December 2015 Newsletter - Web

December 2015 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY VOL 29.12 Singapore Permit No. MCI (P) 146/12/2014 NEWSLETTER SINCERITY The beginning of all progress.Botanical Name: Aster amellusCommon Name: Italian asterSpiritual Significance: Simple SinceritySincerity is the key of the divine doors.Be sincere and absolute in your consecration to the Divine and your lifewill become harmonious and beautiful. - The Mother

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015. Guiding Light of the Month“My whole being prostrates before Thee in a gratitude beyond measure and a ceaseless worship; and that worship goes up from my heart andmy mind towards Thee like the pure smoke of incense of the perfumes of India.” The Mother, ‘Prayers and Meditations’ February 8 1913 From the Editor’s DeskThis month’s edition of the Newsletter takes a look at If sincerity means all these and if it is crucial forthe quality or virtue of sincerity. The word is defined progress itself, then everyone interested in progressas the absence of pretense, deceit or hypocrisy, will have to take a serious look at sincerity in oneselfaccording to the Oxford Online Dictionary. What then and make it one’s business in life to cultivate sincerityis pretense, deceit or hypocrisy? Pretense is defined as and be it. How can this be done?an attempt at making up something that is not the case,while deceit is the action of or practice of deception by In order to chart out an action plan for cultivatingconcealing or misrepresenting truth and lastly, sincerity, one must know what exactly sincerity ishypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have higher (rather than only what it is not, as the definition abovestandards or more noble beliefs then is actually the highlights). Here is one statement from The Mothercase. Sincerity is the absence of all these practices in a about what is sincerity: “Sincerity means to lift all theperson. This means quite a lot. A little contemplation movements of the being to the level of the higheston what sincerity means may throw one into a chasm consciousness and realization already attained.” If oneof doubt. were to rid oneself of insincerity, one should not have “any preference, any attraction, any dislike, anyHow many times in a day is one sincere? How often sympathy or antipathy, any attachment, any repulsion.”does one show something that is not as that which is the On the other hand, one must instead have “a total,case? How often does one pretend to be what one is not, integral vision of things, in which everything is in itsin our daily lives, in dealings with people and also place and one has the same attitude towards all things:ourselves? How often does one carry a superiority the attitude of true vision.” Above all, one must decidecomplex about oneself, as one being a notch higher and will that one wants sincerity, above all others.than another in a certain way of being or practice? This is the work before one if sincerity is to become aSincerity calls for much. It demands certain part of the being and that too relentless work for everypreconditions. First one has to know oneself very well moment. Daunting it may sound, The Mother’sin order to know the intensity of sincerity in oneself. assurance is always there, for anyone who sincerelyThen, to know oneself, one has to observe, and observe wants to change and embrace sincerity in his or herattentively, minutely and intensely. In order to observe being: “Whenever there is sincerity, you find that thein this way, one has to be silent from within, without help, the guidance, the grace are always there to givebeing distracted by what happens outside or inside you the answer and you are not mistaken for long.”oneself. Being sincere appears to be a quality thatcannot be gained in a few days. Acquiring it in itself May sincerity be!appears a Sadhana. The Mother says that there is noprogress without sincerity. Read on for help.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 2

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015. Savitri Ardent was her self-poised unstumbling will; Her mind, a sea of white sincerity, Passionate in flow, had not one turbid wave. As in a mystic and dynamic dance A priestess of immaculate ecstasies Inspired and ruled from Truth's revealing vault Moves in some prophet cavern of the gods, A heart of silence in the hands of joy Inhabited with rich creative beats A body like a parable of dawn That seemed a niche for veiled divinity Or golden temple door to things beyond. (Book Four, Canto One) Question of the MonthQ: What do I need to develop most? And what do I need to reject most?A: Mother: Develop―sincerity (that is, an integral adhesion to the Divine’s way).Reject―the pull of the old human habits.(CWM, Volume 14, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) True Sincerity – A Jewel of HonourStories by the Mother on SincerityA Muslim writer, Abu Abbas, tells us of the glory of King Solomon, who reigned in Jerusalem,the holy city of the Hebrews. In his throne room there were six hundred seats, half of which wereoccupied by sages, the other half by Jinns or genies who assisted Solomon by their magic power.Throughout the sittings of the Council, a multitude of great birds would appear at a word from theking and spread their wings to shade the people in the six hundred seats. And at his command,each morning and evening, a powerful wind would arise, lifting up the whole palace andinstantaneously transporting it a month’s journey away. In this way, the king was at hand to governthe distant lands that belonged to him. Besides, Solomon made the most marvellous throne onecould ever dream of. And this throne was designed in such a way that no one would dare to utteran untruth in the presence of the king. It was made of ivory, inlaid with pearls, emeralds and rubies,and around it stood four golden date-palms on which the dates were also emeralds and rubies. Atthe top of two of these palms were golden peacocks, and on the two others were golden vultures.On each side of the throne there were also two golden lions between two pillars of emerald. Andgolden vines bearing ruby grapes twined around the trunks of the trees.The elders of Israel were seated at Solomon’s right hand and their seats were of gold, the geniessat at his left hand and their seats were of silver. When the king held his court of justice the peoplewww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 3

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015.were allowed into his presence. And each time that a man bore witness on another, if he deviatedever so little from the truth, an amazing thing would happen. At the sight of him, the throne bearingthe king, the lions, the palm-trees, the peacocks and the vultures, would instantly turn round onitself. Then the lions would thrust forward their claws, lashing the ground with their tails; thevultures and the peacocks would flap their wings.And so the witnesses would tremble with terror and would not dare to tell a single lie. And thiswas no doubt very convenient, and must have considerably lightened the king’s task. But fear isalways a wretched thing, which consorts ill with truth. Even when by chance, as in the story ofAbu Abbas, it forces a man to speak the truth, that does not make him truthful; for, at the very nextmoment, fear may drive him to speak without frankness, as did the fox in our previous tale. Andthat is what most often happens. An honest man does not need the marvels of Solomon’s throne tolearn to speak the truth. The throne of truth dwells within his own heart; the rectitude of his soulcannot but inspire him with words of rectitude. He speaks the truth not because he is afraid of ateacher, a master or a judge, but because truth is the characteristic of an upright man, the stamp ofhis nature. Love of truth makes him face all fears. He speaks as he should, no matter what happensto him. ***Is it not noble to speak the truth in this way, even when there is some danger in doing it? Besides,very often, things turn out better for those who brave this danger than it might have seemed at first.The success of falsehood is only short-lived, whereas in most cases, to be sincere is the cleverestthing to do.One morning, the Emperor of Delhi sat on his throne to confer honours on those he consideredworthy. As the ceremony was drawing to a close, he noticed that one of the people he hadsummoned, a young man named Syed Ahmed, had not yet made his appearance.The Emperor stepped down from his throne and got into a sedan chair which was used to carryhim through his vast palace.Just at that moment the young man hurried in.“Your son is late,” said the Emperor to Syed’s father, who was his friend.“Why?” asked the Emperor, looking sternly at the young man.“Sire,” Syed replied frankly, “it is because I overslept.”The courtiers looked at the young man in amazement. How dare he admit so shamelessly to theEmperor that he had no better excuse? How tactless of him to speak like that!But the Emperor, after pondering a moment, felt respect for the young man because of his sincerity;and he gave him the necklace of pearls and the jewel of honour to place on his brow. Such was thereward of Syed Ahmed, who loved the truth and spoke it to all, prince or peasant. ***There is a legend in South India which tells of a prince, the Jasmine King, whose laugh alonewould fill the land for leagues around with the sweet fragrance of jasmine. But for that his laughmust come from the joyful and spontaneous gaiety of his heart. It would have been no use if hehad tried to laugh without true merriment. When his spirit was full of joy, his laughter wouldbubble up like a fragrant spring. The quality of this laughter came wholly from its sincerity.The tables in Duryodhana’s palace were laid with an extremely rich display of vessels of gold andsilver, ornamented with rubies and emeralds and diamonds sparkling with many colours. LordKrishna was invited to the feast but did not go. Instead he went that night to the house of a poorwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 4

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015.Sudra, who had also invited him. The meal was simple, the dishes were plain. And yet Krishnachose this one in preference to the other, for the feast which the Sudra offered him was full ofsincere love, whereas the sumptuous banquet of King Duryodhana had been given only for show.It is also said that the glorious Rama once sat at the table of a very humble woman, whose husbandwas a fowler. All she could put before the famous hero was a few fruits, for she had nothing else.But she gave the best she had with such a good heart that Rama was touched and wished that thememory of this gift from a sincere soul should not be forgotten, and that is why it is still spokenof after so many centuries.Jalal was a wise and famous teacher. One day two Turks who wished to hear his teachings cameto see him with an offering. As they were very poor, their gift was small—only a handful of lentils.Some of the sage’s disciples looked at this present with scorn. But Jalal told them: “Once theProphet Mohammed needed riches to carry out one of his undertakings. So he asked his followersto give him what they could spare. Some brought half of their possessions, others a third. AbuBakar gave all his wealth. In this way Mohammed got a large quantity of animals and weapons.Then came a poor woman who in her turn offered the Prophet three dates and a wheat-cake; andthat was all she had. Many smiled at this sight, but the Prophet told them that he had had a dreamin which he had seen the angels take a pair of scales and put the gifts of all the people in one ofthe pans and into the other only the dates and the bread of the poor woman. And the scale stoodbalanced, for this pan was as heavy as the other.” And Jalal added: “A small gift offered with asincere heart has as much value as costly presents.” On hearing this the two Turks were full of joyand no one dared laugh any more about the handful of lentils.(CWM, Volume 2, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) Birth of True Mental Sincerity (With its birth the mind will understand that it is only an intermediary and not an end in itself)Sincerity means more than mere honesty. It means that you mean what you say, feel what youprofess, are earnest in your will. As the sadhak aspires to be an instrument of the Divine and onewith the Divine, sincerity in him means that he is really in earnest in his aspiration and refuses allother will or impulse except the Divine's. - Sri AurobindoTrue sincerity consists in following the way because you cannot do otherwise, in consecratingyourself to the divine life because you cannot do otherwise, in striving to transform your being andemerge into the Light because you cannot do otherwise, because it is the very reason for whichyou live. - The Mother(Excerpt from ‘Flowers and Messages’, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 5

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015. The blossoming flower In ceaseless motion round the purple rim Day by day sped by like coloured spokes, And through a glamour of shifting hues of air The symbol pageant of the changing year - Savitri ***Presenting here a poem for the waning year. With this, we conclude the series of poems and articleson Seasons. The year begun with our yearning hearts, in it was planted a tiny little bud. Aspirations and adventures a lot, the bud unfurled with time, petal by petal, Into a beautiful fragrant flower. With the flaming heart-flower, a celebration and a joy invites us into the cool month of December. An offering we do, of the blossomed flower to its source. When the year merges into the next, the time becomes sacred, like that of an early morning dawn. It is also called as Margazhi, a time of reverence and remembrance. We remember in our ways, a sweet little girl. Goda, she is revered as. Her wonderful black tresses remind us of a boy as black, as black as the dense clouds. She sews a flower garland with herself entwined in her flowers. Beckons the cuckoo and the cloud with adoring songs to reach her beloved. Kolams decorate house fronts, very colored and intricate. Carnatic music takes stage, showering its pride of culture. With the richness from the years’ experiences, we welcome the touch of New Year’s rays, our hearts opening for a newer bud. Looking forward to inspiring adventures, we journey with time and blossom. - Sandhyawww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 6

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015. October – November Sunday Activities at the Centre – A glimpseOctober 18th - Meditation on Savitri with Huta’s Visuals:Book Eleven: Canto 1, The Eternal Day: The Soul’s Choice and the Supreme Consummation,Pictures 18 to 25.God addresses Savitri as the living power of the manifest Word of the Spirit, which has no creativepowers but has the knowledge of the slow pace of time. And asks Savitri “Ascend soul into thytimeless self; Choose destiny’s curve and stamp thy will on time”Savitri becomes energy of Sat-Chit-Ananda;Then a voice is heard by the Savitri’s soul. \"O spirit, choose now; for this supreme choice is notoffered again. The peace beyond name and form, the peace in which all things come to rest, nowlooks at thee from my highest being.Savitri’s heart replies without words, \"O Lord, give thy peace, a boon to keep within for themagnificent soul of man struggling amidst the fury and ruin of wild Time; thy calm, O Lord,bearing thy joy.\"“Give to me, O Lord, thy embrace which cuts across the living knot of pain, thy joy in which allcreated beings breathe, thy enchanting streaming waters of deep love, give to me thy sweetnessfor earth and men, not the heart alone. Not the nature alone.Then a blissful cry from the Infinite arose chanting the following words, \"O beautiful body of theembodied Word creative, thy thoughts are my thoughts. I have spoken through thee. My will is thywill, I have chosen thy choice. I give to earth and men all that thou hast asked for them. All thisshall be entered in the book of Destiny by eternal Time, which is the trustee of my thought, planand act, the executor of my will.Savitri succeeds in her mission finally when she hears the voice of the Eternal giving up its stanceand happily blessing Savitri and Satyavan, \"Descend thou to life with him whom thy heart desires.Far back in time, O Satyavan, O luminous Savitri, I sent you forth beneath the stars — both of youa dual power of God in an ignorant world, in a bounded creation shut off from the boundless self— bringing down God to the insentient globe, lifting earth-beings to the immortality of God.(Source: From Collected Works of Sri Aurobindo)October 25th - Savitri Reading Circle:Book Eleven: Canto 1: The Eternal Day: The Soul’s Choice and the Supreme Consummation,Page-683 to 685Savitri’s soul hears the voice of the God’s soul coming from within her.” I am the Ecstasy that isunassailable. Those who have looked on me shall have no more grief. They who are not distractedby the pleasures and the little joys of life but live closed in their consciousness to the outside worldshall see my forms”.Two powers of the same bliss, Nature and Soul in us are divided, where Soul longs to reach theskies, but Nature leans down to earth. They are vainly divided by their empty conceits ofindependence. Nature and Soul are like bride and bridegroom inexplicably separated. But whenthe veil of Maya is lifted from the sense of time and space, the spirit shall vibrate with endlessbliss.(Source: From Collected works of Sri Aurobindo)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 7

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015.November 1st - Readings from AIM Magazine:Mantra (Rhythmic Word of the Infinite)Since our group wanted to know more about Mantra, we read about what Mother and SriAurobindo’s directive on Mantra.Mother says that repetition of Mantra brings about a change in our physical plane and a mantrashould be not more than 3 words.Her mantra “OM NAMO BHAGAVATEH” is like a phosphorescent radiation from a mediumwith a powerful action.A Mantra has life when it springs up spontaneously from within. It has the most power. For peoplewho have contact with their soul the mantra will well up from within.Sri Aurobindo gives us the most important tips on the way to do Japa.There is the mental way of doing Japa where you get absorbed in its significance and power. Theobject of concentration in the head is to rise to the divine consciousness and bring down the Lightof the Mother or her Force or Ananda into all the centres.There is a vital way when it comes from heart ringing it with a sense of Bhakhi. The object of theconcentration in the heart is to open the centre there ( heart lotus)to feel the presence of DivineMother in the heart and to become aware of one’s soul or psychic being which is a portion of theDivine.He also understands the common man’s problem of the strain, long hours of japa brings, thoughaccustomed to successful meditation!November 8th - Reading from the book “The Mother”:Our group decided to read “Four great aspects of the Mother” like a prayer before Deepavali whichwas on 10th November.In the words of Sri Aurobindo, four great aspects of the Mother, four of her leading Powers andPersonalities have stood in front in her guidance of this Universe and in her dealings with theterrestrial play. To the four we give the four great names Maheswari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi,Mahasaraswati.Imperial Maheswari is the one who opens us to the supramental infinities and the cosmic vastness,to the grandeur of the supreme Light, to a treasure house of the Mother’s eternal forces. Hercompassion is endless and inexhaustible.Mahakali embodies her power of splendid strength and irresistible passion, her warrior mood, heroverwhelming will, her impetuous swiftness and world shaking force. All her divinity leaps out insplendour of tempestuous action; She is there for swiftness, for the immediately effective process.Mahalakshmi resides where ever there is harmony and beauty of the mind and soul, harmony andbeauty of the thoughts and feelings, harmony in every outward act and movement, harmony andbeauty of the life and surroundings. Her grace lifts our wisdom to pinnacles of wonder and revealsto it the mystic secrets of the ecstasy that surpasses all knowledge, meets devotion with passionateattraction of the Divine and keeps it endure forever.“All the work of the other Powers leans on her for its completeness”Mahasaraswati, the youngest of the Four, She is the most skilful in executive faculty and thenearest to physical Nature.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 8

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015.Her grace will give us the intimate and precise knowledge, the subtlety and patience, the accuracyof intuitive mind and conscious hand and discerning eye of the perfect worker.Reading about the above powers of the Mother, our prayer gets concentrated and sincere to receiveHer Grace. I wish one day we can programme and click in our physical, mental and emotionallevels, all these “Shakhis” according to the needs of the moment and just be a computer (a tool)without our ego and ignorance coming in the way!November 15th - Meditation on Savitri with Huta’s visualsBook Eleven: Canto 1, The Eternal Day: The Soul’s Choice And the Supreme Consummation,Pictures 26 to 33The pictures depict the soul of Savitri plunging down through unseen worlds amidst joyous voicesand triumphant cries greeting her all the way down. She holds the soul of Satyavan within herenveloping soul. The great wings of the Superconscient close above her and she finds herselfburied in the breast of the Earth Mother.A Spirit gazes upon destiny; a glance of undying Love falls from that gaze. A wonderful face looksdown with deathless eyes. Over the wide earth broods the infinite bliss. (Source: A Summary ofSavitri by M.P.Pandit) - Jayalakshmi PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2015DATE TIME DETAILS Sri Aurobindo’s Mahasamadhi Day - Darshan Day5th Dec 2015 7:00 PM Saturday Special Meditation6th Dec 2015 8:00 AM Monthly Morning Walk * Sunday Reading from AIM Magazine6th Dec 2015 6:00 PM “How to combat fear and stress in daily life” Sunday Talk by Kalu Sarkar from Pondicherry12th Dec 2015 6:00 PM “How to combat fear and stress in daily life” Saturday Talk by Kalu Sarkar from Pondicherry13th Dec 2015 6:00 PM Meditation on Savitri with Huta’s visuals Sunday Savitri Reading Circle20th Dec 2015 6:00 PM Sunday Special Mid Night Meditation – To be confirmed27th Dec 2015 6:00 PM Sunday31st Dec 2015 11:00 PM Sunday* Please see below for details.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 9

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015. DECEMBER 2015 MORNING WALK – NO. 364Date: Sunday, 6th December 2015Time:Meeting Point: 8:00 A.M. sharp for warm up exerciseContact No:Directions to Car Park near Registry of Marriages Building in Fort Canning Park.the MeetingPoint: S.Ramanathan (91385130)Hosts: By MRT, alight at Clarke Quay or Dhoby Ghaut, and walk about 10 minutes to get to the park. The nearest access is through Hill Street turning to Coleman Street adjacent to the Central Fire Station. Driving: Hill Street -> Turn LEFT (or Right) depending on which direction you are coming from -> to Coleman Street -> Canning Rise -> Enter Car Park near Registry of Marriages Building. MRT/Bus: There are numerous buses plying through Hill Street - 12, 32, 33, 51, 61, 63, 80, 147, 190 and 197 to name a few. Mr. Prabhu Deva Basappa & Family. (Tel: 67076807 HP:94380729) They will be hosting the meditation and brunch at Sri Aurobindo Society (SIFAS) premises @ Starlight Road, SerangoonNote: All are encouraged to attend the Walk. Those, however, who are not able to join the Walk,the hosts would be very happy that they directly come and join in the brunch by 10:15 AM. Prayersand meditation will commence sharp at 10.30 A.M. All are requested to be punctual. PREVIEW OF FORTHCOMING SUNDAY MORNING WALKSWALK DATE PLACE HOST NO 365 02/01/2016 TBA TBA 07/02/2016 East Coast Park Mrs Nisha Maheswary & Family 366 06/03/2016 TBA TBA 367We invite volunteers for hosting the January and March 2016 walks.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 10

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015. Along the Way… November 2015 Morning Walk – A Review ( Changi Beach, Photos by Devdutt and Varsha )The walk for the month of November was a beach walk and was located in one of the extremeends of Singapore. We reached the Changi Beach where there was an excellent sunshine with aclear blue sky and a cool breeze to welcome us. We were a small group of seven for the walk.We had a small warmup led by Saurab which was a good start for the day.The traditional group photo before we start the walk along the beach -www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 11

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2015. (Photos by Devdutt and Varsha)We decided to walk towards the tip of the park which is opposite to the Changi Point FerryTerminal (from where bumboats leave for Pulau Ubin).Just a few minutes later the weather changed completely from sunny to cloudy which madeeveryone happy.We split into two groups as some wanted to walk on the beach and the others wanted to try to makeit as far as possible in the limited time of 1h30.We then headed to Anand Venkat’s place for the meditation and brunch.We had a lovely meditation in their flat with a lot more people who joined us.After the regular readings and meditation we all moved to the function hall and had lovely spreadof varied delicious food prepared by Sheetal & her friends.When we were planning our trip to Singapore we realised that we could attend the walk so wechanged our flight timing. We would like to add that we always enjoy the walk and find this uniqueexperience much enriching for all. As it was very rightly mentioned that we are happy to see youngfriends joining the group. - Devdutt and Varsha Printed and Published by The Sri Aurobindo Society of Singapore 2A Starlight Road 01-07, Singapore 217755.Saurab: 86559940 or [email protected]; Sanjay: 98750767 or [email protected]; Email: [email protected] Visit our website at: www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sgwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 12