Reflective practices in Integral Health

May 2017 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY VOL 31.05 Singapore Permit No. MCI (P) 071/01/2017 NEWSLETTER Reflective practices in Integral HealthBotanical Name: Thespesia populneaCommon Name: Portia TreeSpiritual Significance: HealthA perfect harmony in the proportions, suppleness and strength, grace and force, plasticity and endurance, and above all, an excellent health, unvarying and unchanging, which is the result of a pure soul, a happy trust in life and an unshakable faith in the Divine Grace. - The Mother

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017. Guiding Light of the Month“THE result of all my reflections of yesterday is the finding that the onlydisturbance I experience comes from my fear of not having been or of not being perfectly identified with Thy law.” The Mother, ‘Prayers and Meditations’ March 24, 1914 From the Editor’s DeskThe current issue of the newsletter focuses on the According to The Mother, when an ailment inflicts the being, the root cause may either be a mental, vitalsignificance of reflective practices in IntegralHealth. Reflection refers to serious thought or or physical shrinking in the being. These shrinkages throw the being off balance, manifesting some kindconsideration or contemplation. It implies that forevery event or experience in one’s life, for every of disorder that interferes with the fine working of the being. His progress forward is naturally slowed downmove he or she makes, for every action or non-action, there is a corresponding movement of or even curtailed. Self-observation throws light on parts of the being that are off balance. Through self-reflection, of serious thought, a consideration orcontemplation. This further implies that impulsion reflection, one understands the nature of the disorder and the manner in which the being is being thrownis no more a primary player in the motivation of anaction but rather, a back bencher held in check by off-balance in whatever measure according to the magnitude of the disorder and imbalance. One knowsthe “serious thought, consideration orcontemplation” on the action and its source and himself in different parts of the being; what disturbs the being, what contributes to calm and peace andcause. Integral Health refers to the order andbalance operating in the three aspects of nature, well-being. This knowledge is powerful. This knowledge throws light over one and opens pathwaysnamely, health in the physical, the vital and healthin the mental. Integral Health means that the higher that would seek to reduce, clear and eliminate the disorder. The Mother has suggested the widening ofportion of the being, The Psychic, which is a sparkof the Divine Force or Soul, takes over the play of the consciousness in order to keep each part wide and open and receptive to the healing rays of light andnature, perfecting these parts and opening them to love from regions above and yet accessible. Whena higher light and subsequently rendering these this light of consciousness reaches out to the physicalparts capable of expressing the Highest or the parts of the being, and the vital and the mental,Divine in a progressive precision. In this removes all contractions, spots of darkness andnewsletter, we take a glimpse of how reflective obscurity, balance is restored. Integral Healthpractices contribute towards Integral Health. becomes a possibility.A crucial aspect of reflective practices is the We often read in the works of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo that the nature that is full of goodwillpractice of self-observation coupled with self-reflection. Both these practices are self-motivated towards oneself and towards others tends to be a happy one. One who does not have desires or doesand can happen only when one sees the need totruly know oneself, all one’s strengths that uplift not nurture them is one who tends to be a balanced one. In one where joy overflows, one finds health.and all the defects in one’s nature that plunge onedown into darkness and chaos. The inbuilt instinct Most of all, when one is in touch with the psychic being, the being, it seems, reverts to its natural statein one to progress sets into motion in one who findsthe need to be progressive. Self-observation and of deep peace, joy and love. In such a one, there is a natural harmony and balance, which is the hall markself-reflection are effective tools that can steer onein the direction towards the realization of one’s of the psychic entity. When this is discovered and expressed in the being from the core to the outermostgoals, whatever these may be. In one who haschosen to progress spiritually, these tools may even crust, Integral Health is established.be are indispensable aims.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 2

