{"id":4336,"date":"2013-07-13T01:55:17","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4336"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:55:17","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:17","slug":"06-4-june-1912-vol-02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02\/06-4-june-1912-vol-02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02","title":{"rendered":"-06_4 June 1912.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n

\n
\n4 June 1912<\/font><\/span><\/b> <\/font> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

                   
\nW<\/b>hat improvements can we bring to our meetings?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

We said one day with regard to the
\nnumerous groups that form and disappear almost immediately, that this
\nphenomenon of rapid decay is a result of the conventional and arbitrary factors
\nwhich enter into the organisation of these groups. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, they are founded upon an ideal
\nprototype originating from one or several minds \u2013 a formula which is sometimes
\nvery beautiful in theory, but which takes no account of the individuals who
\nwith their difficulties and weaknesses must form the living cells of the group.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

In my opinion, it is impossible to give an
\narbitrary form to any being, individual or collective; its form can only be the
\nouter expression which perfectly reflects the quality of its constituent
\nelements. <\/span><\/p>\n

Because this vital law of formation is not
\nobserved, these groups follow one upon another and multiply endlessly; all are
\nfated to the same swift destruction. For instead of being living organisms
\ncapable of normal growth, development and expansion, they are nothing but inert
\nconglomerations without any possibility of progress. <\/span><\/p>\n

We had decided to heed this law and
\ncarefully refrain from prematurely deciding upon the conditions of life of our
\nlittle group. It is not yet born, it has hardly begun its period of gestation.
\nLet us allow it to form and blossom very slowly before making any rules for its
\nexistence. <\/span><\/p>\n

Consequently, it would seem disastrous to
\nme to attempt to organise<\/span> our meetings according to a
\npreconceived plan or to conform to the ideal of one individual or another or
\neven of all of us. We would then be entering on the way of artificial
\nformations shaped by theory and destined to perish even more rapidly than those
\ninstitutions which develop according to their <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 59<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

own spontaneity, which is the sum total of the varied tendencies
\nof their members. <\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly, our meetings should progress,
\nsince that is the condition of their continuation. But this can only happen if
\nthey become an opportunity for each one of us to progress. <\/span><\/p>\n

For if we want their progress to be
\nsincere and in depth, it must depend on our own. <\/span><\/p>\n

If we could all bring with us here an
\nardent aspiration for greater knowledge and wisdom, we would create a
\ncontemplative atmosphere, which I would like to be able to call religious, and
\nthis atmosphere would be most favourable to our self-perfection. <\/span><\/p>\n

An atmosphere of spirituality is sometimes
\na far greater help than an exchange of words; the most beautiful thoughts
\ncannot make us progress unless we have a persistent will to translate them
\nwithin ourselves into higher feelings, more exact sensations and nobler actions.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, to improve our meetings, the
\nessential condition is our own self-improvement. <\/span><\/p>\n

If we unify ourselves and identify our
\nconsciousness with the consciousness of our Divine Self, our group will become
\nunified. If we enlighten and illumine our intellectual faculties, our group
\nwill manifest the light. If we allow impersonal love to permeate our whole
\nbeing, our group will radiate love. And finally, if we bring order into
\nourselves, our group will become organised of itself, without our needing to
\nintervene arbitrarily in its formation. <\/span><\/p>\n

In short, let us become the living cells
\nof the organism we want to bring forth, and let us not forget that on the value
\nof its cells will depend the value of the collective being and its action, its
\nusefulness in the work of universal harmony. <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 60<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n11 June 1912<\/font><\/a><\/span><\/b> <\/font> <\/a> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n


\n
\n <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

How can one become master of one’s thought?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

First condition<\/span><\/i>. To understand the full importance of this mastery by becoming
\naware, through observation, that our actions are the exact expression of our
\nthoughts and that so long as we do not have perfect control over our mental
\nactivity, these thoughts are nothing but reflexes coming from every outside
\ninfluence (sensations and suggestions). Thus we do not possess ourselves and
\ncan in no way be responsible for ourselves so long as we are not the masters of
\nour thought. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Second condition.<\/span><\/i> To will persistently an effective
\ndirection of our mental activity. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Third condition.<\/span><\/i> To observe our thoughts in order to
\nbecome familiar with them, to know their habitual course and become aware of
\nthe ones which have a special affinity with our sensorial and emotional nature.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Fourth condition.<\/span><\/i> To seek in ourselves the idea which seems
\nto be the highest, the noblest, the purest and most disinterested and, until
\nthe day we find a more beautiful idea to replace it, to make it the pivot
\naround which our mental synthesis will be built up, the regulating idea in
\nwhose light all other thoughts can be seen and judged, that is, accepted or
\nrejected. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Fifth condition.<\/span><\/i> To undergo a regular daily mental
\ndiscipline. To discover among all the teachings that have been given on this
\nsubject the method that seems to be most effective and to follow it
\nscrupulously, rigorously, with energy and perseverance. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Some important recommendations: <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>To
\nknow how to take enough mental rest. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Not
\nto demand from ourselves more than we can do. <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 61<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

To take time into account and to know how
\nto wait patiently for the result of our effort. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, without neglecting anything we can
\ndo ourselves, to know how to rely with childlike trust on the Great Supreme
\nForce, the Divine Force that is One in all beings and all things.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 62<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n18 June 1912<\/font><\/a><\/span><\/b> <\/font> <\/a> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The Power of Words<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It seems unnecessary to draw your attention to the quantity of
\nuseless words that are uttered each day; this evil is well known to all,
\nalthough very few people think of remedying it. <\/span><\/p>\n

But there are many other words which are
\nspoken needlessly. That is to say, in the course of the day, we often have the
\nopportunity of expressing a helpful wish by pronouncing one word or another,
\nprovided that we know how to put the appropriate thought behind the words. <\/span><\/p>\n

But too often we lose this opportunity of
\ndrawing a beneficial mental atmosphere around the people we know and thus of
\ntruly helping them. It would be very useful to remedy this neglect. <\/span><\/p>\n

To do this, we must refuse to allow our
\nminds to remain in that state of vague and passive imprecision which is almost
\nconstant in most people. <\/span><\/p>\n

To cure ourselves progressively of this
\nsomnolence, we can, when pronouncing a word, force ourselves to reflect upon
\nits exact meaning, its true import, in order to make it fully effective. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this regard, we can say that the active
\npower of words comes from three different causes. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first two lie in the word itself,
\nwhich has become a battery of forces. The third lies in the fact of living
\nintegrally the deep thought expressed by the word when we pronounce it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, if these three causes of
\neffectiveness are combined, the power of the word is considerably enhanced. <\/span><\/p>\n

1) There are certain words whose resonance
\nin the physical world is the perfect vibratory materialisation<\/span>
\nof the more subtle vibration produced by the thought in its own domain. <\/span><\/p>\n

If we examine closely this similarity
\nbetween the vibrations of thought and sound, we can discover the limited number
\nof <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 63<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

root syllables which express the most general ideas, and which are
\nto be found in most spoken languages with an almost identical meaning. (This
\norigin of language should not be confused with the origin of written languages,
\nwhich are of an altogether different nature and correspond to different needs.)
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

2) There are other words which have been
\nrepeated in certain circumstances for hundreds of years and which are instinct
\nwith the mental forces of all those who have pronounced them. They are true
\nbatteries of energy. <\/span><\/p>\n

3) Finally, there are words which assume
\nan immediate value when they are pronounced, as a result of the living thought
\nof the one who pronounces them. <\/span><\/p>\n

To illustrate what I have just said with
\nan example, here is a very powerful word, for it can combine the qualities of
\nall three categories: it is the Sanskrit word \u201cAUM\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is used in <\/span>India<\/span> to express the divine Immanence. There,
\nit is associated with every meditation, every contemplation, every yogic
\npractice. <\/span><\/p>\n

More than any other sound, this sound
\n\u201cAUM\u201d gives rise to a feeling of peace, of serenity, of eternity. <\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, this word is instinct with the
\nmental forces which for centuries all those who have used it have accumulated
\naround the idea that it expresses; and, for Hindus especially, it has the true
\npower of bringing one into contact with the divine Essence it evokes. <\/span><\/p>\n

And as Orientals have a religious mind and
\nthe habit of concentration, few pronounce this word without putting into it the
\nconviction that is needed to make it fully effective. <\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>China<\/span>, a similar effect is obtained with a word
\nof identical meaning and somewhat similar sound, the word \u201cTAO\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our western languages are less expressive;
\nin their present form, they are too far removed from the root language which
\ngave birth to them. But we can always animate a word by the power of our living
\nand active thought. <\/span><\/p>\n

Besides, there are formulas which we could
\nprofitably add <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 64<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

to all those in common use. <\/span><\/p>\n

These formulas were used in certain
\nancient schools of initiation. They served as greetings, and in the mouth of
\none who knew how to think them, they had a very special power of action. <\/span><\/p>\n

The disciples, the neophytes who were
\ntaking their first steps on the path, were greeted: \u201cMay the peace of
\nequilibrium be with you.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

All those who by their constant and
\nprogressive inner and outer attitude had shown their deep and lasting goodwill,
\nwere greeted: \u201cMay the highest good be yours.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

And in certain instructors manifesting
\nespecially high forces, this word was endowed with the power of transmitting
\ntrue gifts, for example, the gift of healing.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 65<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n25 June 1912<\/font><\/a><\/span><\/b> <\/font> <\/a> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What is the most useful idea to spread and what is the best
\nexample to set?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The question can be considered in two ways, a very general one
\napplicable to the whole earth, and another specific one which concerns our
\npresent social environment. <\/span><\/p>\n

From the general point of view, it seems
\nto me that the most useful idea to spread is twofold: <\/span><\/p>\n

1) Man carries within himself perfect
\npower, perfect wisdom and perfect knowledge, and if he wants to possess them,
\nhe must discover them in the depth of his being, by introspection and
\nconcentration. <\/span><\/p>\n

2) These divine qualities are identical at
\nthe centre, at the heart of all beings; this implies the essential unity of
\nall, and all the consequences of solidarity and fraternity that follow from it.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The best example to give would be the
\nunalloyed serenity and immutably peaceful happiness which belong to one who
\nknows how to live integrally this thought of the One God in all. <\/span><\/p>\n

From the point of view of our present
\nenvironment, here is the idea which, it seems to me, it is most useful to
\nspread: <\/span><\/p>\n

True progressive evolution, an evolution
\nwhich can lead man to his rightful happiness, does not lie in any external
\nmeans, material improvement or social change. Only a deep and inner process of
\nindividual self-perfection can make for real progress and completely transform
\nthe present state of things, and change suffering and misery into a serene and
\nlasting contentment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Consequently, the best example is one that
\nshows the first stage of individual self-perfection which makes possible all
\nthe rest, the first victory to be won over the egoistic personality:
\ndisinterestedness. <\/span><\/p>\n

At a time when all rush upon money as the
\nmeans to satisfy <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 66<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

their innumerable cravings, one who remains indifferent to wealth
\nand acts, not for the sake of gain, but solely to follow a disinterested ideal,
\nis probably setting the example which is most useful at present. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 67<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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


\n2 July 1912<\/font><\/a><\/span><\/b> <\/font> <\/a> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Which minds are nearest to me and what is my ideal work among
\nthem?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Always, in one way or another, life puts in
\nour path those who for some reason are near to us. Each individual creates his
\nown environment according to what he is himself. <\/span><\/p>\n

And, if such is our dominant
\npreoccupation, all those whom we thus meet on our way are the very ones to whom
\nwe can be most useful. <\/span><\/p>\n

For one who lives constantly in the
\nspiritual consciousness, everything that happens to him takes on a special
\nvalue and all is conducive to his progressive evolution. It will always be
\nbeneficial for him to observe his encounters, to investigate both the apparent
\nand the deeper reasons for them, and, in accordance with his altruistic
\naspirations, he will ask himself what good he can do in each different case.
\nAnd according to his own degree of spirituality, his action will always have a
\ngreater or lesser spiritualising<\/span> effect. <\/span><\/p>\n

If we observe at all attentively the
\ncauses which bring us closer to our kind, we see that these contacts occur at
\nvarious levels of depth in our being, depending on our own special mode of
\nconscious activity. <\/span><\/p>\n

