Blog

Peace and Silence 

CALM

Be very careful to remain always calm and peaceful and let an integral equanimity establish itself more and more completely in your being. Do not allow your mind to be too active and to live in a turmoil, do not jump to conclusions from a superficial view of things; always take your time, concentrate and decide only in quietness.

Mother, for several days I have been suffering a lot.

It is the inner being that suffers and always wants to

unite with the divine consciousness but cannot be-

cause of the outer consciousness. Mother, really I am

suffering.

You know that it is indispensable to be calm; you must try hard to become calm. Then in the calm, pray to Sri Aurobindo to give you the right consciousness; pray in all sincerity, with faith and trust. Your prayer will surely be granted one day.

Sometimes I become absolutely quiet, I speak to no

one, but just remain within myself, only thinking of

the Divine. Is it good to keep this state constantly?

It is an excellent state which one can keep quite easily, but it must be sincere; I mean, it should be not a mere appearance of calm but a real and deep calm which spontaneously keeps you silent.

 9 March 1933

*

Page ― 140

The first step is perfect calm and equanimity.

 28 September 1937

*

You must learn to be calm and quiet even in the midst of difficulties. This is the way to overcome all obstacles.

Can “calm” give a solution to all problems?

Yes, but for this the calm must be perfect, in all the parts of the being, so that the power may express itself through it.

 1960

*

            So that the experience does not become dangerously distorted and painful, you must keep an absolute calm.

            It is only in peace and calm that the Divine Force expresses itself and acts.

 26 June 1967

*

            It is very good to have recovered the calm.

            It is in the calm that the body can increase its receptivity and gain the power to contain.

Do not confuse calm with inertia. Calm is self-possessed strength, quiet and conscious energy, mastery of the impulses, control over the unconscious reflexes. In work calm is the source of efficiency and an indispensable condition for perfection.

Page ― 141

Increase the inner rest, it must become a rest always present even in the midst of the greatest activity and so steady that nothing has the power to shake it ― and then you will become a perfect instrument for the Manifestation.

QUIET

Surely to be quiet is not tamas. In fact it is only in quietness that the proper thing can be done. What I call quietness is to do work without being disturbed by anything and to observe everything without being disturbed by anything.

Be quiet. We have only to work patiently without being disturbed by anything and keep unshaken the faith in the inevitable Victory.

Quietness, quietness, a calm and concentrated strength, so quiet that nothing can shake it ― this is the indispensable basis for the integral realisation.

The more a person is quiet in front of all occurrences, equal in all circumstances, and keeps a perfect mastery of himself and remains peaceful in the presence of whatever happens, the more he has progressed towards the goal.

Page ― 142

In quietness you will feel that the divine force, help and protection are always with you.

At the hour of danger a perfect quietness is required.

When one remains perfectly quiet and without fear, nothing serious can happen.

The only thing you have to do is to remain quiet, undisturbed, solely turned towards the Divine; the rest is in His hands.

 17 July 1935

*

That is always the best thing to do. To keep quiet, open and call or wait for the descent.

Be quiet always, calm, peaceful, and let the Force work in your consciousness through the transparency of a perfect sincerity.

 6 June 1937

*

It is only in quietness and peace that one can know what is the best thing to do.

 3 November 1937

*

Page ― 143

The storm is only at the surface of the sea; in the depths all is quiet.

 28 May 1954

*

Mother,

I have come to a point when I do not seem to

understand anything. I do not lack ideas or under-

standing in terms of words. What I lack is a sense of

Reality, a force of Being and direction. It is not at all

a happy state of affairs.

You told me all that last night between 10 and 11, and as you were somewhat restless, I told you, “First of all you must be quiet” The whole thing was very vivid and I appreciate the power of your thought ― but I insist on the necessity of being calm and quiet. It is indispensable.

With love and blessings.

 21 June 1962

*

Do not get agitated.

Keep quiet and everything will be all right.

Love and blessings.

 14 May 1967

*

It is in quietness, peace and silence that the spiritual forces act.

All agitation and excitement come from an adverse influence.

 February 1971

*

The true Power is always quiet. Restlessness, agitation, impatience are the sure signs of weakness and imperfection.

Page ― 144

Keep quiet, try to detach yourself and observe as a witness, to prevent all possibility of acting on impulse.

It is not in the outward circumstances that you must look for quietness, it is from inside yourself. Deep inside the being there is a peace that brings quietness in the whole being down to the body, if we allow it to do so.

            It is that peace you must seek and then you will get the quietness you wish for.

Quietness is always good and even indispensable for a true and lasting progress.

Blessings.

PEACE

The peace must be immense, the quietness deep and still, the calm unshakable, and the trust in the Divine ever – increasing.

It is by a quiet, strong and persistent peace that the true victories can be won.

It is only in tranquillity and peace that one can know what is the best thing to do.

 21 October 1972

Home » E-Library » Works of The Mother » English » CWMCE » Words Of The Mother Volume-14 »

Section Four 

THE FOUNDATION OF SADHANA

THE FOUNDATION OF SADHANA

I

It is not possible to make a foundation in yoga if the mind is restless. The first thing needed is quiet in the mind. Also to merge the personal consciousness is not the first aim of the yoga: the first aim is to open it to a higher spiritual consciousness and for this also a quiet mind is the first need.

*  *  * 

The first thing to do in the sadhana is to get a settled peace and silence in the mind. Otherwise you may have experiences, but nothing will be permanent. It is in the silent mind that the true consciousness can be built.

    A quiet mind does not mean that there will be no thoughts or mental movements at all, but that these will be on the surface and you will feel your true being within separate from them, observing but not carried away, able to watch and judge them and reject all that has to be rejected and to accept and keep to all that is true consciousness and true experience.

   Passivity of the mind is good, but take care to be passive only to the Truth and to the touch of the Divine Shakti. If you are passive to the suggestions and influences of the lower nature, you will not be able to progress or else you will expose yourself to adverse forces which may take you far away from the true path of yoga.

    Aspire to the Mother for this settled quietness and calm of the mind and this constant sense of the inner being in you standing back from the external nature and turned to the Light and Truth.

   The forces that stand in the way of sadhana are the forces of the lower mental, vital and physical nature. Behind them are adverse powers of the mental, vital and subtle physical worlds. These can be dealt with only after the mind and heart have become one-pointed and concentrated in the single aspiration to

*  *  *  
 

Page-579

The first step is a quiet mind—silence is a further step, but quietude must be there; and by a quiet mind I mean a mental consciousness within which sees thoughts arrive to it and move about but does not itself feel that it is thinking or identifying itself with the thoughts or call them its own. Thoughts, mental movements may pass through it as wayfarers appear and pass from elsewhere through a silent country—the quiet mind observes them or does not care to observe them, but, in either case, does not become active or lose its quietude. Silence is more than quietude; it can be gained by banishing thought altogether from the inner mind keeping it voiceless or quite outside; but more easily it is established by a descent from above—one feels it coming down, entering and occupying or surrounding the personal consciousness which then tends to merge itself in the vast impersonal silence.

*  *  * 

To quiet the mind in such a way that no thoughts will come is not easy and usually takes time. The most necessary thing is to feel a quietude in the mind so that if thoughts come they do not disturb or hold the mind or make it follow them, but simply cross and pass away. The mind first becomes the witness of the passage of thought and not the thinker, afterwards it is able not to watch the thoughts but lets them pass unnoticed and concentrates in itself or on the object it chooses without trouble.

    There are two main things to be secured as the foundations of sadhana—the opening of the psychic being and the realisation of the Self above. For the opening of the psychic being, concentration on the Mother and self-offering to her are the direct way. The growth of Bhakti which you feel is the first sign of the psychic development. A sense of the Mother's presence or force or the remembrance of her supporting and strengthening you is the next sign. Eventually, the soul within begins to be active in aspiration and psychic perception guiding the mind to the right thoughts, the vital to the right movements and feelings, showing and rejecting all that has to be put away and turning the whole being in all its movements to the Divine alone. For the self-realisation, peace and silence of the mind are the first condition. Afterwards one begins to feel release, freedom, wideness, to live in a

Page-580

consciousness silent, tranquil, untouched by any or all things, existing everywhere and in all, one with or united with the Divine. Other experiences come on the way, or may come, such as the opening of the inner vision, the sense of the Force working within and various movements and phenomena of the working etc. One may also be conscious of ascents of the consciousness and descents of Force, Peace, Bliss or Light from above.

*  *  * 

Silence is always good; but I do not mean by quietness of mind entire silence. I mean a mind free from disturbance and trouble, steady, light and glad so as to open to the Force that will change the nature. The important thing is to get rid of the habit of the invasion of troubling thoughts, wrong feelings, confusion of ideas, unhappy movements. These disturb the nature and cloud it and make it difficult for the Force to work; when the mind is quiet and at peace, the Force can work more easily. It should be possible to see things that have to be changed in you without being upset or depressed; the change is the more easily done.

*  *  * 

The difference between a vacant mind and a calm mind is this: that when the mind is vacant, there is no thought, no conception, no mental action of any kind, except an essential perception of things without the formed idea; but in the calm mind, it is the substance of the mental being that is still, so still that nothing disturbs it. If thoughts or activities come, they do not rise at all out of the mind, but they come from outside and cross the mind as a flight of birds crosses the sky in a windless air. It passes, disturbs nothing, leaving no trace. Even if a thousand images or the most violent events pass across it, the calm stillness remains as if the very texture of the mind were a substance of eternal and indestructible peace. A mind that has achieved this calmness can begin to act, even intensely and powerfully, but it will keep its fundamental stillness—originating nothing from itself but receiving from Above and giving it a mental form without adding anything of its own, calmly, dispassionately, though with the joy 
 

Page-581

of the Truth and the happy power and light of its passage.

*  *  * 

It is not an undesirable thing for the mind to fall silent, to be free from thoughts and still—for it is oftenest when the mind falls silent that there is the full descent of a wide peace from above and in that wide tranquillity the realisation of the silent Self above the mind spread out in its vastness everywhere. Only, when there is the peace and the mental silence, the vital mind tries to rush in and occupy the place or else the mechanical mind tries to raise up for the same purpose its round of trivial habitual thoughts. What the sadhak has to do is to be careful to reject and hush these outsiders, so that during the meditation at least the peace and quietude of the mind and vital may be complete. This can be done best if you keep a strong and silent will. That will is the will of the Purusha behind the mind; when the mind is at peace, when it is silent one can become aware of the Purusha, silent also, separate from the action of the nature.

    To be calm, steady, fixed in the spirit, dhlra sthira, this quietude of the mind, this separation of the inner Purusha from the outer Prakriti is very helpful, almost indispensable. So long as the being is subject to the whirl of thoughts or the turmoil of the vital movements, one cannot be thus calm and fixed in the spirit. To detach oneself, to stand back from them, to feel them separate from oneself is indispensable.

    For the discovery of the true individuality and building up of it in the nature, two things are necessary, first, to be conscious of one's psychic being behind the heart and, next, this separation of the Purusha from the Prakriti. For the true individual is behind veiled by the activities of the outer nature.

*  *  * 

It is simply because you are full of mental and vital activities and relations. One must get the power to quiet the mental and vital, if not at first at all times, yet whenever one wills—for it is the mind and vital that cover up the psychic being as well as the self (Atman) and to get at either one must get in through their veil; 
 

Page-582

but if they are always active and you are always identified with their activities, the veil will always be there. It is also possible to detach yourself and look at these activities as if they were not your own but a mechanical action of Nature which you observe as a disinterested witness. One can then become aware of an inner being which is separate, calm and uninvolved in Nature. This may be the inner mental or vital Purusha and not the psychic, but to get at the consciousness of the inner manomqya and pranamaya purusa is always a step towards the unveiling of the psychic being.

    Yes, it would be better to get full control of the speech—it is an important step towards going inward and developing a true inner and yogic consciousness.

*  *  * 

Remember first that an inner quietude, caused by the purification of the restless mind and vital, is the first condition of a secure sadhana. Remember next, that to feel the Mother's presence while in external action is already a great step and one that cannot be attained without a considerable inner progress. Probably, what you feel you need so much but cannot define is a constant and vivid sense of the Mother's force working in you, descending from above and taking possession of the different planes of your being. That is often a prior condition for the twofold movement of ascent and descent; it will surely come in time. These things can take a long time to begin visibly, especially when the mind is accustomed to be very active and has not the habit of mental silence. When that veiling activity is there, much work has to be carried on behind the mobile screen of the mind and the sadhak thinks nothing is happening when really much preparation is being done. If you want a more swift and visible progress, it can only be by bringing your psychic to the front through a constant self-offering. Aspire intensely, but without impatience.

*  *  * 

Keep the quietude and do not mind if it is for a time an empty quietude; the consciousness is often like a vessel which has to be emptied of its mixed or undesirable contents; it has to be kept 
 

Page-583

vacant for a while till it can be filled with things new and true, right and pure. The one thing to be avoided is the refilling of the cup with the old turbid contents. Meanwhile wait, open yourself upwards, call very quietly and steadily, not with a too restless eagerness, for the peace to come into the silence and, once the peace is there, for the joy and the presence.

*  *  * 

Calm, even if it seems at first only a negative thing, is so difficult to attain, that to have it at all must 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 positive foundation 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 remain and 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 be ardent 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.

*  *  * 

First aspire and pray to the Mother for quiet in the mind, purity, calm and peace, an awakened consciousness, intensity of devotion, strength and spiritual capacity to face all inner and outer difficulties and go through to the end of the yoga. If the consciousness awakens and there is devotion and intensity of aspiration, it will be possible for the mind, provided it learns quietude and peace, to grow in knowledge.

*  *  * 

To be calm, undisturbed and quiet is not the first condition for sadhana but for siddhi. It is only a few people (very few, one, two, 
 

Page-584

three, four in a hundred sadhaks) who can get it from the first. Most have to go through a long preparation before they can get anywhere near it. Even afterwards when they begin to feel the peace and calm, it takes time to establish it—they swing between peace and disturbance for a fairly long time until all parts of the nature have accepted the truth and the peace. So there is no reason for you to suppose you cannot progress or arrive. You are finding a great difficulty with one part of your nature which has been accustomed to open itself to these feelings, separation from the Mother and attachment to relatives, and is not willing to give them up—that is all. But everybody finds such obstinate difficulties in that part of the nature, even the most successful sadhaks here. One has to persevere until the light conquers there.

*  *  * 

One can go forward even if there is not peace—quietude and concentration are necessary. Peace is necessary for the higher states to develop.

II

The words "peace, calm, quiet, silence" have each their own shade of meaning, but it is not easy to define them.

     Peace—sdnti.

    Calm—sthiratd.

    Quiet—acancalata.

     Silence—niscala niravata.

    Quiet is a condition in which there is no restlessness or disturbance.

Calm is a still unmoved condition which no disturbance can affect—it is a less negative condition than quiet.

    Peace is a still more positive condition; it carries with it a sense of settled and harmonious rest and deliverance.

    Silence is a state in which either there is no movement of the mind or vital or else a great stillness which no surface movement can pierce or alter.

*  *  *

Page-585

Home » E-Library » Works of Sri Aurobindo » English » Other Editions » On Yoga 2 - Letters On Yoga - Tome One »

The Silence behind Life

THERE is a silence behind life as well as within it and it is only in this more secret, sustaining silence that we can hear clearly the voice of God. In the noise of the world we hear only altered and disturbed echoes of it; for the Voice comes always - who else speaks to us on our journey? – but the gods of the heart, the gods of the mind, the gods of desire, the gods of sense take up the divine cry, intercept it and alter it for their purposes. Krishna calls to us, but the first note, even the opening power or sweetness, awakes a very brouhaha of these echoes. It is not the fault of these poor gods. The accent of power is so desirable, the note of sweetness is so captivating that they must seize it, they would be dull and soulless, there would be no hope of their redemption if they did not at once leap at it and make it their own. But in becoming their own, it ceases to be entirely his. How many who have the religious faith and the religious temperament, are following the impulses of their heart, the cravings of their desire, the urgency of their senses, the dictates of their opinion when they fully imagine that their God is leading them! And they do well, for God is leading them. It is the way He has chosen for them, and since He has chosen it, it is the best and wisest and most fruitful way for them. Still it is their God - not one they have made in their own image as the Atheist believes, but One who makes Himself in the image that they prefer, the image that best suits with their nature or their development. "In whatever way men come to me, in that way I love and cleave to them." It is a saying of fathomless depth which contains the seed of the whole truth about God and religion. After all it is only in this way that the conditioned can meet the Absolute, that which has a nature or Dharma of its own with that which is beyond all limit of nature or Dharma. After the meeting of the soul with God, - well, that is a different matter. The secrets of the nuptial chamber cannot all be spoken.

Page-174

Nevertheless, there is a higher way of meeting Him than that which leads us through subjection to the Gods. By perfect Love, by perfect Joy, by perfect satisfaction, by perfected mind one can hear what the Voice truly says, if not the Voice itself, catch the kernel of the message with a soul of ecstatic perfection, even if afterwards the Gods dilate on it and by attempting to amplify and complete it, load it with false corollaries or prevent some greater fullness of truth from coming to us. Therefore this way also, though it is high, cannot be the highest.

Page-175

Home » E-Library » Works of Sri Aurobindo » English » SABCL » The Hour Of God Volume-17 »

FRAGMENTS

In the silence of midnight

Surrender to the Divine Will 

SURRENDER

Surrender: the decision to hand over the responsibility of your life to the Divine. This is done either through the mind or the emotion or the life-impulse or through all of them together.

To surrender to the Divine is to renounce your narrow limits and let yourself be invaded by It and made a centre for Its play.

If you are truly surrendered to the Divine, in the right manner and totally, then at every moment you will be what you ought to be, you will do what you ought to do, you will know what you ought to know.

But for that you should have transcended all the limitations of the ego.

True surrender enlarges you; it increases your capacity; it gives you a greater measure in quality and in quantity, which you could not have had yourself.

Detailed surrender: a surrender which does not forget anything. 

Page ― 113

Detailed surrender means the surrender of all the details of life, even the smallest and the most insignificant in appearance. And this means to remember the Divine in all circumstances; whatever we think, feel or do, we must do it for Him as a way of coming close to Him, to be more and more what He wants us to be, capable of manifesting His will in perfect sincerity and purity, to be the instruments of His Love.

If man surrenders totally to the Divine, he identifies himself with the Divine.

 13 May 1954

*

Perfect surrender: the indispensable condition for identification.

In the integrality and absoluteness of bhakti and surrender, we find the essential condition of perfect peace leading to uninterrupted bliss.

 2 December 1954

*

The path is long, but self-surrender makes it short; the way is difficult, but perfect trust makes it easy.

Surrender to the Divine is the best emotional protection.

Page ― 114

The true repose is that of a perfect surrender to the Divine.

What is the secret of success in sadhana?

Surrender.

 13 October 1965

*

TO WILL WHAT THE DIVINE WILLS

Surrender: to will what the Divine wills is the supreme wisdom.

To will what God wills ― that is the supreme secret.

Will one with the Divine will: a condition that triumphs over all obstacles.

Divine Will ― the will expressing the highest Truth.

Let us do our best in all circumstances, leaving the result to the Divine's decision.

 20 May 1954

*

Page ― 115

We must be satisfied with what the Divine gives us, and do what He wants us to do without weakness, free from useless ambition.

 27 June 1954

*

Whenever there is any difficulty we must always remember that we are here exclusively to accomplish the Divine's will.

 5 August 1954

*

And when our adhesion to the Divine's will is total then also our peace and joy become total.

 6 August 1954

*

The Divine's will is that we should be like channels always open, always more wide, so that His forces may pour their abundance into the mould.

 16 October 1954

*

Our will must always be a perfect expression of the Divine's will.

 17 October 1954

*

Our constant prayer is to understand the Divine's will and to live accordingly.

 28 October 1954

*

We must lie before the Divine always like a page perfectly blank, so that the Divine's will may be inscribed in us without any difficulty or mixture.

 20 November 1954

*

Page ― 116

At each moment may our attitude be such that the Divine's Will determines our choice so that the Divine may give the direction to all our life.

 22 November 1954

*

We must see only through the Divine's eyes and act only through the Divine's will.

 26 November 1954

*

We must know how to depend for everything and in everything on the Divine. He alone can surmount all difficulties.

 29 November 1954

*

In a total surrender to the Divine there can be no longer errors or faults or any insufficiency since it is what the Divine has willed that he does and it is done as the Divine has willed it.

 3 December 1954

*

Always the Supreme Will remains the eternal mystery calling for all our wonder and marvelling.

 16 December 1954

*

Like the child who does not reason and has no care we trust ourselves to the Divine that the Divine's Will may be done.

 18 December 1954

*

To do at each moment the best we can and leave the result

Page ― 117

to the Divine's decision, is the surest way to peace, happiness, strength, progress and final perfection.

The only thing you have to do is to remain quiet, undisturbed, solely turned towards the Divine, the rest is in His hands.

 18 July 1955

*

One of the main problems of the present world is

that the population has increased enormously in the

last 100 years.

(1) How have so many souls evolved in such a

short time?

(2) What will be the destiny of the world in re-

gard to its population? Will the numbers go on in-

creasing with the current speed or will there be at a

certain period a drop without any artificial means?

(3) In case the population decreases in the future,

what will be the fate of so many souls that have

evolved so far?

There is a Supreme Consciousness that governs the manifestation. His wisdom is certainly much greater than ours. So we need not bother about what will happen.

Blessings.

The Lord is always victorious ― in his own way, not in the human way ― according to his own will, not according to the will of men.

The Lord is always present ― only we do not realise it.

Page―118

We are always free to make our proposals to the Lord, but after all it is only His will that is realised.

If one looks from high enough, whatever one does one never wastes one's time since one acts according to one's nature and ― without knowing it ― according to the will of the Lord.

 16 August 1962

*

Be quiet and offer yourself calmly and confidently.

All that happens is always the effect of the Supreme's Will.

Human action can be the occasion but never the cause.

 3 August 1968

*

DIFFICULTIES OF SURRENDER

It is rare that somebody can surrender entirely to the Divine's Will without having to face one or another of the difficulties.

How many efforts and struggles again to give ourselves, to surrender, once the individuality is constituted!

For if the struggle is not an actual one, that does not mean that it will not come one day in one form or another.

For always, at least once in our life, we are placed in some circumstance to test whether we are ready for an entire surren

Page ― 119

der to the Divine Will; whether we are, before all, human beings striving to attain and manifest the Godhead; ready to renounce everything in the world ― what seems to us good as well as what seems bad ― for that supreme conquest. In that ascent towards the heights, both virtues and duties ― that is to say our mental prejudices and preferences ― stand far more in our way than our exterior weaknesses and faults. An error can always be used as a spring-board, whilst a virtue is more often a limit, a barrier that must be surmounted.

I will add, quoting a passage of The Synthesis of Yoga, “All these are within us waiting to wall in the spirit with forms; but we must always go beyond, always renounce the lesser for the greater, the finite for the Infinite; we must be prepared to proceed from illumination to illumination, from experience to experience, from soul-state to soul-state, so as to reach the utmost transcendence of the Divine and its utmost universality.” ¹

The way in which most people surrender:

Let God manifest his will but let it be the same as mine.

 15 April 1931

*

One thing you must know and decide:

It is if you want the True Divine as He is, or if you want a Divine in keeping with your own conception of what He ought to be.

And if you have decided to surrender sincerely and totally to the Divine and to be and do what He wants you to be and do according to His own will, or if you want the Divine to do what you want Him to do and to act according to your own will.

¹Sri Aurobindo, Cent. Vol. 20, p. 315.

Page ― 120

I have forwarded your prayer to the Supreme Lord. But if you want to live in Ananda, you must not try to impose your will on the Divine, but, on the contrary, you must be ready to accept all that comes to you from Him, with an equal peace; because He knows better than we what is good for our progress.

 13 August 1960

*

The time is come to rely only on the Divine will and to let it work freely through you.

I repeat, the time has come at last not to rely any more on one's own petty will, to hand over the whole affair to the Divine's will and let it do its work through you, not only your mind and feelings but mainly through the body; and if you do it sincerely, all this body nonsense will disappear and you will be strong and fit for your work.

When men will understand that the Divine knows better than they do what is the best for them, many of their difficulties will disappear.

 1 April 1963

*

If the Lord wills for you a hardship, do not protest. Take it as a blessing and indeed it will become so.

The Lord is not an all-powerful automaton that human beings can move by the push-button of their will.

And yet most of those who surrender to God expect that from Him.

 22 June 1963

*

Page ― 121

ENDURANCE

Ordinarily we have to begin with a period of endurance; for we must learn to confront, to suffer and to assimilate all contacts. Each fibre in us must be taught not to wince away from that which pains and repels and not to run eagerly towards that which ... can possibly come to us down the ways of the soul's infinite experience. This is the stoical period of the preparation of equality, its most elementary and yet its heroic age. But this steadfast endurance of the flesh and heart and mind must be reinforced by a sustained sense of spiritual submission to a divine Will: this living clay must yield not only with a stern or courageous acquiescence,……..

/E-Library/Works of Sri Aurobindo/English/Other Editions/The Synthesis of Yoga_1950 Edn/EQUALITY AND THE ANNIHILATION OF EGO.htm 

HUMILITY

What is the right and the wrong way of being humble?

It is very simple, when people are told “be humble”, they think immediately of “being humble before other men” and that humility is wrong. True humility is humility before the Divine, that is, a precise, exact, living sense that one is nothing, one can do nothing, understand nothing without the Divine, that even if one is exceptionally intelligent and capable, this is nothing in comparison with the divine Consciousness, and this sense one must always keep, because then one always has the true attitude of receptivity - a humble receptivity that does not put personal pretensions in opposition to the Divine.

You have said: “If you surrender you have to give up effort, but that does not mean that you have to abandon also all willed action.”

                                                                          Questions and Answers 1929 (21 April)

Gratitude

Gratitude: it is you who open all the closed doors and let the Grace which saves penetrate deeply.

Gratitude

A loving recognition of the Grace received from the Divine.

A humble recognition of all that the Divine has done and is doing for you.

The spontaneous feeling of obligation to the Divine, which makes you do your best to become less unworthy of what the Divine is doing for you.

Detailed gratitude: the gratitude that awakens in us all the details of the Divine Grace.

Integral gratitude: the whole being offers itself to the Lord in absolute trust.

Mental gratitude: the gratefulness of the mind for what makes it progress.

The best way to express one's gratitude to the Divine is to feel simply happy.

 23 April 1954

*

There is no better way to show one's gratefulness to the Divine than to be quietly happy.

To accept gladly what I give is never selfish.

There is no better cure for egoism than a happy gratefulness.

Always joyfully accept what is given you by the Divine.

A self-willed man cannot be grateful ― because when he gets what he wants he gives all the credit for it to his own will, and when he gets what he does not want he resents it badly and throws all the blame on whomever he considers responsible, God, man or Nature.

It is very difficult to keep up your gratitude; for a time it comes very strongly and again it goes back. The Divine can go on tolerating everything in spite of your ingratitude because He knows fully the how and why and wherefore of everything. He knows why you are doing a certain thing. He knows the full working and that is why He can tolerate it.

The nobility of a being is measured by its capacity of gratitude.

What is Consciousness

/E-Library/Works of The Mother/English/Other Editions/Flowers And Their Messages/The Mother^s Flower Significances.htm

The more a person is quiet in front of all occurrences, equal in all circumstances, and keeps a perfect mastery of himself and remains peaceful in the presence of whatever happens, the more he has progressed towards the goal.

Topic : Depression from Words Of The Mother Volume-14 

DEPRESSION

How to avoid attacks of depression?

Do not pay attention to the depression and act as if it was not there.

31 March 1934

*

My heart feels arid, sad and gloomy, Mother.

Why don't you try to read something beautiful and interesting and turn your attention away from yourself? That is the best remedy.

 6 September 1935

*

Do not indulge in such ridiculous ideas. “Madness” and “hell” and “dark cell” are all in your imagination.

You had better replace them by the sense of my love and blessings.

 9 October 1937

*

My dear child, I hope your poem is only a poem and that you are not truly suffering from depression. Indeed, depression is the worst of all illnesses and we must reject it with as much energy as we use to get rid of a disease.

With my love and blessings always.

 30 January 1946

*

It is the devil of depression and despondency that we shall slay tonight ― so that all those who have the sincere will to get

Page ― 263

rid of this disease will receive the necessary help to conquer.

 20 October 1950

*

A depression is always unreasonable as it leads nowhere. It is the most subtle enemy of the Yoga.

                 31 May 1955

*

I have only one thing to say: Depression is a bad adviser.

My love is always with you. Have faith and you will be all right.

It is the depression that gives you bad health.

Blessings.

                 28 October 1967

*

It is the ego that gets depressed.

Do not mind it. Go on quietly with your work and the depression will disappear.

 18 August 1971

*

At these moments of depression or of revolt, no fresh decision must be taken under the impulse of the wrong movement, but practically one must go on with the usual routine, quiet and undisturbed.

When you feel unhappy like that, it means that you have a progress to make. You can say that we always need to progress, it is true. But at times our nature gives its consent to the needed change and then everything goes smoothly, even happily. On the contrary sometimes the part that has to progress

Page ― 264

refuses to move and clings to its old habits through inertia, ignorance, attachment or desire. Then, under the pressure of the perfecting force, the struggle starts translating itself into unhappiness or revolt or both together.

The only remedy is to keep quiet, look within oneself honestly to find out what is wrong and set to work courageously to put it right.

The Divine Consciousness will always be there to help you if your endeavour is sincere; and the more sincere your endeavour the more the Divine Consciousness will help and assist you.

 19 May 1952

*

Periods of obscuration are frequent and common; generally, it is enough to keep quiet without worrying, knowing that these are spiritual nights which alternate with the full light of the days. But to be able to remain in peace you must keep in your heart gratitude towards the Divine for all the help He gives. If gratitude also is veiled, the obscure periods last much longer. There is, however, a swift and effective remedy: it is to keep always burning in your heart the flame of purification, the aspiration for progress, the intensity, the ardour of consecration. This flame is kindled in the heart of all who are sincere; you must not let ingratitude cover it up with its ashes.

You must remember one thing: the dark periods are inevitable. When your psychic is active, you feel a delight without any apparent reason. It continues for some time and again the same mental or vital reactions come in and you go back to the darkness. This will continue. The brighter days will become longer and the dark periods will come after longer intervals and for shorter duration till they finally disappear. Till then you must know that the sun is there behind the clouds and you need

Page ― 265