Guidance from Sri Aurobindo - Volume 2

PEACE AND SILENCE

      Could the lower forces be easily managed by living in the silence?

      If the silence has strength in it — is not too neutral.

      Does the presence of silence always include peace?

      When the silence is there, there ought to be peace — if not anything deeper at least a mental peace in the inner being.

      Could one stabilise the silence from the beginning?

It can be done sometimes — though entire stability is not usual in the beginning.

      Does the silence need any supporting in order to sustain it for long?

      What do you mean by supporting? Usually the silence when it is there is sufficient to itself— it needs no support.

      Is it impossible to make my passive peace dynamic?

It is not impossible if you insist on the Force and Strength coming down into the peace.

      The peace and silence is there all the time during meditation. But what is its value unless it becomes dynamic?

      It has a great value — because if there is not that peace and silence the true strength cannot come down in such a way as to settle.

      You have spoken of a strong peace. What is meant by it?

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      By a strong peace I mean one with strength, power, force in it.

      When the emptiness deepens in the vital I feel a great appetite for food though in fact I may not be at all hungry!

Association of ideas perhaps — emptiness=hunger.

      This type of vital emptiness is all right. But it confuses my mind regarding the sense of appetite — whether or not I am really hungry or how much hungry. It is noticed that in spite of eating a large amount the feeling of voidness did not disappear.

      That would seem to indicate that it is a subjective voidness and the hunger feeling comes only from association of ideas.

      In spite of having the peace for so long how is it that the tamas still lingers?

      I suppose the peace must become dynamic for the tamas to go altogether.

      The tamas is still occupying some space in my being. Something ought to be done. I could have easily fought it out as before. But I don't understand why the vital emptiness does not allow me to make any attempt.

      These alternations always come till the thing is perfect. But probably the vital emptiness being less old is less ripe than that of the higher part of the consciousness and therefore less able to press the Force or call it.

      I need a certain enlightenment from you. What is really the cause of the vital resistance? Which higher descents does

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it want to prevent? In the absence of any clear knowledge my mind needs something like a short review of the present state of the sadhana.

      I cannot say more than what I have said already. In its descent the peace and silence met with a resistance in the lower vital (probably mostly the vital-physical) and the physical combined which instead of receiving the peace and silence and the release and joy it brings replied with inertia. This inertia gave an opportunity for the old vital suggestions from outside to act in you — because that is the ordinary release from inertia to begin a vital activity good or bad. This would not have mattered, for the vital itself would have rejected it — but somewhere there was a sort of response, an acceptance of the inertia and through that a response to the vital suggestions, listening to them, giving them importance, not seeing the entire inanity of them. At the same time the inertia communicated itself to the mind, preventing the will from acting. Hence the difficulty.

      I feel something going on strongly between the navel and the sex centre? What is it?

      I suppose the Power is working there to clear a way for a stronger descent of the higher things into the lower vital and physical.

      You wrote: "I suppose the most material consciousness has come up or you have gone into it." Has this stage (of dealing with the most material consciousness) come for all of us here or only for me?

      It has come to many.

      At times, for days together I lived in a complete peace

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and silence. Do you think that has made any fundamental change in my lower nature? At present at least I see my ego, vital and physical practically in the same condition as ever before.

      Peace is a necessary basis but peace is not sufficient. Peace if it is strong and permanent can liberate the inner being which can become a calm and unmoved witness of the external movements. That is the liberation of the Sannyasin. In some cases it can liberate the external also throwing the old nature out into the environmental consciousness but even this is liberation, not transformation.

      Of course I do find some essential changes in the inner and higher parts of my being, but nothing concrete in the outer nature.

      If the peace had gone sufficiently into the physical, then the inner being could no more be veiled. You would have found the liberation described above. But the physical consciousness was too tamasic and replied to the descent of peace by inertia.

      I wonder how absolute silence could come down yesterday when there was an utter darkness and restlessness all over my lower being.

      That is quite possible and frequently happens.

      During the morning hours the Self is spontaneously revealed now and then. Do you think the consciousness of the Self alone can solve the difficulties of the vital nature?

      If the peace of the higher Self and the force from these higher levels or the knowledge that is there descends sufficiently.

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      While reading about 'A Philosopher's Moods', I came across a phrase like a 'silence terrific'. Is the silence really terrific?

      No, except to those who are afraid of it.

      I had experiences of silence, sometimes of even a very high silence but never felt terrified. But what about the cosmic silence, is it terrific?

      No.

      When my consciousness is in silence I try to keep my mind as empty as possible. Then I leave my sadhana and even the thought of it to the Mother. Is it O.K., or is it necessary to think of the transformation and aspire for the bringing down of the higher things?

      If you can very quietly and silently aspire for the bringing down of the higher things, it might be good — but not, if it disturbs the silence.

      The whole system feels rest when the sadhana is going on well. The deeper the sadhana the better is the rest felt.

That is as it should be.

      During voidness I feel my seat in the mind centre between the eyebrows and during blankness it is shifted to the top of the head. What should be my attitude during voidness?

      Call down the higher Truth and the Divine Force into the void.

      The emptiness in itself is a state of peace, silence and rest. It is as yet too passive and therefore not able to keep off the outer or lower forces.

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      Yes, but it ought at least to make them ineffective — not the emptiness perhaps, but the peace in it. As if it were saying "Who are you, you beggars? I don't know or accept you."

      It would seem as if this time the peace and silence have projected a force which can stand any resistance from below. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. an unusually powerful pressure from above seized my head. Is all this a sign of any conquest over my lower nature?

      If it becomes a dynamic descent, then yes.

      If the sadhana continues like that, it would just be a fit board to jump into the higher planes of consciousness. As the Mother's sweet love and grace are with me such jumps would be safe and easy.

      I would like to know if today's state has come as a natural development of my sadhana. Or is it only due to some higher pressure¹ which when it withdraws carries away also the dynamic peace and silence?

      It is certainly due to the higher pressure, but it has to become normal.

      There is no fluttering in the being at present. The quietness reigns all over the nature. Is this not a positive sign of the entire consciousness down to the physical turning towards a

      1 During the course of sadhana and especially in the preliminary stages, some higher pressure brings in many experiences. Sometimes their influence is so great and powerful that their glow is felt even in the outer being. At times the same experience prolongs itself for days together. All this combined creates a strong and vivid impression that it is a state that has come to stay and not merely a passing experience.

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higher nature and making itself a calm vessel for its working?

Yes, but it must fix itself in the physical.

      There was a feeling of complete muteness within me as well as above me.

Good.

      Yesterday during the Darshan time (24.11.35) I came to you for Pranam. You must have observed my nature fully, where I am now and where next I must move in the sadhana. Could you kindly enlighten me about my future programme?

      It is simply that what was not done before during the first descent of peace and knowledge has to be done now.

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