fbpx
Wikipedia

Integral yoga

Integral yoga, sometimes also called supramental yoga, is the yoga-based philosophy and practice of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother (Mirra Alfassa).[1] Central to Integral yoga is the idea that Spirit manifests itself in a process of involution, meanwhile forgetting its origins. The reverse process of evolution is driven toward a complete manifestation of spirit.

Integral yoga
Sri Aurobindo
FounderSri Aurobindo, The Mother
Established1926

According to Sri Aurobindo, the current status of human evolution is an intermediate stage in the evolution of being, which is on its way to the unfolding of the spirit, and the self-revelation of divinity in all things.[2] Yoga is a rapid and concentrated evolution of being, which can take effect in one life-time, while unassisted natural evolution would take many centuries or many births.[3] Aurobindo suggests a grand program called sapta chatushtaya (seven quadrates) to aid this evolution.

Worldview Edit

Spirit - Satchitananda Edit

Spirit or satchitananda is the Absolute, the source of all that exists.[web 1] It is the One, having three aspects: Sat (truth), Citta (consciousness, awareness), and ananda (bliss, happiness).

Involution Edit

Involution is the extension of Spirit, the Absolute, to create a universe of separate forms. Being manifests itself as a multiplicity of forms, meanwhile becoming lost in the inconscience of matter.[4] The first manifestation of Spirit in the process of involution is as Satchitananda, and then as Supermind, the intermediate link between the higher (Spirit) and lower (matter, life, and mind) nature.[5]

According to Aurobindo the world is a differentiated unity. It is a manifold oneness, that generates an infinite variety of lifeforms and substances. The lifeforms and substances are stretched out on a wide range, from physical matter to a pure form of spiritual being, akin to the five koshas or sheaths, where the subject becomes fully aware of itself as spirit:[6]

  • Material: a submerged consciousness concealed in its action and losing itself in the form.
  • Vital: an emerging consciousness, a consciousness half delivered out of its original imprisonment which has become of vital craving and satisfaction or repulsion.
  • Mental: an emerged consciousness reflecting fact of life in a mental sense, perceptive and ideative. It modifies the internal and attempts to modify conformably the external existence of the being.[7]

Above Mind proper lie various higher levels of Mind, which ascend toward Spirit.

Evolution Edit

Through evolution Spirit rediscovered itself as Spirit. Evolution follows a developmental trajectory from the original inconscience of matter into life, to mind, and then to spiritualized mind, culminating in The Supermind or Truth Consciousness.[6][8] Evolution is teleological,[9][10] since the developing entity contains within itself already the totality toward which it develops.[10] It is not a mechanistic or deterministic teleology,[10][9] but a "manifestation of all the possibilities inherent in the total movement."[9]

The goal of integral yoga Edit

The goal of Integral yoga is to become aware of the Divine, to integrate the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves, and to manifest the Divine at earth.[11] According to Sri Aurobindo, all life is Yoga, while Yoga as a sadhana is a methodised effort towards self-perfection, which brings to expression the latent, hidden potentialities of being. Success in this effort unifies the human individual with the universal and transcendental Existence.[12] Integral yoga reunites "the infinite in the finite, the timeless in the temporal and the transcendent with the immanent.

Three types of being Edit

Sri Aurobindo discerns three types of being: the Outer being, the Inner being, and the Psychic Being.

The Outer Being Edit

The Outer Being includes the physical, vital and mental levels of Being, which characterises our everyday consciousness and experience. This includes several levels of the subconscient: a mental subconscient, a vital subconscient, and a physical subconscient, down to the material Inconscient.[web 2] Integral Yoga involves going beyond this surface consciousness to the larger life of the Inner Being, which is more open to spiritual realisation.

The Inner or Subliminal Being Edit

The Inner Being, or Subliminal,[13][14] includes the inner realms or aspects of the physical, vital and mental being. They have a larger, subtler, freer consciousness than that of the everyday consciousness. Its realisation is essential for any higher spiritual realisation.

The Inner Being is also transitional between the surface or Outer Being and the Psychic or Inmost Being. By doing yoga practice (sadhana), the inner consciousness is being opened, and life turns away from the outward to the inward. The inner consciousness becomes more real than the outer consciousness, and becomes a peace, happiness and closeness to the Divine.[15]

The Psychic Being Edit

The Psychic Being is Sri Aurobindo's term for the Personal Evolving Soul (the Higher Mind, Illumined Mind, Intuition and Overmind), the principle of Divine spirit in every individual.[note 1] The Psychic is the "Innermost Being",[note 2] the permanent being in us that stands behind and supports the physical, vital and mental principles. It "uses mind, life and body as its instruments," undergoing their fate yet also transcending them.[18]

In Integral Yoga the goal is to move inward and discover the Psychic Being, which then can bring about a transformation of the outer nature. This transformation of the outer being or ego by the Psychic is called Psychicisation; it is one of the three necessary stages in the realisation of the Supramental consciousness. This Psychic transformation is the decisive movement that enables a never-ending progress in life, through the power of connecting to one's inner spirit or Divine Essence. The Psychic begins its evolution completely veiled and hidden, but grows through successive lifetimes, and gradually exerts a greater influence, taking on the role of spiritual Guide.[19]

Central being Edit

Central Being refers to the transcendent and eternal spirit, as opposed to the incarnate and evolving Soul, which he calls the Psychic Being. Sometimes it refers to both of them together as the essential spiritual core of the being.[20] The Central Being "presides over the different births one after the other but is itself unborn" (ibid p. 269). This transcendent Central Being or Spirit is also designated as the Jiva or Jivatman, although the meaning of these terms in Sri Aurobindo's philosophy differs greatly from that of much of conventional Vedanta (especially Advaita Vedanta)

Levels of being Edit

The levels of being ascend from the inconscient to the Supermind.

Inconscient Edit

Inconscient Matter is the lowest level of involution.[23][24] Spirit is still present in the inconscient:[25] "The Inconscient is the Superconscient's sleep."[web 2] The Inconscient is also the instrument of the Superconsciousness which has created the Universe.[26] According to Satprem, the Inconscient lies at the bottom of the physical subconscient,[web 2] and "life emerged ... at the border between the material inconscient and the physical consciousness ... in our body.[web 2]

Subconscient and subtle or subliminal conscient Edit

The physical, vital and mental levels of being contain both a subconscient and a subtle or subliminal part.[27]

The subconscient Edit

The subconscient parts are the submerged parts. It contains "obstinate samskaras, impressions, associations, fixed notions, habitual reactions formed by the past."[28] According to Satprem, there are several levels of the subconscient, corresponding with the different levels of our being: a mental subconscient, a vital subconscient, and a physical subconscient, down to the material Inconscient.[web 2]

According to Aurobindo, the body is partly a creation of the inconscient or subconscient.[26] According to The Mother, the ordinary, false consciousness, which is common to material body-consciousness, is derived from the subconscient and the inconscient.[29] According to Aurobindo, the outer being depends on the subconscient, which hinders the spiritual progress.[30] Only by living in the inner being can this obstacle be overcome.[30]

According to Sharma, the subconscient is "the inconscient in the process of becoming conscient."[13] It is a submerged part of the personality without waking consciousness, but which does receive impressions, and influences the conscious mind.[28] According to Sharma, it includes the unconscious mind which is described by psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung,[28] though it includes much more than the unconscious of (Freudian) psychology.[note 3]

The subtle or subliminal conscient Edit

The subtle or subliminal is the subtle, higher counterpart of the subconscient. According to Sharma, "it has an inner mind, an inner vital being, and an inner subtle physical being, wider than man's consciousness."[13] It can directly experience the Universal, and "it is the source of inspirations, intuitions, ideas, will ... as well as ... telepathy [and] clearvoyance."[13]

Gross body Edit

The gross body commonly referred to in yoga constitutes mainly of two parts the material physical body (annakosha) and the nervous system normally refer to as vital vehicle (Prana kosha) in Integral yoga.[32]

Physical Edit

The Physical level refers to both the physical body and the body's consciousness. The body is just as conscious as the vital and mental parts of the being, only it is a different type of consciousness. The Physical not only shades upwards to higher ontological levels, but also downwards into the Subconscient.[note 4]

The Subtle physical is Sri Aurobindo's term for a subtler aspect of the physical nature. This has many qualities not found in the gross physical nature. In The Agenda, The Mother often refers to it. It might be compared to the etheric body and plane, or even the astral body and plane. The term "subtle physical" is used to distinguish it from gross (sthula) or outer material physical.[note 5]

Vital Edit

The Vital level of the being refers to the life force, but also to the various passions, desires, feelings, emotions, affects, compulsions, and likes and dislikes. These strongly determine human motivation and action through desire and enthusiasm.

Unlike Western psychology, in which mind, emotions, instincts, and consciousness are all lumped together, Sri Aurobindo strongly distinguishes between the "Vital" and the "Mental" faculties.

In addition to the individual Vital faculty, Sri Aurobindo refers to a Vital Plane or Vital world, which would seem to be partly equivalent to the Astral Plane of popular occultism and New Age thought.

Mind or Mental being Edit

Mind proper is the conceptual and cognitive mind, the manakosha. Mind is a subordinate process of the Supermind.[34] It is the intermediary stage between the Divine and the mundane life.[35] It works by measuring and dividing reality, and has lost sight of the Divine.[36] It is the seat of ignorance, yet it is still capable of an upward ascent toward the Divine.[37]

Unlike Western psychology, in which mind and consciousness are considered the same, Sri Aurobindo strongly distinguishes between the "Mental" and the "Vital" (emotional) faculties, as well as between Mind and pure Consciousness. Sri Aurobindo in part bases his concept of the Mental on his reading of the Taittiriya Upanishad, the mental being (or perhaps just the Mental Purusha) is the mano-maya-atma – the self made of mind (manas).

For Sri Aurobindo, Mind or the Mental being is not simple and uniform, but consists itself of various strata and subdivisions, which act at different levels of being. These various faculties are described or variously referred to, usually in obliquely or in passing, in some of his books, including Savitri, which has poetic references to many types of Mind.[38] In his letters answering questions from disciples, Sri Aurobindo summarises the characteristics of the various levels of Mind.[39][note 6]

Spiritual Being Edit

Above mind proper lie various higher individual levels of mind, namely the Higher Mind, Illumined Mind, Intuitive Mind and Overmind, which ascend toward the Spirit, and provide a higher and more inclusive vision of reality:

  • Higher Mind is the realm of Truth-thought. It can hold a wide range of knowledge in one vision and an integral whole.[37][note 7] It receives illumination from the Illumined Mind,[42] and is not dependent on the limited knowledge of the senses.[37] It is also capable of transforming the lower realms of body and mind, effectuating changes of habit and life.[37] Nevertheless, it is still a state of thought, in contrast to Illumined Mind, which is a state of vision and spiritual insight.[42]
  • Illumined Mind is the mind of sight and vision. It transforms the Higher Mind by providing it a direct vision.[43]
  • Intuition provides the illumination of thought and vision to the Higher Mind and the Illumined Mind.[43] Mundane mind may experience intuition too, but in the higher realms of mind it becomes more frequent and stable.[43]
  • Overmind is the Cosmic Consciousness.[44] It is the plane of Gods. Overmental plane is the highest consciousness one can achieve without transcending the mental system. Beyond overmind are the planes of Supermind or unity-consciousness.[note 8]

Supermind Edit

Supermind is the infinite unitary Truth Consciousness or Truth-Idea beyond the three lower planes of Matter, Life, and Mind. Supermind is the dynamic form of Sachchidananda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss), and the necessary mediator or link between the transcendent Sacchidananda and the creation.[45]

Limitations of the present being Edit

Humans are stuck between matter and Spirit,[46] due to the habits of personality and partial awareness, which arise from Ignorance.

Personality Edit

Humans are accustomed to respond to certain vibrations more than other. These customs develop into one's desire, pain, feelings, which are all a set of habits. This crystallised set of habits becomes one's personality. This is normally believed to be "self". The appearance of stable personality is given by constant repetition and recurrence of the same vibrations and formations.[46]

Three basic difficulties for mankind Edit

According to Aurobindo, humans face three basic problems:

  1. Partial Self-awareness: humans are only aware of a small part about themselves. They are aware of the surface of mentality, physical being, and life, and not of the larger and more potent subconscious mind and hidden life impulses.
  2. Partial awareness of other beings: humans create a rough mental construction of their fellow beings. Their understanding is created by a mental knowledge, which is imperfect, and subjected to denial and frustration. This partial awareness can be overcome by a conscious unity. This unity can only be achieved from Supermind.[47]
  3. A division between Force and consciousness in evolution: matter, life and mind are often warring with each other. Materialists try to resolve this war by submitting oneself to the mortality of our being, while ascetics have tried to reject earthly life. A true solution may lie in finding the principle beyond mind, thereby overcoming the mortality of our existence.[48]

Ignorance Edit

The fundamental cause of falsehood, error and evil is Ignorance. Ignorance is a self-limiting knowledge, which arises with exclusive concentration in a single field. According to Aurobindo, human notion of good, bad & evil are uncertain and relative.[49]

Practices Edit

Unlike other Yoga practices Integral yoga does not propose any kind of physical asanas, breathing techniques or external movements. It is more psychological in nature, with internal reflection and self analysis & correction as main tools of development .

The main practices or approaches are divided into[50]

  • The yoga of divine work (yoga through one's work)
  • The yoga of Integral Knowledge (Yoga through analysis, observation and knowledge)
  • The Yoga of Divine love (Commonly referred to as Bhakti yoga or love of god)
  • The Yoga of Self-Perfection (referred to as a Synthetic yoga or the triple way)[51]

The Yoga of Self-Perfection Edit

The Triple Transformation Edit

The limitations of the present being can be overcome by the Triple transformation, the process in which the lower nature is transformed into the divine nature. It consists of the inward psychicisation by which the sadhak gets in contact with the inner divine principle or Psychic Being; the spiritual transformation or spiritualisation; and the Supramentalisation of the entire being.[note 9]

Psychicisation Edit

Psychicisation is a turn inward, so that one realises the psychic being, the psychic personality or Divine Soul, in the core of one's being. The Divine Soul serves as a spiritual Guide in the yoga, and enables one to transform the outer being.[52] It may also help avoid the dangers of the spiritual path. There is an intermediate zone, a dangerous and misleading transitional spiritual and pseudospiritual region between the ordinary consciousness and true spiritual realisation.[53]

Psychisiation consists of three methods. In "consecration" one opens oneself to the Force before engaging in an activity. "Moving to the Depths" (or "concentration") is a movement away from the surface existence to a deeper existence within. "Surrender" means offering all one's work, one's life to the Divine Force and Intent.[54][55] Guided by the evolving divine soul within, the sadhak moves away from ego, ignorance, finiteness, and the limitations of the outer being. It is thanks to this guidance by the Divine Soul that the sadhak can avoid the pitfalls of the spiritual path.

