... nature of inertia is apravritti [immobility] - the action of the mechanical mind is a pravritti [movement] though a tamasic obscure pravritti. Cannot the mechanical mind be fired out by a spiritual Force? What is the need of transforming it? You can't fire out a part of the being. What is called the mechanical mind is necessary for the maintenance (in the physical) of things gained... Guidance from Sri Aurobindo - Volume 3 PART III MECHANICAL MIND The useless mechanical mind is very active, while the useful recording mind has fallen silent; it can't do any thinking or even note down the experiences! Perhaps it is waiting for a higher mind to act from above. How is it that when... repetition that Nature does that. The subconscient is the basis of conservation and the mechanical mind is the means of repetition. Only they have to be enlightened and change and conserve and repeat the new divine things and not the old undivine ones. When I asked if the subconscient and mechanical mind could be changed by a direct higher action, you replied, "It is possible if you can bring ...
... like this? It is usually the mechanical mind if the thoughts are random — the physical mind, if they are connected. From where does the mechanical mind obtain its food? From things and impressions and old habitual Page 24 thoughts or ways of thinking and feeling. The mechanical mind is a sort of engine — whatever comes to it... habits or an inclination to be tamasic. If the mechanical mind goes on in its rounds, it does not matter much. But when the thinking mind seems to get caught into them and identifies itself with them one feels troubled. What exactly is it that gets caught? That is the physical mind. The physical and the mechanical mind are closely connected. Repetition is the habit of... Is it not the function of the mechanical mind to be mechanical, just as it is that of the mind proper to perceive and conceive? Certainly not—it is mechanical because it has no light in it and goes on like a machine. If there were light, it would not be like that. When the higher consciousness takes hold of the mechanical mind, it ceases to be mechanical. ...
... have to work towards it without getting impatient. My mechanical mind has become extremely sensitive. Whenever I project outwards for action — even a necessary one — the mechanical mind takes it up for its food and goes on chewing it for quite a time. That is the nature of the mechanical mind — it is not due to any sensitiveness in it. Only as the outer parts of the... the loneliness. All difficulties cannot disappear at once, but the active resistance can cease. Page 225 MECHANICAL MIND For a long time I have been trying to reduce the thoughts of the mechanical mind, but to little purpose. Can nothing be done about it? When they are active how am I to remember the Mother and offer my being to her? ... d. The main thing is that they should not be allowed to invade the inner consciousness. Is it the mechanical mind in me that keeps the influence of a wrong movement going? That is probably the thing. Any disturbance is taken up by the mechanical mind and even when the direct cause is no longer there it goes on grinding out like a machine the thoughts and vibrations ...
... emotional. One can only distinguish it when the consciousness becomes sufficiently subtle to do so. The Mental Physical or Mechanical Mind That is the nature of the mental physical to go on repeating without use the movement that has happened. It is what we call the mechanical mind—it is strong in childhood because the thinking mind is not developed and has besides a narrow range of interests. Afterwards... silence of the mind, these things come up till they also are quieted down. The mechanical mind is a sort of engine—whatever comes to it it puts into the machine and goes on turning it round and round—no matter what it is. From what you describe it seems that you have got into contact with the mechanical mind whose nature is to go on turning Page 207 round in a circle on the thoughts... but see what it is and quiet it down or get control of its movements. What is called the mechanical mind is necessary for the maintenance (in the physical) of things gained—it is by conservation and repetition that Nature does that. The subconscient is the basis of conservation and the mechanical mind is the means of repetition. Only they have to be enlightened and change and conserve and repeat ...
... mind the same as the mechanical mind? Almost. You see, there is just a little difference, but not much. The mechanical mind is still more stupid than the physical mind. The physical mind is what we spoke about one day, that which is never sure of anything. I told you the story of the closed door, you remember. Well, that is the nature of the physical mind. The mechanical mind is at a lower level... September 1954 The mechanical mind is a sort of engine—whatever comes to it it puts into the machine and goes on turning it round and round—no matter what it is. Sri Aurobindo Letters on Yoga - I: The Physical Consciousness That is the nature of the mental physical to go on repeating without use the movement that has happened. It is what we call the mechanical mind—it is strong in childhood ...
... consciousness always, even in activity—then the sadhana will begin to be there all the time and your difficulty will disappear. The Difficulty of the Mechanical Mind That [ the constant recurrence of trivial thoughts ] is the nature of the mechanical mind—it is not due to any sensitiveness in it. Only as the other parts of the mind are more silent and under control, this activity looks more prominent... more quiet so that the movements of the mechanical mind became more evident—that is what often happens. What has to be done in that case is to detach oneself from these movements and concentrate without farther attention to them. They are then likely to sink into quietude or fall away. To be able to detach oneself from the action of the mechanical mind is the first necessity so that it may be ...
