Introduction

Welcome!

This blog discusses the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother, whose pictures are seen above.

Bio of  Sri Aurobindo and here

Bio of  Mira Alfassa/The Mother and here

Guide to literature and links

Click on the sidebar for various articles

Difference between religion and spirituality

We live in times where spirituality is the new buzzword and religion is derided as outdated.   Yet, it is not clear what the differences between the two are.  The religious approach can be summed up as a combination of nostalgia for the past, desire for structure  in life, respect for authority and an inability to entertain ambiguity.  The spiritual path is propelled by the desire to rediscover the Truth for oneself by using some psychological and occult practices.  The rest of this article delineates these differences in detail.

Explaining out-of-body and near-death experiences

This article expatiates on the phenomenon of out-of-body experience(OBE) , astral projection , etheric projection and near-death experience based on the works of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, who used the term exteriorization to denote all such phenomena. Please note that this post is *not* a how-to guide on astral projection. It is dangerous to forcibly attempt any kind of exteriorization or astral projection for it may put one into contact with malevolent supernatural forces which could even lead to one’s death. It is better to let exteriorization happen naturally with the practice of Yoga and under the guidance of an able Master/Guru.

Similarity between Neurological and Yogic models of human memory

Neuroscientists have identified various types of human memory based on differences in cortical processing.   Sri Aurobindo classified human memory into three types.  Ancient Indian Yoga psychology works have made a distinction between various parts of memory(i.e. Chitta).   We will explore to determine if there is any correspondence between all these various classifications of human memory.

Epistemology of perception

How do we in the role of the subject perceive an object?   What is the state of our consciousness with respect to the object ?  This is referred to as the epistemology of perception. In this post, I will first survey perception (Pratyaksha) as outlined by Vedanta and then discuss how  Sri Aurobindo augmented this theory in the light of his own supramental experiences.   By giving new meaning to the four terms Vijnana, Prajnana, Samjnana and Ajnana listed in the Aitereya Upanishad, Sri Aurobindo presented a fresh perspective on the epistemology of perception.

Links between Vedas, Upanishads, Tantra and Puranas

Sri Aurobindo and his disciples uncovered connections between the Vedas and the later scriptures such as Upanishads, Puranas and the Tantra by tracing the evolution of concepts, use of common verses and the underlying symbolism between these scriptures.  This is a synopsis of their discoveries collated from a variety of sources.

Meditation techniques from the Yoga Upanishads

One of the techniques Sri Aurobindo and the Mother recommended for meditation was contemplating on Akasha or Space.  This has been discussed in the  section on Widening of consciousness.  The source of this technique lies in the Yoga Upanishads.   Out of the 108 Upanishads, there are 21 which are known as the Yoga Upanishads.   These contain various methods of Dharana (i.e. one-pointed concentration).   This post contains a brief overview of these techniques as given in the book Dharana Darshan by Swami Nirajananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga.

Cultivating witness consciousness (Saksi Bhava) – part 2

In our daily life, our consciousness is like a constantly changing movie-screen across which various thought forms flip through, have their play and die out.  We are so busy with ourselves that these transitions normally goes unnoticed.  Traditionally, various parts of our body consciousness emit their own semi-conscious response to any stimulus and the cumulative sum of these responses is denoted as our personality.   But as we deepen our practice of witness consciousness discussed in a previous post (Cultivating witness consciousness),  this coherence of our personality begins to fall apart.   It is then that we  become aware of the time interval during which our consciousness undergoes a change while responding to an external stimulus.   These subtle changes in our reaction process are discussed here.

Are earthquakes due to Divine retribution?

After a natural disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane, religiously inclined personalities tend to attribute the disaster to Divine retribution.  In 1934, when an earthquake hit the state of Bihar in India killing thousands of people, Mahatma Gandhi called it God’s punishment for the sin of untouchability in India [1].   More recently, we have Pat Robertson claiming that the earthquake in Haiti was God’s punishment [2].   This pattern of thinking can be found across all religions. This post outlines Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Mirra Alfassa’s observations on the cause of natural disasters.

The liminality or negative capability required in Yoga

The path of Yoga begins with an imperfect understanding of the working of the Divine  Power which pervades the Universe, as well as the planes and parts of one’s own consciousness.   This understanding grows with spiritual experiences and expansion of consciousness.   Under such circumstances, what is crucial is the attitude of liminality or ambiguity towards Truths uttered by past prophets and passed down through extant scriptures.

The purpose of idolatry and its limitations

We are all idol-worshippers.  We worship actors, sportsmen, thinkers and – when we are feeling proud – even ourselves!   Our subconscious desire is to mold ourselves in the image of our idols.   The Hindu practice of idolatry directs this urge to spiritual goals by clothing the Divine in various forms.   The modern rational mind forgets the original psychological motive behind image worship and dismisses it all as an abomination.  On the other hand, there are those who narrowly fix themselves in adoration of their  chosen image forgetting that this is only a preparatory step in the spiritual path.   This post explores the various pros and cons of idolatry(aka image worship).

Is fear and awe of God necessary?

Why do we live in fear or awe of God?  Sri Aurobindo says it is  our primitive mentality which is to blame.  We create a deformed conception of God based on our egoistic human standards.  We see God as a magnified Man.   We seek to influence this conception of God by bribing him with animal sacrifice, self-mortification  and more generally, with a crafty trading mentality(e.g. “I will do this if you give me that”).  Religion begins with an adoration of God but due to the crudity of human nature and lack of any practical method for abolishing the ego, ends up as the fear and awe of God.   Yoga, by virtue of  various spiritual practices aimed at abolishing the ego, does not suffer from the same limitation and hence brings about Divine union.  The following is an excerpt from the Synthesis of Yoga on the rationale behind man’s fear and awe of God.

Art as an aid in Yoga

Any activity, if done with the right attitude, can elevate the consciousness and prepare the  foundation for an integral union with the Divine.  This was the rationale  behind Sri Aurobindo’s assertion “All life is Yoga“.   A previous post discussed how the study of science can aid in Yoga.  In this post, we cover Sri Aurobindo & The Mother’s thoughts on how artistic endeavours such as poetry, painting and music can aid in the Yogic effort.

Karma can be changed. Your destiny is in your hands

This article continues the previous post on the Illusion of Free will.   Free will, as we commonly understand it, is an illusion because the personality which drives our will is fixed and makes predictable decisions.  Furthermore, we are unaware of the invisible Forces of Nature (Prakriti) which impinge on our consciousness and compel us to act in pre-determined fashion.   It is only when we expand in consciousness and gradually unite with the Divine through Yoga that we begin to experience the true nature of free will, for then our will becomes aligned with the will of the Supreme.  True freedom comes with True Knowledge.