{"id":4303,"date":"2013-07-13T01:55:02","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4303"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:55:02","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:02","slug":"16-jnana-62-66-117-vol-10-on-thoughts-and-aphorisms-volume-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/10-on-thoughts-and-aphorisms-volume-10\/16-jnana-62-66-117-vol-10-on-thoughts-and-aphorisms-volume-10","title":{"rendered":"-16_jnana-62-66_117.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n

\n118 \u2013 The love of solitude is a sign of the disposition towards
\nknowledge; but knowledge itself is only achieved when we have a settled
\nperception of solitude in the crowd, in the battle and in the mart. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n119 \u2013 If when thou art doing great actions and moving giant results,
\nthou canst perceive that thou art doing nothing, then know that God has removed
\nHis seal from thy eyelids. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n120 \u2013 If when thou sittest alone, still and voiceless on the
\nmountain-top, thou canst perceive the revolutions thou art conducting, then
\nhast thou the divine vision and art freed from appearances. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n121 \u2013The love of inaction is folly and the scorn of inaction is folly;
\nthere is no inaction. The stone lying inert upon the sands which is kicked away
\nin an idle moment, has been producing its effect upon the hemispheres. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

This is the experience I have had these
\nlast few days, yesterday or the day before. The feeling of an irresistible
\nPower governing everything: the world, things, people, everything, without
\nneeding to move materially, and that this excessive material activity is only
\nlike the foam that forms when water flows very fast \u2013 the foam on the surface;
\nbut that the Force runs on underneath like an all-powerful stream. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is nothing else to say. <\/span><\/p>\n

One always comes back to that: to know is
\nall right, to speak is good, to do is all very well, but to be is the only
\nthing which has any power.<\/span><\/p>\n

You see, people are restless, because
\nthings do not move quickly; so I had this vision of the formation, of the
\ndivine creation in the making, under the surface, all-powerful, irresistible,
\nand in spite of everything, of all this outer turmoil.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 231<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

But in order to express itself, this great flow of Power needs
\ninstruments, doesn’t it<\/span><\/i>? <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

A brain. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

But, exactly, not only a brain. This Power can express itself, as in the
\npast, in a mental or overmental way; it can express itself vitally through
\nforce; it can express itself through the muscles; but how can it express itself
\nphysically, purely, directly \u2013 since you often speak of material power? What is
\nthe difference between the Action above and the true Action here? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Each time I have been conscious of the
\nPower, the experience has been similar. The Will from above is translated into
\na vibration which certainly takes on some vital force but which acts in a
\nsubtle physical domain. One perceives a certain quality of vibration which is
\ndifficult to describe, but which gives the impression of something coagulated,
\nnot fragmented, something which seems to be denser than air, but which is
\nextremely homogeneous, with a golden luminosity, with a tremendous driving
\npower, and which expresses a certain will \u2013 which is not of the same nature as
\nhuman will, which has the nature of vision rather than of thought; it is like a
\nvision that imposes itself in order to be realized \u2013 in a domain that is very
\nclose to material Matter, but invisible, except to the inner sight. And that
\nvibration exerts a pressure on people, things, circumstances, to mould them
\naccording to its vision. And it is irresistible. Even people who think the
\nopposite, who want the opposite, do what is wanted without wanting to; even the
\nthings that by their very nature are opposed to it are turned around. <\/span><\/p>\n

For national events, relations among
\nnations, world circumstances, it acts like that, constantly, constantly, as a
\ntremendous<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 232<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

Power. And so if one is oneself in a state
\nof union with the divine Will, without any intervention of thought, or any
\nconception or idea, one can follow it, one sees and knows.\u00b9 <\/span><\/p>\n

The resistances of the inertia that is in
\nevery consciousness and in Matter mean that this Action, instead of being
\ndirect and perfectly harmonious, becomes confused, full of contradictions,
\nclashes and conflicts; instead of everything resolving itself normally, so to
\nsay, smoothly \u2013 as it should be \u2013 all this inertia that resists and opposes,
\ngives it a tangled movement in which things collide and there is disorder and
\ndestruction, which become necessary only because of the resistance, but which
\nwere\u00a0 <\/span>not
\nindispensable<\/i>, which might not have existed \u2013 which truly speaking should
\nnot have been \u2013 because this Will, this Power is a Power of perfect harmony
\nwhere each thing is in its place, and it organises things wonderfully. It comes
\nas an absolutely luminous and perfect organisation, which one can see when one
\nhas the vision; but when it comes down and presses on Matter, everything begins
\nto seethe and resist. Therefore, to attempt to impute the disorders and
\nconfusions and destructions to the divine Action, to the divine Power, is
\nanother human foolishness. It is the inertia \u2013 not to mention the bad will \u2013
\nwhich causes the catastrophe. It is not that the catastrophe was intended, nor
\neven foreseen, it is caused<\/i> by the
\nresistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then, there is added the vision of the
\naction of Grace, which comes to moderate the results wherever possible, that is
\nto say, wherever it is accepted. And this explains why aspiration, faith,
\ncomplete trust on the part of the earthly human element, <\/span><\/p>\n

  <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b9 <\/font> <\/span>It is interesting to note that shortly before this
\nconversation, Mother received the following<\/font><\/span> <\/font> <\/span>
\nquestion:
\nIs the American presence and intervention in Vietnam justifiable? She replied:
\nFrom what point of view are you asking this question?<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf it is from the political point of view \u2013 politics
\nare sunk in falsehood and I have nothing to do with them.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf it is from the moral point of view \u2013 morality is a
\nshield which ordinary men flourish to protect themselves from the Truth.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf it is from the spiritual point of view \u2013 the divine
\nWill alone is justifiable and That is what men travesty and distort in all
\ntheir actions.\u201d<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 233<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

have a harmonising power, because
\nthey allow the Grace to come and set right the consequences of this blind
\nresistance. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is a clear vision \u2013 clear, clear,
\neven in the details. <\/span><\/p>\n

One could, if one wanted to, make
\nprophecies by saying what has been seen. But there is a kind of
\nsuper-compassion which prevents this prophecy, because the Word of Truth has a
\npower of manifestation and to express the result of the resistance would make
\nthat state concrete and diminish the action of the Grace. That is why even when
\none sees, one cannot speak, one must not speak.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Sri Aurobindo certainly meant that it is
\nthis Power, this Force which does everything \u2013 which does everything. When one
\nsees it or is one with it, one knows at the same time, one knows that That<\/i> is really the only thing that acts
\nand creates; everything else is the result of the domain or the world or the
\nmaterial or the substance in which it acts \u2013 the result of the resistance, but
\nnot the Action. And to unite with That<\/i>
\nmeans to unite with the Action; to unite with what is below means to unite with
\nthe resistance. <\/span><\/p>\n

And so because it wriggles and tosses and
\nturns, wants and thinks and makes plans\u2026 it imagines that it is doing something
\n\u2013 it is resisting. <\/span><\/p>\n

Later, a little later, I shall be able to
\ngive examples for very small things, showing how the Force acts and what
\ninterferes and mixes with it, or is moved by this Force and distorts its
\nmovement, and the result, that is to say, the physical appearance as we see it.
\nEven the example of a very small thing with absolutely no importance for the
\nworld, gives a clear idea of the way in which everything happens and is
\ndistorted here. <\/span><\/p>\n

And this applies to everything,
\neverything, all the time, all the time. And so, when one is doing the yoga of
\nthe cells, one notices the same thing: there is the Force that acts, and then (Mother laughs<\/i>) what the body does with
\nthis Action!\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

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

\nPage – 234<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

Immediately there comes the how and why.
\nBut that belongs to the domain of mental curiosity, because the important thing
\nis to stop the resistance. That is the important thing, to stop the resistance
\nso that the universe can become what it should be: the expression of a
\nharmonious, luminous, wonderful power, of an unparalleled beauty. Afterwards,
\nwhen the resistance has stopped, if out of curiosity we want to know why it
\nhappened\u2026 it won’t matter any more. But now, one cannot find the remedy by
\nseeking the reason why, but by taking the true attitude. That is the only thing
\nthat matters. <\/span><\/p>\n

To stop the resistance by a total
\nsurrender, a total self-giving in every cell, if one can do that. <\/span><\/p>\n

They begin to feel the intense delight of
\nexisting only by the Lord, for the Lord, in the Lord. <\/span><\/p>\n

When this is established everywhere, all
\nwill be well.  <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00a0<\/font><\/span>6 July 1966
\n<\/font><\/span> <\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n122<\/a> \u2013 If thou wouldst not be the fool of Opinion, first see wherein thy
\nthought is true, then study wherein its opposite and contradiction is true;
\nlast, discover the cause of these differences and the key of God’s harmony.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\n123 \u2013 An opinion is neither true nor false, but only serviceable for
\nlife or unserviceable; for it is a creation of Time and with time it loses its
\neffect and value. Rise thou above opinion and seek wisdom everlasting.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\n124 \u2013 Use opinion for life, but let her not bind thy
\nsoul in her fetters.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(After
\na silence<\/i>)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I was trying to find out in what way
\nopinions are serviceable\u2026 Sri Aurobindo says that they are serviceable or
\nunserviceable <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 235<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\u2013 in what way can an opinion be
\nserviceable? <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

They are helpful for a moment, in action. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

No, this is precisely what I deplore;
\npeople act according to their opinion, and that is worthless. I am constantly
\nreceiving letters from people who want or do not want to do something and tell
\nme: \u201cThis is my opinion, this is true, that is not true\u201d, and always, more than
\nninety-nine times out of a hundred it is wrong, it is nonsense. <\/span><\/p>\n

One feels very clearly \u2013 in fact, it is
\nvisible \u2013 that the opposite opinion has just as much value, that it is simply a
\nquestion of attitude, nothing more. And naturally the ego’s preferences are
\nalways involved: you like it better like that and so you have the opinion that
\nit is like that. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

