The Mother's answers to questions on books by Sri Aurobindo: 'The Synthesis of Yoga' (Part I) and 'Thoughts and Glimpses' (first part).
Ce volume comporte les réponses de la Mère aux questions des enfants de l’Ashram et des disciples, et ses commentaires sur deux œuvres de Sri Aurobindo : La Synthèse des Yogas et Aperçus et Pensées.
This volume is made up of conversations of the Mother in 1956 with the members of her French class, held on Wednesday evenings at the Ashram Playground. The class was composed of sadhaks of the Ashram and students of the Ashram’s school. The Mother usually began by reading out a passage from a French translation of one of Sri Aurobindo’s writings; she then commented on it or invited questions. During this year she discussed portions of two works of Sri Aurobindo: 'The Synthesis of Yoga' (Part One) and 'Thoughts and Glimpses' (first part). She spoke only in French.
Sweet Mother, where does our true spiritual life begin?
The true spiritual life begins when one is in communion with the Divine in the psychic, when one is conscious of the divine Presence in the psychic and in constant communion with the psychic. Then the spiritual life begins, not before. The true spiritual life.
When one is united with one's psychic being and conscious of the divine Presence, and receives the impulses for one's action from this divine Presence, and when the will has become a conscious collaborator with the divine Will―that is the starting-point.
Before that, one may be an aspirant to the spiritual life, but one doesn't have a spiritual life.
Sweet Mother, I would like to have the explanation of a sentence. Sri Aurobindo has said somewhere, "Materially you are nothing, spiritually you are everything."
That means that it is the Spirit, the spiritual consciousness and the divine Presence which give to life all its value, that without this spiritual consciousness and divine Presence life has no value.
The same holds true for the individual, whatever his material capacities and the material conditions in which he lives, his only worth is that of the divine Presence and the spiritual consciousness in him.
And so from the point of view of the truth of things, a man who has no material possessions and no remarkable capacities or possibilities, but who is conscious of his psychic being and united with the Divine in him, is infinitely greater than a ruler upon earth or a millionaire who possesses considerable material power but is unconscious of his psychic being.
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From the point of view of the truth, it is like that. This is what Sri Aurobindo means: no apparent and outer things have any true value. The only thing which is valuable is the divine consciousness and union with the Spirit.
Mother, according to what you said last time, there is still the question of those who are not consciously open to the new Force. Then how will they be influenced? Will it be by the spiritual force but not by the supramental?
What, what, what?
What difference do you make between the spiritual force and the supramental?
No. But you said that those who have done nothing or have not given themselves, how can they hope to be influenced or to profit by this Force? Those who are here but are not consciously open, will they be influenced also?
Influenced, yes.
They will also be helped?
But if they don't care to be helped! You want to help them despite themselves?
If one aspires, wants the help, even if the opening is very small, still there is necessarily some opening. But if one doesn't want to be helped... Or rather, I could say there are people who are sure they don't need to be helped, they feel that they can help themselves quite well, that they need no help, that it is they who do the work, they who make the progress, they who do everything. So they don't want help, they feel no need for it. Why do you want them to be helped when they don't care for it?
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But you said that even the blind will be obliged to realise it.
I said that it will be visible even to those who are ill-willed—is that what you mean? But that's quite different. When you receive a punch on the nose, you have to recognise something even though it hasn't helped you!
No. When one recognises this Force...
Yes.
One is bound to be open...
So even one who didn't want to be helped so far, will want it.
Recognise this Force?―Oh! when he has received the punch! (Laughter)
Perhaps. It may happen. Anything can happen.
So, even one who is now unconscious will open under the blow.
And then? What is your conclusion? What do you expect to happen?
That is to say, he will see that it is a miracle.
That he's been punched? (Laughter)
He won't call that a miracle, he will call it a bad deed. He will say, "That's bad luck, it's my unfortunate fate, it is an injustice", he will say anything at all, as people are in the habit of saying.
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But what I have not yet caught is the point of your question. What are you driving at? You mean the whole world whether it wants it or not, whether it aspires or not, whether it recognises it or not, will sooner or later come under the influence of the supramental presence on earth―is that what you mean?
No.
Ah! what a pity, for that had some meaning. (Laughter) And I would have answered, "Yes"―and then it would have been over!
No. Those who are half open...
They will receive half more than those who are not open at all! (Laughter)
This manifestation will make them aspire more?
Ah! that I don't know. It must depend on the case. For each one it will be different.
Is it for yourself you are pleading?
Oh! Oh! You want to know what will happen to you?
Set your mind at rest, it will be quite all right. I could almost say as for the banner of Joan of Arc: "You have shared in the labour, you will share in the Glory." There then, are you satisfied?
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