Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Sri Aurobindo reveals that the deliverance of the new race is not dependent on human progress

The overmental consciousness does not claim one specific form of knowledge as being the exclusive province of truth as the mental consciousness does. On the contrary, it would “allow all to live as necessary to the whole or put each in its place in the whole or assign to each its field of realisation or of endeavour.”
Essential Difference in Viewpoint Between Overmind and Mind « Sri ... By sriaurobindostudies
Sri Aurobindo take up this process: “To the Overmind, for example, all religions would be true as developments of the one eternal religion, all philosophies would be valid each in its own field as a statement of its own universe-view ...
Jordi Valero added a blog post Behind the veil
Our beliefs are uncertain, as the flame of a candle. But force-consciousness that works behind the veil is beyond them. She works, press and modifies the same atomic structure of matter. Because They called the gates of heaven, breaking the barrier… from ASPIRATION - Aspiration is a call to the Divine. — The Mother
Considering Bernard Stiegler's essay "Biopower, Psychopower, and the Logic of the Scapegoat" posted recently at Posthuman Destinies: a piece very much worth a careful reading, particularly in its analysis of care.
I would like to examine one of Stiegler's premises with an eye toward recontextualizing those reflections on care (Heideggerian and Foucaultian) in a few different directions. Largely recalling Guy Debord's analysis of the spectacle (as socio-technical production, as induced mass hallucination), Stiegler begins:
The capture of attention by technological means is a global phenomenon (affecting all continents), a massive one (affecting all generations and all social strata) and totally new: the length of capture has now reached 6 hours a day in the USA, not to mention the phenomena of hyper-attention, to use the term of Katherine Hayles, which provoke a splitting of attention between several media simultaneously, and which motivate the Kaiser family foundation to modify its figures – increasing the average number of hours to 8 and a half per day for American adolescents.
rcarlson: Don your comments are certainly appreciated,. The idea of progress associated with evolution is certainly an ideology of the Enlightenment that was... When Sri Aurobindo says that human progress is probably an illusion he is stating that there is no unending linear human progress as was the type envisioned in the European Enlightenment. In the European post-Enlightenment view of progress, humanity follows a steady path of evolutionary advance. In contrast Sri Aurobindo views human progress as defined by advances and then by sudden reversals in fortune that result in it following a curved rather than a straight lines. In this respect Sri Aurobindo’s view of human progress is fairly consistent with the views of Ronald Wright who states that human progress, as an ideology is merely a myth. The path of progress is beset by a myriad of traps and snares that ultimately lead human kind to circle back on itself.
But if there is nothing in collective human progress that is being perfected to prepare for an inevitable descent of what Sri Aurobindo calls the “supramental manifestation” then what is it that is preparing for the appearance of the superman? A careful reading of Sri Aurobindo reveals that the deliverance of the new race is not dependent on human progress but by the force he has already described in the Synthesis of Yoga “the effort of nature in man” or “nature’s yoga”.
Don Salmon: Hi Rich: Very interesting and thought provoking article. One point about your interpretation of a passage in The Life Divine. You quote Sri Aurobindo as doubting progress. However, on p. 833 he clearly states that he is stating that “line of reasoning” in order to refute it. (of course, Sri Aurobindo never, as far as I’m aware, supports the modernist idea of economic/political/technological progress without a spiritual basis). Here’s the passage: Volume: 18-19 [SABCL] (The Life Divine), Page: 833
On Being and Becoming - Part II, or Love Among the CD's - The ... By Tav Sparks
I love, for example how Sri Aurobindo sees it. He's of the school that espouses that there is a a very real Reality and purpose in the Becoming. He feels that the Self, that Being, involves Itself in the Becoming -- through an elegant process he refers to as involution and evolution. It's not that the Becoming isn't real. It's just not real in the way we usually imagine it. In fact, according to this school, it contains the totality of Being playing a game, as it were, in another aspect of itself, like a seed that becomes a tree, or a bud unfolds into a flower. The flowering of our planetary life here is the unfolding of the bud of Being, if we use this metaphor. 
