{"id":4425,"date":"2013-07-13T01:55:54","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4425"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:55:54","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:54","slug":"06-03-march-vol-06-questions-and-answers-volume-06","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/06-questions-and-answers-volume-06\/06-03-march-vol-06-questions-and-answers-volume-06","title":{"rendered":"-06_03 March.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n


\n3 March 1954<\/font><\/span><\/b>
\n<\/font> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

This talk is based upon Mother’s essay
\n\u201cThe Fear <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

of Death and the Four Methods of
\nConquering It\u201d. <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, I did not understand the ending, the last paragraph: \u201cThere
\nis yet another way to conquer the fear of death, but it is within the reach of
\nso few that it is mentioned here only as a matter of information. It is to
\nenter into the domain of death deliberately and consciously while one is still
\nalive, and then to return from this region and re-enter the physical body,
\nresuming the course of material existence with full knowledge. But for that one
\nmust be an initiate.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What do you want to say? You have not
\nunderstood what I meant? … I am not surprised! Has anyone understood?
\n…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is a domain about which I have so far
\nrefrained from speaking to you, for one must be already very conscious of
\noneself, have a good mastery over one’s reflexes and be above all fear,
\nprecisely \u2013 above all possibility of fear, in order to be able to enter upon
\nit. It is a knowledge which in the modern world is hardly recognised as
\nscientific, but it is scientific in the see that it has exact processes and
\nthat if the circumstances are correctly reproduced, the same results are obtained.
\nIt is a progressive science and one can devote oneself to it, can make quite a
\nregular progress, as logical as in all the sciences that are acknowledged as
\nsuch in modern times. But this one concerns a reality or certain realities,
\nwhich do not belong to the most material domain. One needs special capacities
\nand a special development to be conscious in that domain, for it escapes our
\nordinary senses. <\/span><\/p>\n

We have subtle senses; even as we have a
\nphysical body, we have other more subtle bodies which also have senses, and
\nmuch
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 38<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

more refined senses, much more precise and
\nmuch more powerful than our physical senses. But naturally, as it is not
\ncustomary in modern education to work in these domains, these things generally
\nescape our ordinary knowledge. Yet children spontaneously live a great deal in
\nthis domain. They see things which are as real for them as physical things,
\nthey speak about them \u2013 and they are usually told that they are stupid because
\nthey speak of things others don’t see but which are as true for them, as
\ntangible and real as what can be seen by everyone. Their dreams have an
\nintensity and a capital importance in their life, and it is only with intensive
\nmental growth that those capacities diminish. Now, there are people who have
\nthe good luck to be born with a spontaneous development, with inner sees, and
\nnothing can prevent them from remaining awake. If these people meet in good
\ntime someone who can help them in a methodical development, they can become
\nvery interesting instruments for the study and discovery of this occult world.
\nIn all ages there have been initiatory schools, which took up these
\nparticularly talented people and educated them in this kind of science. These
\nschools were always more or less secret or hidden, for ordinary men are quite
\nintolerant of those capacities which are beyond them \u2013 and disturb them. But
\nthere were fine periods in human history when these schools were recognised and
\nmuch appreciated and respected, as in ancient <\/span>Egypt<\/span>, ancient <\/span>Chaldea<\/span>, ancient <\/span>India<\/span>, and even partially in <\/span>Greece<\/span> and <\/span>Rome<\/span>. There were always schools of initiation,
\neven in mediaeval Europe, but there they had to be very carefully hidden, for
\nthey were pursued and persecuted by the official Christian religion, and if
\nperchance it was discovered that such and such men or women were practising
\nthese occult sciences, they were tied to the stake and burnt alive as
\nsorcerers!… In our times this knowledge is almost lost; there are only a very
\nfew people who have it; but with mental growth the intolerance also has gone.
\nPeople don’t like these things very much \u2013 they are disturbed, annoyed by them
\n\u2013 but still they are obliged to admit that these things are not crimes and
\npeople <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 39<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

