{"id":4538,"date":"2013-07-13T01:56:42","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4538"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:56:42","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:56:42","slug":"11-14-march-1956-vol-08-questions-and-answers-volume-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/08-questions-and-answers-volume-08\/11-14-march-1956-vol-08-questions-and-answers-volume-08","title":{"rendered":"-11_14 March 1956.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\n14 March 1956<\/font><\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe practice of this Yoga demands
\na constant inward remembrance of the one central liberating knowledge\u2026. In all
\nis the one Self, the one Divine is all; all are in the Divine, all are the
\nDivine and there is nothing else in the universe,― this thought or this
\nfaith is the whole background until it becomes the whole substance of the
\nconsciousness of the worker. A memory, a self-dynamising meditation of this
\nkind, must and does in its end turn into profound and uninterrupted vision and
\na vivid and all-embracing consciousness of that which we so powerfully remember
\nor on which we so constantly meditate.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\nThe
\nSynthesis of Yoga, p. 104<\/font><\/span><\/i><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Sweet Mother, what
\ndoes Sri Aurobindo mean by \u201ca self-dynamising meditation\u201d? <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is a meditation that has the
\npower of transforming your being. It is a meditation which makes you progress,
\nas opposed to static meditation which is immobile and relatively inert, and
\nwhich changes nothing in your consciousness or in your way of being. A dynamic
\nmeditation is a meditation of transformation<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally,
\npeople don\u2019t have a dynamic meditation. When they enter into meditation or at
\nleast what they call meditation ― they enter into a kind of immobility
\nwhere nothing stirs, and they come out of it exactly as they went in, without
\nany change either in their being or in their consciousness. And the more
\nmotionless it is, the happier they are. They could meditate in this way for
\neternities, it would never change anything either in the universe or in
\nthemselves. That is why Sri Aurobindo speaks of a dynamic meditation which is
\nexactly the very opposite. It is a transforming meditation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nPage – 88<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n

 How is it done? Is it done in a different
\nway? <\/b><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I think it is the aspiration that should be different, the
\nattitude should be different. \u201cDifferent way\u201d \u2014 \u201cwhat do you mean by \u201cway\u201d \u2014
\n(laughing} the way of sitting?… Not that? The inner way? <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nYes.
\n<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But for each one it is different. <\/span><\/p>\n

I think the most important thing is
\nto know why one meditates; this is what gives the quality of the meditation and
\nmakes it of one order or another. <\/span><\/p>\n

You may meditate to open yourself
\nto the divine Force, you may meditate to reject the ordinary consciousness, you
\nmay meditate to enter the depths of your being, you may meditate to learn how to
\ngive yourself integrally; you may meditate for all kinds of things. You may
\nmeditate to enter into peace and calm and silence ― this is what people
\ngenerally do, but without much success. But you may also meditate to receive
\nthe Force of transformation, to discover the points to be transformed, to trace
\nout the line of progress. And then you may also meditate for very practical
\nreasons: when you have a difficulty to clear up, a solution to find, when you
\nwant help in some action or other. You may meditate for that too. <\/span><\/p>\n

I think everyone has his own mode
\nof meditation. But if one wants the meditation to be dynamic, one must have an
\naspiration for progress and the meditation must be done to help and fulfil this
\naspiration for progress. Then it becomes dynamic.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet
\nMother, here Sri Aurobindo writes: \u201cNo matter what the gift and to whom it is
\npresented by us\u2026\u201d and then \u201cthere must be a consciousness in the act that we
\nare presenting it to the one divine Being.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\nIbid., P 103<\/font><\/span><\/b><\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nPage – 89<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n

These two
\nphrases are contradictory, aren\u2019t they?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

No, my child. That\u2019s because you
\ndon\u2019t understand the turn of the sentence. This means: the nature of the gift
\nwe make and to whom we give it is of little importance, provided that it is
\nmade as an act of consecration to the Divine.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is what I always tell people in other words: whatever work
\nyou do <\/span>―<\/span>
\nwhether you go to an office, keep accounts, drive a car, anything whatever the
\nwork you do, and naturally whomever you do it for, it must be an offering to
\nthe Divine. While doing it, you should keep the remembrance of the Divine and
\ndo it as an expression of your consecration to the Divine. This is what Sri
\nAurobindo says, nothing else.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nSweet Mother, I have a question to ask you but it is not my own it
\nis someone else\u2019s<\/span><\/i><\/span>. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ah! let us see. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why? That person isn\u2019t here?… He
\nis afraid to speak! All right, ask your question.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\nIt is often said, or predicted, that the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
\n(23 April 56) will have a special significance for the Ashram. Is this true? <\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can reply with a joke, if you
\nlike. There\u2019s talk now about changing the calendar; if it is changed, the
\nnumbers will be changed, and then the whole of History will have gone, flown
\naway!<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a convention, you see. <\/span><\/p>\n

Obviously, if the convention is generalised, as is the case with
\nthe calendar, it can become a very powerful formation. But it must be very
\nwidely adopted to become a powerful formation. What I call \u201cformations\u201d are
\nimages which can be animated by a force and taken as symbols. Some people
\ncreate images for<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nPage – 90<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n

themselves and use them as their
\nown symbols; and for them they may be very useful and valid, as, for instance,
\nthe symbols of dreams. But these are valid only for them, they are purely
\nsubjective. While, if you take the calendar which has been adopted by almost
\nall human beings, your symbol can act on a much wider field; but the origin is
\nthe same, it is a convention. Naturally, these are things we are used to, for
\nthey were like that when we were small children; but it depends on the country
\nof one\u2019s birth and the community in which one is born.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are communities which count
\ndifferently. And so, for them, other numbers at other times have a symbolic
\nsignificance. Only, if our formation <\/span>―<\/span> the one in which you are born, which you have adopted <\/span>―<\/span> if this formation is adopted by
\nthe vast majority of men, you will be able to act on this majority by acting
\nthrough this formation. You can act through a formation only to the extent to
\nwhich it is adopted by a certain number of people. It is purely conventional.
\nWe began counting from a certain date <\/span>―<\/span> which, besides, was chosen quite arbitrarily <\/span>―<\/span> and so the numbers came to be what
\nthey are today. But, for instance, one has only to visit a Muslim community,
\nwhere they started counting from <\/span>―<\/span> I don\u2019t know whether it is the birth or the death of Mohammed \u2013
\nand their numbers are quite different. So, if you go and tell them: \u201c2, 3, 4,
\n5, 6\u201d, they will say, \u201cWhat does your number mean, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6? Nothing at
\nall.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

These things can be taken usefully
\nas symbols and as a means of bringing a more subtle world in contact with a
\nmore material world. They may be used in this way, that\u2019s all.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if, instead of the millions of
\npeople who use the present calendar, there were only three or four, it would be
\npointless to say that these numbers are symbolic. They would be symbolic only
\nfor these three or four people. Therefore, it is not the thing in itself which
\ncounts, it is the extent of its usage. That\u2019s what\u2019s important.<\/span><\/p>\n

People make the same mistake with the stars and horoscopes. It is
\nquite simply a language and a convention, and if<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nPage – 91<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n

this convention is adopted, it may
\nbe utilised to do a certain work. But it has only a relative value in
\nproportion to the number of people who have adopted it. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this relative world, everything
\nis necessarily relative. So things should not be taken literally, for that
\nmakes your mind small and narrow. <\/span><\/p>\n

The more primitive people are, the
\nmore simple-minded they are, and these things take on a more superstitious
\nturn. Superstitions are simply a wrong generalisation of a particular fact. <\/span><\/p>\n

I always give the example of a
\nperson sing under a ladder. At the top of the ladder a man is working and, by
\nan unlucky coincidence, he drops his tool on the head of the passer-by and
\nbreaks his head <\/span>―<\/span>
\nthat can happen, it is a fact, and the man\u2019s head is shattered. But someone,
\nwho sees this accident, later makes a general rule and says, \u201cTo walk under a
\nladder is a bad omen\u201d <\/span>―<\/span>
\nthat is a superstition. And that\u2019s how it happens with everything. <\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover,
\nmany facts of knowledge have exactly the same origin. For instance, if a
\ncertain medicine, through a concurrence of favourable circumstances, has cured
\na number of people, immediately it is proclaimed that this medicine is
\nall-powerful against this disease. But it is not true. And the proof is that if
\nthe same medicine is administered in the same way to a hundred people, there
\nwon\u2019t be two similar results, and sometimes the effects will be diametrically
\nopposite. Therefore, it is not the property of the medicine itself which cures;
\nto believe in this medicine is a superstition.<\/span><\/p>\n

And
\nin fact, there is a very slight difference between science and superstition.
\nPerhaps it lies only in the care taken in expressing things. If one is careful
\nas scientists are, to say, \u201cIt seems this may be like that\u2026one would think
\nthat\u2026everything combines to make us think\u2026\u201d then there\u2019s no longer any
\nsuperstition! But otherwise when one says, \u201cIt is like that\u201d, this is
\nnecessarily a superstition. Voil\u00e0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, to the person who asked you the question you will reply<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage – 92<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n

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

like this: \u201cIf with 3, 4, 5, 6, or with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, something
\nexceptional happens to you and you have an inner or outer revelation, you may
\nproclaim that it is an exceptional date. But if nothing happens to you, it will
\nnot be an exceptional date for you at all; it will be a date like all the
\nothers!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Silence)<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There
\nwas a very old tradition, very, very old, even older than the Vedic tradition
\nhere, which said, \u201cIf twelve men of goodwill unite and call the Divine, the
\nDivine is obliged to come.\u201d Well, perhaps this is a truth, perhaps a
\nsuperstition. Perhaps it depends on the twelve men of goodwill and what they
\nare. Perhaps it depends on other things also. If you ask me, I think that it
\nprobably happened like this, that in the beginning twelve men gathered together\u00ad
\n\u2013 there happened to be twelve, perhaps they didn\u2019t even know why \u2013 and they
\nwere so united in their aspiration, an aspiration so intense and powerful, that
\nthey received the response. But to say, \u201cIf twelve men of goodwill unite in an
\naspiration, they are sure to make the Divine descend\u201d is a superstition. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, things must have happened
\nlike that, and the person who noted it put it down carefully: \u201cIf twelve men of
\ngoodwill unite their aspiration, the Divine is obliged to come.\u201d And since
\nthen, I can tell you that a considerable number of groups of twelve men have united
\nin a common aspiration and they did not bring down the Divine! But all the same
\nthe tradition has been left intact. <\/span><\/p>\n

There we are. <\/span><\/p>\n

We are many more than twelve this
\nevening. (Laughter) Shall we try it once and see if we succeed! <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(Meditation)<\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 93<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

14 March 1956    \u201cThe practice of this Yoga demands a constant inward remembrance of the one central liberating knowledge\u2026. In all is the one…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-08-questions-and-answers-volume-08","wpcat-127-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4538","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=4538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4538\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}