Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy And Yoga - Some Aspects

Human Beliefs And Means Of Synthesis

Religion is not spirituality or spiritual realisation. It is a mental approach to spiritual life based upon moral and ethical and even certain aesthetic principles evolved by the human mind. It consists mostly of cre dal theology, dogma and rites and rituals of various kinds. A mental belief or conviction lies at the base of religions. All the divergences of religious belief and practice rise from this mental attitude of their respective seekers. That is why there is so much fanaticism, bigotry and war in religions. Therefore there is so much intolerance, hatred and opposition between the followers of different religions. This cannot be avoided till the ignorant mental foundation and belief in religious theology and dogma and superstition are not eliminated from the consciousness of humanity in the light of a rational religion—that is to say, a religion guided not by sentiments and emotions but by reason. Even if such a rational religion comes into existence, it will not be able to avert certain clashes and conflicts because of self-interest based on a wrong conception of self. The only way to eliminate religious clashes and conflicts is to rise above all these pettiness and trivialities which do not form the kernel of religion which is to seek the truth or god of one's conception which can be arrived at only by a spiritual seeking and experience. That is why the present intellectual trend is to seek the spiritual truth behind the phenomena and make that the basis of our life and all its activities.

It will be right to say, that even the most tolerant Hindu religion which had absorbed so many sects and

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creeds and made them part of its universalism failed to absorb Muslims and Christians which propagated their religions either by coercion or by altruistic and philanthropic works. The fact was that ever since Buddha and Shankara appeared on the Indian scene and made Nirvana or Moksha their principal appeal to the people, the life element and the material life were relegated to the background and we fell an easy prey to the more dynamic invaders from the west. Now the balance has to be righted in the light of the new spiritual ideals recovered from our past' and that is how the spiritual idea propagated by Vivekananda had such a worldwide appeal. But because it stressed more of an individual than collective spiritual ideal through social and humanitarian services, it failed to bring about a change of our social economic and political life. Sri Aurobindo saw that nothing good for collective life emerged out of the neo-spiritual ideals of Ramkrishria and Vivekananda and that' there was a downward trend of consciousness in the masses which cared more for material prosperity for themselves than a spiritual goal which would lift them out of all sorrows and sufferings of this transitory life on earth. He therefore delved deep into the spiritual traditions of the past based on the Vedas and Upanishads and found that there was only one way out of the age-long impasse between the material life of the 'Vest and spiritual life of the East and that is to establish a new way of life, a new principle of consciousness .higher than the mental principle which has been operative on earth from millions and millions of years without being able to effect the least change of life for the better. The egoistic way of life became crueler and cruder and worse and worse both individual

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ly and collectively. This is what brought in so much clash and conflicts between individuals and individuals and between nations and nations ending in two global wars without being able to remedy in the least the sordid human affairs. He at last found a clue to the change of entire terrestrial life in the principle of "Supermind" or the Supreme truth-consciousness which is leaning down on earth for co-operation for its descent from the supramental world. This is what he and the Mother have brought down to earth which will ultimately change the whole tenor of terrestrial life. The supermen will be men who are identified with the Divine always in their consciousness but they will maintain the earth-play in diversified unity. Each will find himself in all and all will be reflected fully in each. The ever-changing and ever-changeless infinite will no longer be regarded as two opposite poles of existence, one negating the other. Earth will be a scene of peace, bliss, unity and harmony and established in the full glory of the Sat-Chit-Ananda.

This may and must take time. But we must be prepared to give it a fair chance by our individual and collective collaboration for the common goal. If another 2 to 3 hundred years lapse before the manifestation of this gnostic or supramental consciousness, we have nothing to worry. Mind and mental principle have operated for millions of years without being able to check the downward trend of human consciousness. But the supreme truth consciousness will be able to achieve it in course of a few hundred years which is nothing compared to the age of earth-history. In the meantime, we must also evolve and progress in consciousness from birth to birth which we must have

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already done in our existence from life to life in the past.

So we should dedicate our life and consciousness to the Divine. This dedication will bring us peace, happiness and prosperity even in this life of sorrow and suffering, joy and grief, health and sickness, poverty and wealth, and all the other dualities resulting from the Egoistic consciousness in which we live at present and which is the one cause of all our miseries and sufferings of life. The Ego is not only ignorant but very arrogant also.

In the Supramental life there will be no need for religion because the goal of all religions which is to find God or Truth, will have been already attained by individual and collective humanity, who will always live in the Supreme Truth Consciousness.

If religions still remain they will do so as lower manifestations of Spiritual Truth as the hglrarchy of life from the physical to the mental will also remain as part of the Supramental Creation.

Only his law they count and him obey; They hold no traffic with error and its reign; They are guardians of the silence of the Truth, They are keepers of the immutable decree. A deep surrender is their source of might, A still identity their way to know. Motionless is their action like a sleep.

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