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The experience and descent of a higher consciousness is not a matter of philosophical argument but one of psycho-physical effects seen and noted by the individual, as well as palpable impacts in the basis of knowledge, action and implementation in the outer world. The seeker actually can feel ... Views: 549
The standpoint of the witness consciousness, separated from the external being, is not something that is acquired through thinking or the exercise of will-power based in the mind. Many people have developed approaches or systems to not react to outer circumstances, such as stoicism, various ... Views: 144
Humanity has developed a method for exploration of the world around us, and in recent times, the exploration has expanded to include exploration under the vast oceans, exploration of the solar system and further reaches of outer space. Attention has now turned to the internal foundations of life ... Views: 371
In his epic poem Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo explores the vast field of human consciousness and development. Along the way he provides numerous references to hidden, latent powers within each of us, psychic powers, powers of mind, vital powers and powers of the physical being, ... Views: 289
Most people identify closely with their active external personality, and as a result, they consider that to be the extent of their existence. They leave on the surface, interact with others, family, friends, acquaintances, associates and other members of society, and respond to the outer ... Views: 488
The promptings of the soul work through the instrumentality of the external being, the mind, the life-force and the physical body. Thus, they are restricted by the limitations of the work of those external parts, as well as subject to being modified, hijacked or manipulated based on the external ... Views: 17
There are several different orders of activity that take place during sleep. Confusion about these separate things leads to mistaken attempts to simply limit sleep in order to ‘become conscious during sleep’. First, there is the activity that takes place with the external, surface being ... Views: 570
For most people, the external personality and being, the body and its needs and habits, the life-force and its desires and the mind and its particular predilections, represent “who they are”. Rarely, an individual reflects deeply on the question of ‘who am I’ and begins to understand that there ... Views: 518
When we travel on a major highway, we do not doubt or question that the destination at the end of that road is where we will eventually end up. We may need to face various difficulties along the way. There may be stops for food or fuel, there may be automobile breakdowns and needed repairs, ... Views: 176
It is much easier to see and criticise others for their ideas, behaviour or habits, than to see in oneself potentially those same issues. Jesus raised this issue in his Sermon on the Mount: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in ... Views: 481
Historically, much of the spiritual focus has been directed towards seeing through the illusory nature of the external reality and shifting the awareness to a pure spiritual consciousness that is not involved in that external reality. Regardless of terminology used, whether it is maya or samsara ... Views: 110
“Seek thou to know that from which these creatures are born, whereby being born they live and to which they go hence and enter again; for that is the Eternal.” Thus goes the teaching of Varuna to his son Bhrigu in the Taittiriya Upanishad (translation by Sri Aurobindo in The Upanishads, pg. ... Views: 458
One can clearly appreciate the unique nature of the integral yoga when one reflects on the preparation needed for the practice when compared to the preparations required for numerous other paths of yoga. The 8 steps set forth in Patanjali’s yoga sutras include two preparatory stages, called ... Views: 546
Those who have an aspiration for spiritual growth, for the change of human nature within themselves, eventually find that they cannot live haphazardly, at the mercy of whatever forces, impulses, ideas or thoughts happen to be moving within them at any point in time, regardless of the source or ... Views: 508
The mind, vital, and physical body tend to pull one in different directions, based on their differing needs, wants or desires, and propensities. This creates a tension in the being when the pulls from these aspects come into conflict with one another. For instance, someone has the desire to ... Views: 364
