{"id":4375,"date":"2013-07-13T01:55:34","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4375"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:55:34","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:34","slug":"24-26-february-1951-vol-04-questions-and-answers-volume-04","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/04-questions-and-answers-volume-04\/24-26-february-1951-vol-04-questions-and-answers-volume-04","title":{"rendered":"-24_26 February 1951.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\n26 February 1951<\/font><\/span><\/b>
\n<\/font><\/span><\/b>
\n
\n <\/font><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mother reads a question asked during her talk<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>in 1929: <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the initial
\nstages of Yoga, is it well for the Sadhaka to read ordinary books?\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Questions and Answers 1929 (28 April)
\n<\/font> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

It is a question I
\nhave been asked many times. If someone can tell me the effect on him of the
\nreading of ordinary books, it will interest me very much. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Ordinary books
\ntire me. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

It is a good sign.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

They give rest to
\nthe mind and have no effect on me. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

No! The
\nsubconscient records everything, and if you have the impression that an
\nordinary book leaves no effect, it means that you are not conscious of what
\ngoes on within you. Each time you read a book in which the consciousness is
\nvery low, it strengthens your subconscient and inconscient \u2013 it prevents your
\nconsciousness from rising upward. It is as if you threw buckets of dirty water
\non the efforts you had made to purify your subconscient. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>It is inevitable, but there are people who are
\nnot even aware that their consciousness has fallen very low. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>There is a state in which a simple
\nconversation which obliges you to remain on the level of ordinary life gives
\nyou a headache, turns your stomach and, if it continues, may give you a fever.
\nI am speaking of course about the gossip-type of conversations. I believe that
\napart from a few exceptions, everybody
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 152<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

indulges in this
\nexercise and talks of things about which he should keep silent or chatters
\nabout other things. It becomes so natural that you are not troubled by it. But
\nif you continue in this way, you hinder your consciousness completely from
\nrising up; you bind yourself with iron chains to the ordinary consciousness and
\nthe work in the subconscious is not done or has not even begun. Those who want
\nto rise up have already enough difficulties without looking for encouragements
\noutside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 <\/span>Naturally, the effort to keep the
\nconsciousness at a high level is tiring in the beginning, like the exercises
\nyou do to develop your muscles. But you do not give up gymnastics because of
\nthat! So mentally also you must do the same thing. You must not allow your mind
\nto stoop low: gossiping degrades you and, if you want to do Yoga, you must
\nabstain from it, that’s all. <\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou can read sacred books and yet be far
\naway from the Divine; and you can read the most stupid productions and be in
\ntouch with the Divine…There is a way of consciousness in union with the
\nDivine in which you can enjoy all you read, as you can all you observe…For
\nthere is nothing in the world which has not its ultimate truth and support in
\nthe Divine. And if you are not stopped by the appearance, physical or moral or
\naesthetic…you can reach beauty and delight even through what affects the
\nordinary sense only as something ugly, poor, painful or discordant.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n
\nQuestions and Answers 1929 (28 April)<\/font>  <\/font> <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The state of
\nconsciousness of which I speak here is very difficult to attain; it is a
\ndiscipline which needs years and it is a realisation which is not within
\neverybody’s reach. There is, however, an intermediate state through which one
\nhas to pass: a state in which one cuts the connection between oneself and all
\nthat one does not want to hear or see. <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 153<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\n
\n\u201cObviously, what has happened had to
\nhappen; it would not have been, if it had not been intended. Even the mistakes
\nthat we have committed and the adversities that fell upon us had to be, because
\nthere was some necessity in them, some utility for our lives. But in truth
\nthese things cannot be explained mentally and should not be. For all that
\nhappened was necessary, not for any mental reason, but to lead us to something
\nbeyond what the mind imagines. But is there any need to explain after all? The
\nwhole universe explains everything at every moment and a particular thing
\nhappens because the whole universe is what it is.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Questions and Answers 1929 (28 April)
\n<\/font>
\n  <\/font> <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The whole universe
\nexplains each thing at each moment. That is very important. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

If one wants to learn a language, is it
\nnot necessary to read ordinary books like those of Alexandre Dumas, for
\ninstance? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Yes, if one reads
\nto study the language, to understand how an author expresses himself, it is
\nquite all right. But this should not be made an excuse for reading anything
\nwhatever. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Haven’t imaginary
\nstories any value? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

