{"id":4428,"date":"2013-07-13T01:55:55","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4428"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:55:55","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:55","slug":"40-10-november-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\/40-10-november-vol-06-questions-and-answers-volume-06","title":{"rendered":"-40_10 November.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n


\n10
\n November 1954<\/font><\/span><\/b>
\n<\/font> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

This talk is based
\nupon Sri Aurobindo’s Bases of Yoga, Chapter 2, <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFaith \u2013 Aspiration
\n\u2013 Surrender\u201d. <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What does this mean exactly: \u201cIn Yoga it is out of the inner victory
\nthat there comes the outer conquest\u201d? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. First you must attain the true
\nconsciousness, be in contact with the Divine and let Him govern your action;
\nand then you can act upon outer circumstances, even actions, and overcome outer
\ndifficulties. You must have the inner experience first before hoping to be able
\nto […]\u00b9 something external. In fact everything is founded upon an awareness
\nof the divine Consciousness, and unless this is done all the rest is uncertain.
\nNothing can be permanently established. It is only after one has become
\nconscious; then one can follow one’s path rapidly, without fear. Otherwise
\nthere are always…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>one always risks
\nmaking mistakes, going on a false track. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, what does \u201cpsychic poise\u201d mean? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Psychic poise means the poise of the being
\nwhich comes from the fact that the psychic, which governs the movements of the
\nbeing, is the master of all the movements of the consciousness. The psychic is
\nalways well poised. So when it is active and governs the being, it inevitably
\nbrings a balance. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mother, last time we read: \u201cIt does not matter what defects you may have
\nin your nature. The one thing that matters is your keeping yourself open to the <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n
\n            <\/span>
\n\u00b9 <\/span> <\/font> Word missing in transcript.<\/font> <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 393<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

Force.\u201d Mother, if one has defects, how can one open to the Force? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

I think everyone has defects. So if it
\nwere necessary not to have any defects in order to be open, nobody could be
\nopen. One always has defects, to begin with. One is not made of a single piece.
\nThis is the main reason. There are many different parts in the being which
\nsometimes are quite independent of one another and take hold of the
\nconsciousness almost in turn and sometimes even in an altogether regular order.
\nSo, when part of the being has goodwill and already a kind of perception of
\nwhat the divine force is, you see, this opens the being and puts it into
\ncontact with this force. But it is not always there. There are other parts
\nwhich come to the front, which have defects, bad habits, and which can veil the
\nconsciousness completely. But if one keeps the memory of the part which was
\nopen, one can keep the opening all the same, though outwardly the part that is
\nactive is not particularly interested and not even able to understand. But the
\nother part can continue to be open and receive the force. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Can one have faith through aspiration? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What? Faith through aspiration? I think
\nso, because it is rare to have it spontaneously, to be born with it. Very few
\npeople have this good luck to have a spontaneous faith. But if one is very
\nsincere in one’s aspiration, one gets it. Aspiration can bring everything,
\nprovided it is sincere and constant. One always has a tiny element of faith
\nwithin oneself, whether it be faith in what one’s parents have said or in the
\nbooks one has studied. After all, all your education is based upon a faith of
\nthis kind. Those who have educated you have told you certain things. You had no
\nmeans of checking, because you were too young and had no experience. But you
\nhave faith in what they told you and you go forward on that faith. So everyone
\nhas a tiny bit of faith,
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 394<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

and to increase it one can use one’s
\naspiration. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mother, in your symbol the twelve petals signify the twelve inner
\nplanes, don’t they? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It signifies anything one wants, you see.
\nTwelve: that’s the number of Aditi, of Mahashakti. So it applies to everything;
\nall her action has twelve aspects. There are also her twelve virtues, her
\ntwelve powers, her twelve aspects, and then her twelve planes of manifestation
\nand many other things that are twelve; and the symbol, the number twelve is in
\nitself a symbol. It is the symbol of manifestation, double perfection, in
\nessence and in manifestation, in the creation. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What are the twelve aspects, Sweet Mother? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Ah, my child, I have described this
\nsomewhere, but I don’t remember now. For it is always a choice, you see;
\naccording to what one wants to say, one can choose these twelve aspects or
\ntwelve others, or give them different names. The same aspect can be named in
\ndifferent ways. This does not have the fixity of a mental theory.
\n(Silence)\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to the angle from which one sees
\nthe creation, one day I may describe twelve aspects to you; and then another
\nday, because I have shifted my centre of observation, I may describe twelve
\nothers, and they will be equally true. <\/span><\/p>\n