Spiritualisation Edit

As a result of the Psychicisation, light, peace, and power descend into the body, transforming all of its parts, physical, vital, and mental. This is the Spiritual transformation, or Spiritualisation, the concretisation of the larger spiritual consciousness. It is equivalent to "enlightenment", as found in Vedanta and Buddhism.

Intermediate zone Edit

Aurobindo asserted that spiritual aspirants may pass through an intermediate zone where experiences of force, inspiration, illumination, light, joy, expansion, power, and freedom from normal limits are possible. These can become associated with personal aspirations, ambitions, notions of spiritual fulfilment and yogic siddhi, and even be falsely interpreted as full spiritual realisation. One can pass through this zone, and the associated spiritual dangers, without harm by perceiving its real nature, and seeing through the misleading experiences. Those who go astray in it may end in a spiritual disaster, or may remain stuck there and adopt some half-truth as the whole truth, or become an instrument of lesser powers of these transitional planes. According to Aurobindo, this happens to many sadhaks and yogis.[56][57]

Supramentalisation Edit

Supramentalisation is the realisation of the Supermind, or Supramental consciousness, and the resulting transformation of the entire being. Psychicisation and spiritualisation serve as necessary prerequisites for the Supramentalisation of the entire being.[58]

The supramental transformation is the final stage in the integral yoga, enabling the birth of a new individual, fully formed by the supramental power. Such individuals would be the forerunners of a new supra-humanity, grounded in truth-consciousness. All aspects of division and ignorance of consciousness, at the vital and mental levels, would be overcome, and replaced with a unity of consciousness at every plane. And even the physical body transformed and divinised. A new supramental species would then emerge, living a supramental, gnostic, divine life on earth.[59]

Aurobindo describes several results and different stages depicting the stages of development in integral yoga, called together the sapta chatushtaya, "seven quadrates."[web 3][web 4][note 10] It consists of:.[web 3]

  • Shanti (peace, calm), which consists of samatha (calming of the mind), shanti (peace), sukha (happiness), and hasya (Atmaprasada, contentment of the Atman);
  • Shakti (power), which consists of shakti (the power of the primordial energy), virya (energy, effort), daivi prakriti (Divine Nature, primal force), and sraddha (faith);
  • vijnana (knowledge), which consists of jnanam (knowledge), trikaladrsti (knowledge of past, present and future), ashtasiddhi (eight powers), and samadhi (absorption);
  • Sharira (body), which consists of arogyam (health), utthapana (levitation, being free from gravity and physical powers), saundaryam (beauty), vividhananda (bliss);
  • Karma (divine work), which consists of Krishna (avatar of Vishnu), Kali (the Goddess), kama (divine delight), and Karma (divine action;
  • Brahma, the realization of Brahman;
  • Siddhi (realization), which consists of shuddhi (purification), mukti (liberation), bhukti (enjoyment), and siddhi (realisation of yogic powers).

Influence Edit

Aurobindo had a strong influence on Ken Wilber's integral theory of spiritual development.[60] Wilber's Causal and Ultimate stages closely resemble Aurobindo's higher mental stages, but Wilber lumps together levels of Being, types of Being and developmental stages.

See also Edit

Notes Edit

  1. ^ According to The Mother, the term "Psychic" or Psychic Being is derived from the occult kabbalistic teachings of Max Théon.[16] Sri Aurobindo distinguishes between the Psychic Being as being defined in his Integral Yoga, and the ordinary meaning of "psychic," which refers more to psychological phenomena, or to paranormal phenomena, which are connected with the subtle physical layers.[16]
  2. ^ Amal Kiran[17]
  3. ^ According to Pani, the inconscient is the same as the western psycho-analytic unconscious mind, while the subconsciousness is another layer of consciousness.[31]
  4. ^ The Physical can be subdivided into finer sub-grades:
    • the Physical Proper or pure body consciousness, which represents the consciousness of the external physical body itself.
    • the Vital Physical or Nervous Being (which seems to be equivalent to the Etheric body of western esotericism, and hence pertains to one of the subtle bodies)
    • the Mental Physical (similar to the Physical Mind - see "Mental")
    • the True physical being - is the Purusha of the physical level, which is like the Inner Physical larger than the surface body consciousness and in touch with the a larger spiritual consciousness.
    • the Inner physical - the physical component of the inner being, which is wider and more plastic than the outer physical body. This is also called the subtle physical
  5. ^ Aurobindo: "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.
    ...the subtle physical has a freedom, plasticity, intensity, power, colour, wide and manifold play (there are thousands of things there that are not here) of which, as yet, we have no possibility on earth."[33]
  6. ^ A small but popular book by Jyoti and Prem Sobel, The Hierarchy of Minds, comes closest to a systematic coverage of an Aurobindonian noetology by gathering all of Sri Aurobindo's references and quotes on the subject of "Mind" and arranging these according to the type of Mind. These various Minds and Mental principles of being include:[40]
    Physical Mind
    • The Mechanical Mind is a much lower action of the mental physical which when left to itself can only repeat the same ideas and record the reflexes of the physical consciousness in its contact with outward life and things.
    • Mind in the physical or mental physical mentalises the experiences of outward life and things, sometimes very cleverly, but it does not go beyond that, unlike the externalising mind which deals with these things from the perspective of reason and its own higher intelligence.
    • Physical Mind - refers to either or both the Externalising Mind and the Mental in the Physical; it is limited to a physical or materialistic perspective, and cannot go beyond that, unless enlightened from above.
    • Mind of Light - according to The Mother this is the Physical Mind receiving the supramental light and thus being able to act directly in the Physical.[41]
    Vital Mind
    • Vital Mind - a mediator between the vital emotions, desires, and so on the mental proper. It is limited by the vital view and feeling of things, and expresses the desires, feelings, ambitions, and other active tendencies of the vital in mental forms, such as daydreams and imaginations of greatness, happiness, and so on. As with the Externalising Mind, Sri Aurobindo associates it with the Vishuddha or Throat Chakra
    Mind proper
    • Mind Proper - is free-fold, consisting of Thinking Mind, dynamic Mind, externalising Mind. It constitutes the sum of one's thoughts, opinions, ideas, and values, which guide conscious thinking, conceptualizing and decision-making processes, and is transformed, widened, and spiritualised through the practice of Integral Yoga.
    • Thinking Mind - the highest aspect of the mind proper, concerned with ideas and knowledge in their own right. It is equated with the Ajna Chakra
    • Dynamic Mind - that aspect of the ordinary mind that puts out of mental forces for realisation, acting by the idea and by reason. It is also equated with the Ajna or Brow center.
    • Externalising Mind - the most "external" part of the mind proper, concerned with the expression of ideas in speech, in life, or in any form it can give. It is equated with the Vishuddha or Throat Chakra
    Higher Mind
    • Higher Mind - the first and lowest of the spiritual mental grades, lying above the normal mental level.
    • Spiritual Mind - either the spiritualised mind, or a general term for levels of mind above the normal mental level (the "Mind Proper").
    • Inner mind - the mental component of the Inner Being, which lies behind the surface mind or ordinary consciousness and can only be directly experienced by sadhana
    • True mental being - is the Purusha of the mental level freed from the error and ignorance of the lower Prakriti and open to the knowledge and guidance above.
    • Psychic Mind - a movement of the mind in which the Psychic Being predominates; the mind turned towards the Divine
  7. ^ Compare Ken Wilber's Centaur or vision-logic; see Integral theory (Ken Wilber)#Levels or stages
  8. ^ A detailed description of the Overmind is provided in Book I ch.28, and Book II ch.26, of Sri Aurobindo's philosophical opus The Life Divine.
  9. ^ This is described in The Life Divine part 2, ch.25, and Letters on Yoga part 4, section 1.
  10. ^ Aurobindo received these instructions as a series of mantras while he was imprisoned in Alipore prison. They were copied by Arun to use for study.[web 5]

