{"id":468,"date":"2013-07-13T01:28:11","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=468"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:28:11","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:28:11","slug":"32-the-powers-of-the-mind-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\/32-the-powers-of-the-mind-vol-17-the-hour-of-god-volume-17","title":{"rendered":"-32_The Powers of the Mind.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

\nTWO<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nThe Powers
\nof the Mind <\/font><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n                
\n<\/span><\/b>
\nT<\/b>HE
\ninstrument of the educationist is the mind or antahkarana, <\/i>which
\nconsists of four layers. The reservoir of past mental impressions, the citta <\/i>
\nor storehouse of memory, which must be distinguished from the specific act of
\nmemory, is the foundation on which all the other layers stand. All experience
\nlies within us as passive or potential memory; active memory selects and takes
\nwhat it requires from that storehouse. But the active memory is like a man
\nsearching among a great mass of locked-up material; sometimes he cannot find
\nwhat he wants; often in his rapid search he stumbles across many things for
\nwhich he has no immediate need; often too he blunders and thinks he has found
\nthe real thing when it is something else, irrelevant if not valueless, on
\nwhich he has laid his hand. The passive memory or citta <\/i>needs no
\ntraining, it is automatic and naturally sufficient to its task; there is not the
\nslightest object of knowledge coming within its field which is not secured,
\nplaced and faultlessly preserved in that admirable receptacle. It is the
\nactive memory, a higher but less perfectly developed function, which is in need
\nof improvement.
\n   
\nThe second layer is the mind proper or manas, <\/i>the sixth sense of our
\nIndian psychology, in which all the others are gathered up. The function of the
\nmind is to receive the images of things translated into sight, sound, smell,
\ntaste and touch, the five senses and translate these again into
\nthought-sensations. It receives also images of its own direct grasping and
\nforms them into mental impressions. These sensations and impressions are the
\nmaterial of thought, not thought itself; but it is exceedingly important that
\nthought should work on sufficient and perfect material. It is, therefore, the
\nfirst business of the educationist to develop in the child the right use of the
\nsix senses; to see that they are not stunted or injured by disuse, but trained
\nby the<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-206<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nchild himself under the teacher’s direction to that perfect accuracy and keen
\nsubtle sensitiveness of which they are capable. In addition, whatever assistance
\ncan be gained by the organs of action, should be thoroughly employed. The hand,
\nfor instance, should be trained to reproduce what the eye sees and the mind
\nsenses. The speech should be trained to a perfect expression of the knowledge
\nwhich the whole antahkarana <\/i>possesses.
\n   
\nThe third layer is the intellect or buddhi, <\/i>which is the real instrument
\nof thought and that which orders and disposes of the knowledge acquired by the
\nother parts of the machine. For the purpose of the educationist this is
\ninfinitely the most important of the three I have named. The intellect is an
\norgan composed of several groups of functions, divisible into two important
\nclasses, the functions and faculties of the right-hand, the functions and
\nfaculties of the left-hand. The faculties of the right-hand are comprehensive,
\ncreative and synthetic; the faculties of the left-hand critical and analytic.
\nTo the right-hand belong judgment, imagination, memory, observation; to the
\nleft-hand comparison and reasoning. The critical faculties distinguish,
\ncompare, classify, generalise, deduce, huer, conclude; they are the component
\nparts of the logical reason. The right- hand faculties comprehend, command,
\njudge in their own right, grasp, hold and manipulate. The right-hand mind is the
\nmaster of the knowledge, the left-hand its servant. The left-hand touches only
\nthe body of knowledge, the right-hand penetrates its soul. The left-hand limits
\nitself to ascertained truth, the right-hand grasps that which is still elusive
\nor unascertained. Both are essential to the completeness of the human reason.
\nThese important functions of the machine have all to be raised to their highest
\nand finest working-power, if the education of the child is not to be imperfect
\nand one-sided.
\n   
\nThere is a fourth layer of faculty which, not as yet entirely developed in man,
\nis attaining gradually to a wider development and more perfect evolution. The
\npowers peculiar to this highest stratum of knowledge are chiefly known to us
\nfrom the pheno<\/span>mena
\nof genius,<\/span> <\/font>
\n–<\/span>
\n<\/font>
\nsovereign
\ndiscernment, intuitive perception <\/span>
\nof
\ntruth, plenary inspiration of speech, direct vision of knowledge to an extent
\noften amounting to revelation, making a man a pro<\/span>phet<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-207<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\nof truth. These powers are rare
\nin their higher development, though many possess them imperfectly or by flashes.
\nThey are still greatly distrusted by the critical reason of mankind because of
\nthe admixture of error, caprice and a biased imagination which obstructs and
\ndistorts their perfect workings. Yet it is clear that humanity could not have
\nadvanced to its present stage if it had not been for the help of these
\nfaculties, and it is a question with which educationists have not yet grappled,
\nwhat is to be done with this mighty and baffling element, the element of genius
\nin the pupil. The mere instructor does his best to discourage and stifle genius,
\nthe more liberal teacher welcomes it. Faculties so important to humanity cannot
\nbe left out of our consideration.
\nIt is foolish to neglect them. Their imperfect development must be perfected,
\nthe admixture of error, caprice and biased fancifulness must be carefully and
\nwisely removed. But the teacher cannot do it; he would eradicate the good com as
\nwell as the tares if he interfered. Here, as in all educational operations, he
\ncan only put the growing soul into the way of its own perfection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-208<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TWO The Powers of the Mind                     THE instrument of the educationist is the mind or antahkarana, which consists of four layers. The reservoir…<\/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-468","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\/468","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=468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}