time.
\nNaturally, I shall wait for the true consciousness to come in order to have this
\nknowledge. But yesterday I tried to note down what You had said: <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>\u201cThe mind
\nthinks about things in succession. But beyond and above, everything exists at
\nthe same time. The One is both one and two; the manifested and the unmanifested,
\neverything exists at the same time. When It is objectfied in the creation, in
\nthe manifestation, there is a succession: one, two \u2026 But this is only a way of
\nspeaking. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 374<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\n
\nThere is no succession, no beginning. Beyond, in the perfect Oneness,
\neverything exists at the same time, simultaneously. This cannot be understood,
\nit must be experienced; one can have the experience of it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Please
\ncorrect these lines. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThey are correct.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n9 February 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n            
\nWhat is the difference between an emanation and a formation? <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThese words do not
\napply to the physical world as it is at present. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThe explanation is
\nonly an approximation. Still, one can say that the emanation is made up of the
\nvery substance of the emanator, whereas the formation is made up of a substance
\nexternal to the formator. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nTo make a
\ncomparison, one could say that the emanation is like a child made from the
\nsubstance of its mother and that the formation is like a living statue made out
\nof a material external to the sculptor. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut naturally this
\nis only a very approximate explanation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n11 March 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe path is long,
\nvery long, almost interminable. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is true that
\nthe path is very long, but for one who follows it with sincerity, it is really
\nvery interesting, and at every step one is rewarded for one’s trouble.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n16 March 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt seems to me
\nthat the very land of Auroville aspires.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 375<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nIs it true, Sweet
\nMother? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nYes, the land
\nitself has a consciousness, even though this consciousness is not
\nintellectualised and cannot express itself.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n21 March 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nToday You have
\nshown me the basic incompatibility between human law and the Truth. But this is
\na problem that confronts me very often. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPolitics and
\nso-called justice are still, in humanity, what is most closed to the Truth. But
\ntheir turn for conversion will also come, perhaps sooner than we think.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n28 March 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nCan one say that
\nall waste reflects a waste of consciousness? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nWaste of any kind
\nis the result of unconsciousness. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nConsciousness in
\nits purity is perfect and infallible.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n2 April 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe Upanishad says
\nthat when one sleeps, one reaches pure Being. Does this apply only to the Yogi
\nor to everyone? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIn theory, it
\napplies to everyone. But the vast majority of human beings fall into
\nunconsciousness, and if there is a contact with pure Being it is quite
\nunconscious. Very few persons are conscious of this relation. It is usually the
\nresult of Yoga.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n8 April 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 376<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\n(Concerning
\nunconsciousness during sleep) <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nDuring sleep the
\ninner beings become consciously active. When one wakes up, it is the waking
\nbeing that is not conscious of the activities of the night.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n16 April 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn the quotation
\nchosen for tomorrow \u00b9  Sri Aurobindo speaks of \u201cthe Truth that seeks to descend
\nupon us\u201d and \u201cis already there within us\u201d. Please explain this paradox which, as
\nI can feel, is only apparent. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is not a
\nparadox. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIt is the same
\nphenomenon as for the Divine who is at the centre of our being, etc. and at the
\nsame time is beyond the creation, the Divine towards whom the whole creation is
\nmoving, but whom it could never reach if it did not carry him in itself. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nOne must go beyond
\nnotions of space and Matter to be able to understand.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n23 April 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhen I thought of
\nwriting to You this morning about the night of bonds and attachments that have
\nenveloped me for the last three weeks, I felt that all these things have
\nactually been there for a long time and that now Your Grace has brought them to
\nmy notice so that the next step may be taken. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Mother, the
\nnight has already been very long for me. But it matters little, so long as I can
\ncontinue to<\/span><\/i> <\/span>hold myself at
\nYour feet.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00b9<\/font><\/span><\/i>
\n\u201cIn the spiritual order of things, the higher we project our view and our
\naspiration, the greater the Truth that seeks to descend upon us, because it is
\nalready there within us and calls for its release from the covering that
\nconceals it in manifested Nature.\u201d Sri Aurobindo  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 377<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nAccording to my
\nexperience, one should not try to destroy or to eliminate. One should
\nconcentrate all one’s effort on building up and strengthening the true
\nconsciousness, which will automatically do the work of unifying the being.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIn this way,
\neverything that has to be transformed will be transformed quite naturally,
\nwithout clash or damage.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n13 May 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow can one hasten
\nthe day when the whole being will be able to say, \u201cI am Yours \u2013 Yours alone\u201d?
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThere are two
\nactions which in practice merge into one. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\n(1) Never forget
\nthe goal that one wants to attain. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\n(2) Never allow
\nany part of the being or any of its movements to contradict one’s aspiration.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThis also makes it
\nnecessary to become conscious of one’s nights, because the activities of the
\nnight often contradict the aspiration of the day and undo its work. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nVigilance,
\nsincerity, continuity of effort, and the Grace will do the rest.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n20 May 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nEven \u201cgood and
\ninnocent movements\u201d are said to take on different colours in the light of the
\npsychic flame. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe very notion of
\ngood and bad is completely changed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nOne can say very
\nsimply that all that leads to the Divine is good, and all that leads away from
\nthe Divine is bad. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nMany virtues lead
\naway from the Divine by making men satisfied with what they are.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n22 May 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 378<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nSri Aurobindo has
\nwritten in Savitri: <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>\u201cYes, there
\nare happy ways near to God’s sun; <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>But few are
\nthey who tread the sunlit path; <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Only the
\npure in soul can walk in light.\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>What a joy
\nit would be to possess the required purity! <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nWhen one is living
\namong men with all their miseries, it is only the Grace that can bestow this
\nstate – even in those who by Tapasya have abolished their ego. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIt is beyond all
\npersonal effort.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n7 May 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhat is the most
\neffective way to overcome the ego? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe simplest and
\nmost effective way is to offer it to the Divine; the more sincere and radical
\nthis offering is, the more quickly the result will come.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n28 May 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nTo remain turned
\nupwards and to live in the true consciousness \u2013 the two seem complementary to
\neach other. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nAre they not two
\nways of saying the same thing?  \u2013 certainly two ways of doing the same thing.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n3 June 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWho should be put
\non guard to give the alert: \u201cBe careful! Look upwards\u201d? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is what is
\nusually called conscience, but in fact it is the psychic being.   <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    \u00b9<\/font><\/span>
\nSavitri, Cent. Vol. 29. P-448<\/font><\/span><\/i> <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 379<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nAnd one can
\nhear it only if one is very attentive, because it does not make any clamour.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n5 June 1968<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\nIs transparent
\nsincerity a more effective, indispensable means, or is it a realisation in
\nitself? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nWithout sincerity
\nnothing can be done. With total sincerity everything is possible.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n12 June 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nWhat is the origin
\nof man’s love for his own ignorance? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is
\ninconscience. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nInconscience is
\nthe negation of all effort. Ignorance (that is, the acknowledgement that there
\nis something to be known which we do not know) is the first effect of the divine
\ninfluence on the inconscient.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n15 June 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nSri Aurobindo
\nspeaks of Savitri’s firmness of purpose in the following line: <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>\u201cImmutable
\nlike a fixed eternal star.\u201d<\/span>\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Can one say
\nthat such determination is demanded of the sadhak who aspires for
\ntransformation? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThis is the great
\nmystery of creation: immutable and yet eternally renewed.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n17 June 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n       
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span>\u00b9<\/font><\/span>Savitri,
\np. 380. <\/font> <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 380<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nSavitri says:
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>\u201cNot only
\nis there hope for godheads pure; <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>The violent
\nand darkened deities <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Leaped down
\nfrom the one breast in rage to find <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>What the
\nwhite gods had missed: they too are safe; <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>A Mother’s
\neyes are on them and her arms <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Stretched
\nout in love desire her rebel sons.\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span> What had
\nthe white gods missed? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nThe conversion of
\nthe Asuras.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n24 June 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIsn’t the power of
\nthe Asuras as boundless as the power of the gods? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe vibrations of
\nevil are in truth less powerful than the vibrations of good.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n26 June 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nCan one say that
\ntotal sincerity and the abolition of the ego are closely interdependent? <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nOnly the Supreme
\nLord is perfectly sincere. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nAnd when the ego
\nis abolished, only the Supreme Lord exists.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n28 June 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn spiritual life,
\neven to sit down is to fall back. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThis is so true
\nthat one could rightly say: even while sleeping one must move forward. <\/span>
\n    <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n    \u00b9Savitri,
\np. 381. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 381 <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nBut there comes a
\ntime when the ascent becomes a perfect repose.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n2 July 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nOnce Mother spoke
\nto me about total sincerity. What does transparent sincerity mean? <\/span><\/i>\n<\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nSincerity is
\ncompared to an atmosphere or a sheet of glass. If the one or the other is
\ncompletely transparent, it lets light through without distorting it. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nSimilarly, a
\nsincere consciousness lets divine vibrations through without distorting them.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n8 July 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nCan an individual
\nachieve transformation even if the universe continues to be such as it is?
