March 2017 Newsletter

March 2017 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY VOL 31.03 Singapore Permit No. MCI (P) 071/01/2017 NEWSLETTER Aspiration for Silence in the MindBotanical Name: Eranthemum pulchellumCommon Name: Blue SageSpiritual Significance: Aspiration for Silence in the Mind Hidden in silent depths the word is formed, Savitri, Sri Aurobindo From hidden silences the act is born Into the voiceful mind, the labouring world; In secrecy wraps the seed the Eternal sows Silence, the mystic birthplace of the soul. -

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017. Guiding Light of the Month “IN Peace and Silence the Eternal manifests; allow nothing to disturbyou and the Eternal will manifest; have perfect equality in face of all and the Eternal will be there. . . .”The Mother, ‘Prayers and Meditations’ December 5, 1912 From the Editor’s DeskThis March issue of the newsletter casts a glance open to vistas of force and light from above. In order to know the Self, Sri Aurobindo writes that the mindat, “The Aspiration for Silence in the Mind”. Thistheme holds within its ambit a number of ideas one has to be passive, free of all boundaries and limitingshould be attempting to make clear to oneself from perceptions, hard and fast. “In a complete silencethe out start. Firstly, its about the aspiration forsilence in the mind. Next, is the idea of silence and only is the Silence heard…” This Silence with alastly is the idea of mind. It is about the well-being capital “S” that Sri Aurobindo celebrates is nothingof the mind that we begin with, in this issue, having but That; “….to us the name of That is the Silence and the Peace.”been very briefly introduced to it in the February Have we heard that Silence?issue.Mind is not mind alone. The Aurobindonian Silence is the Highest form of Consciousness, orphilosophy has treated mind in its complexity and Divinity. The knowledge of this idea of silence,organized it in its many forms and strata. There is which is a “capacity” and “power” poses before us athe outermost mind, the inner mind and the fresh challenge, coupled with the challenge ofinnermost mind, concentric layers from outside to establishing this very silence in a mind that is farinside. Then there is the hierarchical strata of mind, complex, multi-tiered and multi-faceted, of which wefrom the lowest upwards, namely, the Physical may actually know very little of.Mind, Vital Mind, Mental Mind, Higher Mind, Now the idea of aspiration comes before us asIllumined Mind, Intuitive Mind, Overmind and something which is within one’s own control, whichSupermind. There are indeed, vistas of mind one has to will and one has to feel and voluntarily putspaces, many of which are not yet realized by our forth as a call to the highest we can perceive from ourordinary consciousness. How many of these layers depths, from whichever mind or consciousness levelmay we be aware of? Which level of mind is most we operate. Aspiration may be looked upon as theaccessible to us in our day-to-day functioning? key that would or could enable this huge feat ofWhat efforts are we making in getting to know the silencing the mind. Why this task is a feat, anyone ofvarious layers of mind? These are questions that us who has attempted to silence the mind wouldneed some contemplation and would eventually know.lead us deeper into the theme of this issue.Next, Silence. The commonly known meaning of Here we are then, posed with the task of silencing thesilence is the absence of any kind of sound. It mind as the best means of receiving the highest forcecomes with another connotation and that is and light of transformation so that the descent of all‘stillness’. A silenced mind is one in which the that is Light, all that is Ananda, all that ischurning of thoughts is ceased. A silenced mind Consciousness can take place in us and establish theirmay be, therefore, a mind of “profound stillness”. reign upon earth. Then, in this state, the total well-A silent mind is usually porous, and open. It can being of the being is a given; it becomes then, the natural field of expression and play of Divinity.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 2

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017. Savitri An equal Cause of things, a lonely Seer And Master of its multitude of forms, It acted not but bore all thoughts and deeds, The witness Lord of Nature’s myriad acts Consenting to the movements of her Force. His mind reflected this vast quietism. (Book two, Canto Eleven) In moments when the inner lamps are lit And the life’s cherished guests are left outside, Our spirit sits alone and speaks to its gulfs. A wider consciousness opens then its doors; Invading from spiritual silences A ray of the timeless Glory stoops awhile To commune with our seized illumined clay And leaves its huge white stamp upon our lives. (Book one, Canto four) Calm, Peace and Quiet mind Talks by The Mother from Synthesis of Yoga“Calm, even if it seems at first only a negative thing, is so difficult to attain, that to have it at allmust be regarded as a great step in advance.“In reality, calm is not a negative thing, it is the very nature of the Sat-Purusha and the positivefoundation of the divine consciousness. Whatever else is aspired for and gained, this must be kept.Even Knowledge, Power, Ananda, if they come and do not find this foundation, are unable to remainand have to withdraw until the divine purity and peace of the Sat-Purusha are permanently there.“Aspire for the rest of the divine consciousness, but with a calm and deep aspiration. It can beardent as well as calm, but not impatient, restless or full of rajasic eagerness.“Only in the quiet mind and being can the supramental Truth build its true creation.”Mother, does “keeping one’s consciousness high” mean trying to have higher thoughts?This is rather a consequence than a fact. When one keeps his consciousness on a higher level,naturally it serves as a filter for thoughts and allows only thoughts of a higher nature. But it is rathera consequence than a fact. To keep one’s consciousness in a higher state is to raise it above the lowerlevels in the being, it is to keep it in the light, in the peace, in the higher knowledge and harmony;that is, to place one’s consciousness as high as possible in one’s being, at the level where one isliberated from all lower movements. Then naturally, if the consciousness is there, the thoughts itreceives are those of a higher order. And thought is only one form of activity of the consciousness,it is not the stuff of consciousness. There is a consciousness without thought, there is a very muchhigher state of consciousness in which there are no thoughts. It is a consciousness that can have awww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 3

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017.very perfect knowledge of things, without it being expressed in thoughts and words. Thought is onlyone form of activity.“Silence is… more easily established by a descent from above.” “From above” means what, SweetMother?From the higher region of consciousness. You see, if you open to the higher region of consciousnessand the force descends from above, quite naturally it establishes a silence in the lower region, forthey are governed by this higher power which descends. This comes from higher region of the mindor from beyond, even from the supermind. So when this force and consciousness come down andenter into the consciousness of a lower plane, this consciousness becomes naturally quiet, for it isas though invaded, flooded by that higher light which transforms it.In fact, this is even the only way of establishing a constant silence in one’s mind. It is to open oneselfto higher region and let this higher consciousness, force, light descend constantly into the lowermind and take possession of it. And here, when this happen, this lower mind can remain constantlyquiet and silent, because it is this one which acts and fills the whole being. One can act, write andspeak without the mind being active, with this force which comes from above penetrating the mindand using it; and the mind itself becomes just a passive instrument. And in fact, this is the only wayof establishing silence; for once this is established, the silence is established, the mind does not stirany longer, it acts only under the impulsion of this force when it manifests in it. It is like a veryquiet, very silent field and the force when it comes puts the elements into movement and uses them,and it finds expression through the mind without the mind’s being agitated. It remains very quiet.(CWM, Volume 6, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) The Mind – ‘On The Dhammapada’, Studies by The MotherJust as the arrow-maker straightens his arrows, so also the intelligent man straightens his thoughts,wavering and fickle, difficult to keep straight, difficult to master.Just as a fish cast out of the water, our mind quivers and gasps when it leaves behind the kingdomof Mara.Difficult to master and unstable is the mind, forever in search of pleasure. It is good to govern it. Amind that is controlled brings happiness.The sage should remain master of his thoughts, for they are subtle and difficult to seize and alwaysin search of pleasure. A mind that is well guided brings happiness.Wandering afar, solitary, bodiless and hidden in the deep cave of the heart, such is the mind.Whosoever succeeds in bringing it under control liberates himself from the fetters of Mara.The intelligence of one whose mind is unstable, who is ignorant of the true Law, and whose faith iswavering will never be able to develop.If a man’s thoughts are not agitated, if his mind is not troubled by desire, if he no longer cares forgood and evil, this man, wide awake, knows nothing of fear.Observing that the body is as fragile as a jar, and fortifying the mind like a city at arms, one shouldattack Mara with the blade of intelligence and should guard carefully whatever has been won.Before long this body will be lying on the earth, abandoned, as lifeless as a piece of old wood.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 4

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017.Whatever an enemy may do to an enemy, whatever a hater may do to a hater, the harm caused by amisdirected mind is even greater still.Neither mother nor father nor any other kinsman can do so much good as a well-directed mind.These few verses correspond to all the needs of those whose mind has not been mastered. They pointout the attachment that one has to one’s old ways of being, thinking and reacting, even when one istrying to get away from them. As soon as you emerge by your effort, you are like a fish out of waterand you gasp for breath because you are no longer in your element of obscure desires.Even when you make a resolution, the mind remains unstable. It is subtle, difficult to seize. Withoutseeming to do so, it is continually seeking its own satisfaction; and its intentions are hidden in thecore of the heart so as not to show their true nature.And while not forgetting the weakness of the body, you must try to strengthen the mind against itsown weakness; with the sword of wisdom, you must fight against the hostile forces and treasure theprogress you have made so that these forces may not despoil you of your progress, for they areterrible thieves. And then there is a short couplet for those who are afraid of death, intended toliberate them from that fear. Finally there is a last short couplet for those who are attached to theirfamily to show them the vanity of this attachment.In the end, a last warning: an ill-directed, ill-controlled thought does more harm than an enemy cando to an enemy or a hater to a hater. That is to say, even those who have the best intentions in theworld, if they do not have a wise control over their thought, will do more harm to themselves and tothose whom they love than an enemy can do to an enemy or a hater to a hater.The mind has a power of deception in its own regard which is incalculable. It clothes its desires andpreferences with all kinds of wonderful intentions and it hides its trickeries, resentments anddisappointments under the most favourable appearances. To overcome all that, you must have thefearlessness of a true warrior, and an honesty, a straightforwardness, a sincerity that never fail.(CWM, Volume 3, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry) Silence, the mystic birthplace of the soul.But for the knowledge of the Self it is necessary to have the power of a complete intellectualpassivity, the power of dismissing all thought, the power of the mind to think not at all which theGita in one passage enjoins. This is a hard saying for the occidental mind to which thought is thehighest thing and which will be apt to mistake the power of the mind not to think, its completesilence for the incapacity of thought. But this power of silence is a capacity and not an incapacity, apower and not a weakness. It is a profound and pregnant stillness. Only when the mind is thusentirely still, like clear, motionless and level water, in a perfect purity and peace of the whole beingand the soul transcends thought, can the Self which exceeds and originates all activities andbecomings, the Silence from which all words are born, the Absolute of which all relativities arepartial reflections manifest itself in the pure essence of our being. In a complete silence only is theSilence heard; in a pure peace only is its Being revealed. Therefore to us the name of That is theSilence and the Peace. - Sri Aurobindo(SABCL, Volume 20, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 5

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017. Poetic garlands on Silence Ascent – The Silence Into the Silence, into the Silence, Arise, O Spirit immortal, Away from the turning Wheel, breaking the magical Circle. Ascend, single and deathless: Care no more for the whispers and the shoutings in the darkness. Pass from the sphere of the grey and the little, Leaving the cry and the struggle, Into the Silence for ever. Vast and immobile, formless and marvellous, Higher than Heaven, wider than the universe, In a pure glory of being, In a bright stillness of self-seeing, Communing with a boundlessness voiceless and intimate, Make thy knowledge too high for thought, thy joy too deep for emotion; At rest in the unchanging Light, mute with the wordless self-vision, Spirit, pass out of thyself; Soul, escape from the clutch of Nature. All thou hast seen cast from thee, O Witness. Turn to the Alone and the Absolute, turn to the Eternal: Be only eternity, peace and silence, O world-transcending nameless Oneness, Spirit immortal. Silence is allSilence is all, say the sages.Silence watches the work of the ages;In the book of Silence the cosmic Scribe has written his cosmic pages;Silence is all, say the sages. *What then of the word, O speaker?What then of the thought, O thinker?Thought is the wine of the soul and the word is the beaker;Life is the banquet-table—the soul of the sage is the drinker. *What of the wine, O mortal?I am drunk with the wine as I sit at Wisdom’s portal,Waiting for the Light beyond thought and the Word immortal.Long I sit in vain at Wisdom’s portal. *How shalt thou know the Word when it comes, O seeker?How shalt thou know the Light when it breaks, O witness?I shall hear the voice of the God within me and grow wiser and meeker;I shall be the tree that takes in the light as its food, I shall drink its nectar of sweetness. - Sri Aurobindo(SABCL, Volume 5, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 6

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017. Flowers Speak… On Quiet Mind Quiet Mind The best way to learn.Perfect Quietness in the MindEssential condition for true progress. Quietness established in the Mind The essential condition for its transformation.Aspiration for Silence in the Physical MindPractise silence of mind, it gives power ofunderstanding.(Flowers and Messages, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 7

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017. Lotus Flowers (A painting by Sandhya) The gentleness of blessing hands Sanctity of Mother’s feet Advent of the Dawn Goddess Blossoming shape of Krishna’s eyes Flowering of a smiling face Hold within them a secret, One that is at the heart of a Lotus flower. Quivering at the touch of sunshine, Silken petals unfurl one by one. Seated serenely as in a deep meditation, The flowers are living sages in trance. Beautiful symbols are they, of heavenly beauty, Secretly decorating the earth with sweet ecstasy. - SandhyaJanuary - February Sunday Activities at the Centre - A glimpseJanuary 22nd – Study of Secrets of Veda:Rig Vedic verses 10 to 12 from Mandala 1, Sukta 3 dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, were coveredin the light of Sri Aurobindo’s interpretations. We understood Saraswati as follows: • She is that power of Truth, which we call inspiration.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 8

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017. • Inspiration from the Truth purifies by getting rid of falsehood. • As per Indian idea, all sin is merely falsehood, wrongly inspired motion and wrongly directed will and action. • The Idea of life and ourselves, we start with is a falsehood and all else is falsified by it. • Truth comes to us as a light, a voice, compelling a change of thought, imposing a discernment of ourselves and all around us. • Truth of thought creates truth of vision. • Truth of vision forms in us truth of being. • Out of truth of being (satyam) flows naturally truth of emotion, will and action.She is full of her luminous plenitudes and rich in substance of thought, upholds the sacrifice, theoffering of the mortal being’s activities to the divine by awakening his consciousness so that itassumes right states of emotion and right movements of thought in accordance with the Truth.She brings into active consciousness in the human being the great flood or great movement, theTruth-Consciousness itself and illumines with it all our thoughts.According to Vedic Rishis, Saraswati liberates the life and being from falsehood, weakness andlimitation and opens to it the doors of the supreme felicity.January 29th – Readings from AIM:Tantra, the worship of Shakti1. Hymn to the Goddess: This is a very beautiful hymn on adoration of the Goddess Mother fromTantric compilation. Mother Goddess as the very substance of the whole universe including Brahma,Vishnu, and Shiva who creates, preserves and destroys.She is the primordial cause of the worlds who is ever youthful with full of tenderness and beyonddescription even by the Vedas.2. The Philosophy and the Principle behind Tantra: In Tantric philosophy Prakriti is the mainprinciple and the Will-in-Power , executive in the universe. It was by learning and applying theintimate secrets of this will –in –Power , its method, its Tantra, the Tantric Yogin pursued the aimsof his discipline.Vedanta and Tantra: Two sides of the One Truth. While Vedanta deals with the principles andessentials of the divine Knowledge, Tantra deals with forms and processes and Organised powers.It believes that only the “FORCE OF THE MOTHER” is keeping the whole universe, kicking andalive.The two paths of Tantra: They are right-hand path and left hand path, Dakshina Marga and VamaMarga. It is way of knowledge and the way of Ananda. But these methods distorted over the timeto the obscuration of principles, deformation of symbols and a fall.The Central Tantric Conception: In the central Tantric conception, Shakti is considered the soleeffective force of all attainment. In Vedantic concept, She is the power of Maya, and has to bewww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 9

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017.liberated from Her clutches to attain the silent Purusha. In Integral conception Conscious-Soul is theLord, the Nature-Soul is His executive energy. Purusha in action is creation and the Ananda of thebecoming.Worshipping the Woman as goddess: Feminine principle found in the living personality is the entirepresence of the world supporting maternal soul of the Divinity. The Devi with all her aspects,”kalas”, is there in the Woman. In Tantra it is said a Woman is equal to a Guru and should beworshipped.I am reminded how a lot of Indian communities have a ceremony to worship and feed women andyoung girls before any major celebration like wedding or thread ceremony!February 5th – Readings from AIM:Read first two paragraphs from Discovering the Vedas.The Age of MysteriesThis passage talks about how men of this era of Mysteries, focused on the deeper knowledge andself -knowledge, brought about the practices and rites of religion. They established symbols. It isinteresting to know that the age of Mysteries brought about the quest to know about the one’s owndeeper self and the profounder world knowledge.To Know Thyself was the highest spiritual need. It took different forms in different countries likeOrphic in Greece, Magi in Persia etc....In India to know the ever pervading Atman is the purposeof human birth.Another preoccupation for them was to systemise the occult knowledge to bring mastery over thephysical world and physical things.Vedas are the creations of an intuitive Age of mankind.Veda, then is the creation of an age anterior to our intellectual philosophies. The wisest thendepended on inner experience; their aim was illumination, not logical conviction, their ideal theinspired seer not the accurate reason seeker. No Rishi composed or put rhythm to the hymns. Thedivine hymn came vibrating out of the infinite to the inner audience of the man who was fit forimpersonal knowledge. It was Drsti and Sruti , (sight and hearing) which had the revelatoryknowledge and contents of inspiration.February 12th – Readings from Questions and Answers, Book 8:We read the following question and its answer from page 189 (20th June 1956) of the book.Mother, if the heart can be the means of a more direct knowledge, what is the role of the intellectas an intermediary of knowledge?Mother replied as follows:As an intermediary, did you say?For the true role of the mind is the formation and organization of action. The mind has a formativeand organizing power, and it is that which puts the different elements of inspiration in order, forwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 10

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017.action, for organizing action. And if it would only confine itself to that role, receiving inspirations– whether from above or from the mystic centre of the soul – and simply formulating the plan ofaction – in broad outline or in minute detail, for the smallest things in life or the great terrestrialorganizations – it would amply fulfil its function.It is not an instrument of knowledge.But it can use knowledge for action, to organise action. It is an instrument of organization andformation, very powerful and very capable when it is well developed…………………..These are the two uses of the mind; it is a controlling force, an instrument of control, and it is apower of organization. That is its true place. - Compiled by Rama, Krishnamurthy, Jayalakshmi PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2017 DATE TIME DETAILS5th March 2017 8:00 AM Monthly Morning Walk * Sunday5th March 2017 Reading from AIM Magazine Sunday 6:00 PM Q & A from Mothers Complete Works Vol 812th March 2017 6:00 PM Sunday Followed by Om Choir19th March 2017 Study Circle – Part 3 “The Secret of the Veda” Sunday 6:00 PM (pg. 393-556)26th March 2017 6:00 PM Sunday Savitri – An unending Journey* Please see below for details. MARCH 2017 MORNING WALK – NO. 379Date: Sunday, 5th March 2017Time: 8:00 A.M. sharp for warm up exerciseWalk Venue: Bedok ReservoirMeeting Point: Car park opposite to Aquarius by the Park Condominium. This car park is along Bedok Reservoir Road.Contact No: Mr S.Ramanathan (9138 5130)Directions to Bus:the Walk 5,18, 21,22,28,46,59,65,66,67,69,168,228,506Venue:www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 11

Hosts: Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017.Directions toHost’s Mr Anand K Venkat and Familyresidence: Block 71, Pasir Ris Grove, # 07-19, Livia Singapore 518025.RSVP 86126067 (Anand), 93397950 (Sheetal), 67199790 (Home) Email: [email protected], [email protected] Driving: 1) Elias Rd exit at TPE if coming from PIE/Airport direction towards Pasir RIS -> Take 3B exit (Pasir Ris Dr 8) which leads to Pasir Ris Dr 1 -> Take the 1st left onto Pasir Ris Grove for Car entrance into Livia ( last apartment on that road) 2) From TPE towards Changi direction or coming from IKEA (Tampines Ave 10) into TPE. At TPE Take exit 3C toward Pasir Ris Dr 1 -> Take the 1st left onto Pasir Ris Grove for Car entrance into Livia ( last apartment on that road) By MRT/Bus: From Pasir Ris MRT 403 & no.3 - Alight opposite to Block 515 (Livia is right opposite to this block) 89,3,53 are other buses that come here from different locations to the same bus stop 86126067 (Anand), 93397950 (Sheetal), 67199790 (Home) Email: [email protected], [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 380 Swati and Kiran Krishnamurthy 02/04/2017 Upper Seletar Reservoir 381 Mr Ashok Patel and Family 382 07/05/2017 East Coast Park Mr Anand Patel and Family 04/06/2017 East Coast Park Mr Sanjay Mehta and Family383 02/07/2017 TBA Along the Way… February 2017 Walk ReviewAsk anyone who has visited; he is sure to have a cherished memory of the lush green SingaporeBotanic Gardens. Its expansive grounds are ideal for an invigorating jog or a lazy picnic while itsdazzling array of thousands of plants makes it a nature lovers’ paradise. Not forgetting to mentionthat it is a leading centre for botanical and horticultural research!! We should salute the foresightwww.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 12

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017.and vision of our forefathers that this sort of nature could exist in the middle of a sprawling city!!!No wonder it is conferred as the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site - A testament toSingapore’s reputation as a City in a Garden.Sharp at 8am our group assembled near the exquisite Tanglin Core entrance with its four trademarkpillars and straight away proceeded with the walk on a cool day to enjoy fresh air, sounds of birdschirping, the sounds of waterfalls.First, we came across a room called “Shaker Room” where countless bottles with some greeneryinside each of them shaking vigorously. We learnt that shaking the tissue helps to confuse the tissueabout sense of gravity – they do not differentiate into shoots or roots but grow into more tissues.This way a very large number of plantlets can be obtained from the cluster of tissue in the flasks.Could not help but compare with humans- we are also jumping vigorously from place to place,country to country in search of tissues (material wealth) in the process losing our roots.While walking, we were awe struck to witness the imposing skyhigh trees, some more than twocenturies old. Be it the • Palm Valley trees particularly the Tail Pot Palm which flowers only once in its lifetime • Monkey Pot Tree (it derives its name from its unique fruit which looks like a pot with a lid. Monkeys are known to put their hands into the pot to get to its rich seeds) • Ancient Jelawai tree - an uncommon species in the world more than 50 metres tall • Dangerous Keluak tree (It emits cyanide!) with its massive bomb like fruits • Penaga Laut (This tree plays host to several ferns, climbers and wildlife. Botany Centre was designed and built around it to accommodate growth of the tree- an excellent example of efforts made to conserve mature trees in Singapore) • Awesome Dead Rat Tree (its trunk is like an elephant's leg ) • The Majestic heritage tree Tembusu (remember Singapore $5 note which features this)On seeing these mammoth tress, one is reminded of Gita Verse 3 Chapter XV “Na roopamasyeha tathopalabhyate Naanto na chaadirna cha sampratishthaa; Ashwatthamenam suviroodhamoolam Asangashastrena dridhena cchittwaa.”Meaning: Its form is not perceived here as such, neither its end nor its origin, nor its foundation norresting place; having cut asunder this firmly-rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of non-attachment…We stepped up our speed and zoomed past a) Evolution Garden (journey through time, from the fiery beginnings of our planet to the first living organisms and gradually changing plant life on land) b) The Foliage Garden with an extensive collection of aquatic foliage and a board walk which offers a brilliant view of aquatic plants down under. This Garden showcases a wide array of ornamental plants with colourful foliage of varying shapes/textures and demonstrates that the beauty and diversity of plants do not lie in their flowers alone.www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 13

Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. March 2017. c) Ginger Garden which displays several hundred species of ginger with surprisingly beautiful leaves and very attractive flowers. A walk behind the waterfall and a pool adorned with giant Amazon water lilies, I must admit, are a photographer’s paradise. Within limited time constraints, we could not even explore 1/3rd of the Gardens. There were various attractions to explore, even little areas not highlighted on the map can be surprisingly stunning too. After a wonderful morning walk taking our time to appreciate the beauty of the Gardens and be fascinated by the variety of the trees and flowers, we reached our Centre to be warmly welcomed by our gracious hosts Mrs Anju and Prof Aditya. Nearly 40 people turned up for the meditation and for the brunch thereafter. Our sincere thanks to the hosts for organizing such a sumptuous brunch despite arriving in Singapore just the prior day after a hectic overseas tour. - Ramanathan ANNOUNCEMENTS Membership Renewal for 2017 & Subscription to AIMFor 2017, Annual Members need to pay SGD 60 as their membership subscription to the Society. Those subscribingto the All India Magazine will need to pay an additional SGD 30 for the magazine.Please send a cheque payable to \"Sri Aurobindo Society\" and post it to the Treasurer, Sanjay Mehta at the followingaddress: Sanjay Mehta Treasurer – Sri Aurobindo Society Blk 720 Tampines Street 72 #03-31 Singapore 520720.You may also physically pay it to him in cash or by passing a cheque to a committee member and letting Sanjayknow, during our activities. 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