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SECTION EIGHT
CENTRES AND PARTS OF
CONSCIOUSNESS
Manas in the Ordinary Psychology and the Integral
Yoga
—Right Ordering of Different Parts in
Yoga
THE terms Manas, etc. belong to the ordinary
psychology applied to the surface consciousness. In our Yoga we adopt a different classification —based on the Yogic experience. What answers to this movement of the Manas there would be two
separate things—a part of the physical mind
communicating with the physical-vital. It receives
from the physical senses and transmits to the Buddhi —i.e., to some part or other of the Thought-Mind. It receives back from the Buddhi and transmits
idea and will to the organs of sensation and action. All that is indispensable in the ordinary action of
the consciousness. But in the ordinary consciousness everything gets mixed up together and there is no clear order or rule. In the Yoga one becomes
aware of the different parts and their proper action, and puts each in its place and to its proper action
under the control of the higher Consciousness or else under the control of the Divine Power. Afterwards
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all gets surcharged with the spiritual consciousness
and there is an automatic right perception
and right action of the different parts because they are
controlled entirely from above and do not falsify
or resist or confuse its dictates.
1933
Harmonisation of Parts by Descent of Truth
I DO not understand the question as put. Each part
has to be kept clear from the other and do its own
work and each has to get the Truth in it from the
psychic or above. The Truth descending from
above will more and more harmonise their action,
though the perfect harmony can come only when
there is the supramental fulfilment.
11-8-1933
The Sahasradala Padma
IT is evidently the Sahasradala Padma through which
the higher intuition, illumined mind and overmind
all pass their rays.
24-9-1933
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The Ajna-chakra and the Third Eye
YES. A third eye does open there (in the centre
of the forehead)—it represents the occult vision
and the occult power which goes with that vision
—it is connected with the Ajna-chakra.
20-4-1933
The Throat Centre of the Physical Mind
IT is the physical mind that acts like that. The
centre of the physical mind or externalising mind
is in the subtle body in the throat and connected
strongly with the speech—but it acts by connection
with the brain. All forces that want to cover the
consciousness rise up to do it by environing and
acting on the mind centres if they can—environing
because otherwise the covering is not complete.
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The
Brain Centre
THE brain is only a centre of the physical
consciousness. One feels stationed there so long as one dwells in the physical mind or is identified with the body-
consciousness, then one receives through the sahasrār
into the brain. When one ceases to be stationed in
the body, then the brain is not a station but only a passive and silent transmitting channel.
September 1934
The Physical Mind
THE true thinking mind does not belong to the
physical, it is a separate power. The physical mind
is that part of the mind which is concerned with
the physical things only—it depends on the sense-
mind, sees only objects, external actions, draws
its ideas from the data given by external things,
infers from them only and knows no other Truth until it is enlightened from above.
1-3-1933
The Organ of Speech
THE organ of speech is an instrument of the physical-
mental or expressive externalising mind.
May 1935
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The Throat and the Heart Centres
THE throat centre is the externalising (physical)
mind, the heart is the emotional mind and beginning of the higher vital. If the heart centre is
dominated by the physical mind to any extent it
will necessarily be open to the outer attacks that
effect the physical and nervous consciousness. The heart has to be in connection with the psychic and
the higher consciousness.
8-8-1933
The Ear-passage
IT cannot be anything physical but only a subtle
physical sensation. The ear is the passage of communion between the inner mind centre and the
thought-forces or thought-waves of the universal Nature. It sounds like a
sensation of opening and
enlarging of this passage.
22-4-1934
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The Essential Mental Being and the Personal
Mind—Control of the Inquiring Tendency
EVERYTHING here that belongs strictly to the earth
plane is evolved out of the Inconscient, out of
Matter—but the essential mental being exists already, not involved, in the mental plane. It is
only the personal mental that is evolved here by
something rising out of the Inconscient and
developing under a pressure from above.
The tendency to inquire and know is in itself
good, but it must be kept under control. What is
needed for progress in sadhana is gained best
by increase of consciousness and experience and of intuitive knowledge.
Above the head is the universal or Divine Consciousness and Force. The Kundalini is the latent
power asleep in the chakras.
24-3-1933
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Spiritual Capacity—Psychic Mind
and Mental Psychic
SPIRITUAL capacity means simply a natural capacity
for true spiritual experience and development.
It can be had on any plane, but the natural result
is that one gets easily into touch with the Self and
the higher planes.
Psychic mind and mental psychic are the same
thing practically—when there is a movement of
the mind in which the psychic influence predominates, it is called the psychic in the mind or the
psychic mind.
27-10-1933
Chitta and Heart
THE Chitta is not near the heart—if you mean the
substance of the lower consciousness, it has no
particular place. All things of this life are there
in this stuff of the consciousness but the memory
of past lives is wrapped up and involved elsewhere.
The heart is the main centre of this consciousness
for most men, of course, so you may feel its activities
centred in that level.
1933
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The Heart Centre
THE heart is the centre of the being and commands the rest, as the psychic being or
chaitya purusa is there.
It is only in that sense that all flows from it, for it
is the psychic being who each time creates a new
mind, vital and body for himself.
The Two Vital Centres
THE navel is the chief vital centre below the
emotional—there is another centre of small vital
movements below it,—between the navel and
Muladhara.
It is the lower vital energy that rushes to the
brain and either confuses it and prevents mental self-control or else makes the
mind its slave and
uses reason to justify the passions.
4-3-1933
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Sensation, Emotion and Desire
ABOVE the heart is the vital mind, but the rising of
sensation is lower than the emotion, not higher.
Sensation is much nearer the physical than
emotion.
The place of desire is below the heart in the
central vital (navel) and in the lower vital, but it
moves the emotion and the vital mind.
3-3-1934
The Physical-Vital and the Vital-Physical
THE physical-vital is the being of small desires
and
greeds, etc.—the vital-physical is the nervous being;
they are closely connected together.
The Nerves
THE nerves are distributed all over the body, but. the vital-physical action is concentrated in its origin
between the Muladhara and the centre just above it.
29-1-1934
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The Nerves in the Material and Subtle Body
THE physical nerves are part of the material body but they are extended into the subtle body and there
is a connection between the two.
September 1934
The Nervous Envelope
THIS is what is called nervous envelope surrounding
the body. You are probably seeing the sūkṣma and
nervous envelope in one view. The sūkṣma deha contains the sthula deha, only it is not bound to its
limitations.
The Sheaths
YES, there are nerves in the subtle body.
Yes—sheaths is simply a term for bodies, because
each is superimposed on the other and acts as a
covering and can be cast off. Thus the physical body
itself is called the food sheath and its throwing off
is what is called death.
19-6-36
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Direct Knowledge of Different Sheaths
You can only distinguish the different sheaths either
by intuition or by experience and then you have
established direct knowledge of the different sheaths.
Subtle and Gross Physical
BY the gross physical is meant the earthly and bodily
physical—as experienced by the outward sense-mind
and senses. But that is not the whole of Matter. There is a subtle
physical also with a subtler consciousness in it which can (for instance) go to a distance from the body and yet feel and be aware of
things in a not merely mental or vital way. As for
mind and vital, they are everywhere—there is an obscure mind and life even in the cells of the body,
the stones or in molecules and atoms.
3-3-1933
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The Outer and the Inner Instrument
THE body is the outer instrument and the mind
including the vital is called the inner instrument. But we do not use this phraseology as it is somewhat
superficial.
The Outer and the Inner Consciousness
THE outer consciousness is shut up in the body limitation and in the little bit of personal mind and sense
dependent on the body—it sees only the outward,
sees only things. But the inner consciousness can
see behind the thing, it is aware of the play of
forces, personal or universal—for it is in conscious
touch with the universal action.
18-3-1933
The Play of Forces in the Inner Parts
THE inner parts in everybody remain vulgar or
become high according as they are turned to the
outward forces of the Ignorance or towards the
higher forces from above and the inner impulsion of
the psychic. All forces can play there. It is the outer
being that is fixed in a certain character, certain
tendencies, certain movements.
18-3-1937
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The Inner Speaking
THE explanation of your experience is plain. The
lower being (vital and physical) was receiving an
influence (mental light, yellow) from the thinking
mind and higher vital which was clearing it of the
old habitual lower vital reactions: very often in the
sadhana one feels the inner being speaking to the outer
or the mind or higher vital speaking to the lower so
as to enlighten it.
1-2-1934
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