Faith—Aspiration—Surrender
Page-3
It
is not advisable in the early stages of the sadhana to leave
everything to the Divine or expect everything from it without
the need of one’s own endeavour. That is only possible
when the psychic being is in front and influencing the whole
action (and even then vigilance and a constant assent are
necessary), or else later on in the ultimate stages of the
Yoga when a direct or almost direct supramental force is
taking up the consciousness; but this stage is very far
away as yet. Under other conditions this attitude is likely
to lead to stagnation and inertia.
It
is only the more mechanical parts of the being that can
truly say they are helpless: the physical (material) consciousness,
especially, is inert in its nature and moved either by the
mental and vital or by the higher forces. But one has always
the power to put the mental will or vital push at the service
of the Divine. One cannot be sure of the immediate result,
for the obstruction of the lower Nature or the pressure
of the adverse forces can often act successfully for a time,
even for a long time, against the necessary change. One
has then to persist, to put always the will on the side
of the Divine, rejecting what has to be rejected, opening
oneself to the true Light and the true Force, calling it
down quietly, steadfastly, without tiring, without depression
or impatience, until one feels the Divine Force at work
and the obstacles beginning to give way.
You
say you are conscious of your ignorance and obscurity. If
it is only a general consciousness, that is not enough.
But if you are conscious of it in the details, in its actual
working, then that is sufficient to start with; you have
to reject steadfastly the wrong workings of which you are
conscious and make your mind and vital a quiet and clear
field for the action of the Divine Force.
The
mechanical movements are always more difficult to stop by
the mental will, because they do not in the least depend
upon reason or any mental justification but are founded
upon association or else a mere mechanical memory and habit.
The
practice of rejection prevails in the end; but with personal
efforts only, it may take a long time. If you can feel the
Divine Power working in you, then it should become easier.
There
should be nothing inert or tamasic in the self-giving to
the guidance and it should not be made by any part of the
vital into a plea for not rejecting the suggestions of lower
impulse and desire.
There
are always two ways of doing the Yoga—one by the action
of a vigilant mind and vital seeing, observing, thinking
and deciding what is or is not to be done. Of course, it
acts with the Divine Force behind it, drawing or calling
in that Force—for otherwise nothing much can be done.
But still it is the personal effort that is prominent and
assumes most of the burden.
The
other way is that of the psychic being, the consciousness
opening to the Divine, not only opening the psychic and
bringing it forward, but opening the mind, the vital and
the physical, receiving the Light, perceiving what is to
be done, feeling and seeing it done by the Divine Force
itself and helping constantly by its own vigilant and conscious
assent to and call for the Divine working.
Usually
there cannot but be a mixture of these two ways until the
consciousness is ready to be entirely open, entirely submitted
to the Divine’s origination of all its action. It is
then that all responsibility disappears and there is no
personal burden on the shoulders of the sadhak.
-
Sri Aurobindo
Whether
by tapasya or surrender does not matter, the one thing is
to be firm in setting one’s face to the goal. Once
one has set one’s feet on the way, how can one draw
back from it to something inferior? If one keeps firm, falls
do not matter, one rises up again and goes forward. If one
is firm towards the goal, there can be on the way to the
Divine no eventual failure. And if there is something within
you that drives, as surely there is, falterings or falls
or failure of faith make no eventual difference. One has
to go on till the struggle is over and there is the straight
and open and thornless way before us.
-
Sri Aurobindo
The
fire is the divine fire of aspiration and inner tapasya.
When the fire descends again and again with increasing force
and magnitude into the darkness of the human ignorance,
it at first seems swallowed up and absorbed in the darkness,
but more and more of the descent changes the darkness into
light, the ignorance and unconsciousness of the human mind
into spiritual consciousness.
-
Sri Aurobindo
To
practice Yoga implies the will to overcome all attachments
and turn to the Divine alone. The principal thing in the
Yoga is to trust in the Divine Grace at every step, to direct
the thought continually to the Divine and to offer oneself
till the being opens and the Mother's force can be felt
working in the Adhar.
-
Sri Aurobindo
In
this Yoga the whole principal is to open oneself to the
Divine Influence. It is there above you and, if you can
once become conscious of it, you have then to call it down
into you. It descends into the mind and into the body as
Peace, as a Light, as a Force that works, as the Presence
of the Divine with or without form, as Ananda. Before one
has this consciousness, one has to have faith and aspire
for the opening. Aspiration, call, prayer are forms of one
and the same thing and are all effective; you can take the
form that comes to you or is easiest to you. The other way
is concentration; you concentrate your consciousness in
the heart (some do it in the head or above the head) and
meditate on the Mother in the heart and call her in there.
One can do either and both at different times—whatever
comes naturally to you or you are moved to do at the moment.
Especially in the beginning the one great necessity is to
get the mind quiet, reject at the time of meditation all
thoughts and movements that are foreign to the sadhana.
In the quiet mind there will be a progressive preparation
for the experience. But you must not become impatient, if
all is not done at once; it takes time to bring entire quiet
into the mind; you have to go on till the consciousness
is ready.
-
Sri Aurobindo