The Rig Veda has a large number of hymns to Agni, the mystic fire. Sri Aurobindo translated and commented on the hymns to Agni in his book, Hymns to the Mystic Fire. The importance of the mystic fire, which we may call the flame of aspiration for the spiritual seeker is evidenced by both the ... Views: 98
Every path of Yoga has its own methodologies and expected results, just as every discipline or focus in the external activities have their own methodologies and expected results. An individual can train for sports, for proficiency in a particular science, or even for learning skills in social ... Views: 102
From childhood we are acculturated with the idea of family and family life as a primary function and goal of our existence. This becomes a habit in our vital being and in our minds. At some point, through some seminal experience or through a growing inner conviction, certain individuals become ... Views: 537
We can observe that there are times when the vital nature is energetic, enthused, active, and makes efforts. There are other times when it is dull, withdrawn, sullen, lacking energy and clearly is not taking interest in doing anything. The difference between these two states generally lies in ... Views: 389
For the physical consciousness, repetition and the building of habit is the centerpiece of harnessing physical, material nature. The “laws of physics” are essentially habits at the level of Matter that function to create an order and system in Nature that maintains the cohesion and operation of ... Views: 551
We tend to attract those energies, beings and forces to us that respond to the vibratory pattern of our thoughts, emotions, feelings, desires and physical state. Keeping this in mind, we can review our relationship to places of worship, whether a temple, mosque, church or other. Some ... Views: 367
In Paradise Lost, John Milton describes at great length the intentions and motivations of the fallen angels as described by the Christian tradition, and their attempt and need to influence and control the human world and thereby to defeat God’s intention and plan for humanity. This story is in ... Views: 324
The Forgotten Art of Foot Washing
www.kiwani.net
Master Libre has baptized this alchemical method “the noble and forgotten art of washing the feet” and defines it in his books as “a magic-stick for personal transformation.”
The forgotten art of washing feet reaches far back into ancient & ... Views: 2121
A yogic practice focus on transformation of human nature must necessarily address issues differently than one that has ‘liberation’ as its sole goal. This brings in the need for an understanding of the human instrument, the various elements of the being, the development of those elements through ... Views: 450
In a chapter titled ‘Knowledge by Identity and Separative Knowledge’ in The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo describes true knowledge as coming through identity, where the knower and the object of knowledge are one and unified. This occurs through the direct relation of the soul with the Divine in a ... Views: 352
Many people formulate their prayers in the form of thoughts, and they are repeated according to a strict formula and ritual. In that case, if the mind is actively engaged in the prayer, it carries the power of the mental focus to tune the being to the frequency of the being who is the object of ... Views: 257
For those who focus on liberation from the worldly life, it is not much of a consideration to understand the exact details of the vital nature. If they can find a way to eliminate or reduce its action overall, so that they can concentrate on the process of liberation, that is considered ... Views: 667
A major concern for those who are desirous of shifting from the mental to the intuitional consciousness definitely lies in the transition, how that is going to work, what the role of the mind, if any, is in this transition and how the consciousness will function as it shifts to reliance on the ... Views: 257
The ego-consciousness lives within the illusion of having free will and making its own independent decisions. A closer examination shows us that the individual is not an ‘island’ unto himself; rather, he is a result of innumerable factors from genetics, to pre-natal influences, to interactions ... Views: 265
Every thought, every idea, every imagination, every focus, represents electrical impulses that are formed and projected into the general mental atmosphere, whether expressed verbally or in writing, or simply formulated in one’s mind. Each such formation is either weaker or stronger depending on ... Views: 291
There was a point when I noticed that everyone in my life seemed to talk a lot while I listened.
I wasn’t a talker.
