March - Deepening

March 2023 NEWSLETTER VOL 37.3 S R I A U R O B I N D O S O C I E T Y, Singapore Deepening of the Consciousness Pain&ng by Pri& Contemplation for the Month THOU hast passed, O Lord, like a great wave of love over my life, and when I was immersed in it I knew integrally and intensely that I had offered to Thee… And in that great love which enveloped me and that consciousness of perfect renunciation there was an immense serenity vaster than the universe and a sweetness so intense and so full of infinite compassion that tears began to flow slowly from my eyes. Nothing could have been more remote from both suffering and happiness, it was unutterable peace. Prayers and Meditation By The Mother

Editorial Note This edition of our newsletter takes a look at the deepening of oneself for the purpose of spiritual growth and how to practice deepening with the help of The Mother’s words and Sri Aurobindo’s. We also observe in March Deepening Centralising Stress of Consciousness If you can grasp that, then it ought not to be difficult to see further that it [consciousness] can subjectively formulate itself as a physical, a vital, a mental, a psychic consciousness - all these are present in man, but as they are all mixed up together in the external consciousness with their real status behind in the inner being, one can only become fully aware of them by releasing the original limiting stress of the consciousness which makes us live in our external being and become awake and centred within in the inner being. As the consciousness in us, by its external concentration or stress, has to put all these things behind - behind a wall or veil, it has to break down the wall or veil and get back in its stress into these inner parts of existence - that is what we call living within; then our external being seems to us something small and superficial, we are or can become aware of the large and rich and inexhaustible kingdom within. So also consciousness in us has drawn a lid or covering or whatever one likes to call it between the lower planes of mind, life, body supported by the psychic and the higher planes which contain the spiritual kingdoms where the self is always free and limitless, and it can break or open the lid or covering and ascend there and become the Self free and wide and luminous or else bring down the influence, reflection, finally even the presence and power of the higher consciousness into the lower nature. SABCL Vol 22 page 237-38 * … enter a little more deeply into your being How can one \"learn of pure delight\" ? First of all, to begin with, one must through an attentive observation grow aware that desires and the satisfaction of desires give only a vague, uncertain pleasure, mixed, fugitive and altogether unsatisfactory. That is usually the starting-point. Then, if one is a reasonable being, one must learn to discern what is desire and refrain from doing anything that may satisfy one's desires. One must reject them without trying to satisfy them. And so the first result is exactly one of the first observations stated by the Buddha in his teaching: there is an infinitely greater delight in conquering and eliminating a desire than

in satisfying it. Every sincere and steadfast seeker will realise after some time, sooner or later, at times very soon, that this is an absolute truth, and that the delight felt in overcoming a desire is incomparably higher than the small pleasure, so fleeting and mixed, which may be found in the satisfaction of his desires. That is the second step. Naturally, with this continuous discipline, in a very short time the desires will keep their distance and will no longer bother you. So you will be free to enter a little more deeply into your being and open yourself in an aspiration to... the Giver of Delight, the divine Element, the divine Grace. And if this is done with a sincere self-giving — something that gives itself, offers itself and expects nothing in exchange for its offering — one will feel that kind of sweet warmth, comfortable, intimate, radiant, which fills the heart and is the herald of Delight. After this, the path is easy. Questions and Answer, 1957-1958, The Mother * …take a plunge and sink down. This is the first thing necessary—aspiration for the Divine. The next thing you have to do is to tend it, to keep it always alert and awake and living. And for that what is required is concentration—concentration upon the Divine with a view to an integral and absolute consecration to its Will and Purpose. Concentrate in the heart. Enter into it; go within and deep and far, as far as you can. Gather all the strings of your consciousness that are spread abroad, roll them up and take a plunge and sink down. A fire is burning there, in the deep quietude of the heart. It is the divinity in you—your true being. Hear its voice, follow its dictates. Questions and Answer, 1929-1931, The Mother

Guiding Lines from Savitri Intent upon her silent will she walked On the dim grass of vague unreal plains, A floating veil of visions in her front, A trailing robe of dreams behind her feet. But now her spirit’s flame of conscient force Retiring from a sweetness without fruit Called back her thoughts from speech to sit within In a deep room in meditation’s house. For only there could dwell the soul’s firm truth: Imperishable, a tongue of sacrifice, It flamed unquenched upon the central hearth Where burns for the high houselord and his mate The homestead’s sentinel and witness fire From which the altars of the gods are lit. All still compelled went gliding on unchanged, Still was the order of these worlds reversed: The mortal led, the god and spirit obeyed And she behind was leader of their march And they in front were followers of her will. Savitri, Sri Aurobindo

CENTRE ACTIVITIES OF FEBRUARY 2023 - GLIMPSES 5 February 2023: Savitri Reading Circle, Savitri Book Seven: Canto 7; The Discovery of the Cosmic Spirit and the Cosmic Consciousness. The summary written by MP Pandit is very comprehensive. One night Savitri sitting near Satyavan, who was sleep in the forest, sees the world as living God, the One that is All. She is identified with him in herself. She becomes one with Nature and feels the movements of all in Nature as in herself. She is no more an individual person; she is all in the world. She is spread out in infinity, one with the Whole. She is the subconscient life that courses in plant creation, she is the mind and heart in man, she climbs as his soul to God. The entire cosmos in Tune and Space flowers in her; she is its foundation. I felt Savitri’s experience of Cosmic Spirit somewhat relates to the experience of Arjuna’s Viswarupa Darshanam of Lord Krishna. 12 February 2023: Readings from Synthesis of Yoga The readings on Synthesis of Yoga continued from the last paragraph on page 159 of the book to page 161. Love in its several forms was looked at through the reading. Here is an excerpt from that reading: “As with individual, so with universal Love; all that widening of the self through sympathy, goodwill, universal benevolence and beneficence, love of mankind, love of creatures, the attrac- tion of all the myriad forms and presences that surround us, by which mentally and emotionally man escapes from the first limits of his ego, has to be taken up into a unifying divine love for the universal Divine. \" 19 February 2023: Readings from The Life Divine, by Sri Aurobindo: ‘Delight of Existence: The Solution’ Chapter XII Sri Aurobindo begins this chapter by referring to ‘Kena Upanishad’- Chapter IV, Verse 2 with the following translation: “The name of That is “That Delight”; as That Delight one should follow after It. He who so knows That, towards him verily all existences yearn”. The Kena Upanishad is concerned \"with the relation of mind-consciousness to Brahman- consciousness\", writes Sri Aurobindo in his commentary on this work. \"The material world and the physical life exist for us only by virtue of our internal self and our internal life. According as our mental instruments represent to us the external world, according as our vital force in obedience to the mind deals with its impacts and objects, so will be our outward life and existence.\"

For our discussion, we followed Point to point summary of the entire Chapter by referring to the ‘Study guide’- compiled by Dr Hutchinson. Delight is at the root of all experiences, hidden behind our superficial responses. § The essential delight is normally hidden, subconscious, to our ordinary self. · Relation of the eternal to the play of existence. § From the aspect of Sat in the surface consciousness, the world appears as Maya. § From the aspect of force of consciousness, the world appears as Prakriti. § From the aspect of delight, the world appears as Lila. § Since delight is the root, it must be one conscious being behind all our experiences. § And our experiences are imperfect responses, first divided rhythms or reactions. Consequences of delight as the root. § Pain, pleasure is a superficial arrangement, behind which is a profounder response. § By living within we can perceive this. § Pain and pleasure, being superficial, are merely habit, are not inevitable. § This freedom is easier to experience in mind than in body or nerves. § But also seen in the physical in periods of exaltation, hypnosis. § Pain is nature's device to assist a limited being in meeting the shocks of existence. § When we are in harmony with universe, the utility of pain ceases. § Pain and pleasure are actually currents of delight, of rasa. § Art and poetry enable us to approach a universal appreciation, rasa, even for the sorrowful or the terrible. § Elimination of suffering first comes through facing and enduring the shocks of existence. § The reason for this movement lies in the variable realization of delight in its possibilities. § Delight loses itself in insensible matter and emerges first as the discordant rhythm of pain/pleasure, then into the unity of Sacchidananda. 19 February 2023: Readings and Reflections In this evenings session, commenced a reading from Synthesis of Yoga pgs. 153-157; The Yoga of Divine Works; The Ascent of the Sacrifice – 1. This reading describes the Psychic being and we began with the following paragraph: “It is the very nature of the soul or the psychic being to turn towards the divine Truth as the sunflower to the sun; it accepts and clings to all that is divine or progressing towards divinity, and draws back from all that is a perversion or a denial of it, from all that is false and undivine.” These readings are expected to continue for the next few sessions. 26 February 2023: Questions and Answers by The Mother

The Question and Answers of 10th November 1954 were selected for this evening’s reading. Four questions were taken up for the day as follows: What does this mean exactly: “In Yoga it is out of the inner victory that there comes the outer conquest”? Sweet Mother, what does “psychic poise” mean? Mother, last time we read: “It does not matter what defects you may have in your nature. The one thing that matters is your keeping yourself open to the Force.” Mother, if one has defects, how can one open to the Force? Can one have faith through aspiration? The answers by The Mother were read with concentration. It was a wonderful experience contemplating on the inner being and ways to open the being to the influence of the Psychic Being. by Jayalakshmi, Jayanthi, Krishnamurthi, Anitha, Jayanthy Walk Details for 1st Sunday Walk, 6 March 2023 5th March (Sunday) 8 am Walk venue: Pasir Ris Park Meeting point: Pasir Ris Park Carpark B Walk coordinator: S.Ramanathan (91385130) Meditation & Brunch: Time: 10.30 am Hosts: Anand Sheetal & Rishabh Address: 71 Pasir Ris Grove 07-19 , Livia Singapore 518205 Ph: 93397950/86126067 All are cordially invited for the walk, the meditation and the brunch that follows.

PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2023 DATE TIME DETAILS 8 AM Monthly Morning Walk * 5 Mar 2023 Savitri Circle by Venkatesh Rao Sunday 6 PM Youth Programme 7 PM 12 Mar 2023 6 PM Study Circle by Rakesh : Sunday The Synthesis of Yoga 5 PM Vedic Mantras from The Life Divine by Krishnamurthy and Jared 19 Mar 2023 6 PM Mother’s Questions and Answers by Shailaja Sunday 7 PM Youth Programme 26 Mar 2023 6 PM Readings and Reflections: The Inner Journey by Jayanthy Sunday Printed and Published by The Sri Aurobindo Society of Singapore 2A Starlight Road 01-07, Singapore 217755. Anand Venkat: 86126067 or [email protected]; Anand Patel:[email protected]; Email: [email protected] Visit our website at: www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg