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Planes
of the Being
There
is an inner as well an outer consciousness all through our
being, upon all its levels. The ordinary man is aware only
of his surface self and quite unaware of all that is concealed
be surface. And yet what is on the surface, what we know or
think we know of ourselves and even believe that that is all
we are, is only a small part of out being and by far the larger
part of us is below the surface. Or, more accurately, it is
behind the frontal consciousness, behind the veil, occult
and known only by an occult knowledge. Modern psychology and
psychic science have begun to perceive this truth just a little.
Materialistic psychology calls this hidden part the Inconscient,
although practically admitting that it is far greater, more
powerful and profound than the surface conscious self, —
very much as the Upanishads called the superconscient in us
the Sleep-self, although this Sleep-self is said to be an
infinitely greater Intelligence, omniscient, omnipotent, Prajna,
The Ishwara. Psychic science calls this hidden consciousness
the subliminal self, and here too it is seen that this subliminal
self has more powers, more knowledge, a freer field of movement
than the smaller self that is on the surface. But the truth
is that all this that is behind, this sea of which our waking
consciousness is only a wave or series of waves, cannot be
described by any one term, for it is very complex. Part of
it is subconscient, lower than our waking consciousness, part
of it is on a level with it but behind and much larger than
it; part is above and superconscient to us. What we call our
mind is only an outer mind, a surface mental action, instrumental
for the partial expression of a larger mind behind of which
we are not ordinarily aware and can only know by going inside
ourselves. So too what we know of the vital in us is only
the outer vital, a surface activity partially expressing a
larger secret vital which we can only know by going within.
Equally, what we call our physical being is only a visible
projection of a greater and subtler invisible physical consciousness
which is much more complex, much more aware, much wilder in
its receptiveness, much more open and plastic and free.
If
you understand and experience this truth, then only you will
be able to realise what is meant by the inner mental, the
inner vital, the inner physical consciousness. But it must
be noted that this term 'inner' is used in two different senses.
Sometimes it denotes the consciousness behind the veil of
the outer being, the mental or vital or physical within, which
is in direct touch with the universal mind, the universal
life-forces, the universal physical forces. Sometimes, on
the other hand, we mean an inmost mental, vital, physical,
more specifically called the true mind, the true vital, the
true physical consciousness which is nearer to the soul and
can most easily and directly respond to the Divine Light and
Power. There is no real yoga possible, still less any integral
yoga, if we do not go back from the outer self and become
aware of all this inner being and inner nature. For then alone
ca n we break the limitations of the ignorant external self
which receives consciously only the outer touches and knows
things indirectly through the outer mind and senses, and becomes
directly aware of the universal consciousness and the universal
forces that play through us and around us. And then only too
can we hope to be directly aware of the Divine in us and directly
in touch with the Divine Light and Divine Force. Otherwise
we can feel the Divine only through external signs and external
results and that is a difficult and uncertain way and very
occasional and inconstant, and it leads only to belief and
not to knowledge, not to the direct consciousness and awareness
of the constant presence.
As
for instance of the difference, I may give you two from the
opposite poles of experience, one from the most external phenomena
showing how the inward opens to the awareness of the universal
forces, one of spiritual experience indicating how the inward
opens to the Divine. Take illness. If we live only in the
outward physical consciousness, we do not usually know that
we are going to be ill until the symptoms of the malady declare
themselves in the body. But if we develop the inward physical
consciousness, we become aware of a subtle environmental physical
atmosphere and can feel the forces of illness coming towards
us through it, feel them even at a distance and, if we have
learnt how to do it, we can stop them by the will or otherwise.
We sense too around us a vital physical or nervous envelope
which radiates from the body and protects it, and we can feel
the adverse forces trying to break through it and can interfere,
stop them or reinforce the nervous envelop. Or we can feel
the symptoms of illness, fever or cold, for instance, in the
subtle physical sheath before they are manifest in the gross
body and destroy them there, preventing them from manifesting
in the body. Take now the call for the Divine Power, Light,
Ananda. If we live only in the outward physical consciousness,
it may descend and work behind the veil, but we shall feel
nothing and only see certain results after a long time. Or
at most we feel a certain clarity and peace in the mind, a
joy in the vital a happy state in the physical and infer the
touch of the Divine. But if we are awake in the physical,
we shall feel the light, power or Ananda flowing through the
body, the limbs, nerves, blood, breath and, through the subtle
body, affecting the most material cells and making them conscious
and blissful and we shall sense directly the Divine Power
and Presence. There are only two instances out of a thousand
that are possible and can be constantly experienced by the
sadhak.
-
Sri Aurobindo
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