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIn the evolution,
\nthe individual is far ahead of the earth, but as long as he lives on earth there
\nis a certain interdependence. But the condition of the earth is sure to become
\nsuch that a supramental being will soon be able to live on it.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n9 July 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe Buddha said
\nthat Nirvana results in the cessation of rebirth. But isn’t the Divine always
\nfree to send back into the manifestation the spark that extinguishes itself in
\nHim? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nNaturally, each
\ntime that one makes a rule one makes a mistake. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBesides, although
\nhe has not taken up another physical body, the Buddha himself has returned to
\nwork in the earth-atmosphere.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n26 July 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 382<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nIf the universe is
\none, shouldn’t the liberation of one single person on earth have the power to
\nliberate everyone? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nOneness means
\nidentity in origin; but in the manifestation each entity follows its own path of
\nconscious return to the Oneness.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n28 September 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIn 1953 Mother
\nsaid: \u201cWhatever the way one follows, whether it be the religious way, the
\nphilosophical way, the yogic way, the mystic way, no one has realised
\ntransformation.\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nCan one hope that
\nthe sadhaks have now made good progress towards this goal? <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nNow the conditions
\nare such that every sincere effort must necessarily tend towards this goal.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n30 September 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow can one
\ncollaborate in the transformation? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThings are now
\narranged in such a way that as soon as one collaborates for the Divine Dawn in
\nany form, one necessarily collaborates in the transformation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n7 October 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe Divine is the
\ngoal, the path and the one who treads the path. But isn’t a person who is not
\nadvancing towards the Divine also the Divine? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nAll are the
\nDivine, but very few are those who know it and  fewer still are those who
\nwant to realise it consciously. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n    \u00b9Questions
\nand Answers 1953, Collected Works Vol. 5, p. 83.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 383<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nThis explains the long duration and
\ndifficulty of the creation if its goal is that all and everything should once
\nmore become consciously divine.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n14 October 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nOne would like to
\nhave the fundamental realisation that the Divine is all and everything. <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nFor that one must
\nidentify oneself with the Supreme Divine. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nOnce one is
\nidentified, when one turns towards the creation, one sees and knows that the
\nDivine alone exists both in the Essence and in the manifestation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n16 October 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIs immunity to the
\nattack of adverse forces possible without transformation? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nImmunity does not
\ncome automatically from transformation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nOne has to cut off
\nall connection with the manifested world in order to be immune. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut in any case,
\ntransformation gives the power of victory.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n18 October 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIs the Divine Love
\nequal for all even in the manifestation? <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nYes, equal and
\nimmutable. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut the capacity
\nto perceive and receive it and the habit of distorting it differ with each one.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n22 October 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span>Page
\n\u2013 384<\/span><\/p>\n

\n


\n\u201cThe ideal Sadhaka
\nshould be able to say in the Biblical phrase: `My zeal for the Lord has eaten me
\nup. \u201c\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Does this
\nmean an intense, constant and integral aspiration? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nYes, it means that
\nthe entire being is absorbed in its consecration.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n24 October 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\nDoes the
\nsubconscient go on recording during sleep? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nFor most people,
\nin their sleep, it is precisely what has been recorded in the subconscient
\nduring the day or previously which becomes active again and constitutes their
\ndreams.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n26 October 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nAswapathy was very
\nfortunate. For him, <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>\u201cEach day
\nwas a spiritual romance, <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Each
\nhappening was a deep experience.\u201d\u00b2<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThis possibility
\nis open to all whose aspiration is fervent.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n1 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nHow can one keep
\nwhat You give? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt does not go
\naway, but enters the subconscient and continues to act. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nTo remain
\nconscious of it, one must reduce the range of the subconscient in oneself and
\nthus increase the consciousness.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n3 November 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n     <\/span> \u00b9<\/span><\/font>Sri
\nAurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga<\/i>, Cent. Vol. 20, p. 52. <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b2Sri
\nAurobindo, Savitri, Cent. Vol. 28, pp. 30, 31.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 385<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nWhat should one do
\nto reduce the range of the subconscient? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTo grow in
\nconsciousness is the very aim of life on earth. It is through the experience of
\nsuccessive lives that the range of the subconscient is gradually reduced. By
\nyoga and the effort to find the Divine in oneself and in life, one hastens the
\nwork considerably and it can be done in a few years.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n5 November 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cA knowledge which
\nbecame what it perceived, Replaced the separated sense and heart And drew all
\nNature into its embrace.\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Is Sri
\nAurobindo referring here to knowledge by identity? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nYes, it is a very
\nexact description.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n7 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cA greater force
\nthan the earthly held his limbs, <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\nUnwound the triple
\ncord of mind and freed <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\nThe heavenly
\nwideness of a Godhead’s gaze.\u201d\u00b2<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>What does
\n\u201cthe triple cord of mind\u201d mean<\/span><\/i>?
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe cords
\nsymbolise the limitations of the mind; and there are three of them because there
\nis a physical mind, a vital mind and a mental mind. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n9 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe days were
\ntravellers on a destined road, <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n The nights
\ncompanions of his musing spirit.\u201d\u00b3 <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n         \u00b9Savitri, p. 28.     
\n\u00b2Ibid., p. 82.      \u00b3Savitri., p. 43.<\/font><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 386<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nYes, there comes a
\ntime when nothing, absolutely nothing is outside the yoga and the Divine’s
\nPresence is felt and found in all things and all circumstances.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n11 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cA last high world
\nwas seen where all worlds meet; <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\nIn its summit
\ngleam where Night is not nor Sleep, <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\nThe light began of
\nthe Trinity supreme.\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Is the
\n\u201cTrinity supreme\u201d Sachchidananda? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nYes.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n15 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThrough Krishna’s
\nGrace, Arjuna realised the cosmic Divine and Virat in the twinkling of an eye.
\nWhat a good Guru and what a good disciple! <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nSpeed is not
\nnecessarily a sign of superiority. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThese
\n\u201cinstantaneous\u201d conversions are most often the result of many lives of
\npreparation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n17 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cOur body’s cells
\nmust hold the Immortal’s flame.\u201d\u00b2<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Is this the
\nsecret of the luminous body? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is a poetic way
\nof expressing the transformation which is going to take place and which is more
\ncomplicated than that.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n19 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n                It
\nseems to me, Mother, that when man does not accept  the Divine, it is
\nmore out of ignorance than out of wickedness. Isn’t it so? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/font> <\/span><\/i>
\n\u00b9Savitri., p. 89.     \u00b2Ibid., p. 35.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 387<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nIt is undoubtedly
\nout of ignorance and fear of what he doesn’t know. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIt is only the
\nAsuras and a few great hostile beings who refuse and oppose the Divine even
\nthough they know who He is.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n21 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIt seems to me,
\nMother, that the flame that calls and the flame that responds are one and the
\nsame. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nEssentially they
\nare the same; but the plenitude of the response far exceeds the intensity of the
\ncall. The response always exceeds our receptivity by far.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n25 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nCan one say,
\nMother, that perfect receptivity comes only with constant union with the Divine?
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIf we call
\n\u201cperfect receptivity\u201d the receptivity that receives only the Divine Influence
\nand no other, it is certain — and at the same time it is perfect purity. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThis is what we
\nshould strive for.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n27 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u201cNone can reach
\nheaven who has not passed through hell.\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut still, Mother,
\ndoesn’t the soul chosen by the Divine go through hell in a different way than
\nothers? <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe quotation
\nmeans that in order to reach the divine regions <\/span>
\n    <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n    \u00b9
\nSavitri, p. 227.   <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 388<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\none must, while on
\nearth, pass through the vital, which in some of its parts is a veritable hell.
\nBut those who have surrendered to the Divine and been adopted by Him are
\nsurrounded by the divine protection and for them the passage is not difficult.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n29 November 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cHis failure is
\nnot failure whom God leads\u201d\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Because it
\nis part of the play? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is the human
\nmind that has the conception of success and failure. It is the human mind that
\nwants one thing and does not want another. In the divine plan each thing has its
\nplace and its importance. So it is not success that matters. What matters is to
\nbe a docile and if possible a conscious instrument of the Divine Will. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nTo be and to do
\nwhat the Divine wants, this is the truly important thing.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n3 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe one original
\ntranscendent Shakti, the Mother stands above all the worlds and bears in her
\neternal consciousness the Supreme Divine.\u201d\u00b2<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Similarly,
\ncan one say that the Supreme Divine carries the Mother in his eternal
\nconsciousness? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nBeyond all
\nquestion. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThey are ONE in
\nessence and manifestation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n5 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nCannot the ego
\nconsent to its own abolition? <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b9 Savitri., p. 339. <\/font>
\n<\/span>\n <\/p>\n

\n\u00b2 Sri Aurobindo, The Mother, Cent. Vol.
\n25, p. 20.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 389<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nThe ego was
\ncreated for the work of individualisation; when the work is achieved, it is not
\nunusual for the ego to accept its own dissolution .  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n7 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe human pleasure
\nof possessing is a perversion of what, Mother? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nAll pleasure is a
\nperversion, by egoistic limitation, of the Ananda which is the purpose of the
\nuniversal manifestation.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n11 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cWhen we eat, we
\nshould be conscious that we are giving our food to that Presence in us.\u201d<\/span>\u00b9<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   <\/span>When
\nI try to take this attitude, the food tastes better and the atmosphere becomes
\nquieter.<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe Presence is
\nalways there whatever we do, and it is because of ignorance, negligence or
\nabsent-mindedness that we do not feel it. But each time that we are attentive
\nand concentrated, we become aware of a wonderful transformation in all things.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n13 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn order to be
\nconscious of the constant Presence, is memory a good aid? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nMemory is a mental
\nfaculty and helps the mental consciousness. But feeling and sensation must also
\nparticipate.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n17 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span> \u00b9<\/span><\/font>Sri
\nAurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga, p. 103.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 390<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\nWhen the Presence
\nbecomes concrete, does this indicate the participation of feeling and sensation?
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nTo have the
\nperception of the Presence, the participation of feeling is indispensable, and
\nwhen sensation collaborates, then the perception becomes concrete and tangible.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n19 December 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cAll things shall
\nchange in God’s transfiguring hour.\u201d<\/span>\u00b9<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n   
\n<\/span>Can man
\ndelay or hasten the coming of this hour? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nNeither the one
\nnor the other in their apparent contradiction created by the separative
\nconsciousness, but something else that our w<\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nIn the present
\nstate of human consciousness, it is good for it to think that aspiration and
\nhuman effort can hasten the advent of the divine transformation, because effort
\nand aspiration are needed for the transformation to take place.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n21 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe Upanishad
\nsays: \u201cWhen That is known, all is known.\u201d All is known in its essential truth or
\nalso in detail? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIn its essential
\ntruth, but one usually keeps the perception of the illusory appearance at the
\nsame time.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n23 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIt seems to me
\nthat to know things in detail, the ordinary instrumentation is necessary for the
\nyogi too, but that the yogi puts this knowledge to the test of the essential
\ntruth. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b9<\/font><\/span>
\nSavitri, p. 341.  <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 391<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

\nYes, one can put
\nit that way. But above all, it is the attitude towards the outward appearance
\nthat changes completely.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n25 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn fact, Mother,
\nwhat is the yogi’s attitude towards the outward appearance? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThe usefulness of
\nseeing clearly instead of being blind. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThe usefulness of
\nno longer being deceived by outward appearances. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nThe usefulness of
\nknowing the true purpose of life instead of living in ignorance and falsehood.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n27 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nIs the perception
\nof the illusory appearance automatic for the yogi? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nThat probably
\ndepends on the yogi and his condition. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>
\nBut when one is
\nunited with the Supreme Consciousness and when the body is undergoing
\ntransformation, the body keeps its automatic perception of the outer world; but
\nthis perception is more complete than the ordinary one, as if it revealed
\nsomething of its content.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n29 December 1968 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nTherefore, Mother,
\nthe transformation of the body is necessary even to live in the Integral
\nKnowledge! <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

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

\n    <\/span>
\nIn Sri Aurobindo’s
\nyoga, the transformation of the body is indispensable so far as it can be done.
\nBecause the aim of this yoga is not an escape from the physical consciousness
\nbut a divinisation of that consciousness.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n31 December 1968<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 392<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 SERIES ELEVEN  Series Eleven   To a sadhak of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.   How can my effort to serve the Divine become more perfect?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-16-some-answers-from-the-mother-volume-16","wpcat-121-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4277","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=4277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4277\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}