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XI
TRANSFORMATION
Q: What are the chief obstacles that stand in the way of transformation? A: There are only three fundamental obstacles that can stand in the way: (1) Absence of faith or insufficient faith. (2) Egoism—the mind clinging to its own ideas, the vital preferring its own desires to a true surrender, the physical adhering to its own habits. (3) Some inertia or fundamental resistance in the consciousness, not willing to change because it is too much of an effort or because it does not want to believe in its capacity or the power of the Divine—or for some other more subconscient reason. You have to see for yourself which of these it is.
Q,: What is meant by "the physical adhering to its own habits" in the above answer? A: For instance, the body clinging to its own preferences about food or preferring its own habit and convenience to the proper discharge of the work—these are instances of the physical habit.
Q: What is "the other subconscient reason" which you mention as a chief obstacle to transformation? A: That I cannot say here—it takes a hundred different forms.
Q: How to remove "inertia" and "fundamental resistance in the consciousness" which stand in the way of transformation? A: There is only one rule for all these things— to look at oneself closely so as to detect these things always when they show themselves, to reject them always and persistently when seen, to aspire always for their removal, to call always the Force of the Mother to help to remove them. But the most entirely effective thing is if you can feel the Force of the Mother working in you and support its action always.
Q: What is meant by supporting the action of the Mother’s Force which you say is the most effective way of removing inertia or other resistance in the consciousness? A: To support its action means that one must recognise the Mother’s Force when it acts and distinguish it from other egoistic or ignorant forces and give assent to the one and refuse the others. It is again a general rule—its application each sadhak has to see for himself.
Q: How to distinguish the Mother’s Force from other egoistic or ignorant forces? A: One has only to be perfectly sincere, not to justify one’s own desires and faults by the mind’s reasonings, to look impartially and quietly at oneself and one’s movements and to call on the Mother’s Light—then gradually one will begin to discern everything in that light. Even if it cannot be done perfectly at once, the judgment and feeling will get clearer and surer and a right consciousness of these things will be established.
Q: If a sadhak cannot fully discriminate between the Mother’s Force and the egoistic and ignorant forces and cannot reject them, what will be his condition ? A: All these questions are met by my answer. One cannot be perfect in discrimination at once or in rejection either. The one indispensable thing is to go on trying sincerely till there comes the full success. So long as there is complete sincerity, the Divine Grace will be there and assist at every moment on the way.
Q : You wrote that egoism is one of the chief obstacles in sadhana and described it as "the mind clinging to its own ideas, the vital preferring its own desires to true surrender, the physical adhering to its own habits". What is meant by "true surrender" and when does a sadhak realise it fully? A: When he is able to get rid of these things —accept the Knowledge from above in place of his own ideas, the will of the Divine in place of his own desires, the movements of the Truth in place of his physical habits—and as a result is able to live wholly for the Divine.
Q: How can I know what is the Mother’s Will? If in doing something I get a feeling of inconvenience does it mean that it is against her Will? A: How can your convenience or inconvenience be the indication of the Mother’s Will? You have to develop the psychic feeling which distinguishes the truth from the falsehood, the divine from the undivine.
Q: When does transformation begin in a sadhak ? A: There is no fixed "when".
Q: How can a sadhak know that transformation is going on in him? A: If it is happening he will feel it. There is no question of how.
Q: When the nature is purified, is it an indication of transformation? A: Transformation is made possible by purification.
Q: What is the real meaning of purification ? A: Purification from desire, ego, falsehood and ignorance.
Q: Is it possible to have a partial realisation of the highest Truth without complete purification? A: Yes. Q: In what way is it possible? A: By openness to the Divine.
Q: Is it true that a sadhak will be able to receive the Divine Grace and Truth in proportion to his progress in opening to the Divine and transforming himself? A: The more he progresses, the greater the force of the Truth upon him—the more he is transformed, the more he will be able to feel the Divine influence.
Q: If a sadhak gets rid of his lower nature, will he realise complete transformation? A: If he gets rid of the lower nature, that would mean getting rid of the Ignorance (ego, desire, etc.); so it would necessarily be a complete transformation.
Q: How can one become conscious of the defects of one’s nature which remain hidden and become an obstacle to transformation? How can one offer these defects to the Divine for transformation? A: One has to be vigilant and watch and also to call down the Mother’s Light so that it will show whatever in one is hidden from the mind. You have only to be perfectly sincere and aspire for purification and reject whatever is wrong in you. The Divine Force will then act and do the rest. That is the simple and true way.
Q: When a sadhak turns his lower nature to the Mother by discrimination, is it called transformation? A: No, certainly not. It is only a condition for transformation.
Q: If a sadhak through lack of sufficient discrimination cannot wholly turn his nature to the Mother, does it become very difficult for the Mother’s Force to transform him? A: If his discrimination is constant and true and his turning complete, transformation can proceed very rapidly.
Q: Is it not possible that a sadhak’s nature can be turned to the Mother and transformed by Her Grace without any personal effort on his part ? A: If there is no personal effort, if the sadhak is too indolent and Tamasic to try, why should the Grace act?
Q: Will a sadhak who is only partially transformed not be able to reach the highest Truth? A: It is likely.
Q: Is it true that transformation is not possible without getting spiritual experiences? A: Some change may come—not the transformation of the whole being. How can that happen without any spiritual experiences?
Q: When a sadhak gets dreams signifying some spiritual truth, does it not indicate that his nature is getting transformed? A: Not necessarily. It shows that he has more consciousness than ordinary people, but dreams do not transform the nature. |