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017. Savitri His grasp was a young god’s upon earth’s limbs: Changed by the passion of his divine outbreak He made her body beautiful with his kiss. (Book four, Canto one) “O soul, my soul, we have created Heaven, Within we have found the kingdom here of God, His fortress built in a loud ignorant world. Our life is entrenched between two rivers of Light, We have turned space into a gulf of peace And made the body a capitol of bliss. What more, what more, if more must still be done?” In the slow process of the evolving spirit, In the brief stade between a death and birth A first perfection’s stage is reached at last; Out of the wood and stone of our nature’s stuff A temple is shaped where the high gods could live. (Book seven, Canto five) Our imperfection towards perfection toils, The body is the chrysalis of a soul: The infinite holds the finite in its arms, Time travels towards revealed eternity. (Book ten, Canto one) Questions and AnswersQ: How can one increase the receptivity of the body?The Mother: It depends on the part. The method is almost the same for all parts of the being. Tobegin with, the first condition: to remain as quiet as possible. You may notice that in the differentparts of your being, when something comes and you do not receive it, this produces a shrinking —there is something which hardens in the vital, the mind or the body. There is a stiffening and thishurts, one feels a mental, vital or physical pain. So, the first thing is to put one’s will and relax thisshrinking, as one does a twitching nerve or a cramped muscle; you must learn how to relax, be ableto relieve this tension in whatever part of the being it may be.The method of relaxing the contraction may be different in the mind, the vital or the body, butlogically it is the same thing. Once you have relaxed the tension, you see first if the disagreeableeffect ceases, which would prove that it was a small momentary resistance, but if the pain continuesand if it is indeed necessary to increase the receptivity in order to be able to receive what is helpful,what should be received, you must, after having relaxed this contraction, begin trying to widenyourself — you feel you are widening yourself. There are many methods. Some find it very usefulwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 3

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017.to imagine they are floating on water with a plank under their back. Then they widen themselves,widen, until they become the vast liquid mass. Others make an effort to identify themselves with thesky and the stars, so they widen, widen themselves, identifying themselves more and more with thesky. Others again don’t need these pictures; they can become conscious of their consciousness,enlarge their consciousness more and more until it becomes unlimited. One can enlarge it till itbecomes vast as the earth and even the universe. When one does that one becomes really receptive.As I have said, it is a question of training. In any case, from an immediate point of view, whensomething comes and one feels that it is too strong, that it gives a headache, that one can’t bear it,the method is just the same, you must act upon the contraction. One can act through thought, bycalling the peace, tranquillity (the feeling of peace takes away much of the difficulty) like this:“Peace, peace, peace... tranquillity... calm.” Many discomforts, even physical, like all thesecontractions of the solar plexus, which are so un- pleasant and give you at times nausea, the sensationof being suffocated, of not being able to breathe again, can disappear thus. It is the nervous centrewhich is affected, it gets affected very easily. As soon as there is something which affects the solarplexus, you must say, “Calm... calm... calm”, become more and more calm until the tension isdestroyed.In thought also. For instance, you are reading something and come across a thought you don’tunderstand — it is beyond you, you understand nothing and so in your head it lies like a brick, andif you try to understand, it becomes more and more like a brick, a stiffening, and if you persist itgives you a headache. There is but one thing to do: not to struggle with the words, remain just likethis (gesture, stretched out, immobile), create a relaxation, simply widen, widen. And don’t try tounderstand, above all, don’t try to understand — let it enter like that, quite gently, and relax, relax,and in this relaxing your headache goes away. You no longer think of anything, you wait for a fewdays and after some days you see from inside: “Oh! How clear it is! I understand what I had notunderstood.” It is as easy as that. When you read a book which is beyond you, when you come acrosssentences which you cannot understand — one feels that there is no correspondence in the head —well, you must do this; one reads the thing once, twice, thrice, then