... has entered into the physical (physical mental, physical vital, material) consciousness. The two main obstacles here are the mechanical mind with its memories and desires of the past and the most outward sex movements; these have to be overcome (especially the mechanical mind, for the other may be easily overcome if not supported by the vital proper) for the Light to possess all the physical consciousness... when there is sometimes stillness and sometimes mechanical thoughts ] the Power is still working on the physical consciousness (the mechanical mind and the subconscient) to bring stillness there. Sometimes the stillness comes but not complete, sometimes the mechanical mind reasserts itself. This oscillation usually takes place in a movement of the kind. Even if there is a sudden or rapid transforming ...
... of the physical mind" (p.329), a "much' lower action of the mental physical" (p.327), is "the mechanical mind...which, left to itself, would only repeat customary ideas and record the natural reflexes of the physical consciousness to the contacts of outward life and things" {ibid.). The mechanical mind is also called "body-mind" (p.328). A turn of phrase similar to "body-mind" occurs when Sri... of its own, the obscure consciousness proper to the limbs, cells, tissues, glands, organs" (p.348). The description "body-mind" is not applied by Sri Aurobindo to anything above "the mechanical mind whose nature is to go on\ turning round in a circle the thoughts that come into it" (p.329). At its lowest the description applies to "an obscure mind of the body, of the very cells, molecules... physical and in particular the element of mental mechanicality in the cellular stuff of the body. We may broadly name it "body- mind" in distinction from "brain-mind". Broadly, because the mechanical mind has still to do with "thoughts" and hence with the brain and so cannot quite be on a par with "the obscure consciousness" of the sheer bodily components. Strictly speaking, it is this consciousness ...
... Physical Mental or Physical Mind and the Mental Physical or Mechanical Mind The physical mental or externalising mind is part of the mental consciousness, not part of the physical consciousness. But it is Page 182 closely connected with the mental physical—so that the two usually act together. The automatic or mechanical mind is called by us the mental physical—and distinguished from... can do that much very cleverly), unlike the externalising mind which deals with them more from the reason and its higher intelligence. But in practice these two usually get mixed together. The mechanical mind is a much lower action of the mental physical which, left to itself, would only repeat customary ideas and record the natural reflexes of the physical consciousness to the contacts of outward life ...
... mind the same as the mechanical mind? Almost. You see, there is just a little difference, but not much. The mechanical mind is still more stupid than the physical mind. The physical mind is what we spoke about one day, that which is never sure of anything. I told you the story of the closed door, you remember. Well, that is the nature of the physical mind. The mechanical mind is at a lower level ...
... stillness, with some mechanical movement of thought. That is to say, the Power is still working on the physical consciousness (the mechanical mind and the subconscient) to bring stillness there. Sometimes the stillness comes but not complete, sometimes the mechanical mind reasserts itself. This oscillation usually takes place in a movement of the kind. Even if there is a sudden or rapid transforming ...
... evolving psychic being which supports all the rest of the nature. life-nature (the life) —see the Vital . manomaya puruṣa (Manomaya Purusha) —mental Person, the mental being. mechanical mind —a part of the mind closely connected with the physical mind; its nature is to go on repeating without use whatever has happened—recent events, impressions, old habitual thoughts or ways of thinking... with physical things only; limited by the physical view and experience of things, it mentalises the experience brought by the contact of outward life and things, but does not go beyond that. The mechanical mind, closely connected with the physical mind, goes on repeating without use whatever has happened. Overtopping the ordinary mind, hidden in our own superconscient parts, there are higher ranges ...
... t, and the mechanical mind goes on. What you describe happens very usually during a cold in the head, as ordinarily one depends upon the brain cells for transmission of the mental thought. When the mind is not so dependent on the brain cells, then the obscuration by the cold does not interfere with clear seeing and thinking and one is not thrown back in the mechanical mind. Page ...
... battlefield and find them very effective. All along good so that there is nothing to say. When I rise above and before I plunge myself into some higher development the mechanical mind pulls me down. It does it so secretly and cunningly that I become aware of it only when I dm already pulled down. It is due to this defect Page 258 or weakness that I am... the dynamic descent? The dynamic descent is for change. The physical consciousness is too weak to hold the experience even for a short time. It gets fired. The mechanical mind takes advantage of this and rushes in. How to prevent such obstacles? It is really a pity that in spite of having the higher experiences before me I cant respond to them. What is the remedy? ...