(To
\nVishwanath<\/i>) Is it the wind that’s producing this storm? It is very good for
\na dramatic stage-effect…\u00a0 <\/span>The traitor
\nis approaching in the night…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>yes? We
\nare waiting for some terrible deed…\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, when does the psychic being lose its poise? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What?… Never. <\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 395<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

Then why is it said: \u201cThe psychic poise is necessary\u201d? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. This means that the help of the
\npsychic poise is necessary. It is not that the psychic being has to become
\nbalanced: it is that one must be under the influence of the psychic poise. The
\npsychic is always balanced. But the being is not always under the influence of
\nthe psychic which brings the balance. The influence of the psychic gives the
\nbalance. (Silence)\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

How can one know that the psychic being is in front? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

My child, when it happens, one
\nunderstands. It is exactly so long as one doesn’t understand that it means that
\nit hasn’t come. This is like people asking you, \u201cHow can I know whether I am in
\ncontact with the Divine?\u201d That itself is enough to prove that they are not. For
\nif they are they can no longer ask the question. It is something understood.
\nFor the psychic it is the same thing. When the psychic is in front one knows
\nit, and there is no possibility of any doubt. Consequently one no longer asks
\nthe question. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

How can we make the mind and vital a \u201cclear field\u201d? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Make what?…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Yes, it is difficult. (Laughter)\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It is a great task. Well, it is always the same
\nthing; first of all you must understand what is meant by being clear. And then
\nyou must aspire, and with persistence; and each time something comes to
\nobstruct you, you must brush it aside, push it back, not accept it. <\/span><\/p>\n

The mind and vital have a very bad habit:
\nwhen one has succeeded through aspiration in having an experience, being in
\ncontact with the divine force, immediately they rush forward to make it their
\nown property, you see, like that (gesture<\/i>)\u00a0 <\/span>, as a cat jumps on a mouse. And then they
\ncatch it and say, \u201cIt is for me.\u201d And then the mind turns it into all kinds of
\nspeculations and affirmations and constructions and takes great pride
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 396<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

in it, and the vital uses the power to
\nfulfil its own desires. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, in order to avoid this it is said that
\nthey must be clear, quiet, peaceful, and must not rush at the force which is
\ntrying to manifest and make of it a tool for their personal use. For the mind
\nto be clear it must be silent \u2013 at least to a certain extent, and for the vital
\nto be clear it must give up its desires, have no desires and impulses and
\npassions. This indeed is the essential condition. Later, if one goes into
\ndetails, neither of them should have any preferences, attachments, any
\nparticular way of being or particular set of ideas. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, what does \u201csincerity\u201d mean, exactly? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

There are several degrees of sincerity. <\/span><\/p>\n

The most elementary degree is not to say
\none thing and think another, claim one thing and want another. For example,
\nwhat happen quite often: to say, \u201cI want to make progress, and I want to get
\nrid of my defects\u201d and, at the same time, to cherish one’s defects in the
\nconsciousness and take great care to hide them so that nobody intervenes and
\nsends them off. This indeed is a very common phenomenon. This is already the
\nsecond degree. The first degree, you see, is when someone claims, for example,
\nto have a very great aspiration and to want the spiritual life and, at the same
\ntime, does completely…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>how to put
\nit?…\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>shamelessly, things which are
\nmost contradictory to the spiritual life. This is indeed a degree of sincerity,
\nrather of insincerity, which is most obvious. <\/span><\/p>\n

But there is a second degree which I have
\njust described to you, which is like this: there is one part of the being which
\nhas an aspiration and says, even thinks, even feels that it would very much
\nlike to get rid of defects, imperfections; and then, at the same time, other
\nparts which hide these defects and imperfections very carefully so as not to be
\ncompelled to expose them and get over them. This is very common. <\/span><\/p>\n

