Integral Yoga
THEME/S
The perfection
of the work done
is much more
important
than its bulk
or the bigness
of its scope.
The Mother
Perfection, not bulk or scope
The perfection of the work done is much more important than its bulk or the bigness of its scope.
Doing perfectly what one does
When one works for the Divine, it is much better to do perfectly what one does than to aim at a very big work.
Helping humanity
You may open millions of hospitals, that will not prevent people getting ill. On the contrary, they will have every facility and encouragement to fall ill. We are steeped in ideas of this kind. This puts your conscience at rest: "I have come to the world, I must help others." One tells oneself: "How disinterested I am! I am going to help humanity." All this is nothing but egoism.
Subtle ego
The idea of helping others is a subtle form of the ego. It is only the Divine Force that can help. One can be its instrument, but you should first learn to be a fit and egoless instrument.
Sri Aurobindo
Page 75
A delusion
The idea of helping others is a delusion of the ego. It is only when the Mother commissions and gives her force that one can help and even then only within limits.
Disadvantage of helping others
Of course it is the disadvantage of helping others that one comes into contact with their consciousness and their difficulties and also gets more externalised.
Nobody can really help
Do not be caught by the desire to "help" others - do and speak yourself the right thing from the inner poise and leave the help to come to them from the Divine. Nobody can really help - only the Divine Grace.
The prison
Altruism, duty, family, country, humanity are the prisons of the soul when they are not its instruments.
Charity
Fling not thy alms abroad everywhere in an ostentation of charity; understand and love where thou helpest. Let thy soul grow within thee.
Page 76
Help the poor while the poor are with thee; but study also and strive that there may be no poor for thy assistance.
Liberty and licence
I would like someone to tell me what he understands by "be absolutely free", for it is a very important question. I shall tell you why.
Most people confuse liberty with licence. For the ordinary mind, to be free is to have the chance of committing every stupidity that one likes, without anybody intervening. I say one must be "absolutely free", but it is a very dangerous advice unless one understands the meaning of the words. Free from what? - free from attachments, evidently.
Propaganda
Mother does not set much value on propaganda, but still work of that kind can be her work. Only it has to come from her impulsion, be done with quietude, with measure, in the way she wants it to be done. It is from the inner being that it should be done in union with the Mother's will, not from the Vital mind's eager impulse. To concentrate most on one's own spiritual growth and experience is the first necessity of the Sadhak - to be eager to help others draws away from the inner work. To grow in the spirit is the greatest help one can give to others, for then something flows out naturally to those around that helps them.
Page 77
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