Welcome to Vedic Studies
I would like to start a discussion on the psychological change we all undergo from the studies of the Vedas, and especially our new thoughts which come to us during and after our studies. I would like also to discuss in depth the faculties of consciousness as they were seen by the Vedic seers and as we understand them now in our daily life and activities.
Welcome to all interested in Vedic Studies!
commented by Ben Darras on May 4, 2011
I have come to believe from our Vedic studies that the early Vedic peoples lived in a different mental paradigm. I believe that later peoples were more noun oriented. Concerned with specific things. 'I will drink a cup of coffee'.
The Vedic peoples were probably more concerned with how this thing was to be done. The Mood.
Specifically, the state of mind. A good state of mind while doing something will bring success and reward. The different Vedic Gods could represent different states of mind. A God was invited to come -- imperatively, injunctively, subjunctively or optatively.
Coffee will taste better drunk Consciously.
commented by Keka Chakraborty on Nov 15, 2010
The word is one of the vehicles of the manifestation from ignorance to knowledge - to recover what it has forgotten. It has that feature of chain reaction like nuclear fission. One word triggers another word. Why is it so important to have a dialogue? It has that evolutionary aspect. It gives us strength to come out of our shell and rediscover self in others and in the universe. Word has two equally important parties - speaker and the listener. The same word means different to different people - though mentally (by dictionary) they mean the same. Similarly the same word uttered by different people carry different vibrations to the same listener. In some cases it can be sensed that speaker is living that word - and in some cases it does not carry that fulfilling substance.
And not only between human beings. Even a flower can speak a word to a person if the receptivity is there. It is not a mere imagination. Word is everywhere. It is the force and the utterance. It is the juice in which we are breathing and surviving. Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's writings have told us that word can tell us more that what we have experienced before or what we thought as our limitation of knowledge. Their words can trigger a knowledge inside someone which in a way that person may say that he did not know before - and at the same time in anothwer way - he may say that he knows, that he knew it before. By the utterance in an undistorted manner They did this magic.
We distort it while speaking and also while listening. Because we cannot locate ourselves at the the pure force that is creating that word. It is our mind which fragments the Truth by cutting off one word from another. The difference between the true word and our fragmented understanding about words is like the difference between light and the color of light.
I was also thinking - what is the real difference between a thought and a word? Well, thought may have an unreal or abstract component to it - unless it is coming from a purer and higher region in an uninterrupted way. But then when we present that thought to ourselves - it becomes a word - because a conscious perception of that word takes place and then that conscious perception can measure to some extent how much substance that thought has and how much of it is abstract or unreal.
thank you for your bright thoughts and words.
What I can see, as for now, is that the Thought holds a particular aspect of the reality of Being in our consciousness and it does it by the Word. As it was said in our hymn to Indra 5.33.2:
"by constant thought with the words of illumination attain to the yoking of thy brilliant swiftnesses."
There is also an interesting view by Gebser on the Word in the Mythical structure of consciousness:
'in the polar, unperspectival world of the mythical structure, both the voice and the muteness, appropriate to myth - what is spoken and what is left unsaid - are correspondences and complements to each other.... It is a re-completed, not a complete identity.'
What is not said is also a saying in the mythical structure, but not in the mental structure of rational thinking.
I think we need both powers in the integral structure.
commented by Ben Darras on Nov 15, 2010
I was hoping that you world let me join the Sanskrit Grammar Class. I've been studing Perry, so I believe that I could fit in. ---really enjoyed the 'Surya-Savitr' audio recordings----ciben@verizon.net
The Sanskrit class is a great help to me (dative or accusive?) . I've made a lot of progress,
thanks to you all.
I will be sticking with the class until the end, so hopefully we'll make to the final chapter.
Shouldn't they be charging money for this?
commented by ladislav on Nov 25, 2009
Dear Vladimir,
It takes time to come back to the atmosphere here. I have rarely experienced the density of this place in this way; it penetrates and gives support, reaches out into million directions and creates a calm vast space.
As I told you earlier this hymn reminded me of what I witnessed in the Seminar in Italy with the students of the conservatory. Due to the fact of cultural differences between the Italian ways of thought and ours (that is so particular) I called the course: the interpretation of music in the light of archetypes; the later I explained as universal forces without going into the comparison to Vedic thought.
All students were technically well prepared, but due to the lack of right thoughts had difficulties in interpretation. As it is common in the west, first comes technique with its flawless movement and perfect execution (they have even names for it as “smooth run” and so on) interpretation is not much of a subject as there is not much of questioning, not much research, it is more like the dialect one learns as a child that forms one’s own pronunciation. At the most the musicians look back, which to a certain extent is ok, but there seem to be no psychological connection that would unite the execution in all its parts. These are superficial modes that read: its done that way you just do it like that, or that’s the way you do it.
The introduction of universal thoughts, limitless ideas, was not easy in the beginning, but their effects were felt immediately. Universality as concept puts the individual in relation to this duality that finds its expression in the interpretation, as everything depends on it and assigns him or her a place and quality that it can’t have otherwise.
For the ego there is only one center and everything else comes secondary in the relation to it, whereas in the view of duality there are two centers that relate and search each other: the individual and the universal can and must be in constant communication.
I was very much impressed and in love with this hymn to Vishnu, as to what extent it described the same kind of vision and atmosphere created during these courses and I understood this as a reality that is not to be denied, even though it the handling of the vedic texts may give the impression that we are here too low and can’t really risk to make the link. I want to make the connection to the experience with the students.
- The one who brings himself to Vishnu, who moves in the wide steps, even being mortal wants to reach the Goal, thus he gets protected in the world by Vishnu. The one who takes up his movements of consciousness in the wide universal way to reach the goal of unlimited states and vast movements that bridge consciousness with the other side are protected by Vishnu as there is no doubt in his presence of what is limiting and limited and what is working towards the uniting and unlimited. And as he offers himself by his uniting and sacrificing Mind, he realizes such a power in his soul, which is in accordance with his offering. This commitment to unite the Mind with the thoughts of the other world is our sacrifice. By its consequences we realize the power in our soul that identifies with our sacrifice and supports our offering and grows from within ever stronger and self aware into our action and thought that are the objects of our sacrifice.
- O Vishnu, the All-pervading Godhead, you should impart on us your Perfect Thought, which is creative of the Cosmos, that thought which is not separated. The thought that is not separated from its origin and contained in our experiences of the world; the thought capable of carrying the truth of the original movement and intention in its totality into every smallest detail, the thought that is not limited but pervades everything and goes beyond everything, static or in motion.
By which mind such a thought can be thought? By which thoughts this Thought can we approach? Or can it be felt in secret chambers of the heart? There must exist something like an intuition that brings it into our reach, by that we widen this narrowness that engulfs our consciousness. By that thought we see our work in a perspective without limits, without an end; an endless way towards a constant unfolding. As we realize that everything bears the far-reaching Perfect Thought we become more and more receptive to it and set aside our own convictions and thought-formations. That procures an inner state of concentration, peace and the view of a self-revealing, self-supporting and self-acting harmony. With the students this was possible, as their formation of a fixity of mind is not yet dominant, with the adults in the sense of established personalities in their professional field there is always the difficulty of a conviction that that what they have learned is right and that what they think automatically true due to their efforts and energy invested into their ever same circling ways of thought. This is the difference between that what we live here and the life there, in established societies. We avoid repeating thought formations that age, that carry only the void expression of endlessly repeated formulas that dry out the juice of life in our action.
Mix (or connect) it with (into) Wealth, as you do it for us, (so also for other people), of this your perfect movement, abundant in swiftnesses and of the great and luminous delight. This is Wealth of the perfect movement that we connect to, that Vishnu makes possible to attain with his offering to us, with the fullness of connections beyond our perception and unknown qualities, subtleties and forces that make this Wealth great and luminous and full of delight. At times I ask myself what exactly is going on, how the perception depends on the basic idea that sets the quality of the interpretation on the right track, or how opening up to this idea the perceived finds its place in perfect accord with it. For we get to know its qualities, as they are described in the verses we read in the Vedas or reading Mother’s or Sri Aurobindo’s words. But that unlimited and all containing idea we cannot pronounce, as we don’t have the tools to pronounce It; our mind, the highest we possess is too limited, our feelings would burst under the pressure of its power. Nevertheless it is there, it expresses itself from its (for us) hidden realm, always ready to proceed with its dynamism, play and self-expression. It seems to be rather a state out of which it acts, creates, with a one-pointed concentration that turns within all to become complete and same in the quality of the great Mother-idea. There must be a growing preceptor within us of this reality, once we have accepted this reality. Once we have tasted from the riches it has given to us in experiencing it’s power of light and fullness growing only because we have accepted to listen to its vast call and widen what ever we can to be formed by it.
By this basic affirmation we worked on the proposed pieces. It was interesting to see that the students instantly gave their consent to this approach once it was made clear what it is about. Doing that the old habits of feeling and thinking were confronted with a new holistic vision where they too had a role to play in unison with the rest. In this situation that what was not coherent with the basic idea of oneness, limitlessness and harmony had to give way[1], had to change; even these personal interfering, disturbing comments of the nerves and mind. This Thought has such a power to reach all domains, even those at the periphery so to say, as all parts however small they seem are equally important to the expression of the manifestation of the infinite harmonious unity. The music is the medium of this expression, a meeting place of the individual and the universal consciousness where such work is visibly done.
…mix with the wealthy and you do it for us, on your perfect journey and the abundance of power and of the great and manifold light of delight.
Thrice this God came over to this Earth of hundred splendors by his greatness. Full of the power Vishnu should be stronger than the strongest, for the Name of this Steady One is “Flaming Power” tvesam. The quarter we can also render as: “The Flaming Power indeed is his Name, who is completely stable.”
Vishnu created the material, the vital and the mental realms of this existence on earth and is holding them and expanding in them in its 100 splendors. The 100 are the totality of the powers of consciousness in both worlds, their splendors are his powers and the powers of all gods that are in all ever present and act with the will of a penetrating light and the power of its inherent action. The work on whatever; be it music, gardening or cooking links us to these 100 splendors. Without our work, without movement no juices of life could be extracted. Even this subtlety had to come out under such banner we chose to work. You can’t hold on to anything, as all is in permanent movement and change. The only thing that remains still, is the presence of the Mother-idea. Seeing it at work, expanding the stuff by bringing in ideas by which things get worked out now is the only thing worth realizing. Everything is measured by its splendor.
To realize glimpses of his Flaming Power we have to point to this stability and steadiness and accept the oneness while becoming conscious of its pervading presence and action in all 100.
He has stepped over this Earth and Vishnu doing favor to man for his dwelling. Steady are those creatures of his who are his rays of light, (or poets spreading light all over). He who has the perfect birth, has created for them the wide dwelling space.
If we don’t accept limitations and seek union, harmony and the true living, we are bound to dwell in the reality of the gods and start to describe that what we see, in what we dwell. Our thoughts turn towards the wide dwelling space and because there is a link and a no deterioration of that reality in time we become steady and his poets never giving way to limitations, rather seeing them as doorways and windows to the liberation of our vision and action. As he has stepped over this Earth he gave this reality to us.
It is this mechanism, this reality that gives me the certainty of the presence of the right thought, which is so complex for our small mind that it cannot be formulated; we only can open to the vast and watch how it works within and outside of as and unfolds and how it makes one the universe in front of our eyes. For that we have to say yes and hang on to it whenever intuition pushes the link, we have to aspire for a constant uninterrupted intuition with the intention of spreading it into all parts of our being. This makes us steady and wealthy of the riches.
Dear Vladimir,
I didn’t revise the whole written thing and send it in its first attempt.
Thank you for all
Latso
commented by Keka Chakraborty on Dec 17, 2008
it is just wonderful! Your perception of this inner space is wonderful.
Thank you for sharing it with me. I would like to post it on our forum at www.universityofhumanunity.org , where you can find all the letters of Latso about our studies and other texts related to our studies.
Why Sacrifice, Yajna? - it is because the two got mingled: the light and the darkness, and out of this superimposition on each other, this union with each other, a new Being is being born: a Supreme in the Individual Form in the Multitude.
Both are necessary for this process, the darkness is to be illumined, and the light is to be restricted, shaped into the separated being. Both these processes are implied when the word yajna is used. Actually it is even more complex. The Agni is the Sacrifice, the first Avatar, who plunged into the darkness of Inconscient, and he sacrifices here the Gods, he brings them into contact with the outer reality of Ignorance and Death. This contact changes the outer reality bit by bit, which we call 'evolution'. It is as if he is baking our unbaked being to be able to bear the light.
Agni is our forefather, the origin of our souls, psychic beings. He is the Universal Godhead, Vaishvanara, and we are his individual representatives. Being surrounded by the darkness we grow as if separately from each other on the surface but united in our depth. This process of evolution of consciousness leads us to the formation and growth of the psychic being, which becomes fully formed and ready to live its separately true life. And to form that separated life the darkness is needed.
Best wishes,
Vladimir
commented by ladislav on Dec 4, 2008
commented by ladislav on Nov 3, 2008
Dear Vladimir,
I am still occupied with the former resume, but want to keep up my contact with you using this medium. Every meeting there is added a stone to this majestic mosaic of our psychology, which we carry within us not knowing what it is and how to go about it. Thank you for coming and making it possible to participate.
I want to say that what I was working on in my search in education for all these years has not changed much by knowing these things, but the picture has become more precise and the obligation of the offering more evident and its execution stringent; offering, in order to have the right perspective. The divine thought gives to our thoughts the right direction to push forward union in our work.
I come back to our class and try to recollect the moments and thoughts. Some things are missing, some misspelled – I hope it’s not too bad.
Just one reflection: looking back on my work in music I found, that there is this investigating force in the consciousness directed by thought, which is autonomous, not only looking for the realization of its formative power, but also looks for links to other related parts and their sources, lighting up new thoughts. It acts in the body, in the vital and in the mind, where it causes frictions and tensions, which lead to change and light up, awaken whatever they uncover. They are the particles of the light of consciousness, which ride on its beam. Sunlight is their material brother, as it is the giver of life, movement and consciousness. Each of these slokas makes the picture clearer of what the Maruts are and it is a joy to discover ever new meanings and workings of their divine being.
They play as players joyously full of power of life, bringing the honey as their eternal Son to the sacrificial gathering.
The Rudras having their own power come to support the power of our growth, they do not forsake the one who surrenders, who offers the offering.
What they uncover in their play of life is Soma, the future born delight, who always was there as an embryo God hidden under the surface, who will be offered, once extracted to fulfill his real energy by joining with the origin of his ecstatic, vibrating self.
Because they are divine powers, they bare a divine consciousness, which knows the ways to make things become in us and who support the realization of the true idea, which aims at union.
Indra’s - they are Rudras, fighters
Son – sunu – (soma) Amrita the essence
Savitar – pressing out soma, the son who will be born in future - extract, offspring
Body evolution
Psychic evolution
When the Helpers Immortal bestowed the wealth on and the power of growth, the one he wishes to give by offering, onto him they, full of bliss poured their auspicious wealth, mastering with it all the whole regions around him.
It is also true, that the one who grows consciously has in his aura this dynamism of progress and union. If he does it for the sake of all, he spreads it around him and whoever is in touch with him will get into the atmosphere of his aspiring thoughts and as we see, the helpers immortal, the lights of consciousness who are present pour their wealth to the regions around him. You were speaking of the universities and of their knowledge spread in the atmosphere creating in the individual students and teachers a thirst for study and knowledge.
There is also the interpretation, that around the central thought, which is cast forward, which they pursue, other regions in the same line that are connected are benefiting from the wealth of their findings, which is Soma.
Uma – helper, friend, companion
These who have woven the spaces by their own force they are indeed the runners forward, flying impelled by themselves!
All fear you, the worlds and creatures of the world, when you advance in your bright and sharp movement.
Fear – bhi: to tend, to have a direction
Bha: to be, to shine – static
Bhu: to become, to occupy ‘space’
Fear to cease – of disconnection with a source connecting to another – anxious and full of expectation.
Fear comes from another, so why do I fear if I am alone? Once he started to look for another he started to build up tension and he “feared”.
But why when there was no one? The tension before the change is approaching. The pressure of the creative force.
The consciousness withdrew from creation and left it as if alone, so it does not know any more who she is. The tension creates consciousness, but it is not conscious.
Consciousness: Knowledge-Power
It is that, consciousness is the river linking heaven and earth. This is the secret reason for growth and the secret carrier, worrier with his thundering spear, the steeds, the light of heaven and the flame of earth. In this light, like particles of light the truth is traveling. The Maruts are those particles, which by the power of mind, which finally Indra constructed as a tool being able to reflect his mind, that without boundaries, luminous, undivided. Because of our evolutionary status in the process of unfolding itself into its father and mother these streams are necessary and the means to fulfill the work to be done, as well as the inherent power of the thought of truth, which, put forward is taken up by the Maruts, the particles of the consciousness being directed into a given field. I feel, that the Maruts are working out in many ways the action of the mind, even if wrongly directed to the right experiences, as they will be opposed by the perfect force and infuriate the Maruts as consequence, who don’t seem to have the global vision.
When rushing forward they have made mountains sound and shaken the back of heaven with their power. Every master of delight fears your advance (becomes tense in your movement forward) for you move on the chariots forward leaving behind the greenery (containers of Soma – osa-dhi: container) Delight of manifestation
Vanapati: the possessor of delight
Twesha: rushing power
Mountains: levels to climb, levels of the mind
Back of heaven: from our point of our mind we see the back of heaven
Rathiyanti: wanting to move by the chariot, leaving behind containers of heat (delight)
The fire hidden within, producing light when burned – light which is delight.
When the Maruts rush forward they make the hierarchy of mind sound, if we want or not, they cling to the ultimate truth in their movement, even when wrongly directed, so fear the changes, become uncomfortable, because the changes are going to take place. This is directed to the ultimate aim of the Maruts, who work in consciousness of the thought to run towards their celestial goal not considering the enjoyment of the enjoyer. That what is being enjoyed has to be burnt by the idea of making it accessible to the psychic, which on his behalf offers it to the all, being able to share it in its vision with those besides you, those under you and those beyond.
You are strong, O Maruts, and perfect in consciousness, friendly to many! Fulfill perfection of our Thoughts.
Pashu: cattle – to see – not knowing but heaving perception
That what is shining is to discover, these particles of consciousness, pouring into the direction of thought to search to establish in flesh, in life and in another thought the union with the highest truth (… fulfill perfection of our thoughts). Do the Maruts act without thought for the Pashu, or come they into action only of thought is put forward? If there is no directing thought, which can direct consciousness or link it to some overlooking higher principle, the action of consciousness is that – seeing, but not knowing, being without thought. So to be really conscious means to see and to know, observing through the lens of thought, silently not thinking, as if the stuff of thought was a means to eject consciousness in directions of life (and its source) and be able to see it as a reflection of its source (or the source’s shining light).
All these images give me a picture of their powers and the way consciousness acts. So when we deal with life and thought we can rely on these powers acting in consciousness, that for work to be perfect, it has to be offered to the union, where the three fires can burn as one, which reveals the true knowledge. The center of this fire must be the psychic, which loves existence and is a living flame of the sacrifice, capable of creating this union.
This discussion we had about fear seams as important as you said. Maybe it would be useful to gather some statements from different sources. There is a lot to be adjusted in our minds and reactions as to what fear really is, in the positive sense we have discussed it. In fact there is the need for courage, which is to progress through this discomfort towards the liberation of bliss, which is born by the friction it causes. Each new thought bears this discomfort of the stage between abandon and adjustment, we just don’t know that the fire it creates is the process of this extraction of the future Son described above.
I am still on the other letter, which is taking me here and there, with a lot of frictions and tensions. I don’t know if I can make it next Tuesday, it is possible I will be called for some work.
See you,
With love
Latso
commented by ladislav on Aug 8, 2008
It seems to me to touch with these texts realities, which I observe flowing, woven into the carpet of the paths the consciousness takes in ordinary life. You were talking yesterday about Savitar’s presence in manifestation, the God, who is in the night and who uncovers the becomings and by the power of his eyes makes us evolve. Wherever there is darkness, it is to him we must turn as the central power of truth-movement, which heaves the hidden treasures of being out of the Inconscient into the light. There is this bright thought, which says that whatever exists contains some truth, otherwise it would not exist. This mighty force supports the truth in whatever exists, acts by it and acts for its realization. In this sense we in our daily life don’t have to undo what he has willed. This is also Mother’s message written in huge letters coming down from her room in the Ashram: you want to undo what the Divine has willed? … done? – I don’t remember anymore the exact sentence. I doubt however, that this means, that there is no more fight for truth and that everything is thought in good hands, so we can relax in our bhakti waving incense sticks. It shifts the action of sorting out of the problems to our interior, where we can grow by these encounters, combat the distortions of truth, by calling the truth into our actions, wherever they hit our awareness.
I followed the thought on directions - the core of directions is Savitar’s presence, the undistorted dynamic truth – only by this term is it possible to understand his truth moving in all we perceive. And even without our perception it acts in and around us, creating its own movements of rtam, to finally reveal itself as the play between the immortals and us.
Directing the consciousness to the heart of the direction: it seems, that each thing or movement have coats wrapped around it. This is what we see at the first glance. They are just flaws of our perception, or else the vibrations attached to them, or their links to other things or movements they relate to, which are not necessarily related to them in a harmonious way, or hide its formula of pure, moving energy. Following the movements of Savitar, we establish a contact between things and movements, which links the truths to each together, becomes a harmonious oneness, creating a new branch on the self-revealing heart of the growing of this tree.
Vedanta and its effects on life
Vedanta conveys knowledge of self, nature and the divine forces using images depicting a celestial architecture of being from It’s very origin in It’s heavens, down to our material existence and still below to the sea of Inconscience. Not only - it states that this architecture originates in the One Indivisible Being, which created its seas of the Inconscient and the Superconscient, its earth and heaven, its night and its day, gods and daemons, nature and man, for the sake of an infinite manifestation and self-discovery. It asserts that even divided and in conflicting stages, it is still this oneness upholding all, giving support to its house knowing that it is only a mater of time for this blind self to see. There is this sentence in the bible: man looks now like into a dark mirror, but then he will see from face to face.
There are the ever-creating forces to which we have access and which we can see at work in our daily routine, but our observation doesn’t focus on them. We are in the habit of a superficial view, which reveals to us the divided universe on its bases we make our conclusions living an egoistic, separative outward oriented life. Our education is supporting this standpoint. It is utilitarian, serves merely the prestige of the family and the commercial-economic needs of society. The ideal of the growth of soul is not an argument for any establishment dealing with education. In many countries in the so-called civilized parts of the world this word has been banned in schools, newspapers and social life from the vocabulary. It survived and is still thought of in religious contexts, philosophical and artistic argumentation. Humanity has plunged into a deep hypnosis of the presumptuous necessity of an unending economic growth to which it has offered its soul as payment – so it seems.
In the past societies the vision of self was the opposite what it is today : in the modern view man has a body and he may or may not have a soul. In the ancient view man was a soul and he might or might not have a body.
The view of the Rishis teaches us to look behind the veil and uncover the unity, observe the work of divine forces behind this apparent division, to see the influences and support of our perceivable existence from realities, which transcend our ordinary world, which have created and are in the process of sustaining and creating constantly in a new way our home, which is our life and body. They are like the presence of the force of gravity, binding the existing to the same laws, ever present and without fail.
The Vedic texts describe these sustaining creative forces and their diverse psychological action in a way to make it possible for me to follow them, enter into contact with them and as far as possible unite with their movements. Their force is universal, which means that They are at the base of all manifested states and movements intricately involved in their birth, becoming and interaction. They are however hidden and play on our consciousness only under certain conditions. That is why there is the need of a constant call in form of prayer, self-offering and aspiration in their direction; a necessary mindset and concentration. We can conclude that they are not mere neutral forces, but forces with a psychological depth and plan, which work on our psychology and link us by our consent to a tuning of our being to their influence and guidance.
As there is within all a spark of the same light, the thirst for oneness drives me to the inner world, where I discover this universe with all its beings, as if I could follow their steps with closed eyes walking within. The celestial architectural design of creation is in all ever present, which makes me breathe these sustaining, harmonizing streams as it were for everybody and me at the same time. Within I discover oneness.
Outer life’s chaotic volatility runs parallel to the stability of the inner life’s unmoved love for existence and oneness. It has no option but to lean on it when life is increasingly concentrated there. If not, life becomes in its outer movements chaotic pulled around by impulses pushing this inner life’s calm attitude into the background of witnessing silent self. All effort one does in whatever field with concentrated, unmoved thought-power to realize belongs to the inner qualities, as there is this eternal stability at its foundation.
Vedanta teaches me how to discern between the outer and the inner life. The former is mortal in its view and action, as there are limited goals and restricted thoughts in its endeavor, the later immortal, having in mind thoughts indicating the directions of infinite purpose, infinite becoming and a harmonious oneness as its goal. Inner life’s poise aims at the discovery of these eternal uniting forces concealed within and the relentless plunge into the outer life’s fragmentary movements, where the search of this union leads the inner life to extend itself and to enrich its joys.
Vedanta holds up symbols of Those, who act by the truth in this universe and if I say I don’t know them, I know that it is not entirely true - they know me and are intimate with me, how can I ignore them? It would be the same as honey ignoring its sweetness. How can I neglect Their forces acting in my world, which is Their creation? Whose is the force behind the word, whose the sweetness behind the smile, whose the light and whose the shadow? There is a corner of my being which understands, which is in constant contact with Them, smiling through my smile and laughing through my voice, seeing through my eyes.
I have to know that in order to shift my position to the pedestal at the center of my being, which makes me see the world as They see it, endowed with never fading capacities and eternal qualities. Even though it takes its time and only certain things reveal themselves in Their pure light; without distortion, the attraction is so compelling as to increase the aspiration to put my whole being under their influence and guidance.
Their knowledge is of a living kind acting for the sake of this one eternal act, making all of us participants and actors in this great unfolding. It is living in its spiral movements and their words are the seeds of our growth with the power of producing an unperceived alignment, building up secret trails of our forward movement, which progressively culminate in broad roads of unobstructed progress fully conscious of our powers to house their light.
Vedanta leads me to a vision of what we are , in a context, which breaks the limits of my ordinary perception.
But Sri Aurobindo’s explanation sums it up:
Men as soon as they begin to receive something of this solar illumination, strive to yoke their whole mentality and its thought-contents to the conscious existence of the divine Surya within them. That is to say, they apply, as it were, all their obscure mental state and all their erring thoughts to this Light manifested in them so that it may turn the obscurity of the mind into clearness and convert the errors of thought into those truths which they distortedly represent. This yoking becomes their Yoga. “They yoke the mind, and thy yoke their thoughts, the enlightened, of the Enlightened, the Large, the Clear-perceptioned.”
And that is it - I could not say it better.
Vedanta gave a name to all the forces, who act in a universal mode, using our personalized centers, acting through them as their links to the earthly life for the sake of discovering themselves in the play of reciprocal hide and seek.
Slowly a memory is being formed, which funnels the mind in Their direction and invites Them to invade all the spaces. By the mind, which determines with ever more precise definition these directions these encounters become denser and more conscious. An aspiration is active, which has found a defined direction.
I cannot say that of all this I was completely unaware, because even without this privilege of having been given these powerful, luminous words there were instances in my life, which gave me the certainty of these rays shining through this covering fog. I just couldn’t give them a name; the experiences were so strong that they firmly set the direction for my determination in this life.
They came in form of fairytale like visions and analogies, out of a child’s corner of self, but were nevertheless most influential as points of reference in moments of inner adjustment and decision-making. Being somewhat conscious of Their reality and truth made me pray and search at a certain time for a book of knowledge, which could explain me the mysteries of existence; I believe due to that these books were given to me later on my way. They gave me not only the confirmation that these experiences are based on a reality in which a subtler part of my self is living this life, but put them into a context of a living architectural design of self yet to reveal its full meaning, potentiality and power.
Vedanta has opened the view to realities to which to aspire; and because it is real and true it grows in its own unpredictable way.
The source of the forces Vedanta describes is beyond the grasp of my senses or reasoning, which are tied so strongly to the material existence. But the forces are accessible, as they are woven into every moment of this creation; I remark it after focusing on them while working either with the students or doing my own work. The attention can be turned towards Them and They have an effect on thought and feeling (even on the level of the most material consciousness). There is a certain way to observe in order to be able to follow Their movements. Matter is open to Their influence, doesn’t deny the floods and currents coming from there. The vital is the most difficult to change, as it is playing the most dominant role in life: the doer, the chief realizer, the knight defending whatever, fighting, the struggler, the seat of the will power and outward personality. To search in mater for the infinite I concentrate on the direction of the touch extending it as far as I can. Touch then becomes intimacy and love for existence and orientation towards it, movement the path to realization, perfection, self-discovery and self-enlargement in all its stages and in all different shades. The vital has to become a quiet will force, an inner factory of the most varied feelings aimed at the contact with infinity, which sustains the body’s orientation and gives it the heart of movement in its most varied colors.
Through Vedanta I see a growth of awareness that consciousness is part of the whole concept of creation in all its forms and powers and my own center of active consciousness is just one center of an infinity of others, which mirrors the play of archetypes. This play is hidden from the gaze of man, as he mistakes Their powers for his own. They are his own and also great in themselves, but to materialize in man he must take Them for what They are and not use them for his little petty purposes, what he usually does. Is it not that they are realized, they come to Their full development only when They are able to reach out to Their eternal principles and by these act in man?
I find ever more, that It reveals to us these as powers and qualities of our own being and leads in form of their multitudinous descriptions and calls to become consciously active in us. This changes our relation to our life; we start to observe their action with a silent and receptive mind, and if we see that we have deficiencies in the power of perception or concentration we start training our selves, building up the capacities as one trains the muscles. But there is something else. These forces are our own, and if we let them, we can be transported in their puissant streams, which flow all around and inside of us through our visions, feelings and senses. They are constantly at work, even without our noticing it.
It seems to me that they are misused by the mind and feelings, obstructed by the darkness of mater, but once we follow their directions and align them in a direction of Truth we can see through like through a crystal. This principle idea of reality, which is built by the force of truth and can be read, can by traced, woven into its every moment and movement gives me hope. I see, that in whatever field of work we follow even the smallest truth we start working on solid firm ground. This small truth will lead us to a bigger truth, as the veil lifts under its light. And because all is one, has the same Mother this Truth is uniting us in her lap.
A small quotation from Mehdananda’s book “The ancient Egyptian Senet game”:
While modern man sees himself as a physical body
which may or may not possess a soul.
the ancient Egyptian view is based on the realization
that man is soul
which may or may not possess an anatomical body.
For the Senet player, the soul is not something
but a way of being.
Being teacher or a child are soul activities.
Being a father and a lawyer
imply different ways of being.
Touching earth with the hands is not the same
psychic activity as lifting them in aspiration.
Our soul can be snake, coiled or erect
or jumping over obstacles, or biting its tale.
Soul can be bird spreading its wings,
bee collecting honey, ship sailing, star shining,
The shooting of the bow…
However confusing at first to modern adult understanding,
It is natural to a child, untouched by superstition,
To be soul in whatever he does…
And to us, the mass of humanity? How do we recognize the souls modes of being ? How do we permit the soul it’s being in what it wants to be ? Is it covered by distortions of the logical mind, where the currents don’t follow their natural ways? Is it covered by twisted feelings, which bring about agitations the soul cannot identify with ? What is it that brushes it aside to become just a silent witness ? What is it that makes it merge into this reality ? What are its eternal laws, which make it immortal? Is this what Veda is talking about?
