Works of Sri Aurobindo

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-64_Quite-Calm-Silent-mind.htm

QUIET MIND, CALM MIND, SILENT MIND 

 

Quiet mind: the best way of learning.

 

Perfect quietness in the mind: essential condition for true progress.  

 

Quietness established in the mind: the essential condition of its transformation.

 

¹Now published in Letters on Yoga, Cent. Vol. 22, pp. 151-52.

² This statement was tape-recorded.

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You should not confuse a calm mind with a silent mind. You can calm your mind and stop its ordinary activity, but it may still be open to ideas coming from outside and that too disturbs the calm. And for the mind to be completely silent, you must not only stop its own activity but shut out all that comes from other minds. This is not easy.

Moreover, you must learn to distinguish between a phenomenon of consciousness and a mental phenomenon. One can be conscious of an experience in such a way that this consciousness is not formulated into a thought or thoughts. This is very important if the mind is to remain absolutely quiet and silent.

26 September 1963  

But one thing is indispensable if they want a result: the mind must be silent. Then there is hope for the consciousness to be concentrated.

To begin with, they must know by experience the difference between mind and consciousness, two quite different things.

Unless they have the experience of it nothing can be done.

12 April 1964  

Practise silence of mind, it gives power of understanding.

 

Always I answer your letters but rarely I have time to put my answer on paper. You are capable of receiving these answers directly, but for that you must learn to keep your mind silent − this is the true meditation − the brain blank, immobile and turned upward. This is the necessary condition to receive the answers. If you can hand over the care of your existence and your development to the Supreme Consciousness, then peace will enter your heart and your problems will be solved.

16 June 1966

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 What exactly should I do to accelerate the sadhana?

 

Wait quietly for the exact indication; all mental intervention and decisions are arbitrary. The clear indication comes in the silence of the mind.

                31 March 1970  

Mother, Your Voice said to me, “The Supermind is coming down in you.” Mother, is it a false voice? Because I know that I am not at all ready for the Supermind.

 

It is only in mental silence that you can hear the voice without distorting it − be very peaceful.

29 May 1971     

Don’t torment yourself, and keep your mind very quiet. True knowledge comes from beyond.

Blessings.

13 September 1972  

            (A sadhak asked how to get rid of the invasion of wrong suggestions.)

 

The only radical way is to concentrate and go beyond your mental.

Silence and contemplation.

Blessings.

5 January 1973 

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The Heart  

 

In the silence of a simple and faithful heart one can understand the mystery of incarnation.

8 January 1951  

A great joy is always deep in our heart, and always we can find it there.

16 April 1954  

A simple and faithful heart is a great boon.

15 June 1954  

Our mind must be silent and quiet but our heart must be full of an ardent aspiration.

1 July 1954

Look into the depths of your heart and you will see there the Divine Presence.

                14 July 1954  

Our heart is purified from the trouble and anguish; it is firm and calm, and sees the Divine in everything.

28 November 1954 

The Divine is always seated in your heart, consciously living in you.

23 July 1955

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All help is given to you always, but you must learn to receive it in the silence of your heart and not through external means. It is in the silence of your heart that the Divine will speak to you and will guide you and will lead you to your goal. But for that you must have full faith in the Divine Grace and Love.

                 18 January 1962 

The guidance is in your heart. Go ahead according to your inspiration.

14 January 1972  

When I pray to You and open my heart to Your light and put my will in accord with Your divine will, I feel at ease; I have the belief that my being is placed in tune with Your universal Force, and for some moments I feel assured that Your presence is with me and that You have understood and replied to my prayer. It seems as if I am bathed in Your light, and I become very happy. But at other times, my physical mentality begins to question, and I wonder if it is really so easy to enter into a living contact with the Divine in Its essence. What is the truth of the matter, Mother? Kindly enlighten me.

 

Experience goes far beyond the reasoning mind. Evidently the reasoning mind finds it very difficult to reach the Divine, but a simple heart can enter into contact with Him, almost without effort.  

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It is the heart that has wings, not the head.

 

Read with your heart and you will understand.

Blessings. 

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