I was pretty young; maybe my early 20s and I didn’t know things other people knew…like women talk more than men in general. Men think differently about sex than women. ... Views: 1162
We find in the ancient Indian epic, Ramayana, an interesting sub-plot which changes the very complexion of what appears to be a battle between ‘good’ personified by Rama and his family, and ‘evil’ as personified by Ravana and his kin. As we delve deeper into the tale, we find that Ravana was ... Views: 502
When an individual is called to the yoga of transformation, he comes with all of his strengths, weaknesses, developed and latent capacities, and habitual ways of dealing with things, as well as his familial, social, economic and educational background. These frame the starting point for the ... Views: 439
Modern day civilization emphasizes some kind of external 'result' that can be measured. Most frequently this is tied to a monetary value, but the world also appreciates and honors, in some cases, those who do humanitarian work, those who lead countries or fight wars, those who create new ... Views: 155
We observe some individuals who have an obvious connection to the life-energy and who have a sensitivity and responsiveness to life that allows them to experience the fullness of life. We also observe individuals who appear more restrained, self-contained, and less subject to the life around ... Views: 600
‘Where there is data, there is an undeniable call for analytics.’ Analytics is a highly influential and rapidly emerging avenue that a dynamic range of industries in the twenty-first century are making the most of. They are utilizing their collected data to drive in huge successes ... Views: 797
Most people are not directly aware of their soul, although it is frequently talked about. There seems to be much confusion. Western scientists have tried to determine the existence of the soul like they would measure particular chemical elements within the body. They weigh the body immediately ... Views: 407
We experience a growth of consciousness during the maturation process starting with birth and continuing as the infant becomes a school-age child, then grows into teenage years and passes through puberty and the hormonal changes that come with that period, then into young adulthood and ... Views: 436
We become so used to all of the dark tendencies, hurtful energies and bad faith displayed throughout the world that we sometimes believe that this is the unchanging way that life is meant to be. What we often do not see is the secret evolutionary development of the soul, through time and ... Views: 410
It is the normal process of Nature that each being, each individual experiences life, interacts with his environment and with other individuals and forms thereby his physical being, his vital being and his mental being through these interactions. What is not easily recognised, due to the unseen ... Views: 427
The action of the three gunas, qualities of nature, is often overlooked in our understanding of how things take place in the world, including in our spiritual growth; yet, these qualities permeate all activity and an appreciation of them helps the witness consciousness observing the actions of ... Views: 588
What we frequently fail to recognise is that much of the vital interaction and mental self-justification that supports it takes place more or less without active intervention or reflection by the mind. A vital desire or concern is prodded and the mind instantly jumps to self-justification ... Views: 379
Moving to a new location is not a rare incident in modern people’s lives because of various reasons. Change of employment, changes in lifestyles, kids’ educational purposes and various other reasons push people to change their dwellings time to time. If not the help of a home removalist in ... Views: 1294
We identify ourselves with the constructed ego-personality that we have assumed. We have certain ideas, feelings, relationships, preferences, desires, ambitions, fears and motivations of various sorts. We treat this ego-personality as a unified whole and do not usually investigate the varying ... Views: 9
Isaac Newton identified various forces that operate in the physical external world around us. His work was followed up by numerous others and codified into laws of physical substance. The force of gravity is one such force that impacts the movement and attraction of physical objects. Other ... Views: 331
We tend to live our lives in the belief that we are separate and isolated from one another. We struggle to survive and thrive in a world where every other being is competing with us for their own survival and self-aggrandisement. In such a world, we suffer from self-doubt, anxiety, fear, and ... Views: 300
Evolution of forms is the machinery for the manifestation of the universe. Evolution of consciousness provides the significance and inner direction. Similarly, we can look at the lower Nature, apra prakriti, as the mechanism and para prakriti, the higher Nature as the cause and conscious creator ... Views: 35
The Bhagavad Gita describes the lower nature and the higher nature. The lower nature is the external manifestation of forms, matter, life-energy, mind, that together constitute the creation and all the multiplicity of formations that together represent the external world. This can be seen as a ... Views: 37
There have been many tyrannical rulers throughout history. Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, had killed many people during the Great Terror, coolly dispatching with his political opponents and other Russians, and also as a consequence of his economic policies, caused the famine in the ... Views: 1389
Ujjain is all set to host Kumbh festival again. Ujjain becomes the favorite destination of devotees and saints at the time of Khumb. Thousands of devotees come here to take bath in the auspicious Kshipra River. It is believed that it is one of the river in which drop of mortality were fallen at ... Views: 870