... depth and height of the silence are diminished. That must be because the mind becomes active instead of receiving the knowledge in silence. On one side the useless mechanical mind is active, while on the other the useful recording mind has fallen completely silent. It cannot do any thinking or even recording of the experiences! Perhaps it is waiting for a higher... don't apply. One has to have faith, confidence, aspiration, but one cannot bind down the Force as to when, how and why it will act. I asked you if it was possible to change the mechanical mind by a direct higher action. Your reply was, "It is possible if you can bring the direct higher action into this part of the consciousness or else let the Force pass there." Well, I have often c ...
... most material or be changed in its character. Tamas cannot of itself turn into Peace. One has to bring down Peace from above. What would be the activity of the transformed mechanical mind? It would be no longer mechanical, but a basis of permanent illumination in the body consciousness. Some friend said: "One feels the inner touch gone because one may not... the cells and the pores. Can this be true? The mind refuses to believe it. It can very well be true. Just at the end of the general Meditation the submind (subconscient or mechanical mind) became very active. I fail to understand the reason of its sudden coming up like that at such a time. Usually after the Meditation most of the being is either taken up into the absolute silence ...
... physical mind. The physical mind is the part of the mind that is concerned with physical things only and is limited by the physical view and experience of things. Closely connected with it is the mechanical mind, which goes on repeating uselessly like a machine whatever has happened, creating what is generally called mental noise. × ...
... according to Eckhart, when one rises to the realm of no-mind and stillness, the mind ceases to exist. Sri Aurobindo, on the other hand, describes as "buzz" the activity, particularly of the mechanical mind, that is closely connected with the physical mind. Silence, he says, has to be established in all parts of the ordinary mind so that the higher consciousness may manifest. However, he considers ...
... the physical mind, which is concerned with physical things only and is limi1 end to the physical view and experience of things. Closely connected with the physical mind is the mechanical mind. which goes on repealing whatever has happened. × The Mother, Question and Answers 1950-51 ...
... the physical view and experience of things, it mentalises the experience brought by the contact of outward life and things, but does not go Page 411 beyond that. The mechanical mind, closely connected with the physical mind, goes on repeating without use whatever has happened. Overtopping the ordinary mind, hidden in our own superconscient parts, there are higher ...
... into which past impressions and all that is rejected from the surface mind sink and remain there dormant and can surge up in sleep or in any absence of the mind, taking dream forms, forms of mechanical mind-action or suggestion, forms of automatic vital reaction or impulse, forms of physical abnormality or nervous perturbance, forms of morbidity, disease, unbalance. Out of the subconscious we bring ...
... of the silent Self above the mind spread out in its vastnesses everywhere. Only, when there is the peace and the mental silence, the vital mind tries to rush in and occupy the place or else the mechanical mind tries to raise up for the same purpose its round of trivial habitual thoughts. What the sadhaka has to do is to be careful to reject and hush these outsiders, so that during the meditation at least ...
... the teaching. With blessings. 21 July 1967 * I find tests an obsolete and ineffective way of knowing if the students are intelligent, willing and attentive. A silly, mechanical mind can very well answer a test if the memory is good and these are certainly not the qualities required for a man of the future. It is by tolerance for the old habits that I consented that those ...
... been made in the teaching. With blessings. 21 July 1967 I find tests an obsolete and ineffective way of knowing if the students are intelligent, willing and attentive. A silly, mechanical mind can very well answer a test if the memory is good and these are certainly not the qualities required for a man of the future. It is by tolerance for the old habits that I consented that those ...
... The reason is that there is in the vital a desire or an interest and in the mind a habit of bringing itself all the satisfaction of the desire or chewing the cud of interest and the mechanical mind goes on doing these things even when it ought to be free from all such things and concentrated on the sadhana. That is why the roots of all desires have to be loosened so that one can do things ...
... nature - so when you want it done, they refuse to obey a control to which they are not accustomed and it also has not any habitual hold upon them. The difficulty of managing the mechanical mind is part of the human constitution. But I find it more active and burdensome in me than in the majority. That is what everyone thinks about his difficulties - this idea is an effect of tamasic ...
... of an infallible power that acts and of the work to be done for the world and for the world's Master. The tamasic doer of action does not put himself really into the work, but acts with the mechanical mind and follows the common routine. He has even a stupid insolent contempt for those whom he has to deal, specially for wiser men. The rajasic doer of action is eagerly attached to the work and pa ...