References Edit

  1. ^ O'Connor 2005, p. 634.
  2. ^ Aurobindo (1939), p. 1107.
  3. ^ Aurobindo (1996), p. 282
  4. ^ Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine Bk I, Ch.11-12
  5. ^ Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine
  6. ^ a b Aurobindo (1939), p. 254-255
  7. ^ Aurobindo (1939), p. 221
  8. ^ Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine bk II, ch.27-28.
  9. ^ a b c Giri 2014, p. 59.
  10. ^ a b c Miśra 1998, p. 414.
  11. ^ Vrinte 1996, p. 140.
  12. ^ Aurobindo (1996), p. 6.
  13. ^ a b c d Sharma 1991, p. 63.
  14. ^ Vrinte 2002, p. 235.
  15. ^ Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga, 3rd ed. 1971, p.307
  16. ^ a b Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine p. 227 note
  17. ^ Craig Hamilton The Miraculous Power of the Soul - A meeting with Amal Kiran, Pondicherry
  18. ^ Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine p. 891
  19. ^ Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine pp. 891–4
  20. ^ Letters on Yoga vol. I under "Planes and Parts of Being" (pp. 265ff in the 3rd ed.)
  21. ^ Wilber 1992, p. 263.
  22. ^ Sharma 1991.
  23. ^ Pani 2007, p. 132.
  24. ^ The Mother 1961, p. 199.
  25. ^ Pani 2007, p. 211.
  26. ^ a b Pani 2007, p. 297.
  27. ^ Sharma 1991, p. 61-63.
  28. ^ a b c Sharma 1991, p. 61.
  29. ^ The Mother 1961, p. 50.
  30. ^ a b Sri Aurobindo 1988.
  31. ^ Pani 2007, p. 207.
  32. ^ Aurobindo (1996), p. 10-11.
  33. ^ Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga part 1, section v
  34. ^ Chakravorty 1991, p. 42.
  35. ^ Chakravorty 1991, p. 40-41.
  36. ^ Chakravorty 1991, p. 41.
  37. ^ a b c d Chakravorty 1991, p. 43.
  38. ^ Jyoti and Prem Sobel 1984 pp. 152–62
  39. ^ Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga vol. I pp. 324–5
  40. ^ Jyoti and Prem Sobel, The Hierarchy of Minds
  41. ^ The Mother, 1980, pp. 63–64
  42. ^ a b Chakravorty 1991, p. 45.
  43. ^ a b c Chakravorty 1991, p. 47.
  44. ^ Chakravorty 1991, p. 49.
  45. ^ Sri Aurobindo (1977), Life Divine Book I, ch.14-16
  46. ^ a b Aurobindo (1996), p. 210
  47. ^ Aurobindo (1939), p. 227
  48. ^ Aurobindo (1939), p. 228
  49. ^ Aurobindo (1939), p. 622
  50. ^ Aurobindo (1996), pp. 2–30.
  51. ^ Aurobindo (1996), p. 611.
  52. ^ Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine (book II - chapter 25
  53. ^ Sri Aurobindo's Letters on Yoga - The Intermediate Zone
  54. ^ Synthesis of Yoga Part I ch. II-III
  55. ^ Letters on Yoga vol. II pp.585ff (3rd ed.)
  56. ^ Sri Aurobindo's Letters on Yoga - The Intermediate Zone
  57. ^ Grey Lodge Occult Review :: Issue #9 :: The Intermediate Zone
  58. ^ Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga, pp.281-2
  59. ^ Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine book II ch.27-28
  60. ^ Vrinte 2002.

Sources Edit

Printed sources Edit

Sri Aurobindo
  • Sri Aurobindo (1939), The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo Ashram press, ISBN 978-81-7058-844-3
  • Sri Aurobindo (1977), The Life Divine (10th ed.), Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust
  • Sri Aurobindo (1996), The Synthesis of Yoga, Lotus light publication, ISBN 0-941524-65-5
  • Sri Aurobindo (1988), "Transformation of the Subconscient and the Inconscient", Letters on yoga. Volume 3, Part Four, Lotus press, ISBN 8170580099
The Mother
  • The Mother (1961), Mother's Agenda 1951-1973. Volume II: 1961, Paris: Inst for Evolutionary Research, ISBN 2902776047
  • The Mother (1998), Satprem (ed.), Mothers Agenda 1969, vol. 10, Institut de Recherches Evolutives, ISBN 8185137366
  • The Mother (1980), Words of the Mother, Collected Works of the Mother, Centenary Edition vol.13, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry
Other sources
  • Chakravorty, Satya Jyoti (1991), The Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, Sterling Publishers
  • Giri, Ananta Kumar (2014), Knowledge and Human Liberation: Towards Planetary Realizations, Anthem Press
  • McDermott, Robert A. (2001), "Introduction", The Essential Aurobindo, SteinerBooks
  • Miśra, Rāmacandra (1998), The Integral Advaitism of Sri Aurobindo, Motilal Banarsidass Publications
  • O'Connor, June (2005), "Aurobindo Ghose", in Jones, Lindsey (ed.), MacMillan Encyclopedia of Religions, MacMillan
  • Pani, R.N. (2007), Integral Education:thought & Practical, APH Publishing, ISBN 9788131302866
  • Sharma, Ram Nath (1991), Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy of Social Development, Atlantic Publishers
  • Sobel, Jyoti; Sobel, Prem (1984), The Hierarchy of Minds, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust
  • Vrinte, Joseph (1996), The Quest for the Inner Man: Transpersonal Psychology and Integral Sadhana, Pondicherry, India: Sri Mira Trust, ISBN 81-208-1502-5
  • Vrinte, Joseph (2002), The Perennial Quest for a Psychology with a Soul : An inquiry into the relevance of Sri Aurobindo's metaphysical yoga psychology in the context of Ken Wilber's integral psychology, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-1932-2
  • Wilber, Ken (1992), Het Atman project, Servire

