Works of Sri Aurobindo

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August 18, 1971

The body has the impression that it has to learn a new way to live, and it is learning new things all the time. But they’re tiny little things, that is, there’s a kind of secret to be found, an attitude that must be steadfast, making circumstances as good as they can be.

It’s something equivalent to the mantra. For the time being the body repeats the mantra, but it knows that it’s…. There’s something to be learned that physically replaces the mantra.

(Mother goes within)

What’s on your mind?

What I personally find difficult is permanence — to establish a

 permanence. It’s very difficult.

A permanence of what? Consciousness?

Yes, consciousness.

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But consciousness is permanent.

Yes, but the external consciousness isn’t permanent. [[Satprem means not permanently in contact with the inner. ]] The

 physical mind, for instance, may go on repeating all sorts of

 useless things.

Oh!…

And on the other hand, the mantra gives me a feeling of a men

tal imposition, you understand? It’s not something that springs

 up from the core of the cells. It’s imposed. So it is set going for

 a time and is repeated — the mantra gets repeated the way any

 stupidity is repeated. And then after a time, something else

 comes.

(Mother remains silent)

One has the impression that unless there is literally a possession by something else, it’s hopeless. It should be really like a possession.

Yes, possessed by the Divine. That’s perfectly correct.

That’s the only way.

(long silence)

These last few days (and quite strongly this morning) I have had the impression: the Divine is all things, and we are born so that each one makes a choice and manifests one of those things — one or several…. And so comes the question of deciding on the choice, but that’s just where one must surrender entirely and leave the choice entirely to the Divine. We have been created as we are, and that’s the reason for all this wavering, these complications — but what we have to learn is to leave it to … that is, have no desire, no preference, and leave the choice entirely to the Divine.

(Mother goes within)

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