remains calm and makes themind silent. A fortnight later, one takes up the same passage again and it is clear as daylight.Everything has been organised in the head, the elements of the brain which were wanted for theunderstanding have been formed, everything has been done gradually and one understands. I knewmany people who, when I used to tell them something, argued, — they did not understand anythingat all. They were shut up in their mind which could not catch the thought, which threw it out, refusedit violently. You have said something, you don’t insist; you have said it, that’s all; if need be yousay it a second time, but you don’t insist. A week, a month later, those very people come lookingfor you and tell you with strong conviction, “But things are like that, you don’t understand, thingsare like that!” It is exactly what you have told them, you know. But they tell you, “I thought aboutit, now I know, it is this, it is truly this.” If you have the misfortune to tell them, “But this is exactlywhat I had told you”, they pull a long face! And they don’t understand any longer.(CWM, Volume 4, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) Transformation of the Physical“Perfection is the true aim of all culture, the spiritual and psychic, the mental, the vital and it mustbe the aim of our physical culture also. If our seeking is for a total perfection of the being, thephysical part of it cannot be left aside; for the body is the material basis, the body is the instrumentwhich we have to use. Sar ̄ıram khalu dharmasa ̄dhanam, says the old Sanskrit adage, the body is themeans of fulfilment of dharma, and dharma means every ideal which we can propose to ourselvesand the law of its working out and its action.A total perfection is the ultimate aim which we set before us, for our ideal is the Divine Life whichwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 4

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017.we wish to create here, the life of the Spirit fulfilled on earth, life accomplishing its own spiritualtransformation even here on earth in the conditions of the material universe. That cannot be unlessthe body too undergoes a transformation, unless its action and functioning attain to a supremecapacity and the perfection which is possible to it or which can be made possible.”The Supramental Manifestation, SABCL, Vol. 16, p. 5 Supramental Influence in the Cells Yet Light is there; it stands at Nature’s doors: It holds a torch to lead the traveller in. It waits to be kindled in our secret cells; It is a star lighting an ignorant sea, A lamp upon our poop piercing the night. Sri Aurobindo, SavitriMother, how can the functioning of the body “attain to a supreme capacity”?Precisely by transformation. This implies a total transformation. Sri Aurobindo speaks about it laterin what follows.For the moment, our body is simply a doubtful improvement on the animal body, for if we havegained from a certain point of view, we have lost from another. It is certain that from the point ofview of purely physical capacities many animals are superior to us. Unless by a special culture andtransformation we succeed in really transforming our capacities, it could be said that from the pointof view of strength and muscular power a tiger or a lion is far superior to us. From the point of viewof agility a monkey is far superior to us; and, for instance, a bird can travel without needing anyexterior mechanism or plane, which is not yet possible for us... and so on. And we are bound by theanimal necessities of the functioning of our organs; so long as we depend, for instance, on materialfood, on absorbing matter in such a crude form, we shall be quite inferior animals.Therefore, I don’t want to anticipate what we are going to read, but all this purely animal functioningof our body, all this part which is exactly the same as in animal life — that we depend for life on thecirculation of the blood and to have blood we need to eat, and so on, and all that this implies —these are terrible limitations and bondages! As long as material life depends on that, it is obviousthat we won’t be able to divinise our life. So, we must assume that animality in the human beingshould be replaced by another source of life, and this is quite conceivable — not only conceivablebut partially realisable; and this is obviously the aim we ought to set before ourselves if we want totransform matter and make it capable of expressing divine qualities.In the very, very old traditions — there was a tradition more ancient than the Vedic and the Chaldeanwhich must have been the source of both — in that ancient tradition there is already mention of a“glorious body” which would be plastic enough to be transformed at every moment by the deeperconsciousness: it would express that consciousness, it would have no fixity of form. It mentionedluminosity: the constituent matter could become luminous at will. It mentioned a sort of possibilityof weightlessness which would allow the body to move about in the air only by the action of will-power and by certain processes of control of the inner energy, and so on. Much has been said aboutwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 5