Web-sources Edit

  1. ^ Sri Aurobindo Studies, Sat-Chit-Ananda is the Source of the Manifested Universe
  2. ^ a b c d e Satprem, Aurobindo, or the adventure of consciousness.
  3. ^ a b Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Sapta Chatushtaya
  4. ^ Dr. Debashish Banerji, Seven Quartets of Becoming: A Transformative Yoga Psychology Based on the Diaries of Sri Aurobindo
  5. ^ Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The origin of the Sapta Chatusthaya

Further reading Edit

  • Sen, Indra (1986) Integral Psychology: The Psychological System of Sri Aurobindo, Pondicherry, India: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust

External links Edit

  • Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother
  • Glossary to the Record of Yoga
  • Rod Hemsell, Ken Wilber and Sri Aurobindo: A Critical Perspective

integral, yoga, other, uses, satchidananda, sometimes, also, called, supramental, yoga, yoga, based, philosophy, practice, aurobindo, mother, mirra, alfassa, central, idea, that, spirit, manifests, itself, process, involution, meanwhile, forgetting, origins, r. For other uses see Integral yoga Satchidananda Integral yoga sometimes also called supramental yoga is the yoga based philosophy and practice of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother Mirra Alfassa 1 Central to Integral yoga is the idea that Spirit manifests itself in a process of involution meanwhile forgetting its origins The reverse process of evolution is driven toward a complete manifestation of spirit Integral yogaSri AurobindoFounderSri Aurobindo The MotherEstablished1926According to Sri Aurobindo the current status of human evolution is an intermediate stage in the evolution of being which is on its way to the unfolding of the spirit and the self revelation of divinity in all things 2 Yoga is a rapid and concentrated evolution of being which can take effect in one life time while unassisted natural evolution would take many centuries or many births 3 Aurobindo suggests a grand program called sapta chatushtaya seven quadrates to aid this evolution Contents 1 Worldview 1 1 Spirit Satchitananda 1 2 Involution 1 3 Evolution 1 4 The goal of integral yoga 2 Three types of being 2 1 The Outer Being 2 2 The Inner or Subliminal Being 2 3 The Psychic Being 2 3 1 Central being 3 Levels of being 3 1 Inconscient 3 2 Subconscient and subtle or subliminal conscient 3 2 1 The subconscient 3 2 2 The subtle or subliminal conscient 3 3 Gross body 3 3 1 Physical 3 3 2 Vital 3 4 Mind or Mental being 3 5 Spiritual Being 3 6 Supermind 4 Limitations of the present being 4 1 Personality 4 2 Three basic difficulties for mankind 4 3 Ignorance 5 Practices 5 1 The Yoga of Self Perfection 5 1 1 The Triple Transformation 5 1 1 1 Psychicisation 5 1 1 2 Spiritualisation 5 1 1 3 Intermediate zone 5 1 1 4 Supramentalisation 6 Influence 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Sources 10 1 Printed sources 10 2 Web sources 11 Further reading 12 External linksWorldview EditSee also Kosha Spirit Satchitananda Edit Main articles Absolute philosophy Satcitananda and Brahman Spirit or satchitananda is the Absolute the source of all that exists web 1 It is the One having three aspects Sat truth Citta consciousness awareness and ananda bliss happiness Involution Edit Main article Involution esoterism Involution is the extension of Spirit the Absolute to create a universe of separate forms Being manifests itself as a multiplicity of forms meanwhile becoming lost in the inconscience of matter 4 The first manifestation of Spirit in the process of involution is as Satchitananda and then as Supermind the intermediate link between the higher Spirit and lower matter life and mind nature 5 According to Aurobindo the world is a differentiated unity It is a manifold oneness that generates an infinite variety of lifeforms and substances The lifeforms and substances are stretched out on a wide range from physical matter to a pure form of spiritual being akin to the five koshas or sheaths where the subject becomes fully aware of itself as spirit 6 Material a submerged consciousness concealed in its action and losing itself in the form Vital an emerging consciousness a consciousness half delivered out of its original imprisonment which has become of vital craving and satisfaction or repulsion Mental an emerged consciousness reflecting fact of life in a mental sense perceptive and ideative It modifies the internal and attempts to modify conformably the external existence of the being 7 Above Mind proper lie various higher levels of Mind which ascend toward Spirit Evolution Edit Through evolution Spirit rediscovered itself as Spirit Evolution follows a developmental trajectory from the original inconscience of matter into life to mind and then to spiritualized mind culminating in The Supermind or Truth Consciousness 6 8 Evolution is teleological 9 10 since the developing entity contains within itself already the totality toward which it develops 10 It is not a mechanistic or deterministic teleology 10 9 but a manifestation of all the possibilities inherent in the total movement 9 The goal of integral yoga Edit The goal of Integral yoga is to become aware of the Divine to integrate the physical mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves and to manifest the Divine at earth 11 According to Sri Aurobindo all life is Yoga while Yoga as a sadhana is a methodised effort towards self perfection which brings to expression the latent hidden potentialities of being Success in this effort unifies the human individual with the universal and transcendental Existence 12 Integral yoga reunites the infinite in the finite the timeless in the temporal and the transcendent with the immanent Three types of being EditSri Aurobindo discerns three types of being the Outer being the Inner being and the Psychic Being The Outer Being Edit The Outer Being includes the physical vital and mental levels of Being which characterises our everyday consciousness and experience This includes several levels of the subconscient a mental subconscient a vital subconscient and a physical subconscient down to the material Inconscient web 2 Integral Yoga involves going beyond this surface consciousness to the larger life of the Inner Being which is more open to spiritual realisation The Inner or Subliminal Being Edit The Inner Being or Subliminal 13 14 includes the inner realms or aspects of the physical vital and mental being They have a larger subtler freer consciousness than that of the everyday consciousness Its realisation is essential for any higher spiritual realisation The Inner Being is also transitional between the surface or Outer Being and the Psychic or Inmost Being By doing yoga practice sadhana the inner consciousness is being opened and life turns away from the outward to the inward The inner consciousness becomes more real than the outer consciousness and becomes a peace happiness and closeness to the Divine 15 The Psychic Being Edit The Psychic Being is Sri Aurobindo s term for the Personal Evolving Soul the Higher Mind Illumined Mind Intuition and Overmind the principle of Divine spirit in every individual note 1 The Psychic is the Innermost Being note 2 the permanent being in us that stands behind and supports the physical vital and mental principles It uses mind life and body as its instruments undergoing their fate yet also transcending them 18 In Integral Yoga the goal is to move inward and discover the Psychic Being which then can bring about a transformation of the outer nature This transformation of the outer being or ego by the Psychic is called Psychicisation it is one of the three necessary stages in the realisation of the Supramental consciousness This Psychic transformation is the decisive movement that enables a never ending progress in life through the power of connecting to one s inner spirit or Divine Essence The Psychic begins its evolution completely veiled and hidden but grows through successive lifetimes and gradually exerts a greater influence taking on the role of spiritual Guide 19 Central being Edit Central Being refers to the transcendent and eternal spirit as opposed to the incarnate and evolving Soul which he calls the Psychic Being Sometimes it refers to both of them together as the essential spiritual core of the being 20 The Central Being presides over the different births one after the other but is itself unborn ibid p 269 This transcendent Central Being or Spirit is also designated as the Jiva or Jivatman although the meaning of these terms in Sri Aurobindo s philosophy differs greatly from that of much of conventional Vedanta especially Advaita Vedanta Levels of being EditAurobindo s model of Being and Evolution 21 22 Levels of Being DevelopmentOverall Outer Being Inner Being Psychic BeingSupermind Supermind Gnostic ManSupra mentalisationMind Overmind PsychisationandSpiritualisationIntuitionIlluminated MindHigher MindSubconscientmind Mind proper Subliminal inner mind EvolutionVital Subconsc Vital Vital Subl inner VitalPhysical Subconsc Physical Physical Subl inner PhysicalInconscient InconscientThe levels of being ascend from the inconscient to the Supermind Inconscient Edit Inconscient Matter is the lowest level of involution 23 24 Spirit is still present in the inconscient 25 The Inconscient is the Superconscient s sleep web 2 The Inconscient is also the instrument of the Superconsciousness which has created the Universe 26 According to Satprem the Inconscient lies at the bottom of the physical subconscient web 2 and life emerged at the border between the material inconscient and the physical consciousness in our body web 2 Subconscient and subtle or subliminal conscient Edit The physical vital and mental levels of being contain both a subconscient and a subtle or subliminal part 27 The subconscient Edit The subconscient parts are the submerged parts It contains obstinate samskaras impressions associations fixed notions habitual reactions formed by the past 28 According to Satprem there are several levels of the subconscient corresponding with the different levels of our being a mental subconscient a vital subconscient and a physical subconscient down to the material Inconscient web 2 According to Aurobindo the body is partly a creation of the inconscient or subconscient 26 According to The Mother the ordinary false consciousness which is common to material body consciousness is derived from the subconscient and the inconscient 29 According to Aurobindo the outer being depends on the subconscient which hinders the spiritual progress 30 Only by living in the inner being can this obstacle be overcome 30 According to Sharma the subconscient is the inconscient in the process of becoming conscient 13 It is a submerged part of the personality without waking consciousness but which does receive impressions and influences the conscious mind 28 According to Sharma it includes the unconscious mind which is described by psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung 28 though it includes much more than the unconscious of Freudian psychology note 3 The subtle or subliminal conscient Edit The subtle or subliminal is the subtle higher counterpart of the subconscient According to Sharma it has an inner mind an inner vital being and an inner subtle physical being wider than man s consciousness 13 It can directly experience the Universal and it is the source of inspirations intuitions ideas will as well as telepathy and clearvoyance 13 Gross body Edit The gross body commonly referred to in yoga constitutes mainly of two parts the material physical body annakosha and the nervous system normally refer to as vital vehicle Prana kosha in Integral yoga 32 Physical Edit The Physical level refers to both the physical body and the body s consciousness The body is just as conscious as the vital and mental parts of the being only it is a different type of consciousness The Physical not only shades upwards to higher ontological levels but also downwards into the Subconscient note 4 The Subtle physical is Sri Aurobindo s term for a subtler aspect of the physical nature This has many qualities not found in the gross physical nature In The Agenda The Mother often refers to it It might be compared to the etheric body and plane or even the astral body and plane The term subtle physical is used to distinguish it from gross sthula or outer material physical note 5 Vital Edit The Vital level of the being refers to the life force but also to the various passions desires feelings emotions affects compulsions and likes and dislikes These strongly determine human motivation and action through desire and enthusiasm Unlike Western psychology in which mind emotions instincts and consciousness are all lumped together Sri Aurobindo strongly distinguishes between the Vital and the Mental faculties In addition to the individual Vital faculty Sri Aurobindo refers to a Vital Plane or Vital world which would seem to be partly equivalent to the Astral Plane of popular occultism and New Age thought Mind or Mental being Edit Mind proper is the conceptual and cognitive mind the manakosha Mind is a subordinate process of the Supermind 34 It is the intermediary stage between the Divine and the mundane life 35 It works by measuring and dividing reality and has lost sight of the Divine 36 It is the seat of ignorance yet it is still capable of an upward ascent toward the Divine 37 Unlike Western psychology in which mind and consciousness are considered the same Sri Aurobindo strongly distinguishes between the Mental and the Vital emotional faculties as well as between Mind and pure Consciousness Sri Aurobindo in part bases his concept of the Mental on his reading of the Taittiriya Upanishad the mental being or perhaps just the Mental Purusha is the mano maya atma the self made of mind manas For Sri Aurobindo Mind or the Mental being is not simple and uniform but consists itself of various strata and subdivisions which act at different levels of being These various faculties are described or variously referred to usually in obliquely or in passing in some of his books including Savitri which has poetic references to many types of Mind 38 In his letters answering questions from disciples Sri Aurobindo summarises the characteristics of the various levels of Mind 39 note 6 Spiritual Being Edit Above mind proper lie various higher individual levels of mind namely the Higher Mind Illumined Mind Intuitive Mind and Overmind which ascend toward the Spirit and provide a higher and more inclusive vision of reality Higher Mind is the realm of Truth thought It can hold a wide range of knowledge in one vision and an integral whole 37 note 7 It receives illumination from the Illumined Mind 42 and is not dependent on the limited knowledge of the senses 37 It is also capable of transforming the lower realms of body and mind effectuating changes of habit and life 37 Nevertheless it is still a state of thought in contrast to Illumined Mind which is a state of vision and spiritual insight 42 Illumined Mind is the mind of sight and vision It transforms the Higher Mind by providing it a direct vision 43 Intuition provides the illumination of thought and vision to the Higher Mind and the Illumined Mind 43 Mundane mind may experience intuition too but in the higher realms of mind it becomes more frequent and stable 43 Overmind is the Cosmic Consciousness 44 It is the plane of Gods Overmental plane is the highest consciousness one can achieve without transcending the mental system Beyond overmind are the planes of Supermind or unity consciousness note 8 Supermind Edit Main article Supermind Integral yoga Supermind is the infinite unitary Truth Consciousness or Truth Idea beyond the three lower planes of Matter Life and Mind Supermind is the dynamic form of Sachchidananda Being Consciousness Bliss and the necessary mediator or link between the transcendent Sacchidananda and the creation 45 Limitations of the present being EditHumans are stuck between matter and Spirit 46 due to the habits of personality and partial awareness which arise from Ignorance Personality Edit Humans are accustomed to respond to certain vibrations more than other These customs develop into one s desire pain feelings which are all a set of habits This crystallised set of habits becomes one s personality This is normally believed to be self The appearance of stable personality is given by constant repetition and recurrence of the same vibrations and formations 46 Three basic difficulties for mankind Edit According to Aurobindo humans face three basic problems Partial Self awareness humans are only aware of a small part about themselves They are aware of the surface of mentality physical being and life and not of the larger and more potent subconscious mind and hidden life impulses Partial awareness of other beings humans create a rough mental construction of their fellow beings Their understanding is created by a mental knowledge which is imperfect and subjected to denial and frustration This partial awareness can be overcome by a conscious unity This unity can only be achieved from Supermind 47 A division between Force and consciousness in evolution matter life and mind are often warring with each other Materialists try to resolve this war by submitting oneself to the mortality of our being while ascetics have tried to reject earthly life A true solution may lie in finding the principle beyond mind thereby overcoming the mortality of our existence 48 Ignorance Edit The fundamental cause of falsehood error and evil is Ignorance Ignorance is a self limiting knowledge which arises with exclusive concentration in a single field According to Aurobindo human notion of good bad amp evil are uncertain and relative 49 Practices EditUnlike other Yoga practices Integral yoga does not propose any kind of physical asanas breathing techniques or external movements It is more psychological in nature with internal reflection and self analysis amp correction as main tools of development The main practices or approaches are divided into 50 The yoga of divine work yoga through one s work The yoga of Integral Knowledge Yoga through analysis observation and knowledge The Yoga of Divine love Commonly referred to as Bhakti yoga or love of god The Yoga of Self Perfection referred to as a Synthetic yoga or the triple way 51 The Yoga of Self Perfection Edit The Triple Transformation Edit The limitations of the present being can be overcome by the Triple transformation the process in which the lower nature is transformed into the divine nature It consists of the inward psychicisation by which the sadhak gets in contact with the inner divine principle or Psychic Being the spiritual transformation or spiritualisation and the Supramentalisation of the entire being note 9 Psychicisation Edit Psychicisation is a turn inward so that one realises the psychic being the psychic personality or Divine Soul in the core of one s being The Divine Soul serves as a spiritual Guide in the yoga and enables one to transform the outer being 52 It may also help avoid the dangers of the spiritual path There is an intermediate zone a dangerous and misleading transitional spiritual and pseudospiritual region between the ordinary consciousness and true spiritual realisation 53 Psychisiation consists of three methods In consecration one opens oneself to the Force before engaging in an activity Moving to the Depths or concentration is a movement away from the surface existence to a deeper existence within Surrender means offering all one s work one s life to the Divine Force and Intent 54 55 Guided by the evolving divine soul within the sadhak moves away from ego ignorance finiteness and the limitations of the outer being It is thanks to this guidance by the Divine Soul that the sadhak can avoid the pitfalls of the spiritual path Spiritualisation Edit As a result of the Psychicisation light peace and power descend into the body transforming all of its parts physical vital and mental This is the Spiritual transformation or Spiritualisation the concretisation of the larger spiritual consciousness It is equivalent to enlightenment as found in Vedanta and Buddhism Intermediate zone Edit Main articles Intermediate zone and Spiritual bypass Aurobindo asserted that spiritual aspirants may pass through an intermediate zone where experiences of force inspiration illumination light joy expansion power and freedom from normal limits are possible These can become associated with personal aspirations ambitions notions of spiritual fulfilment and yogic siddhi and even be falsely interpreted as full spiritual realisation One can pass through this zone and the associated spiritual dangers without harm by perceiving its real nature and seeing through the misleading experiences Those who go astray in it may end in a spiritual disaster or may remain stuck there and adopt some half truth as the whole truth or become an instrument of lesser powers of these transitional planes According to Aurobindo this happens to many sadhaks and yogis 56 57 Supramentalisation Edit Supramentalisation is the realisation of the Supermind or Supramental consciousness and the resulting transformation of the entire being Psychicisation and spiritualisation serve as necessary prerequisites for the Supramentalisation of the entire being 58 The supramental transformation is the final stage in the integral yoga enabling the birth of a new individual fully formed by the supramental power Such individuals would be the forerunners of a new supra humanity grounded in truth consciousness All aspects of division and ignorance of consciousness at the vital and mental levels would be overcome and replaced with a unity of consciousness at every plane And even the physical body transformed and divinised A new supramental species would then emerge living a supramental gnostic divine life on earth 59 Aurobindo describes several results and different stages depicting the stages of development in integral yoga called together the sapta chatushtaya seven quadrates web 3 web 4 note 10 It consists of web 3 Shanti peace calm which consists of samatha calming of the mind shanti peace sukha happiness and hasya Atmaprasada contentment of the Atman Shakti power which consists of shakti the power of the primordial energy virya energy effort daivi prakriti Divine Nature primal force and sraddha faith vijnana knowledge which consists of jnanam knowledge trikaladrsti knowledge of past present and future ashtasiddhi eight powers and samadhi absorption Sharira body which consists of arogyam health utthapana levitation being free from gravity and physical powers saundaryam beauty vividhananda bliss Karma divine work which consists of Krishna avatar of Vishnu Kali the Goddess kama divine delight and Karma divine action Brahma the realization of Brahman Siddhi realization which consists of shuddhi purification mukti liberation bhukti enjoyment and siddhi realisation of yogic powers Influence EditAurobindo had a strong influence on Ken Wilber s integral theory of spiritual development 60 Wilber s Causal and Ultimate stages closely resemble Aurobindo s higher mental stages but Wilber lumps together levels of Being types of Being and developmental stages See also EditNeo VedantaNotes Edit According to The Mother the term Psychic or Psychic Being is derived from the occult kabbalistic teachings of Max Theon 16 Sri Aurobindo distinguishes between the Psychic Being as being defined in his Integral Yoga and the ordinary meaning of psychic which refers more to psychological phenomena or to paranormal phenomena which are connected with the subtle physical layers 16 Amal Kiran 17 According to Pani the inconscient is the same as the western psycho analytic unconscious mind while the subconsciousness is another layer of consciousness 31 The Physical can be subdivided into finer sub grades the Physical Proper or pure body consciousness which represents the consciousness of the external physical body itself the Vital Physical or Nervous Being which seems to be equivalent to the Etheric body of western esotericism and hence pertains to one of the subtle bodies the Mental Physical similar to the Physical Mind see Mental the True physical being is the Purusha of the physical level which is like the Inner Physical larger than the surface body consciousness and in touch with the a larger spiritual consciousness the Inner physical the physical component of the inner being which is wider and more plastic than the outer physical body This is also called the subtle physical Aurobindo 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 the subtle physical has a freedom plasticity intensity power colour wide and manifold play there are thousands of things there that are not here of which as yet we have no possibility on earth 33 A small but popular book by Jyoti and Prem Sobel The Hierarchy of Minds comes closest to a systematic coverage of an Aurobindonian noetology by gathering all of Sri Aurobindo s references and quotes on the subject of Mind and arranging these according to the type of Mind These various Minds and Mental principles of