practising occultism are no longer burnt
\nat the stake or imprisoned. Only, there are many people who claim to know but
\nthere are very few who do know. In any case, before entering upon this study,
\none must have, as I told you at the beginning, a very great self-mastery, must
\nhave attained a kind of abnegation, a self-forgetfulness, an egolessness<\/span>, a disinterestedness and see of sacrifice which
\nenables one to practise this without any danger. For, if you keep all egoistic
\nor passionate movements, full of desires, you are sure, in the practice of this
\nscience, to meet with accidents which may have fatal consequences. As I said at
\nthe beginning, the [it absolutely] indispensable condition is to have an
\nintrepidity which does not allow any fear to enter into you. For this has been
\nvery often said, and it is quite true, that when you enter the invisible realm,
\nthe first things you meet are literally terrifying. If you have no fear, there
\nis no danger, but the least fear puts you into danger. So, before anybody at
\nall was allowed to practise this science, for a very long time, sometimes for
\nyears, the novice was submitted to a discipline, which gave him the assurance
\nthat he could practise it without experiencing the least fear and without any
\ndanger. That is why, my children, I have never spoken to you about it. This
\narticle was not specially for you \u2013 the Bulletin<\/i>
\ngoes to the whole world and it can reach here and there people who are
\nprepared. But still, because it is written, I am telling you about it this
\nevening, and I tell you that if anyone among you feels a special inclination,
\npossesses special faculties and is ready to overcome every weakness, all egoism
\nand all fear, I am ready to help him on the way and reveal these secrets to
\nhim. Voil\u00e0<\/i><\/span>!<\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, you will have to be a little more
\nmature for me to undertake this task. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

When will we be ready, Sweet Mother? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

That depends upon you, my children! I
\npractised occultism when I was twelve. But I must say I had no fear, I feared noth<\/span>– <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 40<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

ing<\/span><\/span>. One goes out of one’s body, but is tied
\nby something resembling an almost imperceptible thread; if the thread is cut,
\nit is all over. Life also is ended. One goes out, and then can begin seeing the
\nworld he has entered. And usually the first things one sees, as I said, are
\nterrifying. Because, for you the air is empty, there is nothing in it \u2013 you see
\nsomething blue or white, there are clouds, sunbeams, and all that is very
\npretty \u2013 but when you have the other sight, you see that it is filled with a
\nmultitude of small formations which are all residues of desires or of mental
\ndeformation and these swarm inside it, you see, in a mass, and this is not
\nalways very pretty. At times it is extremely ugly. This assails you; it comes,
\npresses upon you, attacks you; and if you are afraid, it takes absolutely
\nfrightful forms. Naturally, if you do not flinch, if you can look upon all that
\nwith a healthy curiosity, you perceive that it is not at all so terrifying. It
\nmay not be pretty, but it is not terrifying. <\/span><\/p>\n

I could tell you a little story. <\/span><\/p>\n

I knew a Danish painter who was quite
\ntalented and who wanted to learn occultism. He had come here, you know, had met
\nSri Aurobindo; he had even done his portrait. That was during the war, and when
\nhe came back to <\/span>France<\/span>, he wanted me to teach him a little of
\nthis occult science. I taught him how to go out of his body e., and the
\ncontrols, all that. And I told him that, above all, the first thing was not to
\nhave any fear. Then, one day he came to tell me that he had had a dream the
\nnight before. But it was not a dream, for, as I have told you, he knew a bit
\nabout how to go out of his body, and he had gone out consciously. And once he
\nhad gone out he was looking around seeing what was to be seen, when suddenly he
\nsaw a formidable tiger coming towards him, drawing close with the most
\nfrightful intentions… He remembered what I had told him, that he must not be
\nafraid. So he began to say to himself, \u201cThere is no danger, I am protected,
\nnothing can happen to me, I am wrapped up in the power of protection\u201d, and he
\nbegan looking at the tiger in that way, without any fear. And as he went on
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 41<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

looking at the tiger, immediately it began
\nto grow smaller and smaller and smaller and \u2013 it became a tiny little cat!\u00a0 <\/span>(Laughter)\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What does the tiger represent? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It was probably… That day he had become
\nangry with somebody, he had lost his temper and entertained bad thoughts; he
\nhad hoped that something very unpleasant would happen to this person. Now, in
\noccultism there is the \u201crebound\u201d. You send out a bad thought, it returns to you
\nas an attack. That is exactly one of the reasons why you must have a complete
\ncontrol over your feelings, sensations, thoughts, for if you become angry with
\nsomeone or think badly of him, or if, still worse, you wish him ill, well, in
\nyour very dream you see this person coming with an extreme violence to attack
\nyou. Then, if you do not know these things, you say, \u201cWhy, I was right in
\nhaving bad thoughts against him!\u201d But in fact, it is not at all that. It is
\nyour own thought that comes back to you. And the person may be absolutely
\nunaware of all that has happened, for \u2013 and this is one of the commonest laws
\nin occultism \u2013 if you make a formation, for instance a mental formation that an
\naccident or something unpleasant should happen to a certain person and you send
\nout this formation, if it so happen that this person is in a very high state of
\nconsciousness, does not at all wish anything bad, is quite indifferent and
\ndisinterested in the affair, the formation will come up against his atmosphere
\nand instead of entering will rebound upon the one who has made it. In this way
\nserious accidents have taken place. There were certain people who practised
\nthat low deformation of occultism, which is called magic, and they had made
\nformations through magic against someone. But this person happened to be far
\nabove this and could not be touched by those formations. So they returned upon
\nthose people, fatally. If they had made a formation of death, it would have
\nbeen they who died. <\/span><\/p>\n