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017.these things.I don’t know if there ever were beings on earth who had partially realised this, but in a very small waythere have been partial instances of one thing or another, examples which go to prove that it is possible.And following up this idea, one could go so far as to conceive of the replacement of material organs andtheir functioning as it now is, by centres of concentration of force and energy which would be receptiveto the higher forces and which, by a kind of alchemy, would use them for the necessities of life and thebody. We already speak of the different “centres” in the body — this knowledge is very widespreadamong people who have practised yoga — but these centres could be perfected to the point where theyreplace the different organs by a direct action of the higher energy and vibrations on matter. Those whohave practised occultism well enough, in its most integral form, it could be said, know the process ofmaterialisation of subtle energies and can put them in contact with physical vibrations. Not only is itsomething that can be done, but it is something which is done. And all that is a science, a science whichmust itself be perfected, completed, and which will obviously be used for the creation and setting inaction of new bodies which will be able to manifest the supramental life in the material world.But, as Sri Aurobindo says, before this can be done, it is good to utilise all that we have in order toincrease and make more exact the control of physical activities. It is very obvious that those who practisephysical culture scientifically and with coordination acquire a control over their bodies that’sunimaginable for ordinary people. When the Russian gymnasts came here, we saw with what ease theydid exercises which for an ordinary man are impossible, and they did them as if it was the simplest thingin the world; there was not even the least sign of effort! Well, that mastery is already a great step towardsthe transformation of the body. And these people who, I could say, are materialists by profession, usedno spiritual method in their education; it was solely by material means and an enlightened use of humanwill that they had achieved this result. If they had added to this a spiritual knowledge and power, theycould have achieved an almost miraculous result.... Because of the false ideas prevalent in the world, wedon’t usually see the two things together, spiritual mastery and material mastery, and so one is alwaysincomplete without the other; but this is exactly what we want to do and what Sri Aurobindo is going toexplain: if the two are combined, the result can reach a perfection that’s unthinkable for the ordinaryhuman mind, and this is what we want to attempt.(CWM, Volume 9, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) Little dweller in this narrow house This body which was once my universe, Is now a pittance carried by the soul, — Its Titan’s motion bears this scanty purse, Pacing through vastness to a vaster goal. Too small was it to meet the giant need That only infinitude can satisfy: He keeps it still, for in the folds is hid His secret passport to eternity. In his front an endless Time and Space deploy - Sri Aurobindo The landscape of their golden happenings; His heart is filled with sweet and violent joy, His mind is upon great and distant things. How grown with all the world conterminous Is the little dweller in this narrow house!(SABCL, Volume 5, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 6

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017. To the Students, Young and Old A demonstration of Physical culture at Ashram (Source: sriaurobindoashram.net)There are, in the history of the earth, moments of transition when things that have existed for thousandsof years must give way to those that are about to manifest. A special concentration of the worldconsciousness, one might almost say, an intensification of its effort, occurs at such times, varyingaccording to the kind of progress to be made, the quality of the transformation to be realised. We are atprecisely such a turning-point in the world’s history. Just as Nature has already created upon earth amental being, man, so too there is now a concentrated activity in this mentality to bring forth asupramental consciousness and individuality.Certain beings who, I might say, are in the secret of the gods, are aware of the importance of this momentin the life of the world, and they have taken birth on earth to play their part in whatever way they can. Agreat luminous consciousness broods over the earth, creating a kind of stir in its atmosphere. All whoare open receive a ripple from this eddy, a ray of this light and seek to give form to it, each according tohis capacity. We have here the unique privilege of being at the very centre of this radiating light, at thefount of this force of transformation.Sri Aurobindo, incarnating the supramental consciousness in a human body, has not only revealed to usthe nature of the path to follow and the way to follow it in order to reach the goal, but has also by hisown personal realisation given us the example; he has provided us, so to say, with the proof that thething can be done and that the time has come to do it.Consequently, we are not here to repeat what others have done, but to prepare ourselves for theblossoming of a new consciousness and a new life. That is why I address myself to you, the students,that is, to all who wish to learn, to learn always more and always better, so that one day you may becapable of opening yourselves to the new force and of giving it the possibility of manifesting on thephysical plane. For that is our programme and we must not forget it. To understand the true reason whyyou are here, you must remember that we want to become instruments that are as perfect as possible,instruments that express the divine will in the world. And if the instruments are to be perfect, they mustbe cultivated, educated, trained. They must not be left like fallow land or a formless piece of stone. Adiamond reveals all its beauty only when it is artistically cut. It is the same for you. If you want yourphysical being to be a perfect instrument for the manifestation of the supramental consciousness, youmust cultivate it, sharpen it, refine it, give it what it lacks, perfect what it already possesses.(CWM, Volume 12, An excerpt from “On Education”, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 7

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017. Flowers Speak… On Integral Health Ananda in the Physical And the body says to the Supreme Lord: “What You want me to be, I shall be, what You want me to know, I shall know, what You want me to do, I shall do.” - The Mother Silence in the Vital The one thing that is most needed for this sadhana is peace, calm, especially in the vital—a peace which depends not on circumstances or surroundings but on the inner relation with a higher consciousness which is the consciousness of the Divine, of the Mother. - The Mother Supramental influence in the Mind A Light comes down into the Ignorance, Its heavy painful knot loosens its grasp: The mind becomes a mastered instrument And life a hue and figure of the soul. - Sri Aurobindo, Savitri(Flowers and Messages, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 8

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017. Savitri, the golden raagamAt the wake of a new dawn - SandhyaA beautiful song decided to be born.It is music for the blue worldConverting it into a blaze of gold.Singing of Dawn and Dusk,Dancing peacocks and parrots,Tales of Savitri and Satyavan,Embedded into Love and life song.Unveiling notes of His flute music,Creating raptures so beatific.Savitri is the golden raagam,Each canto in it is a jeweled varnam.Savitri is His compassionate guidance,It is Sri Aurobindo living along with us.*Raagam and varnam are terms used in Indian Carnatic Music March - April Sunday Activities at the Centre - A glimpseMarch 19th – Study of Secrets of the Veda:A study of the first 3 verses of Mandala 1, Sukta 4 was taken up, facilitated by Sri Krishnamurthy.In this Sukta, the Rishis Vishwamitra and Madhuchchandas invoke the ‘Master of luminousmind Indra ’ for increase of ‘Light’. Sri Aurobindo has described Indra as follows:He comes down into our world as the ‘Hero - with his shining horses ’ § Slays darkness and division with his lightnings § Pours down the life-giving heavenly waters § Finds in the trace of the hound, intuition, the lost or hidden illumination § Makes the Sun of truth mount high in the heaven of our mental planeThe actions of Indra on the seekers are mainly divided into 3 categories:1st task –This step is imaged as the birth of the God Indra in man that includes preparation andbuilding up of subtle bodies in man, which can absorb and sustain the knowledge imparted.2nd task – Help humans towards the all sided perfection - that is perfection in the physical, vitaland mental realms, as also in interpersonal relations.3rd task: - Offer protection for individuals from the hostile forces. Indra battles the demonicforces led by Vritra – the concealer or tearer.In verse 1, the image created is that of a cow (symbolically representing ‘Light or Ray of Light’giving abundantly its yield to the one who milks the herds. The seeker being the one who milks andwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 9

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017.Indra the milched - Cow. Also Indra is shown to represent enlightened intelligence, fashioningthe perfect forms of thought.In verse 2, the seeker earnestly invokes Indra to come and accept the Soma drink that is justpressed out. Indra in turn gets nourished by ‘the excess of delight’ making him shower the rays ofTruth Consciousness on the seeker.In verse 3, the stress is upon right thought and not on the emotions. It is necessary, however, thatthe progress in right thinking should commence in the field of consciousness already attained.There must not be just flashes and dazzling manifestations. Also the rishis here earnestly requestIndra not to show beyond what they can comprehend at the current consciousness level theyhave achieved.March 26th – Savitri, An unending journey:Book 2, The Traveller of the Worlds, Canto 4, The Kingdoms of the little lifePicture 1: The Life-Force seeks for the Joy ineffable. But she is enclosed in the limited, unlit edificeof the material form and though she derives a little delight from the indwelling spirit at the core, sheyields in the process to the many obscure and stunted elements of material nature. Life is obliged topropitiate the little gods of Matter for establishing and organising herself in the material field.This sacrifice on the part of Life to the little gods of the material kingdom, however, is endless andnot fruitful. Life may attempt to change the pattern of the constitution of material form but she failsto evoke a seconding response from Matter.Picture 2: This is the state of Life in her first beginnings in the material world. She is still an infantin her formation and only partially self-aware, unsure of her steps in her slow movement upwardsfrom the soil of Matter. Far away from her native glories, she is like a deserted and forlorn child.From the conditions of obscurity, struggle and pain in which she is, she makes her way throughdense, unclear passages feeling out for states of light, power and joy.Picture 3: But this appearance does not deceive Aswapathy’s sight. His awakened eye piercesthrough it and perceives that there is a definite purpose underlying the apparently meaninglessmovement. Aswapathy is fully aware of his mission. He awaits a significant revelation of the gloryof God and though the world in which he now finds himself is so strange, so aimless in appearance,he cites God’s purpose in the workings presented before his eye.Picture 4: This original failure of the will-to-be, of the will-to-delight to overcome the hold of decayand death has become ingrained as a habit and it pursues as an evil shadow all subsequentdevelopments of the effort of life to affirm and organise herself. Even if the hold is loosened in themore developed evolutes of life, it is there firm on the constituting cells of the body that the lifeinhabits and the cells give way, betraying life.This life-impulse to affirm and aggrandise itself, this desire to possess and enjoy, is the motive forcethat propels the world-movement from the very beginning. It has been at once the activating motoras also the tether which holds back the evolving being from a wider and a loftier flight. For evenwith the advent of thought and reason in the mind, even with the effective articulation of the spirit,the old, primitive urge of life-desire continues and forms the mainspring of life’s activities.Picture 5: When in the course of its devolution the manifesting Spirit arrived at the nadir of itsdownward plunge and lost itself in its exclusive concentration, all became a Void. There was onlydarkness, a vast negation, a veritable Night. And so it would have remained but for the purposivedescent of the Conscious Being of Satchidananda into this dark Void, sacrificing itself in itsthreefold nature of Truth-existence, Consciousness Force and Bliss which underwent a change intoits opposite in the conditions of the fall. Because of this entry and presence of the Conscious Being—www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 10

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017.however masked—it has been possible for light to emerge out of darkness, consciousness out ofnescience.Picture 6: Its hard and heavy romp of self-born twins. As Life builds itself in the material world,there starts a game of hide-and-seek between the Soul which is yet hidden and Nature which revealsherself only partly. It is a game played in the half-light of a slow, emerging consciousness, a play oftentative grasping and escapes. Even with the advent of the mind, the game continues, perhaps evenmore vigorously: Soul and Nature—the inseparable Two, born with the Creation—play to find andpossess each other through all phases of attraction and repulsion, hope and fear.Picture 7: Life goes on to assume huge forms, massive in strength, but puny in brain, like themastodon. She evolves even the human form though tiny in size at first. These humans are primitivein their development, they let their own life-movement—short-ranged as it is—drift where it willbut impose their life-will on the rest of the earth. And this they are able to do because they possessbrains more developed than those of other creatures, however physically huge and strong they maybe.Picture 8: Even men at this stage are animals in all but in form. Excepting in their form which ishuman, in everything else they are like the other creatures of the animal world. Their life is filledwith the passion of the general movement; they are not at all self-aware and it does not occur tothem to know who they are or why they live. Their one object of exertion III life is to draw as muchenjoyment as can be derived from the objects and movements of Nature. The body is all that mattersand their whole life is occupied with meeting its demands for satisfaction; they do not look beyondit. They are satisfied with the normal routine of living in the physical body—breathing, feeling,sensing, and acting. They are completely identified with the body which is but the outer form of theindwelling soul.Picture 9: This release of the mind-principle into overt action from below is gradual. The power ofthis emerging mind is at first obscure and vaguely perceptible amidst the densities of Matter and theengulfing turgidities of life.It is like a thin current constantly exposed to the driving and submerging flow of the waters of life.But it survives and slowly formulates itself into fleeting sensations and palpable feelings. Formationinto thinking activity comes much later.The slender current of the early mind runs through the mass of unconsciousness covering thematerial earth, through the surface movements of agitation thrown up by the upsurge ofconsciousness and forces its way across the narrow channels open to it. It gathers plentifulexperience on its move and assimilates it.Picture 10: Life here, on this plane, is a slender flame of light that is born and holds itself in a massof darkness, death and nescience. She is not conscious, not aware of her origin or the direction ofher course. There is still the obscuring mist of nescience all around.Source: collected Works of Sri Aurobindo.April 2nd – Reading from AIM magazine:Read a few passages from March 2017 issue of AIM, The Value of MoneyThese passages are taken from the Collected Works of the Mother.Mother gives very detailed aspects of Money. Money is among the forces that have a great hold overhuman nature.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 11

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017.Right now Money power belongs to the vital and material world which is under Asuric forces. Whatmust be done is to re-conquer it from Asuric forces and put them at the disposal of the Divine for Hiswork of transformation.Physical manifestation of Money is just a convention. There were times when shells and fish hooks wereexchanged for goods! The more of the same was considered to be rich. Now it is era of Paper Money.Whatever form the Money exists there is a force behind it. Instead of self-aggrandisement, it has to beused for the welfare of the world.Attachment to money can exists even after death for example a miser’s passion for his treasure can beso powerful that even when his vital is dissolved it gathers some elements and safe guards its treasurethat anyone trying to retrieve the treasure are befallen with tragic ends.Money is not meant to make money, money is meant to make the earth ready for the advent of the newcreation. - The MotherApril 9th - Q & A from Mother’s Complete Works Volume 8 Page no 234:The passage talks about the 3 parts to the act of Divine Love and Worship, which are as follows: 1. A practical worship of the Divine 2. A symbol of worship ” expressing some vision and seeking or some relation to the Divine” 3. An inner adoration and longing for oneness, or feeling of oneness in the heart and soul and spirit.The aspirant did not understand the first two parts clearly and Mother gives the following explanation: 1. The first is purely material (physical acts) for example lighting the incense, arranging the offerings, looking after a temple. 2. The second is a mental consecration which makes the act that is performed a symbol. As an example the lighting of the incense is symbolic of the aspiration burning in the body or an act of self-giving in a dissolution. 3. The final part is the aspiration for the union with the Divine. It is a means of drawing closer to the Divine ad making the person fir to unit with the Divine. Mother goes on to add that for the act to be complete, these three things mentioned above must bethere, that is something purely material, something mental, and something psychic. - Jayalakshmi PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2017DATE TIME DETAILS7th May 2017 8:00 AM Monthly Morning Walk* Sunday7th May 2017 Reading from AIM Magazine Sunday 6:00 PM Q & A from Mothers Complete Works Vol 814th May 2017 6:00 PM Secret of the Vedas Sunday21st May 2017 Savitri – An unending Journey Sunday 6:00 PM28th May 2017 6:00 PM Sunday* Please see below for details.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 12

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017. MAY 2017 MORNING WALK – NO. 381Date: Sunday, 7th May 2017Time: 8:00 A.M. sharp for warm up exerciseWalk Venue: East Coast ParkMeeting Point: Costa Del Sol Condominium (besides swimming pool)Contact No: Mr S.Ramanathan (9138 5130)Hosts: Mr Ashok Patel and Family 68, BayShore Road, # 19-04, Costa Del Sol, Singapore 469986RSVP HP: 98380234 Mr Ashok Patel [email protected]: All are encouraged to attend the Walk. Those, however, who are not able to join the Walk, thehosts would be very happy that they directly come and join in the brunch by 10:15 AM. Prayers andmeditation will commence sharp at 10.30 A.M. All are requested to be punctual. PREVIEW OF FORTHCOMING SUNDAY MORNING WALKSWALK NO DATE PLACE HOST 382 04/06/2017 East Coast Park Mr Anand Patel and Family 383 02/07/2017 Pasir Ris Park Mr Sanjay Mehta and Family 384 06/08/2017 Mcritchie Reservoir 385 03/09/2017 Mr K.V. Rao and Family 386 01/10/2017 TBA Mr. Arjun Madan Gardens by the Bay Mr. Shashi Lal Kashyap and Family Along the Way… April 2017 Walk ReviewEver since Pranav learnt to walk, he and his sister had gone to the Sunday morning walk month aftermonth for many years. With no weekend duty or fieldcamp as a NS man, he was free and initiatedthe idea to join this month’s walk. “It was wonderful to go back after so long and be welcomed sowarmly… it really felt like going to a family reunion”, Pranav remarked as we made our way backhome from the Sunday morning walk in April.All Sunday morning walks are special in their own ways. This month’s walk at Bishan Ang Mo KioPark, coincided with the Ching Ming Festival. It is known as the festival to pay respects to theancestors. As the park is right next to Tse Tho Aum Temple, the day started with traffic congestionsat the meeting point on Sin Ming Avenue. But that did not deter most of us who turned up for thewalk. We were cheerful as if we were there for a spring outing, which by the way is anotherwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 13

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. May 2017.significance of Ching Ming festival. (I love Asian Traditions as they find a reason to cheer even ona solemn day.)Ananya, Deepika, Anjali and Sophia had all grown up since we last saw them. As they chatteredand rushed off to the play area, (reminded me of the days when Pranav and Pradeeptha used to dothe same), the rest of us started the walk. The park looks like a green lung in a concrete jungle withMarymount Road as the sternum. There are two parts to the park with lots of activity areas for manand dog alike. With Buddhist temples nearby it is only appropriate to have lotus ponds in the park.There were two of them, one in each section of the park and are nice spots for photography,meditation and tai chi. It’s very calming if you stopped and watched the bees play hide and seekbetween lotus petals. In a calming place, would commerce be far behind? This is Singapore. Wesoon walked past a spa, and many eateries inside the park. Eateries also reminded us of the treat thatawaited us at Krishnamurthy uncle’s residence. It was time to head to his home.There was a warmer welcome at his house, as many more who missed the walk joined the prayersession. The readings providentially have the most appropriate message for the reader (and listenerstoo). Pranav and I were both touched by the words he opened to read, “See how little outercircumstances matter… The only duty is not to let oneself be troubled by anything.” Ananya andDeepika chanted Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita, Visvarupadarshana yoga (The Vision of theUniversal Form). My experience can be best summarised by paraphrasing verse 14 that they chanted,“...vismayavisto hrsta-roma… pranamya sirasa devam krtanjalir…” which roughly translates as‘filled with wonder, astonishment, and surprise, with hair standing on end, bowed down the head tothe Supreme Lord’. Krishnamurthyji and Ramanathanji then provided us with a transition from theother worldly experience (Visvarupa) to this world by chanting Bhagya Sukta, a Vedic hymn forprosperity, good luck, and success, all of which we needed in abundance for the month ahead. Thedelicious and sumptuous south Indian spread laid out by Jayalakshmiji and Swati reminded us ofthe immense pleasures to be enjoyed in this world itself. - S.N.Venkat 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 14