We can classify these relationships into
\nfour main categories corresponding to our four principal modes of activity:
\nphysical, vital, psychic and mental. They may have their play in one or several
\nof these categories, simultaneously or successively, according to the quality
\nand type of the manifestation of our activity. <\/span><\/p>\n

Physical contact is compulsory, so to say,
\nsince it depends on the fact that we have a physical body. It inevitably occurs
\nwith those who have provided us with this body and with all those who are materially
\ndependent on them. These are the rela<\/span>–<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 68<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

tions<\/span><\/span> of kinship. There are also relationships of proximity: neighbourhood<\/span> in houses, in the various means of transport,
\nin the street. (I may remark here \u2013 and this remark also applies to the other
\nthree categories \u2013 that this relationship is not necessarily exclusive: this is
\nin fact rare, since we are seldom active on only one plane of our being; what I
\nmean is that the physical relationship is dominant over the other three.) <\/span><\/p>\n

Vital contact occurs between impulses and
\ndesires which are identical or liable to combine in order to complement and
\nheighten one another. <\/span><\/p>\n

Psychic contact occurs between converging
\nspiritual aspirations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mental contact comes from similar or
\ncomplementary mental capacities and affinities. <\/span><\/p>\n

Normally, if the predominance of one
\ncategory is not clearly established \u2013 and this can only happen when there is
\nenough order in our being to organise<\/span> it in all its
\ndepth and complexity \u2013 we can and should give material help to those who are
\nnear to us for physical reasons. <\/span><\/p>\n

With certain exceptions, material help is
\nthe best assistance we can give to the members of our family or to those whom
\nwe chance to meet in the street, in trains, in ships, in buses, etc. :
\npecuniary help, aid in case of illness or danger. <\/span><\/p>\n

We should assist the sensitivity of those
\nwho are attracted to us because they have identical tastes, artistic or
\notherwise, by rectifying, balancing or canalising<\/span>
\ntheir sense-energies. <\/span><\/p>\n

We can help those who by a common
\naspiration for progress have been brought into contact with us, through our
\nexample, by showing them the path, and through our love, by smoothing the way
\nfor them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, we must allow the light of our
\nintelligence to shine for those who come close to us as a result of mental affinity,
\nso that, if possible, we may widen their field of thought and enlighten their
\nideal. <\/span><\/p>\n

These various affinities express
\nthemselves outwardly in slight <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 69<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

and sometimes subtle variations in the conditions of our
\nencounters, and because our insight is seldom alert enough, these slight
\nvariations often elude us. <\/span><\/p>\n

But to direct our action in the right way
\nand reduce as far as possible the causes of our wrong attitudes towards our
\nfellowmen, we should always investigate with the greatest care the numerous
\nreasons for our contacts and find the category of affinities which binds us to
\nthem. <\/span><\/p>\n

A few rare beings are close to us in all
\nfour modes of existence at the same time. These are friends in the deepest
\nsense of the word. It is on them that our actions can have their most integral,
\ntheir most perfectly helpful and beneficial effect. <\/span><\/p>\n

We should never forget that the duration
\nof a contact between two human lives depends on the number and depth of the
\nstates of being in which the affinities that bind them have their play. <\/span><\/p>\n

Only those who commune with the eternal
\nessence within themselves and in all things can be eternally united. <\/span><\/p>\n

Only those are friends forever who have
\nbeen close or distant friends from all time in this or other worlds. <\/span><\/p>\n

And whether or not we meet these friends
\ndepends on the encounter we must first experience within ourselves, in the
\nunknown depths of our being. <\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, when this meeting occurs, our
\nwhole attitude is transformed. <\/span><\/p>\n

When we become one with the inner Godhead,
\nwe become one in depth with all, and it is through Her and by Her that we must
\ncome into contact with all beings. Then, free from all attraction and
\nrepulsion, all likes and dislikes, we are close to what is close to Her and far
\nfrom what is far from Her. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thus we learn that in the midst of others
\nwe should become always more and more a divine example of integral activity
\nboth intellectual and spiritual, an opportunity which is offered to them to
\nunderstand and enter upon the path of divine life.
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 70<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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