{"id":447,"date":"2013-07-13T01:28:04","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=447"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:28:04","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:28:04","slug":"37-the-training-of-the-mental-faculties-vol-17-the-hour-of-god-volume-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/17-the-hour-of-god-volume-17\/37-the-training-of-the-mental-faculties-vol-17-the-hour-of-god-volume-17","title":{"rendered":"-37_The Training of the Mental Faculties.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

\nSEVEN<\/b>
\nThe
\nTraining of the Mental Faculties<\/font><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n                       
\nTHE<\/b> first
\nqualities of the mind that have to be developed are those which can be grouped
\nunder observation. We notice some things, ignore others. Even of what we notice,
\nwe observe very little. A general perception of an object is what we
\nall usually carry<\/span> <\/font>
\naway<\/span>
\n<\/font>
\nfrom a cursory half-attentive
\nglance. A closer attention fixes its place, form, nature as distinct from its
\nsurroundings. Full concentration of the faculty of observation gives us all the
\nknowledge that the three chief senses can gather about the object, or if we
\ntouch or taste, we may gather all that the five senses can tell of its nature
\nand properties. Those who make use of the sixth sense, the poet, the painter,
\nthe Yogin, can
\nalso gather much that is hidden from the ordinary observer. The scientist by
\ninvestigation ascertains other facts open to a minuter observation. These are
\nthe components of the faculty of observation, and it is obvious that its basis
\nis attention, which may be only close or close and minute. We may gather much
\neven from a passing glance at an object, if we have the habit of concentrating
\nthe attention and the habit of sattwic receptivity. The first thing the teacher
\nhas to do is to accustom the pupil to concentrate attention.
\n   
\nWe may take the instance of a flower. Instead of looking casually at it and
\ngetting a casual impression of scent, form and colour, he should be encouraged
\nto know the flower<\/span> <\/font>
\n–<\/span>
\n<\/font>
\nto fix in his mind
\nthe exact shade, the peculiar glow, the precise intensity of the scent, the
\nbeauty of curve and design in the form. His touch should assure itself of the
\ntexture and its peculiarities. Next, the flower should be taken to pieces and
\nits structure examined with the same carefulness of observation. All this
\nshould be done not as a task, but as an object of interest by skilfully arranged
\nquestions suited to the learner which will draw him on to observe and
\ninvestigate one thing after the other until he has<\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage-222<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nalmost unconsciously mastered the whole.
\n    Memory and judgment are the next qualities that will be
\ncalled upon, and they should be encouraged in the same unconscious way. The
\nstudent should not be made to repeat the same lesson over again in order to
\nremember it. That is a mechanical, burdensome and unintelligent way of training the memory. A similar but
\ndifferent flower should be put in the hands and he should be encouraged to note
\nit with the same care, but with the avowed object of noting the similarities and
\ndifferences. By this practice daily repeated the memory will naturally be
\ntrained. Not only so, but the mental centres of comparison and contrast will be
\ndeveloped. The learner will begin to observe as a habit the similarities of
\nthings and their differences. The teacher should take every care to encourage
\nthe perfect growth of this faculty and habit. At the same time, the laws of
\nspecies and genus will begin to dawn on the mind and, by a skilful following and
\nleading of the young developing mind, the scientific habit, the scientific
\nattitude and the fundamental facts of scientific knowledge may in a very short
\ntime be made part of its permanent equipment. The observation and comparison
\nof flowers, leaves, plants, trees will lay the foundations of botanical know-
\nledge without loading the mind with names and that dry set acquisition of
\ninformations which is the beginning of cramming and detested by the healthy
\nhuman mind when it is fresh from nature and unspoiled by unnatural habits. In
\nthe same way by the observation of the stars, astronomy, by the observation of
\nearth, stones, etc., geology, by the observation of insects and animals,
\nentomology and zoology may be founded. A little later chemistry may be started
\nby interesting observation of experiments without any formal teaching or heaping
\non the mind of formulas and book knowledge. There is no scientific subject the
\nperfect and natural mastery of which cannot be prepared in early childhood by
\nthis training of the faculties to observe, compare, remember and judge various
\nclasses of objects. It can be done easily and attended with a supreme and
\nabsorbing interest in the mind of the student. Once the taste is created, the
\nboy can be trusted to follow it up with all the enthusiasm of youth in his
\nleisure hours. This will prevent the necessity at a later age of teaching him
\neverything in class.<\/span> \n<\/p>\n

\nPage-223<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

   
\nThe<\/span> <\/font>
\njudgment
\nwill naturally be trained along with the other faculties.
\nAt every step the boy will have to decide what is the right idea, measurement,
\nappreciation of colour, sound, scent, etc., and what is the wrong. Often the
\njudgments and distinctions made will have to be exceedingly subtle and
\ndelicate. At first many errors will be made, but the learner should be taught to
\ntrust his judgment without being attached to its results. It will be found that
\nthe judgment will soon begin to respond to the calls made on it, clear itself of
\nall errors and begin to judge correctly and minutely. The best way is to
\naccustom the boy to compare his judgments with those of others. When he is
\nwrong, it should at first be pointed out to him how far he was right and why he
\nwent wrong; afterwards he should be encouraged to note these things for himself.
\nEvery time he is right, his attention should be prominently and encouragingly
\ncalled to it so that he may get confidence.
\n    While
\nengaged in comparing and contrasting, another centre is
\ncertain to develop, the centre of analogy. The learner will inevitably draw
\nanalogies and argue from like to like. He should be encouraged to use this
\nfaculty while noticing its limitations and errors. In this way he will be
\ntrained to form the habit of correct analogy which is an indispensable aid in
\nthe acquisition of knowledge.
\n   
\nThe one faculty we have omitted, apart from the faculty of direct reasoning, is
\nImagination. This is a most important and indispensable instrument. It may be
\ndivided into three functions, the forming of mental images, the power of
\ncreating thoughts, images and imitations or new combinations of existing
\nthoughts and images, the appreciation of the soul in things, beauty, charm,
\ngreatness, hidden suggestiveness, the emotion and spiritual life that pervades
\nthe world. This is in every way as important as the training of the faculties
\nwhich observe and compare outward things. But that demands a separate and fuller
\ntreatment.
\n   
\nThe mental faculties should first be exercised on things, afterwards on words
\nand ideas. Our dealings with language are much too perfunctory and the absence
\nof a fine sense for words impoverishes the intellect and limits the fineness and
\ntruth of its operation. The mind should be accustomed first to notice the
\nword<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-224<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nthoroughly, its form, sound and sense; then to compare the form with other
\nsimilar forms in the points of similarity and difference, thus forming the
\nfoundation of the grammatical sense; then to distinguish between the fine shades
\nof sense of similar words and the formation and rhythm of different sentences,
\nthus forming the formation of the literary and the syntactical faculties. All
\nthis should be done informally, drawing on the curiosity and interest, avoiding
\nset teaching and memorising of rules. The true knowledge takes its base on
\nthings, arthas, <\/i>and only when it has mastered the thing, proceeds to
\nformalise its information.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-225<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEVEN The Training of the Mental Faculties                           THE first qualities of the mind that have to be developed are those which can be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-17-the-hour-of-god-volume-17","wpcat-9-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447","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=447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}