being include 40 Physical Mind The Mechanical Mind is a much lower action of the mental physical which when left to itself can only repeat the same ideas and record the reflexes of the physical consciousness in its contact with outward life and things Mind in the physical or mental physical mentalises the experiences of outward life and things sometimes very cleverly but it does not go beyond that unlike the externalising mind which deals with these things from the perspective of reason and its own higher intelligence Physical Mind refers to either or both the Externalising Mind and the Mental in the Physical it is limited to a physical or materialistic perspective and cannot go beyond that unless enlightened from above Mind of Light according to The Mother this is the Physical Mind receiving the supramental light and thus being able to act directly in the Physical 41 Vital Mind Vital Mind a mediator between the vital emotions desires and so on the mental proper It is limited by the vital view and feeling of things and expresses the desires feelings ambitions and other active tendencies of the vital in mental forms such as daydreams and imaginations of greatness happiness and so on As with the Externalising Mind Sri Aurobindo associates it with the Vishuddha or Throat ChakraMind proper Mind Proper is free fold consisting of Thinking Mind dynamic Mind externalising Mind It constitutes the sum of one s thoughts opinions ideas and values which guide conscious thinking conceptualizing and decision making processes and is transformed widened and spiritualised through the practice of Integral Yoga Thinking Mind the highest aspect of the mind proper concerned with ideas and knowledge in their own right It is equated with the Ajna Chakra Dynamic Mind that aspect of the ordinary mind that puts out of mental forces for realisation acting by the idea and by reason It is also equated with the Ajna or Brow center Externalising Mind the most external part of the mind proper concerned with the expression of ideas in speech in life or in any form it can give It is equated with the Vishuddha or Throat ChakraHigher Mind Higher Mind the first and lowest of the spiritual mental grades lying above the normal mental level Spiritual Mind either the spiritualised mind or a general term for levels of mind above the normal mental level the Mind Proper Inner mind the mental component of the Inner Being which lies behind the surface mind or ordinary consciousness and can only be directly experienced by sadhana True mental being is the Purusha of the mental level freed from the error and ignorance of the lower Prakriti and open to the knowledge and guidance above Psychic Mind a movement of the mind in which the Psychic Being predominates the mind turned towards the Divine Compare Ken Wilber s Centaur or vision logic see Integral theory Ken Wilber Levels or stages A detailed description of the Overmind is provided in Book I ch 28 and Book II ch 26 of Sri Aurobindo s philosophical opus The Life Divine This is described in The Life Divine part 2 ch 25 and Letters on Yoga part 4 section 1 Aurobindo received these instructions as a series of mantras while he was imprisoned in Alipore prison They were copied by Arun to use for study web 5 References Edit O Connor 2005 p 634 Aurobindo 1939 p 1107 Aurobindo 1996 p 282 Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine Bk I Ch 11 12 Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine a b Aurobindo 1939 p 254 255 Aurobindo 1939 p 221 Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine bk II ch 27 28 a b c Giri 2014 p 59 a b c Misra 1998 p 414 Vrinte 1996 p 140 Aurobindo 1996 p 6 a b c d Sharma 1991 p 63 Vrinte 2002 p 235 Sri Aurobindo Letters on Yoga 3rd ed 1971 p 307 a b Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine p 227 note Craig Hamilton The Miraculous Power of the Soul A meeting with Amal Kiran Pondicherry Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine p 891 Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine pp 891 4 Letters on Yoga vol I under Planes and Parts of Being pp 265ff in the 3rd ed Wilber 1992 p 263 Sharma 1991 Pani 2007 p 132 The Mother 1961 p 199 Pani 2007 p 211 a b Pani 2007 p 297 Sharma 1991 p 61 63 a b c Sharma 1991 p 61 The Mother 1961 p 50 a b Sri Aurobindo 1988 Pani 2007 p 207 Aurobindo 1996 p 10 11 Sri Aurobindo Letters on Yoga part 1 section v Chakravorty 1991 p 42 Chakravorty 1991 p 40 41 Chakravorty 1991 p 41 a b c d Chakravorty 1991 p 43 Jyoti and Prem Sobel 1984 pp 152 62 Aurobindo Letters on Yoga vol I pp 324 5 Jyoti and Prem Sobel The Hierarchy of Minds The Mother 1980 pp 63 64 a b Chakravorty 1991 p 45 a b c Chakravorty 1991 p 47 Chakravorty 1991 p 49 Sri Aurobindo 1977 Life Divine Book I ch 14 16 a b Aurobindo 1996 p 210 Aurobindo 1939 p 227 Aurobindo 1939 p 228 Aurobindo 1939 p 622 Aurobindo 1996 pp 2 30 Aurobindo 1996 p 611 Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine book II chapter 25 Sri Aurobindo s Letters on Yoga The Intermediate Zone Synthesis of Yoga Part I ch II III Letters on Yoga vol II pp 585ff 3rd ed Sri Aurobindo s Letters on Yoga The Intermediate Zone Grey Lodge Occult Review Issue 9 The Intermediate Zone Sri Aurobindo The Synthesis of Yoga pp 281 2 Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine book II ch 27 28 Vrinte 2002 Sources EditPrinted sources Edit Sri AurobindoSri Aurobindo 1939 The Life Divine Sri Aurobindo Ashram press ISBN 978 81 7058 844 3 Sri Aurobindo 1977 The Life Divine 10th ed Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust Sri Aurobindo 1996 The Synthesis of Yoga Lotus light publication ISBN 0 941524 65 5 Sri Aurobindo 1988 Transformation of the Subconscient and the Inconscient Letters on yoga Volume 3 Part Four Lotus press ISBN 8170580099The MotherThe Mother 1961 Mother s Agenda 1951 1973 Volume II 1961 Paris Inst for Evolutionary Research ISBN 2902776047 The Mother 1998 Satprem ed Mothers Agenda 1969 vol 10 Institut de Recherches Evolutives ISBN 8185137366 The Mother 1980 Words of the Mother Collected Works of the Mother Centenary Edition vol 13 Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust PondicherryOther sourcesChakravorty Satya Jyoti 1991 The Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo Sterling Publishers Giri Ananta Kumar 2014 Knowledge and Human Liberation Towards Planetary Realizations Anthem Press McDermott Robert A 2001 Introduction The Essential Aurobindo SteinerBooks Misra Ramacandra 1998 The Integral Advaitism of Sri Aurobindo Motilal Banarsidass Publications O Connor June 2005 Aurobindo Ghose in Jones Lindsey ed MacMillan Encyclopedia of Religions MacMillan Pani R N 2007 Integral Education thought amp Practical APH Publishing ISBN 9788131302866 Sharma Ram Nath 1991 Sri Aurobindo s Philosophy of Social Development Atlantic Publishers Sobel Jyoti Sobel Prem 1984 The Hierarchy of Minds Pondicherry Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust Vrinte Joseph 1996 The Quest for the Inner Man Transpersonal Psychology and Integral Sadhana Pondicherry India Sri Mira Trust ISBN 81 208 1502 5 Vrinte Joseph 2002 The Perennial Quest for a Psychology with a Soul An inquiry into the relevance of Sri Aurobindo s metaphysical yoga psychology in the context of Ken Wilber s integral psychology Motilal Banarsidass ISBN 81 208 1932 2 Wilber Ken 1992 Het Atman project Servire Web sources Edit Sri Aurobindo Studies Sat Chit Ananda is the Source of the Manifested Universe a b c d e Satprem Aurobindo or the adventure of consciousness a b Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Sapta Chatushtaya Dr Debashish Banerji Seven Quartets of Becoming A Transformative Yoga Psychology Based on the Diaries of Sri Aurobindo Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother The origin of the Sapta ChatusthayaFurther reading EditSen Indra 1986 Integral Psychology The Psychological System of Sri Aurobindo Pondicherry India Sri Aurobindo Ashram TrustExternal links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Integral yoga Wikimedia Commons has media related to Integral Yoga Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo amp The Mother Glossary to the Record of Yoga Rod Hemsell Ken Wilber and Sri Aurobindo A Critical Perspective Portal Hinduism Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Integral yoga amp oldid 1172261994, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.