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SERIES TWELVE Series Twelve
To a student in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education who began writing to the Mother at the age of sixteen.
Sweet Mother, I used to have the habit of reading Savitri or one of Your books before going to bed at night. But now I have lost the habit and I do not even go to the Samadhi very regularly. I do not understand the true value of these things. Should one do them regularly or only when one feels like doing them? Why should one do these things and how should one do them?
One reads Savitri to develop one’s intelligence and to understand deeper things. One concentrates at the Samadhi to grow in devotion and to put oneself in contact with Sri Aurobindo in order to receive his help. If these things have any value for you, you must do them regularly, because it is the laziness of unconsciousness that keeps you from doing them. You are born for a spiritual and conscious life – but perhaps you are still too young to have the will to realise it. Blessings. 23 July 1969 Sweet Mother, Each time I decide to work well, I see that my effort does not last more than two days. What do You think I should do so that I do well what I have decided to do? I think there is something in me that refuses to obey me. Page – 395 It is the same for everybody as long as one has not consciously unified the whole of one’s being around the psychic centre. This unification is indispensable if one wants to be the master of one’s being and of all its actions. It is a long and meticulous work that requires much perseverance, but the result is worth the trouble, for it brings not only mastery but also the possibility of the transformation and illumination of the consciousness. Do you want to do it? If so, I will help you. Blessings. 28 August 1969 Sweet Mother, How can one remember at every moment that whatever one does is for You? Particularly when one wants to make a complete offering, how should one proceed, never forgetting that it is for the Divine?
To achieve that, one must have an obstinate will and a great patience. But once one has taken the resolution to do it, the divine help will be there to support and to help. This help is felt inwardly in the heart. Blessings. 9 September 1969 Sweet Mother, I would like to know the true meaning of birthdays, for it is an important day here.
From the viewpoint of the inner nature, the individual is more receptive on his birthday from year to year, and thus it is an Page – 396 opportune moment to help him to make some new progress each year. Blessings. 25 September 1969 Sweet Mother, You wrote to me that it is not easy to come in contact with the psychic being. Why do You consider it difficult? How should I begin?
I said “not easy” because the contact is not spontaneous is voluntary. The psychic being always has an influence on the thoughts and actions, but one is rarely conscious of it. To become conscious of the psychic being, one must want to do so, make one’s mind as silent as possible, and enter deep into the heart of one’s being, beyond sensations and thoughts. One must form the habit of silent concentration and descent into the depths of one’s being. The discovery of the psychic being is a definite and very concrete fact, as all who have had the experience know. Blessings. 6 October 1969 Sweet Mother, I have seen that I am not able to force my physical body to do a little better than my actual capacity. I would like to know how I can force it. But, Sweet Mother, is it good to force one’s body?
No. The body is capable of progressing and it can gradually learn to do what it could not do before. But its capacity for progress is much slower than the vital desire for progress and the mental will for progress. Page – 397 And if the vital and the mind are left in charge of action, they simply harass the body, destroy its balance and upset its health. Therefore, one must be patient and follow the rhythm of one’s body, which is more reasonable and knows what it can and cannot do. Naturally, some bodies are tamasic and need a little encouragement in order to progress. But in all things and in all cases, one has to keep a balance. Blessings. 13 October 1969 Sweet Mother, Why do we believe in rebirth? What were we before our present state?
Those who have had the memory of past lives have declared the reality of rebirth. There have been – and there still are beings whose inner consciousness is sufficiently developed for them to know for certain that this consciousness has manifested in bodies other than their present one and that it will survive the disappearance of this body. It is not a theory to be discussed – is an indisputable experience for one who has had it. Blessings. 5 November 1969 Sweet Mother, When we are in the midst of Nature, what should we think about? Does being in contact with Nature help us in any way? Page – 398 It is not by thinking that one can be in contact with Nature, for Nature does not think. But if one deeply feels the beauty of Nature and communes with her, that can help in widening the consciousness. Blessings. 9 November 1969 Love of Nature is usually the sign of a pure and healthy being uncorrupted by modern civilisation. It is in the silence of a peaceful mind that one can best commune with Nature Blessings. 13 November 1969 Sweet Mother, How can one get rid of, or rather correct, jealousy and laziness?