... The present system of education utilizes tests as a means of securing students' motivation to learn. Tests are also often used as a threat or punishment. The fact that even a silly and mechanical mind can pass tests and that, too, with honours is sufficient to pass a verdict against the present system of tests. Again, the fact that the most important aspects of culture lie beyond the scope of ...
... consciousness. KNOWLEDGE AND MIND The knowledge seems to be obstructed by the mental Page 244 activity. Whenever a little of it descends the mechanical mind catches it and goes on chewing it endlessly. That is why sometimes I have to stop the flow of even the higher thought to guard my silence. That is always the difficulty with the mind ...
... one is not receiving. Even in your good days you have usually periods less good — it is then that the assimilation takes place. After the period of assimilation, the mechanical mind and even the subconscient seem more under control. There is always a gain or progress at some point after these periods of assimilation if one takes them rightly — however dull or ...
... feel it materially. The Self extends its influence more and more. Even my body feels it and remains intoxicated most of the time. This perhaps shows that the subconscient and mechanical mind and all other parts are under its spell? Yes. Page 154 At present my consciousness feels that, instead of letting it go higher or deeper, the Mother ...
... full of mischief, that is to say, they like amusing themselves at the cost of human beings. & soon as they see that someone is not sufficiently protected, they rush in and take possession of the mechanical mind and bring about all kinds of disagreeable happenings – nightmares, various physical disturbances – you feel choked, bite or swallow your tongue and even more serious things. When you wish to go ...
... scientific abilities. Finally, it will test Page 288 suitability for specific tasks, occupations and vocations. It will set very high standards of testing and will ensure that stupid and mechanical mind will get exposed. I am not opposed to tests; the question is what kind of tests; the question is the context of tests; the question is the purposes of tests. The present system of examination is ...
... acts and of the work to be done for the world and for the world's Master. Page 501 The tamasic doer of action is one who does not put himself really into the work, but acts with a mechanical mind, or obeys the most vulgar thought of the herd, follows the common routine or is wedded to a blind error and prejudice. He is obstinate in stupidity, stubborn in error and takes a foolish pride ...
... with physical things only; limited by the physical view and experience of things, it mentalises the experience brought by the contact of outward life and things, but does not go beyond that. The mechanical mind, closely connected with the physical mind, goes on repeating without use whatever has happened. Overtopping the ordinary mind, hidden in our own superconscient parts, there are higher ranges ...
... mechanical repetitiveness which manifest in the physical mind as mental torpor and conservatism, doubt, and obsessive thoughts. The part of the mind which is closest to the physical is called the mechanical mind; its characteristic is that of a machine that goes on turning round and round whenever thoughts occur in it. Another subdivision which is important for self-understanding is the physical vital; ...
... in the case of a single word. With the growth of intellectual richness & precision there would be a corresponding growth in the mental will-action & the supersession Page 573 of the mechanical mind-processes by more clearly & consciously selective mind-processes. Nevertheless we do find practically all these forms distributed over the root clans & families of the Aryan word-nation. We find ...
... fear, some particular libido as the psychoanalysts call it, but the expression given to the latter need not be the same as memory would give; it may repeat the same forms if it gets hold of the mechanical mind in the physical to help its expression, but also it may be quite different from anything in real life. The clear memory of words, images and thoughts is an action of the conscious mind, ...
... When the mind is not so dependent on the brain cells, then their obscuration by the cold Page 587 does not interfere with clear seeing and thinking and one is not thrown back in the mechanical mind. Weak Vision Finally about your eyes. The wearing of glasses does inevitably confirm any weakness in the eyes, so we would not recommend you to resort to them for a strain which can surely ...
... stick is the symbol of self-consecration. Tobacco is associated with tamas and incense sticks with adoration. Page 186 Gramophone The gramophone is obviously symbolic of the mechanical mind. Page 187 × The correspondent wrote that in a vision he saw a key with the word "MOTHER" written on ...
... consciousness down to the physical, so that one feels the Upanishadic "unmoving it moves". The inertia itself is not a dynamic principle. The nature of inertia is apravṛtti —the action of the mechanical mind is a pravṛtti , though a tamasic obscure pravṛtti . The rain has the effect of stressing the tamas of the vital physical consciousness and bringing out its greyer notes. Physical tamas ...