Mother and Sri Aurobindo have told us about these revelations of the great Rishis in whatever civilization on earth and their importance and role they play in uplifting humankind. For a few of us the time has come, where we recognize their importance and truth, which points at this living sun so we can spread our being under it’s creative rays and give ourselves to this great adventure. And as the first astronaut making the first steps on the moon said: a small step for me, a big for humanity, so it seems to be for us. For each step on our march we make forward, there is all of humanity following. In truth we are the molecules of this one body, which will take up a different law it wants to live; the law of immortality of the soul.
The spirit must be able to act in the whole outer being in a harmonizing way. The spirit acts by way of directions. Are these confused or misguided by egoistic intentions, the spirit still acts, but its energies contrast with each other resulting to be used by forces, which not necessarily want harmony, or are not the souls radiating qualities. If however there is an orientation coming from a central need and call for truth and harmony, the directions start to turn towards this unifying concentration.
Each direction has a core, which makes it clear and pure in form of vision.
Suppose you want to see yourself in the mirror – you have to stand right in front of it, in the right angle to be able to see yourself reflected. The same you have to do with all directions to see Your Self mirrored – as if you had to look for the right angle to see your reflection. On the strings you have to be in the right angle and you will start being mirrored, self as spirit.
August 5th
It was good to hear you.
While you are talking there are so many things crossing my mind; much of it about education and creativity.
There is the coiled serpent, which prevents the movement of the waters and must be destroyed by Indra.
We didn’t read much about Indra, but as far as I have understood it is the guiding thought, which leads us from the stagnating “don’t know what to do” to directed action, which makes the waters move and join with other waters.
Savitar’s presence in the darkness, even in the adversary , or opposed forces brings psychologically relief for the individual facing difficulties, knowing about his presence he can point at Him with his call, bringing the situation into a new context.
With one hand he reaches out into the darkness and with the other takes you towards the light as far as he can. With his golden hands he reaches to the end of the heaven.
This is so important for education, as it is the central movement of becoming: the reaching out into the darkness to bring that what is hidden into the light of our consciousness and the consciousness of others. That what has no direction gets a direction, by which it starts moving, changing and evolving. We think, that it is us who are creative, us who bare the responsibility of our progress, us who must make an effort. In this light the only thing we can do is to call the creative force to come and settle down in our house and occupy as much place as possible, in form of thought, feeling and movement. Having no responsibility there is no struggle in our work – the only interest is to trace His presence in thoughts which point to the infinite, in feelings, which widen and invite infinity in the embrace of the heart and action, which senses that it is gifted to harbor more than the superficial utilitarian movements.
What was spread out in the vast by Savitar she (the Night) weaves again anew reweaving all , the powerful and wise (Savitar) leaves his work in the middle half-done.
Having arisen he stood up holding the seasons apart (of the ……. Year) Savitar the God came to us with his Mind full of luminous Rays.
…
Dear friend,
Thank you
Latso
commented by ladislav on Jun 27, 2008
I am still concerned with directions and their importance, as they are the turntable of our consciousness. Whatever movement we observe, material, vital or thought-movement, we will notice that we can observe it in two each other opposed directions. One is the direction of their aim, the other that of the origin of the impulse leading to the unfolding of the movement.
We can follow the direction to the center where it originates to find out, that there are influences from other directions. We can go on tracing back the formations of movements and will find that their origin is a mixture of influences from different regions of our and the collective being based on universal energies, which are their vehicle and motor. As long as there is not a questioning of these influences, the movements will have their automatisms linked to their history and will obey this law of gravity, which binds them to their past. We loose track of the different influences and see them more like a dark or shadowy mass projecting itself into life.
The movements have a mechanic automatism and a phenomenal memory, which are necessary to keep them going. They are formed by innumerable experiences, which are stored in the dark chambers of the subconscient. In most cases they are accompanied by feelings and ideas, which stick to them like a swarm of flies. They are not harmonized; neither within their own producing system, nor with the rest of the being, consequently clashes of forces and distortions are inevitable. If we observe the directions of forces inherent in automatic movements, we will see that they are not conscious and therefore not organized and incapable of true harmony.
Our reactions to the impulses coming from the world around us are basically made in this unconscious way. They carry the expressions of undefined directions, a superficial reason and a swarm of feelings and thought-formations, most of which act under the surface of our consciousness. We find ourselves confronted with a permanent situation of disorganized directions and are charged with the task to solve the problem and find harmonizing agents or centers, which have the power and knowledge to change this hypnotized mechanism into a conscious, controlled and blissful action. We must find these luminous, harmonizing centers or concepts, (if they exist and can really act in our environment,) which we can connect to our movements and replace their undefined or poorly defined directions with those aligned along their principles.
Veda gives us the keys to a world, to us yet invisible, not accessible by our dividing mentality and explains, using its typical imagery how these universal powers work and can become intimate contacts in our personal effort of growth.
Guiding our attention in Their direction makes us see signboards to the doors of our higher, truer universal being and allow these rivers streaming down on us to flood our nature, bring it under its influence and fully embrace it.
If we observe the directions in which our daily consciousness is active, we can see that it is constantly generating or responding to impulses, spreading into, resp. coming from our immediate surroundings. The directions are on the horizontal plane and most of the stuff buzzing around is life-concerned, utilitarian or self-expressive in the sense of radiating a predisposed personal mindset and vitality into a fixed social environment. The generating centers are in the lower hemisphere, concerned mostly with physical and vital stuff and have infinite possibilities of action; even though repeating most of the time the same endlessly over and over again.
There is a strong influence from the vertical direction in form of mind’s predisposition, vital interests and mind’s organizing quality on life. They try to realize what they see as the immediate needs, forcing our attention into narrow spaces of our daily life without taking into account the global scheme. Life’s agents of perception seem to be hypnotized by the hammering impulses of our environment, by movements of our being on surface’s unsteady planes, by the difficulties of growth and its secret laws we don’t master, by our social surroundings and its convictions and by the petty movements of the magnetic attachments of ego to which they are tied, keeping the directions of the consciousness bound to the external, up to the extent that each flight of thought and action beyond this state, which we call “normality” results in a common view as madness or sanctity. Mind’s thoughts are limited to these regions and turn ever and ever in these same circles; its ideas are based on general social trends, borrowed common principles, their personnel interpretation and a general consensus to live with these limitations in accord with their unavoidable, indisputable law without questioning its validity and truth – in best of cases it tries to light up the immense spaces of our being with its dim candlelight adopting a creed or goodness of a philanthropic kind.
We were discussing in our class the following issue and even though I learned an other reality of this argument I decided to leave it more or less as it was, but find myself attracted to push more into this direction, as it is a major factor in our work. To bring it in connection to the Vedic view seems to me a necessary consequence.
The Psychic being, with its center behind the seat of the Ego and the emotional center has (can have) a direct link to the desirable presence of the Universal, as well as the undivided vision in this lower world. It is acting on life in the horizontal direction as the vital does, but is in touch intimately with the universal Spirit. We need to awaken the eyes to his sight, the ears to his understanding and the feet to his indications (or, does it need to awake to a contact with the universal Spirit? - A Divine Persona in formation?) The task is to turn the consciousness within our being on these infinitely more subtle centers, which are linked to the highest principles and align our whole being along the directions of their pointing fingers: to the higher forms of Mind, whose thoughts are of a universal nature and the Psychic, whose emotions and impulses carry the flavor of a universal nature.
It is however demanding and compelling to initiate such a process because of its irreversible consequences without the possibility of return. Wherever there is an opening of consciousness it cannot be undone and one is compelled to go to the top of the mountain, or bottom of reality in our eternal march.
Mind does not see beyond its limits, but can turn the turntable of our attention to point into this prolific void, (it regards as emptiness. It senses however, that there is something above to which it can turn to, of which it is secretly a part,) full of light and truth and allow the higher thoughts of a higher mind to reach down into our surface consciousness and become words of truth. It will have an effect, provided the thought really comes from regions of Truth and not from a lofty thought of our mind and is not distorted by it when it reaches our consciousness. It must come from a mind of universal thoughts and all embracing feelings intimate with still higher worlds, pointing to become along with the rest of the being an undivided part, conscious of its true nature and true work.
Being practical: even if we get a glimpse at the Truth these higher realms of existence radiate, it needs a lot of time for us to see Them becoming tangible presences in our moments of Life, even though all forces, which we use are Theirs.
Mind and heart are our most intimate instruments we can use to initiate a process of inviting Them into our thoughts, feelings, movements, and our inner life.
Mind fixes the consciousness in Their direction, and presents to Them anything we work on: be it the body’s movement, a feeling or a thought-concept. In the moment of offering there is our aspiration that the presented part directed upwards will be purified and endowed with Their universal qualities. Grace or a vast Spirit who lost contact with these lower levels extends his hands in our direction. An interchange happens in these moments, which escapes our cognition, but as we go ahead we can become aware of these consequent subtle changes by observing the changes in our outer movements assuming more and more qualities they didn’t have before.
Our contact with any has a certain progression of reaching our consciousness: there is the first contact between the chosen object and the perceiving spirit. Next is the revelation of the truth of the object, which proceeds gradually. It needs a concentrated attention on the object and a certain time so the object starts revealing to the perception its truth. On the bases of this, the object will be handled according to this revelation and no more as before by a mode of doing, a fancy action of ignorance.
Another way of looking at it is, to see the object offering itself to the perception, perception becoming identification, so that the object reveals itself to the spirit in its form, force and all the possibilities of its use. Then the liberating elaboration and play between the object’s self offering and the Spirit taking up the offering and giving it its support and guidance , in order to move towards a unity again. The object on the other hand reveals itself ever more to the spirit, as the spirit evolving out of mater.
Stretch out your arms of awakened knowledge to the human being
when he chants to you the illumining word; your bliss adorable shall
reach through all our earths.
In other words the first to be born is intimacy between the subject in its substance and becoming and the Spirit with its knowledge and vision. The vertical line is the direction of their interaction. The Spirit reaches out towards the object, at the same time the aspiring object reaches out towards the spirit. This reciprocal focus sets free a stream of aspirations and offerings from one side, from the other the embrace of the secret presence of the Infinite with its Grace leaping into action. The meeting point is the precise friction in our work, where things can change. Like a funnel’s narrow opening, through which all that comes from above is guided into the narrow opening of the container, which is our being.
Man, thou hast won to the wide law of thy being, by
the mouth of this flame thou shalt be self-mightier to attain
and shalt mentalise the paradise of his richest flamings, the
paradise of rapture beyond the thought of the mind.
The horizontal line represents Intimacy with the movement and its evolution. It reveals itself only in work, by a constant insistence and call and a continuous renewal of the contact. Intimacy of the Soul or Psychic being with the object - she leaps into the development of work, kindling her new birth; leaps into the movements, with the clear direction and the sole aim to march towards the dawns.
This intimacy can exist, because the connection of the Heart and Spirit with our outer superficial life by invisible, powerful currents is possible. This connection is to be wanted and has to be constantly thought of, pointed at, even though the superficial consciousness doesn’t arrive at the heart of this desired contact. The psychic as well as the Spirit identify with the movement on their level – what we can sense are their flashes, or sudden hints, which come in form of intuition or intimate flame within the movement. We can become sensitive to their presence so it can reveal itself to us, but have to have at the same time the support of our mind, which allows these realities to act by acknowledging that there is something beyond, which carries a truth and a vision to us without obstructing it.
We were speaking of the three types of lies:
The first, because one is plunged in ignorance and has not got the knowledge.
The second, when one has the knowledge, but tells consciously a lie or acts not considering it.
The third, when one knows a bit, but prefers this half light, half shadow position and tells the lies jokingly or acts out of fancy.
As I understood these are lies, when one fools oneself; out of ignorance or utility, or because one doesn’t want to change and prefers the lie to the change, which implies an uncomfortable action.
I thought of it often while working on the instrument. How much sincerity you must have to change things. You know that you can work out things only by ideas and actions, which have truth as their base. If you don’t see the truth and are working out things without wanting to have the knowledge you are lying unknowingly. When instead you know and are not holding on to the knowledge in work, but prefer to make things easy, or to take their usual ways they were dealt with, you must have another conviction in the back of your mind, which is overpowering the action according to truth on this level, which makes it a lie, which serves your right position, or what you think it is. Is this not the ancient tradition of politics, to see the lie as necessary for the good of all? On the personal level however, if you know the truth and act or speak consciously the contrary way you must have a twisted mind, or don’t know the whole truth, otherwise it would not deny it, which makes it ignorance again.
If you are joking with the truth it becomes difficult as you said, because you say half yes to truth and when it becomes too compelling you do as if you would not know, which makes it again ignorance. There are however lies with precise directions, but they are directed by forces, which chose to oppose the light, which again are ignorant of the great Truth, because only by ignorance they can extract joy out of the violation of truth.
It is interesting to observe these lies in work on the instrument. I get the feeling, that whatever the state, wherever you are you live in this state of semidarkness trying to extract the truth – by the force of mind (as in this sloka to Agni I can’t find any more) describing this phenomenon as “by the friction of the upper tinder against the lower tinder”. Mind speaks the truth it sees in connection with the movement and discerns if this truth is reflected in movement. Is it not, it speaks the truth of the right action to establish it in the same. And has it established that truth there is a grater and greater truth, reaching the truth mind does not see, so it cannot speak the words…
Man, thou hast won to the wide law of thy being, by
the mouth of this flame thou shalt be self-mightier to attain
and shalt mentalise the paradise of his richest flamings, the
paradise of rapture beyond the thought of the mind
…it will be by the mouth of this flame to attain the paradise beyond the thought of mind.
Below I just collected all thoughts, which came treating argument of directions.
• Centers of perception: How are they linked to the universal forces and the inner life?
• What is inner life and what is its relationship to the universal forces?
• Material movements are forced on our consciousness, as a drawing on a white sheet – we need to open to a silence, which includes them already as their source, therefore contains their seed and if allowed harmonizes the different executing parts. The technical guidance from inside comes in form of the understanding of geometry, around which the body forms its movements. The listening to the expression of the voice is done in a way of being able to open it to intuition, to subtler centers of our being or universal currents, which carry a great meaning and truth into our life. The foreseeing of the material movements impregnated with the shining light of soul’s aspiration in mater, which links the whole to a meaningful self-expression and becoming.
• The most material feeling of the vertical and horizontal direction becomes the direction of the Spirit directed to mater and mater to Spirit as Purusha, the witness. The horizontal becomes the field of action of Prakriti. My question is, what happens, if Purusha is realized to come forward as the static silence seated above the movement’s galloping body. I ask this, because it seems to me that in order to realize a higher expression in movement I need to invite in both directions or out of both directions static presences, which give meaning to it. (The static presence of Dawn towards which it is evolving and of the Spirit, who is behind this evolutionary adventure.)
• (Music) There is the absolute need for the concentration on both directions and their dependence on each other.
• This symbolic content of and in the directions has a direct effect on sound, or movement: the slower I move, the more the vertical direction finds a prevalent expression. To express an immersion of consciousness into the depth of our being and feeling we make this direction eminent, which doesn’t mean that the horizontal is less important regarding expression. Do I want to express on the contrary an opening towards the outer inner space; I will do it by expanding in the horizontal direction. The play between these two becomes the play of meaning and expression, which can describe world-movements beyond.
• Our being is not aligned. One part is doing one thing, then not participating, the other is overdoing. A huge mess. To put order into our being, we have to align it in directions with radiating centers which emanate currents of truth.
• The interdependence of the directions: the becoming is in the horizontal direction, but the harmonization of the parts happens in the vertical direction. The horizontal is the reason for the harmonization, the vertical its base.
• The horizontal is the dynamic, the vertical static. Find the static in the dynamic and you will find the universal. The harmonization of all the parts follows the vertical line; its dynamic action along the horizontal line is the cause, which calls for it.
• The participation of all the lower parts is necessary. The more consciously they participate in action the more they find their role assigned for them, which only they can play. For this they need an orientation in form of directions, which will become the first form of their sacrifice. In movement as walking the physical aligns itself with the force of gravity, which is felt throughout the body. Paying attention to this direction we start a process of harmonization and making conscious of unconscious or semiconscious parts. The emotional can pour in and give to the movement a desired color, aligned with the psychic.
• O mortal who awakenest to knowledge, call to thee the
Two godheads who are perfect in will and destroyers of thy
Enemy. Direct your thoughts to Varuna of whom Truth is
The form and to the great Delight.
• For because they are true in their being, they touch the Truth
And hold the Truth in creature and creature; perfect leaders
In the journey, perfect in force for the battle, they crate the
Wideness even out of this narrow being.
• Increasing the strength that comes to our ear of knowledge,
Guarding by the sacrificial word your wide realm as if our seat of sacrifice, bringing obeisance, holding fast to judgment,
You take your seat in your home, O Mitra, within the revealing of knowledge O Varuna.
• With hands that spare not, protectors of the beyond for the
Doer of perfect works whom you deliver and he dwells
Within the revealing of knowledge, kings free from passion,
Together you uphold a thousand-pillared strength.
In movement all the parts (cells, muscles, bones, skin) pulling or pushing must feel working directed by the same direction in order to achieve a major power of expression. This direction will align itself with the emotional significance, which will align with a higher expression.
• Music – the alignment of the movement into precise and meaningful directions, directions on which consciousness searches a contact, which takes up the movement and makes it its own voice and its own expression. We work like under clouds in a storm, seeking that our work becomes pregnant with the direct touch of supreme hands.
Under clouds the directions are not clear; the vision is cut of landmarks of orientation. One direction felt clearly is the vertical one, around which we can gather all members. There is also the presence of a center within pulsating and longing to participate.
All these last remarks are just landmarks on the way, as I make my experiments on the violin. They are thoughts of orientation in this landscape “covered by clouds”, where I feel like having to invent at every moment the road.
Love
Ladislav
Thank you, Latso, for your most inspiring letter, I am happy to see new possibilities in applying Vedic Vision in psychological terms.
This movement of consciousness is very subtle and can be easily misunderstood by grosser movements of the mind. It requires a refinement of consciousness by the Vedic perception and language.
I am very happy to see that it becomes possible.
Love,
Vladimir
commented by ladislav on May 31, 2008
The classes always bring about, what ever the theme is, things, which are actually being aimed at in my field of work. It seems, that whatever is our work we have to recognize the fact that universality is not just a word.
Some thoughts:
You were talking about the Mother turning away, when the action is not what it should be. It made me think of the relation of the teacher with his student:
The attention of the teacher is pointed at the student's movements of consciousness. If he were the student he would know what to think, where to look and how to act in the same situation to solve the problem. The ideas that guide the learning process are universal, if applied and active; they can be traced in movements. If the student serves these, he is working to make them realize, in which case the teacher can reveal to him hidden mechanisms and ways of conduct, which will help him to progress and understand better how to behave in the learning process. Basically they both look in the same direction.
Does the student not apply these, is his attention pointed at other than these universal pillars, there is nothing the teacher can do, but to suggest and wait for the student to start thinking in the same lines. It is not that the teacher turns away; he rather waits for the student to open up to the same guiding principles, suggesting and supporting him.
There is a constant flow of Mother’s attention on us. Her vision pierces through us as our eyes pierce through crystal. If we turn towards her we see her gaze and her uplifting attention, following her look to the other side we can see our true self and the way to progress. Our perception must be guided by a universal spirit or principle if we want to become universal.
Doing my kind of meditation in this noisy city confronts me with all that unending blows life here brings about: “violent tongues”, language of a world in which we live, loud and distorted.
Each movement has two directions: that of its origin and one towards its destination.
Its origin seems to be personal, but seen from a different angle reveals another origin, which is the origin of all movements: Born out of the Silence, a non-movement, they are being supported by a presence for us yet unknown. They are guided by instinct or mental set up their action is bound to narrow spaces with the goal to satisfy whatever small needs; seemingly cut of from their vast origin.
On the violin, or in music in general the directions are crucial to establish a contact with whatever we need to make that music becomes the expression of our universal being. There are the purely material geometrical needs the movements have to fulfill, to get a descent sound of our instruments. These directions made conscious will become the riverbeds of our pointing fingers at the truth of our expression.
Directions in general are the ideas of the spotlight of our consciousness. That’s why they can be organized by the mind. There can be an exclusive set of mind on them, which would form a well-organized house with just the servant looking after the things to continue to go after the preset scheme. But if there is not a direction linking us to universality and love our house will have shot down Venetians and only the servant will live in that house.
(Playing the violin requires an organization of two directions: one is the weight of the bow, the other is the one of the stroke of the bow. The two should be constantly perpendicular, as the bow should be constantly perpendicular to the strings. Once this is clear and the movement of the mass of the arm is lead to crystallize along these, we can become aware of another source of these directions: a universal spirit, the source of all directions. Following them, we start to enjoy this clarity and the non-limiting gaze.)
The direction of weight is that of the Spirit, the stroke, the horizontal line is that of the heart: space, time and becoming, moving towards the Dawn. Seen the things in this way induces us to offer all our attention to the highest we can conceive digging these beds the streams can flow in. Up as aspiration and down as blessing and guidance.
If there is no call for a vaster presence, if the rejuvenating energies are not called to make the movements their own, they become old and die to their supporting energy.
In the moment of perception of an object, of a movement, the whole world seems to be present, however straight its boundaries.
The work consists in knowing the object to such an extent as to be able to understand its qualities and forces and use it for whichever purpose we choose to.
Whatever its state its destiny will be to become the vessel of a superior presence and force, which will use it for the purpose of a conscious union and blissful harmony, as a part of its self-expression.
To achieve this goal we have to have first some knowledge of the existence of universal forces and qualities inherent in consciousness, which observes, in the spirit, which guides the consciousness and in the object of observation.
The Vedas as I have seen give you this base, revealing and tracing a divine plan, which lends itself to the practical psychological use in dealing with self and work in this universe.
There is the presence of Varuna and Mitra on whatever comes to our consciousness for work with the possibility of their action. Within the movement we can become aware of them and call them to become concrete and possess and harmonize it. We are never going to be betrayed by them, because they are the ones upholding the universe; upholding it constantly, as they do each movement of consciousness. The call for their presence to come is to make them act in the movement – change it according to their qualities and principles. This call is answered immediately, tracing the vast becoming and harmonizing for us to follow.
The forces that come to cloud the consciousness and drive it away from the concentration on work are many. They come in form of doubts, distortions and weaknesses with a noisy accompaniment in form of thoughts, uneasy feelings and twisted movements. I took them always for the protectors of perfection rather than enemies. In a way they are, because unless my concentration and action is not perfect they will be there to disturb and misguide.
Protect us, O violent ones , with your protections and deliver us with a perfect deliverance. May we in our embodyings break through the Destroyers.
To overcome them we need to become strong and our vision well focused on work and sacrifice, knowing that the scope of all our movements with the time will be to be directed towards them who are transcendent.
O transcendent in will-power, let us not in our embodyings suffer the control of any , nor in our begetting, nor in our creation.
Knowing the direction of our call we gather around it the material form, which will have in the perceiving spirit its guide and uniting spearhead.
On one hand there is our incapacity to fix the gaze on the object as long as it takes to extract the truth of it we need for work, or if it is the movement do to the former and its short life: sudden birth and sudden disappearance. Be it object or movement, I need to grow in perception, make it strong, steady and concentrated to get at the truth of the perceived. It requires a lot of practice and perseverance, but the longer the road towards perfection, the more intimate the relation with the friends of our becoming. This brings along the necessary knowledge of behavior while acting on the object or movement: technique.
Infinity of space: mind in all directions
Infinity of intimacy: heart in all directions
The vertical line as a symbol for the action of the spirit on mater and of aspiration from mater to the spirit
Horizontal line as a symbol of the way to Dawn and becoming
I don’t know with certitude about all this, but in general things seem for me to have these kinds of meanings. I hope I don’t bore you with all this
See you on Tuesday
Latso
Thank you, Latso,
for your most inspiring letter. I adds a lot to the universality of perception of these matters. I can clearly see now, especially through your letters, how this Vedic way of seeing and thinking can be practically applied in our everyday life. This perception is charged with Spirit, its power and presence and bliss... It is creative and active. It creates a New Universe.
See you on Tuesday,
Vladimir
commented by ladislav on May 15, 2008
This is a letter written by Latso, a teacher of Music in the Ashram School, who is a part of a study group on the Veda in the light of Sri Aurobindo at IPI, Pondicherry.
Dear friend,
AFTER THE LAST CLASS I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME THOUGHTS ON THE TOPIC WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.
STRETCH OUT YOUR ARMS OF AWAKENED KNOWLEDGE TO THE HUMAN BEING WHEN HE CHANTS TO YOU THE ILLUMINING WORD; YOUR BLISS ADORABLE SHALL REACH THROUGH ALL OUR EARTHS.
Experience: once we start chanting the illumining hymn, we invite and include Mitra and Varuna into the process of work (we are trying to find their presence, their supporting hand and influence in the psychological perception of every act and movement) we ask them to stretch out their arms of awakened knowledge into all the planes of our being.
The hymn suggests that Vruna-Mitra are caring universal entities with the power of truth and love, capable by way of their universality to guide and harmonize the work of the individual who looks for their support, in the sense of himself having the longing to carry within him their aspects.
Psychologically we invoke the presence of a quality, or many qualities, which are those of Varuna and Mitra and see, if all the parts, which have a part to play in work are submitted to their influence, express their qualities or are their channels.
It becomes clear to us while working that there is no satisfying result obtained unless the expression of these two Realities can be observed.
This kind of work becomes however stringent only if we have had the experience. Even without the experience we are aware that something is missing. There is in all of us this foreseeing capacity, which secretly knows. But if it doesn’t come into the foreground we struggle, the work has not a reliable compass and the influences of superficial not uniting suggestions takes over the steering wheel. (This struggling is over as soon as we see what there is to do in terms of letting the consciousness do its work of thorough examination, which leads to a methodical work on the establishing of knowledge and harmony. Struggling changes into offering and aspiration.)
The first stage in my work is to fix the attention on the movement of the body. The spirit observes the body’s movements and gives directives to its mechanism, directs the consciousness to what it has to throw its light on by using the mind.
Material movement is very simple to observe: there are only direction, force and speed. There are however a few laws of movement which need to be observed: the interdependence of the direction of weight and speed (spirit) and the interdependence of the amount of weight and speed. The first one is thought of by the organizing will of the spirit, the second is the play field of the heart, of life of the psychic?
The spirits observation sharpens the precision of the movement and gives it its stamp of wideness and depth.
The influence of the heart gives to the movement its role as the carrier of movements of life, beyond movements of a supreme reality.
There lies my question: I can see, that the sense of touch sees constantly the direction of weight of the bow on the string. By feeling it, it enjoys the contact. By establishing the contact a union with the object is being established, which leads to knowledge and control. It seems to me, that this knowledge of the direction comes from the spirit, whereas the enjoyment from the heart (psychic).
Senses are our only way of observation; they are hooked to mater and link it to heart, mind and spirit. I asked you last Tuesday about the sense of touch, if it belongs to the quality of sight or that of hearing. You were kind enough to give me an answer, which was very precious, but unfortunately I didn’t get all of it. Would you mind to explain one more time?
The spirit can reach the body by using senses. This is its way to deal with mater by means of this middle world, which accommodates the feelings and senses. (It is strange to see even the division of the body in three parts, same as we have discussed the composition of the head: above the mouth is heaven, mouth the part in between and the lower jaw mater.
The body’s divisions would be the head as the seat of heaven, arms and the trunk as the part in between and the legs and feet as mater. I say this, because all instruments are being played are played in this world in between, crucial for the work of linking spirit to mater.)
On the instrument the spirit organizes the directions, quality and forces in time. The heart gives joy to perception and unites all the parts in a single movement. The material base is the field of action of the nervous forces and senses. They are channels between two seemingly different worlds: the world of the spirit and the material world. But not only: they are also the enjoyers and dwellers on the truth they discover. They reflect the knowing spirit like small lakes reflect the vast sky. It is from there that all expression comes. Whatever the spirit sees, or does not see will be projected into the movement.
There are two masters of the movement – the spirit and the psychic – they act through the mind and the heart. Mind organizes the movements of our observation based on the system the spirit has chosen to work with. (Maya) It is important therefore to find a system, which is as vast and as all embracing as possible.
MAY I GO BY THE PATH OF THE FRIEND THAT EVEN NOW I MAY ATTAIN TO THE GOAL OF MY JOURNEY; SO MEN CLING FIRMLY TO THE BLISS OF THAT BELOVED IN WHOM THERE IS NO WOUNDING
All the work I do has its inner process of initializing, working out, understanding and harmonizing. These processes are hidden from us at that moment of work. There is the knowledge through experience, that the concentration on the truth in work will have its effect. There is the knowledge, that the new will destabilize the old ways of doing, which with the time will find new harmonious ways of execution. We don't really know what effectuates this harmonizing process - we just know that there is one. With the image of Mitra, there appears a Friend who is all the time and all over present to sustain us on our way to perfection, which is not possible without this path of a friend.
The question of the goal and the journey becomes resolved with the affirmation of his presence, which makes, that we feel as a relation of love with this great Friend and whatever path we take it is his companionship the goal of our journey.
The wounds are inflicted in work his presence is not invoked and the little knowledge in us is being forced on the mechanism without understanding its true meaning and process.
O MITRA VARUNA, MAY MY THOGHT HOLD BY THE ILLUMINING WORD THAT HIGHEST WHICH IS YOUR POSSESSION, SO THAT IT SHALL ASPIRE TO THE HOME OF THE MASTERS OF PLENITUDE FOR THEM AND FOR MEN WHO AFFIRM YOU.
I hope I don’t annoy you with all this,
Remains the question as how to make it a part of education.
Isn’t it basically a question of contact? In the sense that whoever has got the contact or awoke to it will try to make whatever he deals with an object of his study. I can imagine that for those there can be a system, but every one will create his own, based on his present state and guidance. Basically this kind of education has its teachers in the higher realms of existence. If we don’t call them it doesn’t mean that they are not there and it doesn’t mean either that their influence is not being felt.
If you didn’t come in contact with the Vedas or Sri Aurobindo and are somewhat awake, these forces will be also real to you – you give them just other names and fit them into a system, which has its roots in the spiritual tradition of the tradition you were born in.
There has been once an attempt in school to teach spirituality to children. The teachers thought it would be good to teach spirituality, so they brought this subject to Mother. Her reply was that there is nothing which is not spirituality. There is the truth, so learn about the truth, wherever you look.
Embracing you
Ladislav
The sense of touch is the third essential sense after hearing and seeing. I am saying ‘essential’ because these three constitute three major accesses to reality.
Seeing represents our consciousness in its direct evidence of the truth: “Better to see once than to hear hundred times” –says the Russian proverb.
Hearing represents our consciousness in its faculty to approach and to know the truth indirectly, through the Word, the vibration of consciousness; if we look deeper into this faculty, we will see that it is like to know its meaning, how it knows itself, as it were, but in our own state of being, in our own body. So if seeing on the highest level is a direct revelation of the Truth, so to say, being that what you see, then hearing on the highest level is a knowing of its inherent meaning, or experiencing fully its perception or a state of being, knowing it as it knows itself, without being it.
Now these two faculties are balanced, or neutralized rather in the third one, which is touch. Both of them are necessary for the touch to appear. For it requires the form and the meaning of that form, otherwise it won’t be cognized as such.
Touch is a perception which implies a manifestation of sight and hearing of consciousness.
Vladimir
commented by Vladimir on Mar 7, 2008
Please refer to the article Svadhyaya by "reading for oneself"