And finally, if we go far enough, if we
\npush the description
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 397<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

far enough, so long as there is a part of
\nthe being which contradicts the central aspiration for the Divine, one is not
\nperfectly sincere. That is to say, a perfect sincerity is something extremely
\nrare. And most commonly, very very frequently, when there are things in one’s
\nnature which one does not like, one takes the greatest care to hide them from
\noneself, one finds favourable explanations or simply makes a little movement,
\nlike this (gesture<\/i>). You have noticed
\nthat when things move like this you can’t see them clearly. Well, where the
\ndefect is seated, there is a kind of vibrations which does this, and so your
\nsight is not clear, you no longer see your defects. And this is automatic.
\nWell, all these are insincerities. <\/span><\/p>\n

And perfect sincerity comes when at the
\ncentre of the being there is the consciousness of the divine Presence, the
\nconsciousness of the divine Will, and when the entire being, like a luminous,
\nclear, transparent whole, expresses this in all its details. This indeed is
\ntrue sincerity. <\/span><\/p>\n

When, at any moment, whatever may happen,
\nthe being has given itself to the Divine and wants only the divine Will, when,
\nno matter what is going on in the being, at any moment whatever, always, the
\nwhole being in perfect unanimity can say to the Divine and feels for the
\nDivine, \u201cLet Thy Will be done\u201d, when it is spontaneous, total, integral, then<\/i> you are sincere. But until this is
\nestablished, it is a mixed sincerity, more or less mixed, right up to the point
\nwhere one is not at all sincere. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, here it is written: \u201cThe personal effort has to be
\ntransformed progressively into a movement of the Divine Force. If you feel
\nconscious of the Divine Force, then call it in more and more to govern your
\neffort, to take it up, to transform it into something not yours, but the
\nMother’s.\u201d But if one is not conscious of the Divine Force? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

You must become conscious. Aspire, ask,
\naspire sincerely.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 398<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

You see, generally speaking, you are here,
\nwe have a class, we have just read something, you have questions to ask; while
\nyou are here you ask questions and think of the subject. But as soon as you go
\nout or go home, you think of a thousand other things, don’t you? So, how do you
\nexpect that you will become conscious of the divine Force? We have hardly about
\nhalf an hour here, that’s not a very long time to become conscious of the
\nForce. <\/span><\/p>\n

But if it is your sole preoccupation, if
\ntruly, with all your being, you want to become conscious of the divine Force,
\nyou will be able to. You can’t, simply because you think about it from time to
\ntime; when the subject comes up, you ask yourself, \u201cWhy, it is true, how can I
\ndo it?\u201d And then, the next minute you don’t think about it any more. So, how do
\nyou expect this to happen? You must be very attentive, you must be very silent,
\nmust observe yourself very clearly. And you must be very humble; that is, be
\nwilling not to play a great part in all this story. The misfortune is that
\nusually either the vital being or the mental being or even the physical being
\nis very anxious to play a part, very anxious. So it swells up, takes up a lot
\nof place, covers the rest; and it covers it so well that one can’t even become
\naware of the presence of the divine Force because the personal movement of the
\nphysical, the body, the vital, the mind, covers everything with its own
\nimportance. <\/span><\/p>\n

Listen: if every evening before going to
\nsleep you take off only a tiny minute, like that, and in this little minute,
\nwith all the concentration you are capable of you ask to become conscious of
\nthe divine Force, simply like that, nothing more; in the morning when waking
\nup, before beginning your day, if you do the same thing, take a minute off,
\nconcentrate as much as you can and ask to become conscious of the divine Force,
\nyou will see, after some time, it will happen. Nothing but these small things
\nwhich are nothing at all and take no time. <\/span><\/p>\n

One day it will happen. Only, you must do
\nit with concentration, intensity and sincerity; that is, it must not happen
\nthat
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 399<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

while you are asking for this, another
\npart of your being is telling itself, \u201cAfter all, this has no importance.\u201d Or
\nmaybe you think of something else, what you are going to put on or the 0person
\nyou will meet, anything at all, a thousand desires. You must be there, fully,
\nfor one minute.<\/i> Of course if you
\nmultiply the minute, it goes so much the quicker. But as I also said, if one is
\nable not to contradict the next minute the aspiration one had the minute
\nbefore, it is easier; if not, it pushes sincerity away.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 400<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


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

10 November 1954   This talk is based upon Sri Aurobindo’s Bases of Yoga, Chapter 2, \u201cFaith \u2013 Aspiration \u2013 Surrender\u201d.   What does this…<\/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-4428","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\/4428","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=4428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4428\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}