... into which past impressions and all that is rejected from the surface mind sink and remain there dormant and can surge up in sleep or in any absence of the mind, taking dream forms, forms of mechanical mind action or suggestion, forms of automatic vital reaction or impulse, forms of physical abnormality or nervous perturbance, forms of morbidity, disease, unbalance. Out of the subconscious we bring ...
... 1967) ( Then, the next day, Mother sent this third note: ) "I find tests an obsolete and ineffective way of knowing if the students are intelligent, willing and attentive. "A silly, mechanical mind can very well answer a test if the memory is good and these are certainly not the qualities required for a man of the future. "It is by tolerance for the old habits that I consented that those ...
... difficult to believe. Letters on Yoga, pp. 347-48 That is the nature of the mental physical to go on repeating without use the movement that has happened. It is what we call the mechanical mind — it is strong in childhood because the thinking mind is not developed and has besides a narrow range of interests. Afterwards it becomes an undercurrent in the mental activities. Letters ...
... mind in the form of mental torpor, doubt, mechanical reactions to things, habitual modes of thinking, and confusion. The part of the mind which is closest to the physical is referred to as the mechanical mind; it is like a machine that goes on turning round and round whatever thoughts occur in it. Page 341 The Inner Being (The Subliminal) Behind the outer being is the inner ...
... foster the minds and hearts of the students with deep understanding, tenderness and affection in relation to the psychological needs of their growth of personality. The fact that even a silly, mechanical mind can pass the tests, and that too with honours, is sufficient to pass a verdict against the present system of tests. The fact that the most important aspects of culture that we wish our children ...
... persistently applied leads to some sort of quietude. To quote Sri Aurobindo: "You are probably paying too much attention to them [the Page 216 thoughts of the mechanical mind]. It is quite possible to concentrate and let the mechanical activity pass unnoticed.... What has to be done... is to detach oneself from these movements and concentrate without further attention ...
... minds and hearts of the students with deep understanding, tenderness and affection in relation to the psychological needs of their growth of personality. The fact that even a silly, mechanical mind can pass the tests, and that, too, with honours, is sufficient to pass a verdict against the present system of tests. The fact that the most important aspects of culture that we wish our ...
... physical that the resistance is massed together." This triple resistance brought into full play the three most obstinate and insistent minds at work in human nature: the physical mind, the mechanical mind and the subconscient mind. They often worked in conjunction, sometimes in two's and sometimes singly, but in such a powerful and complicated way that it was a problem to find out which one. or ...
... stop the physical mind from thinking all sorts of useless things. Page 192 That is very usual. The really active part of the mind is engaged in the work. It is the mechanical mind that is left to itself to think and its way of thinking is just that. Before becoming conscious of the Mother in all the being, cannot one Offer mentally to Her one's personal ...
... on all the centres of my consciousness to focus their concentration on the higher being. But the external centres are still too Page 157 much under the influence of the mechanical mind to come up in consciousness. These things also can be quieted — but it is more likely to happen when the higher consciousness Force is there all through in the calm and silence. ...
... method I have found consists precisely in climbing as high as possible—then the lower being is calmed. The three centres (Sahasrara, Ajna and Solar) are then united. When not in meditation the mechanical mind is very restless and I have difficulty even in reading—in concentrating on anything at all. Whence this difficulty ? Should I put yet more energy into my meditation and my efforts ? What ...
... Aurobindo’s Letters) At the feet of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo 03 March 1935 From what you describe it seems that you have got into contact with the mechanical mind whose nature is to go on turning round in a circle on the thoughts that come into it. This sometimes happens when the thinking mind is quiet. This is part of the physical mind and you should not ...
... over. The physical is the slave of certain forces which create a habit and drive it through the mechanical force of the habit. As long as the mind gives consent, you do not notice the slavery, but if the mind withdraws its consent, then you feel the servitude, you feel a force pushing you in spite of the mind's will. It is very obstinate and repeats itself till the habit — the inner habit revealing itself... a most improper thing to do. No date Your mind and higher vital are convinced of that, but something in the physical consciousness and the sub-terranean vital is not, it still goes back by habit to the old movements and that is why the mechanical physical mind goes on dwelling on these ideas or rather these accustomed mind-movements. You must—since it has risen up from below the surface... movements and that the intimation o f the new consciousness was frequent and automatic. At a later stage you will no doubt get a guidance in the mind also as to how to do the things you want to get done. Evidently your mind was too active as well as the minds of others also — and so you missed your objective, owing to the excessive multitude of witnesses! However — 11.12.34 It was certainly ...
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