I don’t know whether you remember or not
\nthe story of the
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 42<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

stones, which fell in Sri Aurobindo’s
\nhouse? Everybody knows it, so I won’t narrate it. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What happen to this formation once it has worked ill? Does it continue? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

No. When a formation of this kind acts, it
\ngoes with a definite purpose. It has been made with a definite purpose. It acts
\nand once its action is over, it disappears, it has no longer any raison d’\u00eatre.<\/i> It was a formation for a
\nparticular action. When the action is accomplished, the formation dissolves. There
\nare many other kinds of formations with more or less durable lives. I tell you
\nit is a science \u2013 you cannot learn chemistry in an hour! But still, in a case
\nlike that, when the formation returns and strikes the one who has made it, it
\nis finished. Its action is accomplished and comes to an end. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Everybody doesn’t know the story of the stones…\u00a0 <\/span>You narrated it only to the little children,
\nSweet Mother. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I narrated it to the little ones…\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, but the older ones were not there! (Laughter) <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is <\/span>nine o’clock<\/span>. You have no other questions? If I tell
\nyou the story…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, this morning you told us you would narrate…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Look here, I had another. How many stories
\ncan I tell you! <\/span><\/p>\n

Well, the other one is very short. It is
\nalso interesting. It is about curing oneself of fear. (Perhaps Pavitra<\/span> knows the name!)… There was a French scientist
\nwho had written a book in which he narrated an experience he had had in the Jardin des Plantes.<\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 43<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

He wanted to know to what extent reason
\ncan have an effect over reflexes. I don’t remember now \u2013 for years I knew his
\nname; I have forgotten it, but still the story remain. He was a well-known
\nscientist and he has written about his experiment in a book. It is often quoted
\nas an example. He was very much interested in knowing to what extent reason,
\nintelligence with clear knowledge, could have an effect upon reflexes, that is,
\nupon movements which come up spontaneously from the subconscious, automatic
\nmovements, and he made this experiment: he went to the Jardin des Plantes<\/i> in <\/span>Paris<\/span> where not only plants but animals also
\nare kept. And among these animals there were huge snakes. There was a snake
\nthere (I knew it, that snake), which had the reputation of having a very bad
\nnature. That is, it could be made angry very easily. It was a very large snake
\nand was very beautiful; it was black. And the scientist had been told by the
\nkeeper that this snake was very aggressive. These snakes are enclosed in huge
\nglass cases, the glass being sufficiently thick to prevent any accident, as you
\nmay well imagine. So, he went to the cage of this serpent just when it was
\nhungry (it had not eaten; when they have eaten they sleep). It had not eaten,
\nso it was active. And he stood there in front of the cage, quite close to the
\nglass and began exciting the snake \u2013 I don’t remember now what he did \u2013 until
\nit started getting angry. Then it coiled up and shot out like a released spring
\nagainst the glass, against the face of that gentleman who was on the other
\nside, and the man \u2013 who knew very well that the glass was there and nothing
\ncould happen to him \u2013 jumped back! And he repeated the experiment several
\ntimes, and not once could he control his movement of recoil. He recoiled \u2013
\nevery time the snake jumped he recoiled!\u00a0
\n<\/span>Laughter\u00a0 <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

So he has spoken of his experiment. But he
\nlacked one element of knowledge, for he did not know that the physical movement
\nwas accompanied by a considerable vital projection of the nervous force of the
\nsnake, and that it was this that affected him. It was because of this. He tried
\nin vain to remain stiff, to tell
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 44<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

himself, \u201cBut after all there is no
\ndanger, nothing can happen to me, there is the glass; why do I recoil?\u201d
\n(Laughter)\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It was that which came and
\ngave him a shock and he jumped back. <\/span><\/p>\n

There you are, now au revoir<\/span><\/i>, my children. The story of the
\nstones for another day. It is too late now.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 45<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


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

3 March 1954   This talk is based upon Mother’s essay \u201cThe Fear of Death and the Four Methods of Conquering It\u201d.   Sweet Mother,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-06-questions-and-answers-volume-06","wpcat-125-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4425","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=4425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}