That depends on
\nthe quality of the imagination. If you say that it is a good thing to develop
\none’s imagination, this is true, only you must take care not to develop an
\nuntruthful imagination. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Do not imaginary
\nstories put you in contact with life, with truth? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

Not always! And
\nwhat does \u201ccontact with truth\u201d mean? \u2013
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 154<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

there is a truth
\nin a grain of sand. That means nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Don’t
\nyou think there are enough ugly things in the world without one’s giving a
\npicture of them in books? This is something which always used to surprise me,
\neven when I was a child \u2013 life is so ugly, so full of mean, miserable, even at
\ntimes repulsive things, what is the use of imagining yet worse things than are
\nalready there? If you imagined something more beautiful, a more beautiful life,
\nthat would be worth the trouble. People who take pleasure in writing ugly
\nthings show a great poverty of mind \u2013 it is always a sign of a poverty of mind.
\nIt is infinitely more difficult to tell a story beautiful from beginning to end
\nthan to write a story ending with a sensational event or a catastrophe. Many
\nauthors, if they had to write a story which ends happily, beautifully, would
\nnot be able to do it \u2013 they do not have enough imagination for that. Very few
\nstories have an uplifting ending, almost all end in a failure \u2013 for a very simple
\nreason, it is much more easy to fall than to rise. It is much more difficult to
\nend one’s story on a note of greatness and splendour, to make one’s hero a
\ngenius seeking to transcend himself, because for that one must be a genius
\noneself, and this is not given to everybody. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

When one reads ordinary books, one has the
\nimpression of entering into the mind of the author and that is not always
\npleasant. I have also noticed that when one talks about business or work with
\nan outsider, the conversation can be good and interesting, but as soon as one
\ntalks with the same person about his private life, the conversation immediately
\nbecomes painful. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Yes, because work,
\nespecially if it is technical work, is the expression of the best in the man,
\nwhile in his private life he comes down to a lower level, with very few
\nexceptions. So many remarkable scholars, writers, artists who produce
\nremarkable things, once they enter their homes, become detestable hus- <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 155<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

bands, unpleasant
\nfathers, intolerable people for those who are around them. And I am speaking of
\nan \u00e9lite,<\/i> those who make special
\nstudies, discoveries, who run big institutions: outside, they are uncommon
\npeople, men of great abilities; back home they become commonplace and often
\nunbearable \u2013 they have a nice time, they take rest, relax themselves. And if
\nthey begin to amuse themselves, that’s the end of it all! I knew people of
\ngreat intelligence, admirable artists who, as soon as they began to \u201crelax\u201d,
\nbecame utterly foolish! They did the most vulgar things, behaved like ill-bred
\nchildren \u2013 they were relaxing. Everything comes from this \u201cneed\u201d of relaxation;
\nand what does that mean for most men? It means, always, coming down to a lower
\nlevel. They do not know that for a true relaxation one must rise one degree
\nhigher, one must rise above oneself. If one goes down, it adds to one’s fatigue
\nand brings a stupefaction. Besides, each time one comes down, one increases the
\nload of the subconscient \u2013 this huge subconscient load which one must clean and
\nclean if one wants to mount, and which is like fetters on the feet. But it is
\ndifficult to teach that, for one must know it oneself before one can teach it
\nto others. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>This is never told to children, they are
\nallowed to commit all the stupidities in the world under the pretext that they
\nneed relaxation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>It
\nis not by sinking below oneself that one removes fatigue. One must climb the
\nladder and there one has true rest, because one has the inner peace, the light,
\nthe universal energy. And little by little one puts oneself in touch with the
\ntruth which is the very reason of one’s existence. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>If
\nyou contact that definitively, it removes completely all fatigue. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

When one
\nrecognises one’s faults, one can’t commit them again, can one? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

If one is sincere,
\nno. If you repeat the same errors several times,
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 156<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

you may be sure
\nyou are not sincere somewhere. When one recognises one’s mistake and yet
\nrepeats it, it means that only a superficial part of the consciousness has
\nrecognised it and the rest is perfectly satisfied with it and generally
\njustifies it. You may tell yourself without the risk of making a mistake: \u201cIf I
\nrepeat the same fault, I am not sincere.\u201d So try to be sincere. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

When one speaks to others, one rarely
\ncomes to an agreement, for people do not see things in the same way. Or if I
\nsee the other’s point of view, I cannot accept it. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

That means you are
\nnot plastic. You may be sure that if you find a person boring, he will also
\nfind you boring. You will never arrive at anything if you do not take the
\nattitude of putting yourself in the place of the other, this is indispensable.
\nWhen someone tells you something you do not understand, you must not say, \u201cHe
\nknows nothing\u201d, but you must try to understand. If you want to be quite
\nsincere, even when a child comes and tells you something you do not understand,
\nyou must not say, \u201cThis child is stupid\u201d, but \u201cIt is I who am stupid, because I
\ndo not understand!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>There are a hundred ways of looking at a
\nproblem. If you want to find the solution, you must take up all the elements
\none after another, rise above them and see how they harmonise. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>There is a state of consciousness which
\nmay be called \u201cgnostic\u201d, in which you are able to see at the same time<\/i> all the theories, all the
\nbeliefs, all the ideas men have expressed in their highest consciousness \u2013 the
\nmost contradictory notions, like the Buddhistic, the Vedantic, the Christian
\ntheories, all the philosophical theories, all the expressions of the human mind
\nwhen it has managed to catch a little corner of the Truth \u2013 and in that state,
\nnot only do you put each thing in its place, but everything appears to you marvellously
\ntrue and quite indispensable in order to be able to understand anything at all
\nabout anything
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 157<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

whatsoever. There
\nis a state of consciousness…Oh, I was going to tell you things you cannot yet
\nunderstand. I shall give you a simpler example. Anatole <\/span>France<\/span> said in one of
\nhis books: \u201cSo long as men did not try to make the world progress, all went
\nwell and everybody was satisfied \u2013 no worry about perfecting oneself or
\nperfecting the world, consequently all went well. Therefore the worst thing is
\nto want to make others progress; let them do what they like and don’t bother
\nabout anything, that will be much more wise.\u201d On the contrary, others tell you:
\n\u201cThere is a Truth to be attained; the world is in a state of ignorance and one
\nmust at all costs, in spite of the difficulty of the way, enlighten man’s
\nconsciousness and pull him out of his ignorance.\u201d But I tell you that there is
\na state of consciousness in which both the ways of seeing are absolutely
\nequally true. Naturally, if you take only two aspects, it is difficult to see
\nclearly; one must be able to see all the aspects of the truth glimpsed by the
\nhuman intelligence and…something more. And then, in that state, nothing is
\nabsolutely false, nothing is absolutely bad. In that state one is free from all
\nproblems, all difficulties, all battles and everything appears to you
\nwonderfully harmonious. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>But if you try to imitate this condition
\nmentally \u2013 do you understand? To make a mental imitation of it \u2013 you may be
\nsure of doing stupid things; you will be one of those who have a chaos in their
\nhead and can say the most contradictory things without even being aware of it. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>In
\nthat condition there is no contradiction \u2013<\/span> it<\/span> is a totality and
\na totality in which one has the full knowledge of all the truths expressed
\n(which are not sufficient to express the total Truth), in which one knows the
\nrespective places of all things, why and of what the universe is formed. Only \u2013
\nI hasten to tell you this \u2013 <\/span>it <\/span>is not by a personal effort that one
\nreaches this condition; it is not because one tries to obtain it that one
\nobtains it. You become<\/i> that,
\nspontaneously. It is, if you like, the crowning of an absolute mental
\nsincerity, when you no <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 158<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

longer have any
\npartiality, any preference, any attachment to an idea, when you do not even try
\nany longer to know the truth. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>You are
\nsimply open in the Light, that’s all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>I am telling you this, this evening, because
\nwhat is done, what has been realised by one can be realised by others. It is
\nenough that one body has been able to realise that, one human body, to have the
\nassurance that it can<\/i> be done. You
\nmay consider it still very far off, but you can say, \u201cYes, the gnostic life is
\ncertain, because it has begun to be realised.\u201d
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 159<\/span><\/p>\n

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

26 February 1951     Mother reads a question asked during her talk \u00a0in 1929:   \u201cIn the initial stages of Yoga, is it well…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-04-questions-and-answers-volume-04","wpcat-124-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4375","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=4375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4375\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}