But until one can act with the higher light, one needs
\nto use opinions. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It would be better to have some wisdom
\nrather than an opinion, that is, to consider all the possibilities, all the
\naspects of the question and then try to be as unegoistic as possible and to
\nsee, for example, in the case of an action, which one can be of service to the
\ngreatest number of people or is the least destructive, the most constructive.
\nAnyway, even from a standpoint that is not spiritual, but merely utilitarian
\nand unselfish, it is better to act according to wisdom than according to one’s
\nopinion. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, but what would be the right way to proceed when one doesn’t have
\nthe light, without involving one’s opinion or one’s ego? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I think it is to consider all the aspects
\nof the problem, to lay them before your consciousness as disinterestedly as
\npossible and to see which one is the best \u2013 if this is possible \u2013 or which
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 236<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

one is the least harmful if there are
\nunpleasant consequences. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I wanted to ask: what is the best attitude? Is it an attitude of intervention
\nor an attitude of non-interference? Which is better? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Ah, that’s just it, to intervene you must
\nbe sure that you are right; you must be sure that your vision of things is
\nsuperior, preferable or truer than the vision of the other person or people.
\nThen it is always wiser not to intervene \u2013 people intervene without rhyme or
\nreason, simply because they are in the habit of giving their opinion to others.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Even when you have the vision of the true
\nthing, it is very rarely<\/i> wise to
\nintervene. It only becomes indispensable when someone wants to do something
\nwhich will necessarily lead to a catastrophe. Even then, intervention (smiling<\/i>) is not always very effective. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, intervention is justified only
\nwhen you are absolutely sure that you have the vision of truth. Not only that,
\nbut also a clear vision of the consequences. To intervene in someone else’s actions,
\none must be a prophet \u2013 a prophet. And a prophet with total goodness and
\ncompassion. One must even have the vision of the consequences that the
\nintervention will have in the destiny of the other person. People are always
\ngiving each other advice: \u201cDo this, don’t do that.\u201d I see it: they have no idea
\nhow much confusion they create, how they increase confusion and disorder. And
\nsometimes they impair the normal development of the individual.<\/span><\/p>\n

I consider that opinions are always
\ndangerous and most often absolutely worthless. <\/span><\/p>\n

You should not meddle with other people’s
\naffairs, unless first of all you are infinitely wiser than they are \u2013 of
\ncourse, one always thinks that one is wiser! \u2013 but I mean in an objective way
\nand not according to your own opinion; unless you see further and better and
\nare yourself above all passions, desires <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 237<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

and blind reactions. You must be above all
\nthese things yourself to have the right to intervene in someone else’s life \u2013
\neven when he asks you to do so. And when he does not, it is simply meddling
\nwith something which is not your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

(Mother
\ngoes into a long contemplation, and then continues.<\/i>)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I have just seen a curious image! It
\nlooked like a very steep mountain slope and someone \u2013 like the symbol of Man \u2013
\nwas climbing. A being\u2026 It’s strange, I have seen this several times: beings
\nwithout clothes who are not naked! I mean, they have a kind of robe of light.
\nBut it does not look like a radiating light or anything of that kind. It is
\nlike an atmosphere, or rather the aura, the aura made visible. And this
\ntransparence does not conceal the form and at the same time the form is not
\nnaked\u2026 And then from the sky \u2013 there was a vast sky stretching from top to
\nbottom, like a painting, a very clear, very luminous, very pure sky \u2013 there
\nwere countless\u2026 hundreds of birdlike things flying towards him and he was
\nbeckoning them to him. The picture was mainly pale blue, white; from time to
\ntime there was something a little darker like a wing-tip or the top of a crest,
\nbut that was incidental. And they kept coming in hundreds and he summoned them
\ntogether with a gesture, then he sent them down to earth \u2013 he was standing on a
\nsteep slope \u2014 he sent them down, into the valley. And there, they became\u2026 (Mother laughs<\/i>) they were opinions! They
\nbecame opinions! There were dark ones, light ones, brown ones, blue ones\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

They were like birds flying down towards
\nearth, like that. But it was a picture and yet it was not a picture, because it
\nwas moving. It was very amusing. <\/span><\/p>\n

And he said: \u201cLook, that is how opinions
\nare formed\u201d\u2026 They came from the sky, a vast sky \u2013 vast and luminous and clear,
\nneither blue nor white nor pink nor\u2026 it was luminous, simply luminous; and from
\nthis sky, it was\u2026 I said they came <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 238<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

in hundreds, but they came in thousands,
\nand he was there, he received them, and then he gestured with his hands and
\nsent them down to earth, and\u2026 they became opinions! I think I began to laugh,
\nit amused me. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is strange. <\/span><\/p>\n

They were all going down, going down \u2013 one
\ncould not see the bottom \u2013 they were going down.<\/span><\/p>\n

So then it may be that opinions come from
\na sky of light! (Mother laughs<\/i>) <\/span><\/p>\n

In truth, images are much more expressive
\nthan words. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


\n14 September 1966<\/span><\/font><\/i><\/p>\n

\nPage – 239<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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