So, Sri Aurobindo goes on to say that it isn't enough to just separate from this life, hang out in the Non-manifest. He himself actually had that experience -- what many feel is the crowning realization of incarnation -- early in his practice. And he did some of the most amazing writing on this planet in support of the evolutionary power of our lives as individuals and as humanity -- that there is something important, necessary, and altogether magnificent about our Becoming. Even after we have realized our Nowness. 
Comment posted by: Kepler mirror of tomorrow
Perhaps it was grand cosmic coincidence that the first clear articulation of progressive spiritual evolution as the key to the meaning and purpose of human life on earth was given by Sri Aurobindo 50 years after Darwin, and not previously throughout the long and profound traditions of spiritual knowledge and expression in India or elsewhere. To me it simply shows how progress in the instrumental stuff of human mental knowledge can help facilitate new expressions of spiritual knowledge. Mental progress is itself an element of the spiritual evolution of consciousness, so this doesn't seem so surprising. How this point might relate to farming, brahmacharya, or updating Sri Aurobindo's works and still passing them off as his own, is however a mystery to me.
Comment posted by: auroman mirror of tomorrow
Let me give some examples to see if it helps resolve this.  If the Life Divine were written today, Sri Aurobindo would have used biomimicry to illustrate the presence of Intuition in Nature (subconscient Mind).   Similarly, it has been shown that some parts of our brain are similar to those of animals whereas others are unique to Man.  The LD could cite this to illustrate evolutionary principles.
The political works of Sri Aurobindo could be updated with 20th century developments - Arab-Israeli conflicts (how to resolve a conflict where shared land is part of religious identity?), the clash between religion and secularism, the need for left-of-centre and right-of-centre politics, Woodstock, American exceptionalism, multi-polar world etc. More, Kepler?
It was through Peter Heehs, a biographer of Sri Aurobindo, I came to know of a Spiritual retreat named Matagiri in the Catskill mountains at Mount Tremper, near Woodstock, and that gave me an occasion to visit this city, along with another very beautiful place of worship (a Tibetan monastery) we stumbled upon on our way back. 
There are a few disciples of Sri Aurobindo all over the world pursuing his Spiritual sadhana.  One such established a small spiritual retreat in the Catskills.  The Mother, as Sri Aurobindo's partner in his spiritual quest is known as, had given it the name 'Matagiri'. We had to drive a few miles into the mountains from Woodstock to reach this place.  It was a pleasant and sunny day, and the mountain air was refreshing, though it was cold.  It wasn't an Ashram or anything of that kind- a few stray wooden buildings, one serving as a library, one serving as a living quarters, and one as a small Meditation room. 
We met one Mr. Eric who has been living there alone for 42 years.  He wasn't entirely alone, for he had the company of a cat!
Rare filmscenes of Mira Alfassa - The Mother and her recitation of Sri Aurobindo's 'The Hour Of God' accompanied by music of Sunil Bhattacharya. ...
Even in the spiritual field, as Sri Aurobindo knew well and discussed brilliantly, progress for humanity is attended by interminable back-dragging or covert ...
This I believe was called the change of consciousness by Sri Aurobindo. It is the moment when you stabilize your personality in your essence. ...
Sri Aurobindo- Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embr...ace all living creatures and the whole of nature and ...
The Supermind of Sri Aurobindo on Secrets of LOA. it was less a creed or cult than a continuously enlarging tradition of the God ward endeavour of the ...
Yoga and Side Shoulder Stand – Go Beyond Asana to reach infinity ... by yogabeginners.co.cc
The great Indian sage Sri Aurobindo once wrote: "When we crossed the knowledge then we have so Knowledge. Reason was the helper, but the reason is the bar. "A similar change in the status of the dam road vehicle with members of the yoga ...
Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother. ... Sri Aurobindo: A Contemporary Reader Edited by Sachidananda Mohanty, Routledge India, ...
It seems, next to the Isha, Sri Aurobindo looked at this Upanishad with particular interest and wrote a detailed commentary, revealing its deep ...
Sri Aurobindo's Marriage—a discussion by Raman Reddy pertaining to a few aspects in context of the latest biography published by the Columbia University ...
Myopic Lenses: Alambara fort By Praveen
inside auroville in
pondicherry. signalling the indo-French culture of Pondicherry...there's a flag of european union too(unseen in the snap). from the myopic lenses of the crusader. Posted by Praveen at 7:46 AM. Labels: places ...