It is selfishness that makes one jealous; it is weakness that makes one lazy. In either case the only truly effective remedy is conscious union with the Divine. Indeed, as soon as one becomes conscious of the Divine and is united with Him, one learns to love with the true love: the love that loves for the joy of loving and has no need to be loved in return; one also learns to draw Force from the inexhaustible source and one knows by experience that by using this Force in the service of the Divine one receives from Him all that one has spent and much more. All the remedies suggested by the mind, even the most enlightened mind, are only palliatives and not a true cure. Blessings. 16 November 1969 Page – 399 Sweet Mother, At times I talk in my sleep. It is a sign that the mind lacks control, isn’t it? So what should I do to keep it quiet at night?
Generally when the body is asleep at night, the mind goes out because it is difficult for it to remain quiet for a long time; and that is why most people do not talk. But your mind seems to remain in your body, so you must ask it to remain perfectly quiet and silent so that your body can rest properly. A little concentration for that, before going to sleep, will surely be effective. Blessings. 29 November 1969 Sweet Mother, When the body is asleep, is it better for the mind to go out of the body? Where does the mind go?
The possibilities are different for each person: there are as many cases as there are persons. But each one can learn which conditions are best for his rest. You can become conscious of your nights and your sleep just as you are conscious of your days. It is a matter of inner development and discipline of the consciousness. Blessings. 1 December 1969 Sweet Mother, What do You mean by “becoming conscious”? Is becoming conscious of the Divine Presence in oneself the only thing or does becoming conscious of one’s movements, of one’s speech, etc. also count? Page – 400 You may be sure that becoming conscious of the Divine Presence in oneself considerably changes one’s whole way of being and gives an exceptional control over all activities, mental, vital and physical. And this control is infinitely more powerful and luminous than anything one can obtain through external means. Blessings. 9 December 1969 Sweet Mother, Is our vital formed solely of desires, selfish feelings, etc., or is there something good in it too?
Energy, strength, enthusiasm, artistic taste, boldness, forcefulness are there too, if we know how to use them in the true way. A vital converted and consecrated to the Divine Will becomes a bold and forceful instrument that can overcome all obstacles. But it first has to be disciplined, and this it consents to only when the Divine is its master. Blessings. 11 December 1969 Sweet Mother, What does Sri Aurobindo mean when he speaks of change of consciousness?
Passing from the general ignorant human consciousness to the yogic consciousness founded on the knowledge of the Divine Presence. Blessings. 13 December 1969 Page – 401 Sweet Mother, Why is it better to go to bed early and to get up early?
When the sun sets, a kind of peace descends on earth and this peace is helpful for sleep. When the sun rises, a vigorous energy descends on earth and this energy is helpful for work. When you go to bed late and get up late, you contradict the forces of Nature, and that is not very wise. Blessings. 21 December 1969 Sweet Mother, Do astrology and other studies always predict things correctly, or are men still unable to do that?
Human incapacity is necessarily behind all that men do. Only he who has become conscious of the Divine and become His faithful instrument can avoid error, if he is careful to act only at the divine command and to add nothing personal to it. It must be said that this is not easy. Only he who no longer has any ego can do it correctly. Blessings. 25 December 1969 Sweet Mother, What are knowledge and intelligence? Do they play important roles in our life?
Knowledge and intelligence are precisely the higher mental qualities in man, those that differentiate him from the animal. Without knowledge and intelligence, one is not a man Page – 402 but an animal in human form. Blessings. 30 December 1969 Sweet Mother, In the new race, will our body change form?
Between the body of the supramental being and the body of man, there will surely be a difference comparable to that which exists between man and the most advanced ape; but what this difference will be we can hardly know until the new species appears on earth. Blessings. 13 January 1970 Sweet Mother, What is the difference between sports and physical education?
Sports are Physical education means principally all the various exercises for the development and maintenance of the body. Naturally, here we have combined the two. But this is mainly because human beings, especially in their childhood, still need a certain Blessings. 14 January 1970 Sweet Mother, What should our attitude be towards the captains and teachers here? Page – 403 An obedient, willing and affectionate attitude. They are your elder brothers and sisters who take a lot of trouble to help you. Blessings. 1 February 1970 Sweet Mother, Why has the Creator made this world and human beings? Does He expect something of us?
This world is Himself. He wants everything – ourselves and the world and the whole universe – to become conscious once more of being Him. Blessings. 5 February 1970 Page – 404 |