Dr Hedgewar's monumental contribution to humanity is RSS Organiser
Dilip Kumar Roy ...Maharshi Aurobindo has written a book named Among the Great. In it he has mentioned his conversation with Romain Rolland, the great French scholar. ...
Organiser - Content By MSN Menon
Of these bhakti is rather selfish, for it seeks the salvation of the individual only.  Ramakrishna is the finest example of a bhakta. In karma, one does service to mankind. The best examples are Mahatma Gandhi and Vivekananda. And finally we have jnana, which seeks salvation through knowledge of God. The Jnani spreads enlightenment among men. The best example of the jnani is Sri Aurobindo. 
I say: stick to the true teachers: obscure monks, people like Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Aurobindo(a genius of the highest order), Mathew Fox (who cranks out ...
India is not just a piece of earth; she is power, a Godhead” This is how Sri Aurobindo looked at this country and its rich ancient civilisation. ...
"That which we call the Hindu religion is really the eternal religion because it embraces all others."-- Sri Aurobindo
Is Hinduism a religion or group of religions? It is very difficult to answer this question because Hinduism is a very ancient religious ...
I've been reading The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo; not an easy read, lol! For those of you that don't know anything about Aurobindo, ...
Sri Aurobindo and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin on Human Evolution, 78. PART II. MAN-ENVIRONMENT RELATIONS, 99. 6, Dialectics of Ecology and Epistemology ...
PrintsAsia - श्री अरविंद दर्शन के ...
श्री अरविंद दर्शन के परिप्रेक्ष्य में कवि पंत और सुन्दरम् by कुमनलाल व्यास, 8170544149, 9788170544142, New Copy. 2005
Yoga in a guesthouse in Pondicherry mins away from Sri Aurobindo Ashram on ... This stay is run by an ashram teacher from Sri Aurobindo Ashram which is a ...
'Southern Splendour' chugs off from B'lore Deccan Herald
The St Thomas Basilica, Mahabalipuram, Auroville tour, French town, temples in Thanjavur and Madurai, Jewish Synagogue, Dutch Palace are the places that ...
MUSIC, WORKSHOP AND EXHIBITION Written by Nadine   Monday, 15 March 2010
Today's news features an excerpt from this past Friday's concert of The Brand New Band, played at the Visitor Center. Opening at Town Hall today is the Planning Resource Exhibition by L'avenir. The Ramayana Festival 2010 continues through the week, culminating on Thursday the 18th.  And on Wednesday the 17th from 3:30pm to 6:30pm in Savitri Bhavan is "The Mother" – an introductory multimedia presentation and workshop on the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, bringing one closer to their respective spiritual approach towards yoga.
Tuesday, 16 Mar
  Ashtanga yoga daily class ::: Harmony (Auromodele/Petite Ferme) ::: Tue ::: 8:00 AM
9th "No More Pesticides"- Exhibition ::: open field opposite Solar Kitchen (except Tuesdays) ::: Tue ::: 2:00 PM
Ramayana Festival ::: Adishakti ::: Tue ::: 7:00 PM
Photo-Graphic Exhibition "La Forêt Enchantée" ::: Pitanga ::: Tue ::: 8:00 AM
Wednesday, 17 Mar
  Ashtanga yoga daily class ::: Harmony (Auromodele/Petite Ferme) ::: Wed ::: 8:00 AM
Yoga & Sophrology with Sandra ::: Quiet Healing Center ::: Wed ::: 4:00 PM
9th "No More Pesticides"- Exhibition ::: open field opposite Solar Kitchen (except Tuesdays) ::: Wed ::: 2:00 PM
Insight Seminar: Economy and Organization of Auroville ::: Inside India Building in Auroshilpam (behind Auromode) ::: Wed ::: 10:30 AM
Nia at Verite ::: ILC Studio, Verite ::: Wed ::: 5:00 PM
Ramayana Festival ::: Adishakti ::: Wed ::: 7:00 PM
Photo-Graphic Exhibition "La Forêt Enchantée" ::: Pitanga ::: Wed ::: 8:00 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment