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Evolution - Conservapedia

The theory of evolution is a naturalistic theory of the history of life on earth (this refers to the theory of evolution which employs methodological naturalism

Introduction (top) The Evolution of Individual Nations Just as every individual is an amalgam of positive and negative attributes whose being is growing and evolving, so too each nation of the world has an evolving character that expresses both positively and negatively. Each nation can in fact be said to represent a different aspect of human consciousness and capacity. For example, France is said to represent "clarity of thought;" Russia "the brotherhood of man;" the USA "practical organization;" and India "the spiritual teacher (i.e. guru) of the world." Each nation then expresses a ray, or several rays of truth, knowledge, and capacity, reflecting the best of human character and consciousness. Similarly, every nation also expresses its own wanting propensities for falsehood, ignorance, and incapacity. By accentuating the former, and overcoming the latter, the growth, development, and evolution of nations is made possible. Perhaps the best way to come to know the various capacities of a nation in the current world environment is to examine its level of prosperity. The USA and India can serve as excellent examples, as they represent two contrasting extremes. The USA, on the one hand, has experienced a level of material success bordering on the infinite, even as she has failed so far to embrace the deeper aspects of life. India, on the other hand, who once knew the infinity of spirit and then lost it, is now trying to regain it. In addition, along the way, she became very poor, but now can utilize a regained spirit to rapidly prosper in an integral -- i.e. not merely material -- way. India as Living Being India is not the earth, rivers and mountains of this land, neither is it a collective name for the inhabitants of this country. India is a living being, as much living as, say Shiva. (The Mother) On India's Past Greatness India is the only country that, in 10,000 years, hasn't invaded another country. Of course, it has invaded culturally. For centuries, it ruled South-East Asia, China, Japan through its mind, culture, science, cosmology and philosophy. Until the 17th century, India was the richest country in the world. There was no confusion about spirituality and materialism going together, because our Vedic tradition says that the four goals of life are artha (money), kama (desire), dharma (duty) and moksha (enlightenment). (Deepak Chopra) Foundations of Indian Spirituality (top) Overview | The Rishis, Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad-Gita Modern Spiritual Thought: The Teachings of Sri Aurobindo Overview The Course of History and the Source of Spirit It is said civilization began in Mesopotamia. Man took to agriculture and urban living. It was a physical life of the civilized man. Mind was developed in Greece in later centuries. The evolution of Man continued but elsewhere. It was Rome that developed law, art and empires. Again it moved. Europe developed science. Now the centre of that movement is in USA which is focusing not so much on Science as Scientific Technology. Before this movement began, the Spirit was discovered in India. (MSS) Nature's Course for India India is a land of rishis; that her sons carry the spiritual light in her body in the depths of her being. Sri Aurobindo says that it is that spirit that is the source of her greatness; but it has been lost over the millennia, and needs to be regained. If she can accomplish this, she will not only emerge out of her poverty, but she will fulfill her role as the Guru of the world. How did India some to her current condition, and how can she reemerge in prosperity to fulfill her spiritual destiny? Spirit developed and reached Its penultimate peak in India. However, Nature -- which is, along with Soul/Spirit, the instrument of the Divine -- did not want Spirit's further development there. For Her own reasons, Nature moved elsewhere, as She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now that Nature has completed this round of development outside India's borders, She has now come back to India to complete the work of development of the Spirit on earth. In addition, because India has fallen into great poverty, Nature has come to resolve that difficulty as well. (Based on MSS) The Role of Nature and Soul in Progress in the World Nature does not work for progress in all fronts at all places simultaneously. Nature herself is a partial force. Soul and Nature together make for the whole. Nature is a part. A partial force cannot work for total progress. Hence Nature has decided to develop emotion in Asia and Mind in Europe. India was chosen by Nature to develop the Spirit. (MSS) Development of Spirit in India -In India Nature developed the Spirit. By Spirit, I mean the Spirit in Man as one part of his being. It is the best part. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for moksha. -Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away [from India] and worked at various places [around the world] for the development of various other parts. (MSS) Nature Develops Spirit in India, then Moved On In India Nature developed the Spirit, i.e. the Spirit in Man. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for liberation. Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away and worked at various places for the development of various other parts. [E.g. mind in Greece, individuality in Europe, science and technology currently in US]. During that period there was the necessity to preserve the treasure of Spirit discovered during the period of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. It is nature's irony that the best has to be preserved by the worst, even as the treasure of gold is saved in a forest under thorny bushes and protected by vital spirits. Indian Spirit had to be preserved in an atmosphere of poverty by a top dressing of Falsehoods. (MSS, extracted) [Now that Nature has passed into science, technology, individuality, etc., it is ready to embrace the spirit that India knows; however not quite on its old basis, but through the further spiritual development of the Force of the Supermind that is now available to all.] India's Spiritual Mission Spirit developed in India. It reached its acme, rather its penultimate peak. Nature, for her own purposes, did not want to complete the further development of the Spirit in India. She moved away. She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now she has finished one round working in various parts of the world. It is time Nature comes back to India and completes her work in the development of Spirit. So far, Spirit developed to seek its own fulfillment in moksha. That is not God's original intention in creation. God who became Sat and Spirit converted that Spirit into Supermind, Mind, Life and Matter. All of them - Mind, Life, Matter - are really Spirit disguised. Nature needs humility to continue its progress. India was humbled by foreign rule, poverty and low status. Though practically humbled, even humiliated, the inherent pride of the spiritual possession is abundantly present here. The feeling that we deserve greater luck or better treatment is there in many ways. One is expectation. For Nature to raise India's spiritual stature to that the Guru of the world, India should part with spiritual ego and acquire spiritual humility. (MSS) The Evolution of Spirit in India 100,000 years ago, Man emerged from the savannahs of Africa and entered two landmasses; the Middle East and Europe (the "western wave"), and that of the East, including India and China. The Western wave out of Africa mainly took to religion at first, while the Eastern wave took to spirituality. The Western wave of religion eventually shed some of its falsehood, evolved into rationality, democracy, freedom, individuality, science, technology, and the modern material world as we see in Europe, the USA, and elsewhere. The Eastern wave developed culture, emotion, and the Spirit. Of course, each of the two developed some of the capacities of the other -- e.g. religion developed in India, and there were strains of the Spirit in the West. My goal here is to trace the Eastern movement that enabled the flowering of Spirit. It originated in the period of the naturalistic life of the Vedas in India. There people connected to the Spirit through the natural forces of the physical world. In the stone, in elemental and environmental forces, individuals felt a connection to an ultimate spiritual Reality. Life was physical then and their connection to that Reality expressed through physical forms of nature, as well as the worship of Gods. Mind and higher emotions had not yet developed to interfere with their pure Divine reverence through physical means. Still, it was a great development in the spiritual history of man -- unprecedented until that time. And yet, people perceived that life was indeed full of suffering in life, pain, falsehood, negativity, and evil. Since these issues were raised in the subconscious of society, the avatar -- i.e. one who furthers the evolution -- Buddha came along in India and took to a very different path. He abandoned the aspiration and search for an ultimate Reality, indicating that it could not be known, and instead focused on the causes of evil and suffering in the world. He saw that if we move out of ego, all such negativity ceases. By meditating and reaching the timeless, spaceless Void one realizes the state of Nirvana, where ego, separation, and desire ceases, which, in turn, eliminates all suffering. It was a profound insight and another great development in the history of the Spirit. Over time Mind developed, and there resumed the attempt to commune with the ultimate Spiritual reality through this newly evolved faculty. As a result, the period of the Upanishads was ushered in. During that time there was a group of individuals who had a deep urge to connect with and experience the Supreme -- i.e. the ultimate transcendent Reality. They began to see that Reality in three aspects; as Existence -- i.e. as pure Spiritual Being; as a Consciousness that that had become aware of its own Existence, and as a result generated a Force that that became the energy out of which the universe would emerge; and as Delight, taking infinite pleasure in being conscious of Its own Existence. (This is expressed by the three attributes of Sat-Chit-Ananda; i.e. Existence, Consciousness-Force, Delight.) This is roughly equivalent to the fact that I exist as an individual; I am conscious of my existence -- which in turn energizes me; and I delight in being conscious of who I am. These ecstatic devotees -- known as the Rishis -- had the spontaneous experience of the Spirit, and saw how it could be brought into the details experiences of one's life. They perceived the spiritual Being emerging into the becomings of life; knew the integration of Spirit and Matter; thus had a vision of that ultimate Reality, which they called ''Brahman."� In effect, the Rishis of that time were likely the greatest spiritual aspirants of the ancient world. Though they ecstatically experienced the Spirit by communing with the transcendent Reality, it was left to the Bhagavad-Gita to address aspects the Rishis had not considered. While Rishis were more focused on pure transcendence and connection to the spiritual Reality, the Gita addressed the specific methods that would enable an individual to spiritually progress -- i.e. grow, evolve, and be transformed. By connecting to the Soul within, one not only begins the process of a change out of our lower nature -- e.g. sensing a oneness with others, controlling negative behaviors, taking to higher emotions, etc. -- but one comes in touch with the same transcendent Reality that the Rishis experienced earlier. Now there was a path of individual progress through Soul, opening the way to the transcendent spiritual Reality. Our ultimate purpose then was to find our individual Soul, discover and surrender to the Supreme, and carry out and fulfill the Divine Intent on earth. Through service of works, true knowledge of the ways of life, and surrender to the Supreme Intent, one not only evolves, but fulfills one's ultimate purpose on earth. These are several of the lessons offered by the avatar Krishna to the warrior Arjuna at the battle of Kurukshetera, as explained in the Gita. And yet, it has been left to modern India, in particular, through the spiritual insights of Vivekananda and then Sri Aurobindo to perceive the wider and all-encompassing spiritual picture. Drawing on the Rishis' upanishadic ecstatic spiritual experience and the Gita's methods of yogic progress, Sri Aurobindo put it all in an evolutionary context. He gave us the wider knowledge of the creation and unfolding of the universe, as well as the course of human destiny. He described the involution of life -- i.e. how the universe came about from a Divine source -- and the evolution of life from matter to spirit through individual transformation, culminating in a Divine life on earth. He traced the cause of Ignorance back to the involution of Spirit, showed the way back to Integral Knowledge through Soul connection and surrender to the descending spiritual Force that would aid in the individual's transformation. In this way, he provided a more integral view of the Spirit, embracing the evolutionary principles of modern life. (Based on MSS) India's Static Spirit Fulfilled in Sri Aurobindo's Dynamic View The static spirit that India has known is fulfilled through Sri Aurobindo's dynamic evolutionary view of existence. Vedanta and Creator View The Vedantic view contains the spiritual principles of Brahman (the ultimate Reality), Oneness/Non-Duality between the inner person and the outer cosmos; the Soul within, that reflects the Divine spirit; and the Transcendent Divine. The modern spiritual view, led by Vivekananda and especial Sri Aurobindo, adds the Shakti/force component that enabled the process of creation to unfold from a Divine source. It adds an evolutionary, and unfolding dimension to Vedanta. The Spiritual Essence and the Process of Creation The essence of Indian spiritual thought rests on several principles. One is that the Spirit is One. I.e. that there is one plane of universal existence. However, because we live on the surface of life, we perceive separation between our own individual existence and the outer universal reality, when in fact they are One. And yet, when I move to a deeper consciousness, I experience the spirit directly without the separative Me blocking that identity. I come to know that Oneness, which gives the greatest of Joy. A second precept is that if I go deep enough within, I will discover my true self -- my Soul. And that soul is a spark of the divine; a nook of the spirit that is harbored for the individual. Thus in the depths of consciousness, I discover that I am one with all things in the cosmos, including my environment and other, and that there is a a Soul in the deepest parts that is my own representative of the transcendent divine within. This means that in fact there are three essential spiritual principle: a transcendent divine reality, a universal reality in the cosmos that is One, and a personal True Individuality and Soul being. When we move away from the surface, of sense, and discover our deeper consciousness, we move into identity with all three. In the modern era however this understanding has begun to shift; or rather add another dimension. It also includes the dynamic dimension of life; otherwise known as the evolutionary principle. Thus the transcendent Reality is not only a spiritual essence, a being, a witness, but is also a creator Force; a power that enables forms of that spiritual Force to unfold in the universe. From out of the Reality emerged a Conscious-Force that then emerged as an invisible Energy in life out of which forms of it took shape -- from matter to human -- through a process of involution and evolution. Thus we see the dynamic, creative power of the transcend divine unfolding in time and space through matter, life forms, and mind, culminating in the human being. It should also be pointed out that there is only one process of creation in the universe -- one that that we share with our Creator. Just as the universe emerged from a Divine source through a process, so too do we create and accomplish in life through a similar process. We humans envision what we want to become, willfully seek it out, organize it in all aspects, and carry it out with skills and right attitudes. This is the same process by which the universe emerged from a Divine Source. Together the underlying spiritual reality and the process of creation work together to enable an underlying stable existence as well as a creative, dynamic existence in space and time. India's Future India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to do for herself and the human peoples. (Sri Aurobindo) India as Guru of the World India must find its ancient spirituality, for after all its destiny is to be the guru, the spiritual teacher of the world. The Challenge to India India is a great nation by virtue of her Spirit. She attained that status long ago. Therefore she is bound to succeed and overtake all other nations. No other nation has so much to give to the world. Her Spirit is there as inner light. But it is covered by a thick layer of falsehood, laziness, unreliability, inefficiency, lack of self-respect, all expressions of darkness. The Indian should choose the light in him and be truthful, dynamic, reliable, efficient, have self-respect, all expressions of Truth. Once the future generations sufficiently take to Truth and its expressions, the buried light will surface. (MSS) Indians Have Forgotten The Multiplicity of Spirit They Own Spiritual life has many facets, all of which are known to us Indians. We not only forget them but are proud of having forgotten our valuable treasure. (MSS) The Indian Spiritual Soil The Indian soil is spiritual. Her very atmosphere is saturated with the Peace of the Spirit. Those who visit India for the first time notice it. (MSS) The Indian Body Carries the Spirit of the Rishis The Indian's body carries the light of the Rishis, he was once a person of utter Truthfulness, and the roots of democratic Spirit are deeply embedded in the Indian nation. (MSS) The Native Spiritual Resourcefulness of India -The native Indian spiritual RESOURCEFULNESS is an idea I am enamoured of. India is a land of the Spirit. The Spirit is infinite. When the infinite Spirit emerges out of the finite human life, life reveals how resourceful it is. -Modern civilisation is a monument to that resourcefulness. It is the resourcefulness of the Mind. We in India enjoy in potential spiritual resourcefulness. We must bring it out. (MSS, extracted) The Spiritual Resourcefulness of India -Spirit is the origin of the Mind. Logically, it must be more resourceful than mind. In India, the spiritual light is carried in the bodies of the population. This idea set me thinking about the Spiritual Resourcefulness of Indians, though it is dormant and in potential. -To this wisdom belongs the power to solve any existing problem anywhere on earth. It will be a great day when Indians realise their own strength and are willing to bring it to the surface through the present ways of life. Maybe that will be a sleeping GIANT stirring. (MSS, reorganized) (MSS, extracted, reorganized) Returning to Original Indian Spiritual Values The Indian should go back to the ORIGINAL spiritual values of work, life and mind and upgrade them into psychic [personal soul-based] values. (MSS) Inner Powers of Consciousness in India Silence, vision, insight, intuition, subtlety, etc. are there in the Indian soil, but they are not accessible simply to be picked up. Once they were all well developed, but now they lie dormant in potential. One has to become receptive, value them and cultivate them, until they are acquired as a settled faculty. (MSS) The Mother Tongue of India is Spirituality English has a prestige in India which it does not enjoy in Indonesia. It is so because we were once a colony of Great Britain. In England, everyone, the child, the illiterate, speak English because it is their mother tongue. The Spirit is our mother tongue by virtue of our being Indians, Hindu or Muslim or Jain. (MSS) The Evolutionary Spirituality that is Now Emerging Europeans look out on the world and are proud of their rich heritage, even as they are oblivious to the deep culture and spiritual insights of the East. Currently the Europeans observe the sudden dramatic emergence of Americans, and the rise of the Eastern economic powers, and semi-consciously begin to question their long-held belief that they above all others have been the civilizing force of history. Likewise, the Americans look out at the emerging East, and wonder what is in store from these titanic economic and cultural powers, just at a time she thought she was the unstoppable cultural and economic leader in the world. From our current perch in history, we can trace the march of progress of civilization. As we know, it began in Africa, and then essentially moved in two directions -- to the East, where spirit and culture was born, and north to the Middle East, where religion was born. From out of the religion wing eventually emerged the rational thought and democracy of Greece, its practical application through the rules and organizational structures of the Roman Empire; the culture of the Renaissance and Enlightenment; and the economic expansion of the British Empire, which continues today through the material and cultural influence of the America dynamo. The Middle East and Africa meanwhile have remained poor and neglected. Through tragedy and suffering, the world now seeks to resolve the stagnant problems of the troubled areas. Meanwhile, the profound ancient wisdom of the East has remained unknown to a good part of the world -- even buried in its essence in its founding country, India. Why then has the profoundest understanding of the spirit ever known, that of ancient India, remained dormant and unknown? The simple answer is that civilization was not ready for the ancient wisdom of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and of the Rishis who intensely communed with the Divine Reality up to 7,000 years ago. Civilization had to first evolve through several stages before she was ready to this greatest of all spiritual knowledge and experiences to be broadcast and adopted by the rest of the world. In addition, the ancient spiritual realizations themselves had to evolve. Though great beyond measure, the spiritual realizations of the ancient Rishis were in one sense a static one. I.e. though the spiritual seekers had found a direct connection to the Divine reality, that blissful liberation took place outside of life; not within it. Thus, a new, more comprehensive spiritual realization and knowledge was necessary if it were to spread far and wide -- one that combined their deep realizations with the aspiration of modern Man. Fortunately, in the first half of the 20th century, one individual, the Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo had those very realizations and spiritual perceptions, as he was able to integrate that profoundest of ancient wisdom with modern evolutionary understanding. By showing how spirit is not just a liberating element that one can dissolve into to discover ultimate happiness and bliss, but that it can be brought into the details of life, in order to elevate and perfect it, Sri Aurobindo made the great synthesis between the spiritual wisdom of the past and the evolutionary aspirations of a modern society. Thus, after a 7000-year sleep, the great spiritual wisdom of India has begun to take on a new tone and direction, allowing a more dynamic East, and a materially-exhausted West to embrace it. In essence, Nature has waited these millennia so that the world could first make the necessary evolutionary progress -- emotionally, psychologically, and mentally -- before it could embrace this new, dynamic evolutionary view of the spirit. Now that a solid base of material prosperity has been established in the world, now that Nature's course has passed beyond the ages of oppression by church and king, now that she has discovered democracy, developed a modicum of culture, and has begun to nurture true individuality, the peoples of the world seem ready to embrace the evolutionary spiritual teachings and realizations of sages like Sri Aurobindo and others in the emerging New Age. Needs for Truth, Honesty in India Should the Indian develop the values of Truth in life, as the Westerner has, he will find that the inner Spirit he knows will emerge at some time to express through his life, not outside and beyond his life. Way to Indian Truthfulness that Fosters Spiritual Light There is spiritual light in our hearts. Let us foster it. Truthfulness fosters it. To be eternally truthful is to be a yogi. One can do it for a period certainly. In that period he will see all the future spiritual possibilities for him. It is up to him to choose. One cannot maintain this vow for 24 hours. Life will make a mockery of his decision. He who persists will see Mother always supports him. To be truthful for its own sake is enjoyable. To accept it as a challenge of life offers inner power. To seek truth for the sake of the Spirit is laudable. Decide to be utterly truthful for a period of one week or one day. Better it is for a month. If you are enamoured of Truth, you will witness falsehood moving away from you. There are grim preliminaries. One will be frightened of improvident aloofness. Truth seeking will ultimately light the inner spiritual lamp. Gradually you will see life coming under your control. In 30 days of persistent perseverance, you will have a tryst with the inner Divine. It may be a dot of light or a jet of Peace. Once you have done it, no one need canvass your support to truth. It will be self-evident JOY. The home will change into a sweet home. There is only one enemy. The desire to go back may arise from inside. (MSS) Truthfulness through the Mother Mother said Man has never lied so much as today. To know Her is to be Truthful. To live in Her is to become a personification of Truth. Also See the Development and Evolution of Spirit in Society through India The Rishis, Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad-Gita Nature Develops Spirit in India, then Moved On In India Nature developed the Spirit, i.e. the Spirit in Man. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for liberation. Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away and worked at various places for the development of various other parts. [E.g. mind in Greece, individuality in Europe, science and technology currently in US]. During that period there was the necessity to preserve the treasure of Spirit discovered during the period of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. It is nature's irony that the best has to be preserved by the worst, even as the treasure of gold is saved in a forest under thorny bushes and protected by vital spirits. Indian Spirit had to be preserved in an atmosphere of poverty by a top dressing of Falsehoods. (MSS, extracted) [Now that Nature has passed into science, technology, individuality, etc., it is ready to embrace the spirit that India knows; however not quite on its old basis, but through the further spiritual development of the Force of the Supermind that is now available to all.] The Vedic Rishis to the Upanishads to the Gita There is a Western view that the Vedas are the childish prattle of an early emerging humanity. It is common sense, if not rationality that one should know about a field to pass valid judgements on it. That is why Sri Aurobindo wrote this work to lay bare the inner psychological significance of the earliest uttering of Man whose language is described as massive in its substance and whose tonality penetrates the thick layers of the embodied being to touch the Soul. The Vedic Rishis sought immortality for the Soul. In their souls they saw God. But they worshipped the gods, seeking their help to reach Sachchidananda. They reached the first great summit of the human spirit, which occupies in the scale of human existence, the highest place, higher than the mind Man now values. The world now rightly values science, rather scientific technology, because of its immense spiritual significance. Its success is practical utility. 'Spirit' today is what is directly immediately useful. Scientific technology is the achievement of MIND, the mind seated in the physical consciousness of Man. Hence in Sri Aurobindo's terminology it is called the physical mind. Science as Europe has embraced is of the thinking mind, seated in the mental consciousness. Man enjoys the modern comforts of bus, car, phone and computer. They are vastly useful and make life meaningful. Spirit gives calm, peace, quiet, mental peace, silence and opens the doors to the life in the other world, to eternal enjoyment. It is not so alluring as the needs of today which are well served by technology. The Vedas were followed by the Upanishads and they were succeeded by The Gita. The Spirit the Vedic Rishis discovered was not a Spirit that detached itself from the other parts of the being - mental, vital, physical - and sought moksha. It was the Spirit that sought the Spirit in Nature and fashioned a life in unison with that Spirit. The Vedic Rishis found harmony of Spirit in life. They were aware of the crookedness of Mind, the inherent evil in life which tries to hurt Man residing in the sanctum sanctorum of his inner existence. They knew that evil, even when it comes to harm him from his wife, will ultimately do him good, but they could only helplessly refer to the incorrigible crookedness of Mind. That Mind rose to further heights in the period of the Upanishads, discovered the five elements, defined the five senses, traced their origin to Sabda Brahman, which is the first extension of the material force into which all forms dissolve. The Secret of the Vedas is the secret of the universe. (MSS) The Evolution of Spirit in India In the period of the Vedas the Rishis discovered the Spirit. Also they lived in unison with Nature. It was a life of the whole or whole life. The physical Man discovering the Spirit, living in unity with the environment of Nature, though it is of a spiritual fullness, was the victory of the first step -- the physical life, the life in the Body. The wholeness of primitive times could not last. The joint family of the last century of thirty or forty members was a life of unity. But it was the unity of an agricultural family, mostly of uneducated simple people of primary emotions living on their land. As agriculture moves to manufacture, rural life gives place to urban living, illiterate goodness exchanges itself with educated individuality, and joint family is no longer a reality. As civilisation marches ahead, joint family disappears and gives place to the nuclear family. Even its life is no longer certain. The Vedas have two parts, one seeking knowledge and the other preserving the sacredness of the rituals. A split arose there. Those who followed knowledge were the Rishis of the Vedanta. Those who preserved the rituals became the purohits [priesthood]. Sri Aurobindo pleads for the restoration of unity lost at that time. He says the unity is to be restored above in the Supramental plane. The original cleavage between the Rishis and the purohits was followed by the dichotomy of the sannyasin and the householder. Then it became the contradiction between the sannyasin who denied Matter any reality and the Materialist who discovered the secrets of the universe and denied any reality to the Spirit. This is so because the instrument of the Rishi or sannyasin was Mind that could perceive only a part of the Reality. The scientist did one better by insisting on his physical mind, a part of the Mind that is already a part. Supermind is the right complete instrument that can see the whole Reality of Brahman in the cosmos as well as in our human life. Sri Aurobindo, who discovered the Supermind guided by Vivekananda, asks us to receive the descending Force of the Supermind so that we may be raised to its own native plane. There the unity lost after the Vedic period can be restored in its fullness. It will be a unity that transcends life and Mind. The world energies are in the process of building up that unity, not according to any mental formula intelligible to us, but in terms of a Life that transcends rationality. It is a life that is intelligible to Intuition, accessible to insight. It eludes intellectual enquiries. (MSS) The Evolution of Spirit in India 100,000 years ago, Man emerged from the savannahs of Africa and entered two landmasses; the Middle East and Europe (the "western wave"), and that of the East, including India and China. The Western wave out of Africa mainly took to religion at first, while the Eastern wave took to spirituality. The Western wave of religion eventually shed some of its falsehood, evolved into rationality, democracy, freedom, individuality, science, technology, and the modern material world as we see in Europe, the USA, and elsewhere. The Eastern wave developed culture, emotion, and the Spirit. Of course, each of the two developed some of the capacities of the other -- e.g. religion developed in India, and there were strains of the Spirit in the West. My goal here is to trace the Eastern movement that enabled the flowering of Spirit. It originated in the period of the naturalistic life of the Vedas in India. There people connected to the Spirit through the natural forces of the physical world. In the stone, in elemental and environmental forces, individuals felt a connection to an ultimate spiritual Reality. Life was physical then and their connection to that Reality expressed through physical forms of nature, as well as the worship of Gods. Mind and higher emotions had not yet developed to interfere with their pure Divine reverence through physical means. Still, it was a great development in the spiritual history of man -- unprecedented until that time. And yet, people perceived that life was indeed full of suffering in life, pain, falsehood, negativity, and evil. Since these issues were raised in the subconscious of society, the avatar -- i.e. one who furthers the evolution -- Buddha came along in India and took to a very different path. He abandoned the aspiration and search for an ultimate Reality, indicating that it could not be known, and instead focused on the causes of evil and suffering in the world. He saw that if we move out of ego, all such negativity ceases. By meditating and reaching the timeless, spaceless Void one realizes the state of Nirvana, where ego, separation, and desire ceases, which, in turn, eliminates all suffering. It was a profound insight and another great development in the history of the Spirit. Over time Mind developed, and there resumed the attempt to commune with the ultimate Spiritual reality through this newly evolved faculty. As a result, the period of the Upanishads was ushered in. During that time there was a group of individuals who had a deep urge to connect with and experience the Supreme -- i.e. the ultimate transcendent Reality. They began to see that Reality in three aspects; as Existence -- i.e. as pure Spiritual Being; as a Consciousness that that had become aware of its own Existence, and as a result generated a Force that that became the energy out of which the universe would emerge; and as Delight, taking infinite pleasure in being conscious of Its own Existence. (This is expressed by the three attributes of Sat-Chit-Ananda; i.e. Existence, Consciousness-Force, Delight.) This is roughly equivalent to the fact that I exist as an individual; I am conscious of my existence -- which in turn energizes me; and I delight in being conscious of who I am. These ecstatic devotees -- known as the Rishis -- had the spontaneous experience of the Spirit, and saw how it could be brought into the details experiences of one's life. They perceived the spiritual Being emerging into the becomings of life; knew the integration of Spirit and Matter; thus had a vision of that ultimate Reality, which they called ''Brahman."� In effect, the Rishis of that time were likely the greatest spiritual aspirants of the ancient world. Though they ecstatically experienced the Spirit by communing with the transcendent Reality, it was left to the Bhagavad-Gita to address aspects the Rishis had not considered. While Rishis were more focused on pure transcendence and connection to the spiritual Reality, the Gita addressed the specific methods that would enable an individual to spiritually progress -- i.e. grow, evolve, and be transformed. By connecting to the Soul within, one not only begins the process of a change out of our lower nature -- e.g. sensing a oneness with others, controlling negative behaviors, taking to higher emotions, etc. -- but one comes in touch with the same transcendent Reality that the Rishis experienced earlier. Now there was a path of individual progress through Soul, opening the way to the transcendent spiritual Reality. Our ultimate purpose then was to find our individual Soul, discover and surrender to the Supreme, and carry out and fulfill the Divine Intent on earth. Through service of works, true knowledge of the ways of life, and surrender to the Supreme Intent, one not only evolves, but fulfills one's ultimate purpose on earth. These are several of the lessons offered by the avatar Krishna to the warrior Arjuna at the battle of Kurukshetera, as explained in the Gita. And yet, it has been left to modern India, in particular, through the spiritual insights of Vivekananda and then Sri Aurobindo to perceive the wider and all-encompassing spiritual picture. Drawing on the Rishis' upanishadic ecstatic spiritual experience and the Gita's methods of yogic progress, Sri Aurobindo put it all in an evolutionary context. He gave us the wider knowledge of the creation and unfolding of the universe, as well as the course of human destiny. He described the involution of life -- i.e. how the universe came about from a Divine source -- and the evolution of life from matter to spirit through individual transformation, culminating in a Divine life on earth. He traced the cause of Ignorance back to the involution of Spirit, showed the way back to Integral Knowledge through Soul connection and surrender to the descending spiritual Force that would aid in the individual's transformation. In this way, he provided a more integral view of the Spirit, embracing the evolutionary principles of modern life. The Evolutionary Aspect of Spirit in India In an earlier entry, I discussed the great contribution of the ancient Vedic worshippers of the Divine Reality through natural forces, as well as the later more-mental Rishis who collectively melted into that Reality, though apart from life. These were the great spiritual voyagers seeking connection with the Divine, both individually and collectively. I then followed that up with a discussion of Buddha, who confronted the issues of suffering and impermanence in life that the ancient Indian Vedics were less concerned about, as they were immersed in transcendence and blissful experience. In the end, Buddha discovered a void, a place of emptiness -- Nirvana -- from which he could escape from the trappings of life, including the desire and attachment that is the root cause of all suffering. And yet the spiritual search continued in India, as many returned to the ancient Vedic tradition, looking this time not for transcendence apart from life, but a way to link spirit and life together. And so in the Bhagavad Gita, warrior prince Arjuna is directed by Lord Krishna to find wholeness in his being by connecting to the transcendent Divine and yet performing all his duties and works for Its sake. In this way, spirit and life activity are melded together. In addition, by recognizing that the same transcendent Being is there in one's own Soul, one has the method of integrating self with spirit, enabling wholeness in one's own being. This was a revolution in spiritual insight and experience, just as Buddha's was for his time. Now in the modern era, there is a desire to go further -- to not only integrate life and spirit, but to see it in a progressive, evolutionary context. Embracing the ancient Vedantic and Gita influence, seer and sage Sri Aurobindo described the evolutionary process by which the universe emerged from a Divine Source, as well as how we can progressively develop our own higher nature leading to a supernature. He has taken the message of earlier ancient wisdom and given it an upward arc that is supported by the modern scientific and philosophical influences of the West. Besides revealing the universal process of creation, Sri Aurobindo adds two powerful dimensions to the spiritual story. First, he speaks not only of a soul, but of an Evolving soul that uses the experiences of the person it inhabits through successive births on its journey for fulfillment. When we come in touch with that ''psychic being"� within, we begin the process of personal evolution and transformation. Second, Sri Aurobindo speaks of an ultimate power in the universe: a Supramental Consciousness and Force that not only enabled a universe to emerge from an Infinite, Divine Source, but is a power that can aide in the transmutation of our nature and set right all condition of life. Through these internal and external powers, we engage in a clearly delineated evolutionary process, which helps us evolve a supernature, which in turn can set the stage for the emergence of a new type of spirit-oriented human existence, a divine life on earth. The Rishis Discovery of Satchitananda and Phenomena as the Reality Sri Aurobindo says that we have found Sachchidananda as the [Omnipresent] reality. That is what the Rishis discovered. ... The Rishis also know that it is the reality that has changed into phenomena. (MSS) Experience of Spirit Apart from Life that Robbed India of Her Vitality Why did the ancient Rishis stop at Moksha, i.e. liberation, by discovering and merging with Spirit (Sat), but then rejecting Life? It is because Mind, which the Rishis, the ancient spiritual seekers saw only one side; not the whole; rejecting the other sides, including Life, which it deemed an illusion. They thus melted into the Pure Existent (Sat, Spirit) at the expense of life on earth. That in effect sapped the energies of India from that time forward. Connecting to spirit was a great, unprecedented world experience, but it in affect rejected the other parts of the whole of existence. Sri Aurobindo indicated that if the rishis had gone further, beyond Mind and its limitations to connection to Brahman, (the Absolute), which includes both spirit and life, she would have thrived instead of decaying. I.e. they could have seen that the Reality exists in the unmanifest and the manifest, the spirit and life. This exclusion of life also had byproducts such as the adoption of caste (it its lower, social, rather than spiritual sense), which opened her to invasion, domination, and eventually partition. Now she is trying to work her way back to overcome these through a path toward reunification, which will allow her to fulfill her destiny as Guru of the world. To accomplish this, i.e. to realize Brahman in spirit and matter, one needs a faculty to make it happen. Sri Aurobindo indicates that of we rise to Supermind, i.e. truth consciousness, we will have the spiritualized mental consciousness that will enable us to see spirit above and in life, rejuvenating and reenergizing the society, and manifest infinite possibilities that even today are unknown. (As we will later discover, to reach Supermind to have the vision of Brahman of unity of spirit and matter one must descend into and center ourselves in the inner regions of our being, culminating in the psychic being, the evolving soul within.) The Indian Body Carries the Spirit of the Rishis The Indian's body carries the light of the Rishis, he was once a person of utter Truthfulness, and the roots of democratic Spirit are deeply embedded in the Indian nation. (MSS) The Division of the Rishis & the Priesthood in Indian Spirituality The Vedic Rishis never gave up life. They lived a full life, a life that was in balance with Nature. In the later centuries, there was a division, a division of knowledge and rituals. Vedanta was the culmination of the pursuit of knowledge, Jnana. They became the Rishis. The others came into life and took to the priesthood. (MSS) Sri Aurobindo's 'The Secret of the Vedas' Sri Aurobindo wrote 'The Secrets of the Vedas' to lay bare the inner psychological significance of the earliest uttering of Man whose language is described as massive in its substance and whose tonality penetrates the thick layers of the embodied being to touch the Soul. Lessons of the Gita In ancient India there is a division between two great clans. This story is captured in the Indian epic the Mahabharata. They are about to fight a great battle. This is captured in the Bhagavad-Gita, a section of the Mahabharata. Arjuna, a member of one clan inquires of the avatar (i.e. the incarnation of the Divine) Krishna how he can possibly fight those who is related to. Krishna instructs him to do what is necessary; to carry out what the Divine plan. Krishna teaches him to find his True self and Soul within mirrors the Divine reality. From those depths he will come to understand all of the truths that Krishna, his guide and chariot driver, will teach him. Arjuna will learn that all of his life should be given as a service to the world, not to his selfish wants and needs. Devotion and surrendering to the Divine Will is the ultimate purpose of life, not the aggrandizement of ego. All of these lessons will give him the essential knowledge of the world. Doing works for the sake of the world, finding one's Soul within, connecting with and surrendering to the Divine reality can give one the Ultimate Knowledge in life. The Lesson for the Ripe Soul in the Bhagavad-Gita In The Gita Krishna offers to the ripe soul [i.e. one who has developed considerably within] a psychological method [of yoga, personal evolution]. It is a method of Jivatma [the individual soul] surrendering to Paramatma [the Divine]. It is accomplished by renouncing desire, ego and belief in Dharmas. (MSS, with embedded explanations) Several Lessons of the Bhagavad-Gita Find one's soul and from their one can live a life of infinite service. One gives for one's own sake; ultimately one surrenders to the Divine. When one is in touch with the true self, one perceives right action. By being in touch with the soul within one knows the Divine reality and intent. One overcomes the limitations of our physical, vital, and mental being. One gains the knowledge of how to act in life, in service to others, based on the soul connection within. Ultimately there is a deep devotion and surrender to the Divine. These are several lessons of the of the Bhagavad-Gita. Achievement According to the Gita There is no limit to what we as a person or as a society can achieve. We are only limited by our own belief systems. "We become what we believe we can become." (Bhagavad-Gita). The Gita and Accomplishment The capacity to create this interest and accomplish through that depends upon what one is really interested in. It is this truth that the Gita speaks as one can achieve whatever one wants. (MSS) We Can Become What We Aspire For The Bhagavad-Gita says that one can become anything if only he can aspire for it. (MSS) What the Gita Says If man is interested in anything, he will overlook every other thing and achieve it. That is what The Gita says. (MSS) Lesson of the Gita You can achieve that which you believe you can achieve is a lesson of the Gita. You can become that which you believe you can become. See Article on Becoming that Which You Believe You Can Become Limitation of the Gita's Liberation into the Spirit -The yoga of the Gita excels Raja [Knowledge] Yoga. It seeks moksha. Its instrument is surrender. The Gita's surrender is to give up the dharmas the mind has accepted. -The Gita's surrender is the most powerful yogic instrument, but it aims at moksha [liberation into the spirit], not transformation. (MSS) The Gita's Surrender Gita advocated the surrender of motives to reach Satchidananda [Existence, Conscious-force, Delight] and the Supreme as those were days of the vital man. (MSS) Route of Surrender The Gita showed such a man the shorter route of surrender. (MSS) Yoga of the Gita through Skill in Works Skill in works is yoga, says The Gita. (MSS) Modern Spiritual Thought: The Teachings of Sri Aurobindo [Beyond the teachings of the Gita are the modern evolutionary spiritual teachings of Sri Aurobindo.] Click Here to See Entries India as Guru of the World (top) India's Spiritual Technology The West is creating an astonishing infinite material reality through science and technology, which is unfortunately marred by corresponding negative effects, due to her limited physical consciousness. She can however begin to emerge out of that limitation. All indications are that she can become the pioneer of the new consciousness and move out of her current limitations. India, on the other hand, can cultivate her ''spiritual technology"� to enable infinite benefit at all planes of human existence. From that position, her wisdom and spiritual truth, now applied to all facets of life, will attract the attention of the world, enabling her to finally fulfill her destined role as the Guru of the world. For India to Be Guru of the World She Must Attain Geographical Unity India who reached the peak of the Spirit had her land in a thousand fragments. For her Spirit to become the Guru of the world, the very first condition is physical, geographical unity. Sri Aurobindo says Nature resorted to foreign invasion to unite India have failed in all her attempts. Britain gave us that unity but partition came to mar it. The Spirit in India still awaits the geographical unity of her various parts. (MSS) India as Guru of World After She Has Unified Sri Aurobindo said that India would take her rightful place as guru of the world, when she has become unified. Independence was a first step, a second step is a federation of her former states. Sri Aurobindo's Vision of India as Guru of the World Sri Aurobindo aspired that India rediscover her ancient spiritual past, but in a new form that would embrace life and include the evolutionary perceptions of modern existence. He believed that if India could have the multifaceted, dynamic experience of the Spirit, she could fulfill her role as Guru of the World. These developments would in turn be precursors of even greater changes -- including the unity of the nations of the world, and the spiritual transformation of humanity, ushering in a Divine life on earth. True Spirituality is to Perfect Life True spirituality is not to renounce life, but to make life perfect with the Divine Perfection. This is what India must show to the world now. (The Mother) Fulfilling India's True Destiny A vast inner and outer progress is needed if we are to fulfil India's true destiny. (Sri Aurobindo) India's Spiritual Mission Spirit developed in India. It reached its acme, rather its penultimate peak. Nature, for her own purposes, did not want to complete the further development of the Spirit in India. She moved away. She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now she has finished one round working in various parts of the world. It is time Nature comes back to India and completes her work in the development of Spirit. So far, Spirit developed to seek its own fulfillment in moksha. That is not God's original intention in creation. God who became Sat and Spirit converted that Spirit into Supermind, Mind, Life and Matter. All of them - Mind, Life, Matter - are really Spirit disguised. Nature needs humility to continue its progress. India was humbled by foreign rule, poverty and low status. Though practically humbled, even humiliated, the inherent pride of the spiritual possession is abundantly present here. The feeling that we deserve greater luck or better treatment is there in many ways. One is expectation. For Nature to raise India's spiritual stature to that the Guru of the world, India should part with spiritual ego and acquire spiritual humility. (MSS) Nature Develops Spirit in India, then Moved On In India Nature developed the Spirit, i.e. the Spirit in Man. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for liberation. Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away and worked at various places for the development of various other parts. [E.g. mind in Greece, individuality in Europe, science and technology currently in US]. During that period there was the necessity to preserve the treasure of Spirit discovered during the period of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. It is nature's irony that the best has to be preserved by the worst, even as the treasure of gold is saved in a forest under thorny bushes and protected by vital spirits. Indian Spirit had to be preserved in an atmosphere of poverty by a top dressing of Falsehoods. (MSS, extracted) [Now that Nature has passed into science, technology, individuality, etc., it is ready to embrace the spirit that India knows; however not quite on its old basis, but through the further spiritual development of the Force of the Supermind that is now available to all.] Nature's Voyage Away from & Back Towards India Spirit developed in India. It reached its acme, rather its penultimate peak. Nature, for her own purposes, did not want to complete the further development of the Spirit in India. She moved away. She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now she has finished one round working in various parts of the world. It is time Nature comes back to India and completes her work in the development of Spirit. So far, Spirit developed to seek its own fulfillment in moksha [liberation into Spirit apart from life]. That is not God's original intention in creation. [It is completed when Spirit is brought into the details of life; the Spirit Being into the Becomings of life] God's delight lies in the original delight of the Spirit. It comes out when the original Spirit hidden in Mind, Life and Matter emerges on the surface. Nature will start that phase only when the self-sufficient pride of the Spirit in its superiority gives way. Nature needs humility to continue its progress. India was humbled by foreign rule, poverty and low status. Though practically humbled, even humiliated, the inherent pride of the spiritual possession is abundantly present here. The feeling that we deserve greater luck or better treatment is there in many ways. One is expectation. For Nature to raise India's spiritual stature to that the Guru of the world, India should part with spiritual ego and acquire spiritual humility. (MSS, extracted; with our added comment) Sri Aurobindo's Multi-Faceted Dream The great seer and sage Sri Aurobindo imagined five steps that would usher in the evolution and transformation of humanity, enabling what he called a Divine Life on earth. The first was the emergence of Asia into prosperity and cultural influence. That has surely begun, especially in the past decade or so. Her influence upon the thought of the world is bound to grow by leaps and bounds in the years to come. The second was the prosperity and emergence of India. That too is well under way. For until she attains economic well being, she cannot ascend to her rightful role as the spiritual Guru of the world -- another of the five steps Sri Aurobindo dreamed of. Another mighty step towards a spirit-base Divine life on earth is the emergence of human unity, which is presaged by world alliances, culminating in world governance. The European Union (EU) is perhaps the first major step in that direction in that it creates an alliance and unity of closely aligned nations. In the EU, disparate cultures are attempting to align themselves for collaborative purpose and action. The emergence of a world parliament and perhaps a collective security force like a world army to solve global issues could be further steps in the march towards a unity of nations and the world. There is also a spiritual component to Sri Aurobindo's vision. One is for India and one for the individuals of the earth. For India, she can rediscover and expand on the spiritual wisdom of the ancient Rishis -- perhaps the greatest collective spiritual experience and wisdom ever known to Man -- and apply it to the economic, social, and cultural life of her people. In that way, India can become a living laboratory of the power of the spirit in the modern world. If she succeeds, she will surely take her rightful place as the Guru of the World. Finally, disparate individuals around the world can begin to know the spirit in their individual lives, discovering it within in the depths of their being down to the evolving Soul, and by opening to and surrendering to the descending spiritual Force that is there in the atmosphere. In the process, they will invariably transform aspects of their being -- mental, psychological, vital/emotional, and physical -- and develop capacities to attract good fortune from the world around them. When a cadre of such individuals emerge, then they will create the fifth and final condition for a Divine life on earth to come about. The emergence of Asia, the prosperity of India, the movements towards world unity, the spiritual emergence of India and her ascent to become the Guru of the world, and the emergence of a group of transformed spirit-oriented individuals are the intervening steps that can usher in a Divine Life on Earth, fulfilling Sri Aurobindo's dream for humanity. Prosperity and Spirituality in India (top) Prosperity and Spirituality in India For the Indian Spirit to emerge freely, Sri Aurobindo said, she must be FREE. When she became Free, HE said, she must be reunited with Pakistan. Her Spirit, which is destined to be the GURU of the world, cannot play her true role as long as she is poor. She must become PROSPEROUS, not only materially, but her Prosperity must be Spiritual. It must come to her spiritually. All Prosperity is Spiritual. Let us discover that Spirituality is Prosperity. (MSS) Fulfilling India's True Destiny A vast inner and outer progress is needed if we are to fulfil India's true destiny. (Sri Aurobindo) Opportunities of India Ours [i.e. India] is a spiritual country. The very soil is spiritual. So, our opportunities are different. (MSS) Prosperity of India India is a land of Rishis. Her sons carry the spiritual light in their bodies. The light is there in the very depths of being; but life is dry and poor. Indeed all Prosperity is a version of the Spirit. But the Spirit systematically expressed in life will be PROSPERITY of the divine life. The West is prosperous. Western prosperity is there because they have discovered Brahman in Matter. [On the other hand] Their science is lifeless and produces negative side effects and strengthens the Forces of violence of all descriptions. My view is to discover Brahman in Life so that Life will turn into LUCK, into one of unfailing success. (MSS, slightly modified) The Challenge to India India is a great nation by virtue of her Spirit. She attained that status long ago. Therefore she is bound to succeed and overtake all other nations. No other nation has so much to give to the world. Her Spirit is there as inner light. But it is covered by a thick layer of falsehood, laziness, unreliability, inefficiency, lack of self-respect, all expressions of darkness. The Indian should choose the light in him and be truthful, dynamic, reliable, efficient, have self-respect, all expressions of Truth. Once the future generations sufficiently take to Truth and its expressions, the buried light will surface. (MSS) Beyond Poverty Turning into Prosperity for India It is not enough poverty changes into prosperity. The Indian should KNOW he has a spiritual treasure in him. When that awakening is there, Srinivasa Ramanujam will be a widespread phenomenon, not a unique isolated occurrence once in a few centuries. They will rise in tens and later in greater numbers and in quicker succession, as it is waiting above to pour down into our lives. The immediate necessity is to wipe out poverty and usher in prosperity in an abundant measure. Beyond that, it will be a marvel. (MSS) Strategies for Indian Prosperity and Success Spirit Regained -- The roots of Indian spirituality need to be rediscovered. The light that is natively there in the body of the Indian must be reclaimed. Use Spirit in Life -- As the Spirit is regained, it should not be utilized for one's personal spiritual liberation outside of life (i.e. moksha), but utilized and applied to the details of one's active life. The spirit should be called into each act of our lives. In addition, it would serve us well to understand the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, as He has moved Indian Knowledge forward by explaining the way Spirit can consciously be applied in the evolving life of Man. Spirit-based Resourcefulness -- The West has used its mental resourcefulness to enable the infinite to emerge in matter in the form of material discoveries, technologies, comforts, etc. India can use her spiritual resourcefulness to enable infinite results and possibilities to emerge in all planes of human life, not just the material, as in the West. Develop Spiritual Capacities -- Indians can develop spiritual capacities of Silence, vision, insight, intuition, subtlety, etc. to enable ultimate possibilities and fulfillment in life, such as the acquisition of an ever-revealing integral knowledge to solve all of life's problems. Individuals can become receptive to, value, and cultivate these capacities by moving away from a surface oriented existence, and discovering a deeper consciousness within, which will reveal the inner life from which these capacities of spiritualized mind can emerge. Opening to the Force -- By opening to the (supramental) Force that is powerfully there in the atmosphere since 1956, and applying it in the details of life, one will be able to experience instantaneous miraculousness of life response; enabling the infinite to rush into the finite in terms of material abundance, rich social existence, true insight and knowledge, joy and delight of being, etc. Needs for Truth and Honesty -- Perhaps the single value that has most contributed to the success of the West has been its full acceptance of Truth in life -- i.e. being truthful and honest with one another, not tolerating corruption and bribery, and a general belief in the practical values of integrity, decency, and virtue. It is crucial that Indians apply the value of Truth in their own lives if they are to have material success. If they do so, they will get an added benefit not currently available in the West. Because the spirit is inbuilt into every Indian, adoption of Truth in the details of one's life will enable the spirit to express in every undertaking, in every aspect, in all planes of life. This will reflect in endless, causal positive responses from life, enabling one's daily existence to become a ceaseless wonder and marvel. Self-respect -- No aspect of Indian life has created more prosperity than the sense of self-respect among its citizens. Self-respect creates energy that leads to prosperity. Prosperity in turn creates self-respect. Through the reinforcement of this two-way dynamic, a vast energy can emerge in India. Government can support this, as can every individual learn to foster self-respect in his or her own life. For example, if Indians take to the entrepreneurial way of life, self-respect will become abundant throughout the land. Preserve Indian Cultural Values -- Education has developed extensively in the West, as has technology. These are two currents that have enabled their vast material success. India should also welcome education and technology, but not on the terms of the West. Technology should not be an end in itself, but rather a means to work for the elevation of all aspects of Man, as those needs are superior to technology in of itself. Thus, India should welcome technology and introduce it at all levels of life in such a way that her cultural values of life are preserved. Endless possibilities for the betterment of society will then arise through the application of technology based on cultural and spiritual values. Life will then express richly and abundantly at all planes, releasing the infinite possibilities of life -- not merely at the material level as in the West. Geographical Unity -- India had discovered the spirit, and knew the oneness of spiritual existence, even as its land over time fragmented into a thousand pieces. For her to become the guru of the world through the utilization and broadcast of the Spirit, she needs to first attain physical, geographical unity. Sri Aurobindo says Nature resorted to foreign invasion to unite India, but has failed thus far in all Her attempts. Britain gave India that unity, but partition of the country came to mar it. Thus, the Spirit in India still awaits the geographical unity of her various parts. Indian Independence on August 15 (Sri Aurobindo's birthday) in 1947 was a first step. A second step would be a federation of her former states, including a reunion with Pakistan. What India is now What India should become and do India is following the West and accepting their leadership as she desires their prosperity and technology. She should emerge as the spiritual leader of the world which is her true destiny and make the Western nations come as her followers. She is one among the many developing countries now. She should equal or exceed the U.S in the next 20 or 30 years in national prosperity as well as per capita income. The youth of this country are still enamoured of the safety and security of salaried employment. They should give up this security mentality and take to self-enterprise which will develop them as well as the nation. Social conformity and tame submission to the values of the majority seem to be the ideal. Developing one’s own unique individuality and forging one’s own independent course in life should become the ideal. American and western culture is spreading through India in an indiscriminate fashion. India should accept western values and lifestyles in a selective manner and thereby accept what fits with her own core values and reject what is superficial and harmful to her own culture. The educational system at the school level is oriented to memorization and passing exams. The school education system needs to be redesigned in such a way as to promote thinking, understanding and originality. Dependency on government support and subsidies is creating an unhealthy dependent attitude among the population. People should reject this mentality of seeking subsidies and free gifts and develop an attitude of self-reliance and self-support. Cleanliness in homes and public places is very poor. The nation must become as clean as any western nation. Corruption is pervasive in government offices. Government staff should reject corruption as something shameful and their income should rise high enough for them to have no incentive to get money through corruption. Marriages are arranged like business transactions with dowry being the decisive factor. Dowry should disappear from the marriage scene and people should marry for love. Rituals and anachronistic traditions are very prevalent. People should free themselves of rituals and reject anachronisms and thereby save their energies and improve their productivity. People are motivated to achieve mainly through competition and peer pressure. People should be inspired to achieve on their own and peer pressure and competitive spirit should become negligible. Lying as a habit is very common and people do not hesitate to lie even under oath in a court room. Indians should become as truthful as the English gentleman of the 19th century. The educational and productive value of the computer and internet is not very well known. Every school student must have access to a computer and people should look up to the internet as a store-house of knowledge. Only a small portion of the economy is in the organised sector. The whole economy should come under the organised sector. The powers of organization are being used only in a small measure. All segments of Indian life should benefit from the powers of organization. Athletic performance in the international arena is very poor/ India should emerge as a major winner of Olympic medals and come within the top five nations. Nobel prizes are won only occasionally. All six prizes should be won by Indians at least in one year. There is a lot of disharmony with her neighbours such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The spiritual unity of the Indian subcontinent should become a fact and the spiritual map of India as drawn by Mother should turn into a reality with Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all becoming a part of united India. The power of her spiritual heritage is not real to her own people. It should become real enough for Indians to bring it out and apply it in the economic and social aspects of their lives and thereby improve their income and accomplishments to levels undreamt of. Interstate river waters have become a contentious issue. The Ganga and Cauvery should be linked and all animosity regarding sharing river waters should disappear. There is a prejudice towards learning Hindi in Tamil Nadu. Hindi should be accepted by Tamilians and thereby the integration of Tamil nadu into mainstream national culture should be completed. N. Asokan (MSS) What India Can Become India should take to spirit dynamically, connecting her ancient spiritual realization to the details of the modern world. Indians should use intuition in all field to garner the truth of things, as it is in the tradition. It will propel them to the stars. India can reevaluate history based on inner understanding of events, develop a new literature, create new cultural forms, lead in subtle technologies. Indians can explain the formation and unfolding of cosmos to the scientists. Indians can lend their extraordinary and unique reasoning capacities and powers of expression to the various field of life. India can bring a new, rich emotional capacity of human interaction and communication – i.e. higher culture. Indians can teach us to see the bright side of everything; to get at higher harmonies where there are discords. Indians can bring the spirit to bear in every thing, bringing out its infinity – because it is in their nature to perceive such things. India can work from a theory of progress: i.e. Sri Aurobindo process of creation to go forward. India can be a pioneer who helps usher in supramental living and a divine life on earth. India, Organization, and Her Potential Prosperity & Influence India has achieved a lot in fifty years since her independence, which earlier would have taken five thousand or ten thousand years in prehistoric times. She could have been the equivalent of USA in prosperity, Japan in honour and savings, Europe in mental culture, and offered the spiritual leadership in these fifty years. Ten thousand years ago, organisation emerged unconsciously. Now organisation is already evolved at all points. India should be awake at the level of organization -- become organisation conscious -- if she wants to achieve in the next ten or even five years. (Paraphrase of MSS) Source of India's Current Wealth Presently [2006] the bulging population and urban migrations are two major factors that have made India the 12th wealthiest nation in the world. (MSS) Why India has Suddenly Sprung to Life Those in India find that the country suddenly sprung to life around the mid 1990s and has been accelerating ever since. We who have studied it closely can trace back the origins of that movement to the Green Revolution and the rise of a new generation that had never known subservience to the British. (MSS) On Insights, Capacities of Indians, and their Vast Potential for Prosperity Indians are very insightful, have a great theoretical grasp. Both arise from their spiritual understanding, which is beyond all others. If they throw off their inhibitions, become more free in their social values, the sky is the limit for them, as they too will have incorporated a number of necessary components for Prosperity. (Paraphrase of MSS) Social Revolution of Rising Expectations Manifesting on Several Fronts in India -India is in a period of more than one transition. -The greatest of revolutions today is urban migration. Original, native talents of rural life move to the towns. A rice merchant moving to the city founds the biggest medical college in the State. A nobody starts a chain of successful hotels and opens its branches abroad. Software not only gives fabulous salaries but raises enterprising entrepreneurs beyond billions. -The revolution in education is almost wild. Every auto-driver puts his children in the best schools. While USA produces 60,000 engineers a year, half of whom are from Asia, India produces 300,000 engineers annually. Education is undergoing a revolutionary change. The look of the market is constantly changing. "There is nothing we cannot get here in India which we could only get before in USA,'' said several Americans. Products made in India do have a better quality now, which means a technological revolution of sorts is underway. -Behind the Green Revolution, the White Revolution, the revolutions in education and technology and urban living lies a great invisible fact. MAN is awake. He is no longer a slave, an untouchable, the oppressed, the backward. He wants to live a full life, enjoy his rights, give good education to his children, greater freedom to women, live comfortably, and assert his individuality. What we witness is a social revolution in India. It is called the Revolution of Rising Expectations. It is no single period of transition; it is several transitions rising and merging together. -It means ALL TALENTS can aspire for the top and instantaneously. (MSS, extracted) Returning to Original Indian Spiritual Values The Indian should go back to the ORIGINAL spiritual values of work, life and mind and upgrade them into psychic [personal soul-based] values. (MSS) Inability of Indians to Think for Themselves; Need to Return to Original Spirit Above Thinking "In an article in Time magazine the author stated that Indian programmers/engineers though abundant and technically competent are at their best when taking directions from others; implying that they tend not to think for themselves" It is true. The Indians are trained NOT to think and that is why they are so. It is the majority. The original spirit is above thinking. Until the Indian reaches his original spirit of inquiry, he will fit this description. Source of Indians Lack of Work The Indian does not record knowledge as is done in the west, and thus has not found work. (MSS) The Self-respect of Individuals has Great Effect on their Prosperity The more prosperous the nation, the greater is the self-respect of the Individual. In poorer nations, the population is ignorant, illiterate, docile, submissive, and abject. People do not value themselves as something to be counted upon. Poor people are satisfied with poor meals, poor clothes, poor housing, etc. Times change. No longer is man content with one meal, one dress, and no schooling for his children. The middle class man now aspires for a good education for his children. Good food, good clothes and good shelter for the whole family is self-respect at the physical level. Higher education is partly mental self-respect, partly vital self-respect. Self-respect in the Individual is a welcome sign. When the whole population comes to assert their self-respect, a huge demand for clothes, paper, pens, food grains, etc. is created as if the population had been doubled or trebled. e.g. The population of India since 1947 has trebled by itself and man is coming into his own. That creates a new market of extensive services apart from consumer goods. This market produces MONEY, as land and factories produce money. This aspect of the Indian economy has done more for the development of India than the Five Year Plans of the government. Self-respect creates Prosperity; Prosperity generates self-respect. Thus it becomes the opposite of a vicious cycle - a virtuous cycle. (MSS, somewhat altered) The Green Revolution in India The Green Revolution brought some substantial prosperity [in India] to the rural side and relieved them from chronic unemployment or underemployment. (MSS) Indian Prosperity that Leaps Over Phases If the younger generation can take to education and modern technology such as Internet, India can be straightway ushered into Prosperity bypassing the agricultural phase and partly even the economics of manufacture. (MSS) Vast Opportunities for India in Times of Great Transition Times of transition, historians say, offer matchless opportunities for penniless men with powerful brains and imagination. They are astonished how quickly these penniless men come to the fore. India is passing through one such transition, a change from low poverty to high prosperity. For every hard-working man who can think big, who can work indefatigably until the problem on hand is solved, a meteoric rise awaits. They should leave their usual narrow grooves and enter into the mainstream of transition and act ceaselessly. (MSS, extracted) The Market is There for the Unselfish Thinker The quest for knowledge [in the world] is there in a greater measure than before, in an unprecedented measure. It is a valuable market for those who are willing to exert themselves to cater to that market. That market is ubiquitous. It cannot be known from the textbooks or college courses. It has to come out of one's own thinking based on his own observation of others' needs. For such a person, an unselfish THINKER, there is an ever-expanding market in every sector. He who discovers it is the pioneer in that field. Even a new packaging - the sachet - brought about revolutionary potentials. Think, you can live better. (MSS) India Contemplating Act to Guarantee Employment The Government of India deserves warm appreciation and rich congratulation in contemplating one such act - an act to guarantee employment in some measure. This is an act proper to the developed countries, but India, precariously perched in various ways, has initiated it. Sure, She is trying to be an evolutionary leader in the sphere of SOCIAL EVOLUTION. I hope this is a beginning and the government will pursue the Act with the public, the State governments, the judiciary, and their own administration for the right social attitude that will infuse life into the SPIRIT of this Act. (MSS) India Can Lead Again through Adoption of Guaranteed Employment India, who by winning her freedom without armed uprising that led 45 Asian and African nations to their freedom, can further lead the world by adopting the principle of guaranteed employment in the country. (Paraphrase of MSS) India, Nations of World Must Avail of Opportunities of Society by Passing Laws, Change Attitudes Now is the time for such a wave of Prosperity to start and gradually spread over all countries, because Time is on our side, Life is benevolent, and Society is compassionate. As we passed an act abolishing untouchability [in India] and offering concessions to those who were oppressed, to avail of this great BOON of God present in the atmosphere of the earth, laws have to be passed and attitudes of various societies should change. India's Should Use Internal Gold She goes to IMF for five billion dollar loans while there is $200 billion gold at home. She has all the technology needed for another one hundred years and can raise hundreds of thousands of crores of rupees internally, but her energies are spent in border conflicts, in corruption, fighting droughts, etc. The result is, she is where she was in 1950 or 1980. (MSS) Strategies for Indian Prosperity and Success Spirit Regained -- The roots of Indian spirituality need to be rediscovered. The light that is natively there in the body of the Indian must be reclaimed. Use Spirit in Life -- As the Spirit is regained, it should not be utilized for one's personal spiritual liberation outside of life (i.e. moksha), but utilized and applied to the details of one's active life. The spirit should be called into each act of our lives. In addition, it would serve us well to understand the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, as He has moved Indian Knowledge forward by explaining the way Spirit can consciously be applied in the evolving life of Man. Spirit-based Resourcefulness -- The West has used its mental resourcefulness to enable the infinite to emerge in matter in the form of material discoveries, technologies, comforts, etc. India can use her spiritual resourcefulness to enable infinite results and possibilities to emerge in all planes of human life, not just the material, as in the West. Develop Spiritual Capacities -- Indians can develop spiritual capacities of Silence, vision, insight, intuition, subtlety, etc. to enable ultimate possibilities and fulfillment in life, such as the acquisition of an ever-revealing integral knowledge to solve all of life's problems. Individuals can become receptive to, value, and cultivate these capacities by moving away from a surface oriented existence, and discovering a deeper consciousness within, which will reveal the inner life from which these capacities of spiritualized mind can emerge. Opening to the Force -- By opening to the (supramental) Force that is powerfully there in the atmosphere since 1956, and applying it in the details of life, one will be able to experience instantaneous miraculousness of life response; enabling the infinite to rush into the finite in terms of material abundance, rich social existence, true insight and knowledge, joy and delight of being, etc. Needs for Truth and Honesty -- Perhaps the single value that has most contributed to the success of the West has been its full acceptance of Truth in life -- i.e. being truthful and honest with one another, not tolerating corruption and bribery, and a general belief in the practical values of integrity, decency, and virtue. It is crucial that Indians apply the value of Truth in their own lives if they are to have material success. If they do so, they will get an added benefit not currently available in the West. Because the spirit is inbuilt into every Indian, adoption of Truth in the details of one's life will enable the spirit to express in every undertaking, in every aspect, in all planes of life. This will reflect in endless, causal positive responses from life, enabling one's daily existence to become a ceaseless wonder and marvel. Self-respect -- No aspect of Indian life has created more prosperity than the sense of self-respect among its citizens. Self-respect creates energy that leads to prosperity. Prosperity in turn creates self-respect. Through the reinforcement of this two-way dynamic, a vast energy can emerge in India. Government can support this, as can every individual learn to foster self-respect in his or her own life. For example, if Indians take to the entrepreneurial way of life, self-respect will become abundant throughout the land. Preserve Indian Cultural Values -- Education has developed extensively in the West, as has technology. These are two currents that have enabled their vast material success. India should also welcome education and technology, but not on the terms of the West. Technology should not be an end in itself, but rather a means to work for the elevation of all aspects of Man, as those needs are superior to technology in of itself. Thus, India should welcome technology and introduce it at all levels of life in such a way that her cultural values of life are preserved. Endless possibilities for the betterment of society will then arise through the application of technology based on cultural and spiritual values. Life will then express richly and abundantly at all planes, releasing the infinite possibilities of life -- not merely at the material level as in the West. Geographical Unity -- India had discovered the spirit, and knew the oneness of spiritual existence, even as its land over time fragmented into a thousand pieces. For her to become the guru of the world through the utilization and broadcast of the Spirit, she needs to first attain physical, geographical unity. Sri Aurobindo says Nature resorted to foreign invasion to unite India, but has failed thus far in all Her attempts. Britain gave India that unity, but partition of the country came to mar it. Thus, the Spirit in India still awaits the geographical unity of her various parts. Indian Independence on August 15 (Sri Aurobindo's birthday) in 1947 was a first step. A second step would be a federation of her former states, including a reunion with Pakistan. Negative to Positive Tendencies A nation can prosper if all doors are open to all kinds of talents, wiping off rules, regulations, degrees, conventions, etc. Should India do so, she will be ushering in several Revolutions simultaneously. Talents must rule over degrees. Talents first, talents last. Caste, creed, race, sex, rules must give way to talents if India should march ahead. It is equivalent to a Revolution which all of us need urgently in all fields. (MSS) India's Spiritual Technology The West is creating an astonishing infinite material reality through science and technology, which is unfortunately marred by corresponding negative effects, due to her limited physical consciousness. She can however begin to emerge out of that limitation. All indications are that she can become the pioneer of the new consciousness and move out of her current limitations. India, on the other hand, can cultivate her ''spiritual technology"� to enable infinite benefit at all planes of human existence. From that position, her wisdom and spiritual truth, now applied to all facets of life, will attract the attention of the world, enabling her to finally fulfill her destined role as the Guru of the world. Population Creates Greater Money, Currency Value -- E.g. EU; Common India/China Currency -There are INVISIBLE forces in the society that create money, not false money, but true money. Population is one such. -The US population is 270 million. The dollar ruled the world market. Europe came together in the European Union and created the euro dollar which was five or ten rupees lower in value than the dollar. Now the EU is growing and has increased from 9 countries to 25 countries. Her population rose to 480 million and today the euro dollar is at Rs. 58. 'Rise in population raises the currency value' may be voodoo economics for the traditional pure monetarist, but it is TRUE as we see in the euro dollar. Money is Trust, said Bernard Leiter, the innovator of a new form of currency. As the size of population increases, the TRUST rises too. Hence the higher value of currency. Trust, expert economists say, raises economic activity. It also raises the REAL value of currency whose basis is Trust. -Suppose India and China join to create a common currency, the value of both the currencies will rise. We should not shut our eyes to such possibilities. [MSS] Authority & Results in US vs. India The same fund of energy in the USA as in India gets converted into a far greater and better result because of organisational efficiency, which is different from technological superiority. One part of that organisational effectivity is that in USA the AUTHORITY has moved down from the top and functions at various low levels on its own. Authority is effectively delegated. Delegated authority defines the personality of the worker. He is thus enthused, energised, and motivated because what he does he sees as his own achievement. In India, it is still at the conceptual stage. Top management pays lip service to delegation. (MSS) On the Value of High (i.e. "Over-) Population -Malthus warned the world two hundred years ago that the world would perish from over-population. It was prophetic and was true. At least from the beginnings of the 20th Century, Malthus was taken seriously in thought. In the post-war period, population was haunting the thought of the world. -Henri de Saint-Simon was a contemporary of sorts to Malthus. He said that the dread of growing population was true, but as the knowledge of the world too was growing, it would be able to manage any problem that arose. It requires a genius to envision that. It implies that the solution to any problem is embedded within it. -It was he who said that the golden age lies in the future, not in the past. (MSS) [India now sees the tremendous value of having a large population in that through the prosperity of its diverse population it can bring higher values, including spiritual values, in a myriad of way. -editor] Science, Technology, Scholarship, Education, Culture, and Spirit (top) Balancing Technology and Spirit in India Fritjof Capra is a professor of physics who has written extensively on the new approach called for in science. Indira Gandhi met him for fifty minutes, gave a patient hearing and asked him if he had any ideas for her to introduce modern technology without India losing her culture. He advised her to create a council as in USA that would advise her on the subject. Such a council with a strong sense of traditional culture, he said, would allow her to assess her options and her risks. It was an administrative suggestion. Prof. Capra thinks of science not from the traditional or classical viewpoint. His effort has been to integrate Eastern mysticism with Western science. He says he wishes to broaden the base of science and for that purpose he looks to Tao, Buddha, and Vedanta for inspiration. Indian scientists who have deep roots in spirituality are eminently fit to initiate such an inquiry. Indira's concern was limited to culture. She saw the value of technology as well as culture. She explained to Capra that she had seen the loss of Indian culture when technology entered the life of people. This patriotic question is of interest to me because the one destroys or at least dilutes the other. Can we have the benefit of both? My answer is that by national leadership in the field of Spirituality we can have both, not in the same form, but with appropriate modification. The real danger here is the temptation to choose the one or the other. That way we will become Westernised. Already the country is 30% Westernised. Westernisation will certainly destroy our culture as well as our spirituality. We accepted Western education, even after gaining Freedom, in its original form without any major effort to modify it to our conditions. Education is welcome, as technology is certainly welcome. It does not mean we should change our mind-set to theirs. Man is superior to technology. Man should USE technology for his work. He should not allow himself to be ruled by technology. Often people who have a lot of money are possessed by wealth. India should welcome technology and introduce it at all levels of life, as Indians would do, so that the basic cultural values of Indian life are preserved. Mind must be open to new developments and life should be flexible to enjoy new developments on the basis of old cultural as well as SPIRITUAL values. (MSS) Limitations & Potentials of Perceptions of Technology, Internet in India -Compare Indians using modern equipments such as Internet and Americans using the same. To them [Americans] they are products of their society. To us [Indians] they are products of use. The American can more readily take to those products and use them far better. [This is because Americans draw from the power of society]. Indians can learn this. -On the other hand, Indian can reach the higher planes of Mind far better than the American to whom such planes do not exist in his subtle atmosphere. (MSS, modified) The Scientist Availing the Theory of Creation which Knows Spirit Should the seeker be a scientist and wish to make an original contribution to the body of knowledge, pushing the frontiers of knowledge to celestial frontiers, he need not make fresh original discoveries. They await his availing of them, waiting for him to seek them. The Theory of creation has long ago solved the mystery Science is looking for. The world of scientists abroad is buried in the obsession they have created for themselves. When the Indian scientist invokes the Sprit, he will emerge into the Truths the world is waiting for. Mother India is lovingly offering her children a rare treasure. Will they acknowledge her abundant love and receive it? (MSS) India Can Mine Its "Spiritual Technology" India is sitting on the diamond mine of Spiritual potentials. She does not have the technology to mine the diamond and cut it into usable stones. The West is sitting on coal mines. Their mines have iron ore. They have the technology to process the ores. Sri Aurobindo has brought a mine of greater value which comes with its own technology. Modern products come to our markets with the knowledge of how to use them, as it is in the interest of trade to teach the customer the use of the product. (MSS) India's Spiritual Technology The West is creating an astonishing infinite material reality through science and technology, which is unfortunately marred by corresponding negative effects, due to her limited physical consciousness. She can however begin to emerge out of that limitation. All indications are that she can become the pioneer of the new consciousness and move out of her current limitations. India, on the other hand, can cultivate her ''spiritual technology"� to enable infinite benefit at all planes of human existence. From that position, her wisdom and spiritual truth, now applied to all facets of life, will attract the attention of the world, enabling her to finally fulfill her destined role as the Guru of the world. Indian Intelligence and Scholarship -The mental clarity of Indian ladies with little education and less experience far excels the American intelligence. -Talk to a Sanskrit scholar. If you know English lexicographers personally, then compare their comprehension. You will certainly be proud of India. Do you know Tamil scholars who are dedicated to the language? Sit with them, listen to their penetration. Nowhere in the world has scholarship gone to greater heights. (MSS) How Knowledge is Acquired in India -Academic organisation as known in the West is alien to the Indian genius. In India, the collective pursuit of a subject was unknown till Western type universities were founded. These universities have not struck roots in the Indian mental soil with the result real good work is scanty. -In India, pursuit of knowledge is given to the Individual. He has to play the role of a university of a wider community of scholars. None of his findings are recorded, but remembered. -Such a process eliminates the average intellect entering the field. -The Indian scholar's observation is mainly inside his own personality in the sense whatever external observation is there he tries to transfer it inside and translates it in terms of the inner. The absence of written records makes his memory superhuman. Incidentally, this is not the memory of facts observed, but memory of understanding. (MSS) Public Access to Knowledge -University teachers keeping important reference books of the department library for their own use and for those close to them used to be the custom. There were not many professors who would gladly part with the information, even to their own students. As far as possible, any information that one needed would be kept as a secret. The public came to know of essential information only by experience, which means they had very little access to information. The Internet is gradually making such information public, thus removing all social inhibitions, which spreads like a wet blanket all over social life. Truly, it is a revolution the world is undergoing. -The Prime Minister [of India] announced that the government is contemplating starting a Knowledge Commission. If this Commission can release ALL information that is now a close preserve of the social hierarchy and make it fully available to the public, a great step will have been taken. -A further step is needed by which the public should get into the habit of using the available knowledge for their personal benefit. Any beginning in this direction is of value. (MSS, extracted) Education Potential in India -In the last hundred years general education has moved in horizontal expansion and not in vertical growth of quality. On a scale of 1 to 1000 one hundred years has succeeded in moving education from point 7 to point 8, from memorisation to understanding. India, in view of the inner light, has the opportunity to jump to 80 from point 3 if only she links the present to the potential of the past heritage. If all the progressive schools in India, about 100 or 500 of them, UNDERSTAND the above truth, overnight they can devise a method for implementation. I can do it readily if anyone wants it. Should any school fulfil the prerequisites and need a syllabus for Spiritual education, it can be readily supplied. -To link the Spiritual heritage of India to Indian education is a stupendous task not attempted till now. (MSS) Inability of Indians to Think for Themselves; Need to Return to Original Spirit Above Thinking "In an article in Time magazine the author stated that Indian programmers/engineers though abundant and technically competent are at their best when taking directions from others; implying that they tend not to think for themselves" It is true. The Indians are trained NOT to think and that is why they are so. It is the majority. The original spirit is above thinking. Until the Indian reaches his original spirit of inquiry, he will fit this description. Symbolism Appreciated in India's Ancient Literature In India, symbolism* has been developed as a major vehicle of communication. Our ancient literature is full of it. Intellectuals are annoyed if an example is offered, as it is, at least in their opinion, an affront to their comprehension. Indians enjoy listening to an analogy. (MSS) [*particularly in their epics, and often addressing the meaning of life & spirit -- editor] India Rising Several weeks ago, I was very surprised to read that America's most famous film director Steven Spielberg had considered selling his film company DreamWorks to a Bollywood company. For me this was another sign of India rising, but perhaps not in the way we normally think of it. In recent years, I have taken a great interest in non-Hollywood films, and have really appreciated efforts from Iran, China, and now India. In 2007, I viewed many highly rated Indian and American films, and recently came to a startling conclusion: the top half dozen rated Indian films were preferable in my mind to the five nominees for best picture at the Oscars, which were Hollywood-based. Indian films like Water, Guru, Chak de! India, The Namesake, Gandhi My Father, Peck on the Cheek and others were very strong, if not excellent. When I thought about it further, it struck me that India has passed a threshold. They were not only rapidly becoming economic equals of the West, but cultural ones as well. Now there are those who will say that India already has a great culture, and that in fact recent developments in Bollywood cannot compare to the great music, dance, architecture, and other cultural forms of the country. However, I took these developments as first signs of the emergence of the spiritual culture of India. Why spiritual? Because the new spirituality begins by first embracing the modern notion of rational thought, and then moves upward from there to insight, illumination, and intuition. It culminates in the many sided, integral knowledge of any object or matter of inquiry. India through her prosperity is beginning to shed old superstitions and is embracing the modern thought processes of the West. It reflects in these fine Indian films, and then goes a step further by bringing out a subtle presence that resides in this Spiritual Land. Again, there are those who will point to the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita as the greatest of all spiritual wisdom ever devised, and I would not disagree, but the current spiritual emergence is something quite different, having a different character. It adds evolution to the equation. India through her prosperity is emerging into a new mentality that is the first step to a spirituality that embraces the progressive, evolutionary movements of life. That mentality expresses in these very fine Indian films, and then suggest something more, some unique Indian quality that has yet to emerge. For me it is the progressive unfolding of spirit in the details of life; a hallmark of the emergence of the spiritual individual and the next stage of life on earth.Introduction (top) The Evolution of Individual Nations Just as every individual is an amalgam of positive and negative attributes whose being is growing and evolving, so too each nation of the world has an evolving character that expresses both positively and negatively. Each nation can in fact be said to represent a different aspect of human consciousness and capacity. For example, France is said to represent "clarity of thought;" Russia "the brotherhood of man;" the USA "practical organization;" and India "the spiritual teacher (i.e. guru) of the world." Each nation then expresses a ray, or several rays of truth, knowledge, and capacity, reflecting the best of human character and consciousness. Similarly, every nation also expresses its own wanting propensities for falsehood, ignorance, and incapacity. By accentuating the former, and overcoming the latter, the growth, development, and evolution of nations is made possible. Perhaps the best way to come to know the various capacities of a nation in the current world environment is to examine its level of prosperity. The USA and India can serve as excellent examples, as they represent two contrasting extremes. The USA, on the one hand, has experienced a level of material success bordering on the infinite, even as she has failed so far to embrace the deeper aspects of life. India, on the other hand, who once knew the infinity of spirit and then lost it, is now trying to regain it. In addition, along the way, she became very poor, but now can utilize a regained spirit to rapidly prosper in an integral -- i.e. not merely material -- way. India as Living Being India is not the earth, rivers and mountains of this land, neither is it a collective name for the inhabitants of this country. India is a living being, as much living as, say Shiva. (The Mother) On India's Past Greatness India is the only country that, in 10,000 years, hasn't invaded another country. Of course, it has invaded culturally. For centuries, it ruled South-East Asia, China, Japan through its mind, culture, science, cosmology and philosophy. Until the 17th century, India was the richest country in the world. There was no confusion about spirituality and materialism going together, because our Vedic tradition says that the four goals of life are artha (money), kama (desire), dharma (duty) and moksha (enlightenment). (Deepak Chopra) Foundations of Indian Spirituality (top) Overview | The Rishis, Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad-Gita Modern Spiritual Thought: The Teachings of Sri Aurobindo Overview The Course of History and the Source of Spirit It is said civilization began in Mesopotamia. Man took to agriculture and urban living. It was a physical life of the civilized man. Mind was developed in Greece in later centuries. The evolution of Man continued but elsewhere. It was Rome that developed law, art and empires. Again it moved. Europe developed science. Now the centre of that movement is in USA which is focusing not so much on Science as Scientific Technology. Before this movement began, the Spirit was discovered in India. (MSS) Nature's Course for India India is a land of rishis; that her sons carry the spiritual light in her body in the depths of her being. Sri Aurobindo says that it is that spirit that is the source of her greatness; but it has been lost over the millennia, and needs to be regained. If she can accomplish this, she will not only emerge out of her poverty, but she will fulfill her role as the Guru of the world. How did India some to her current condition, and how can she reemerge in prosperity to fulfill her spiritual destiny? Spirit developed and reached Its penultimate peak in India. However, Nature -- which is, along with Soul/Spirit, the instrument of the Divine -- did not want Spirit's further development there. For Her own reasons, Nature moved elsewhere, as She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now that Nature has completed this round of development outside India's borders, She has now come back to India to complete the work of development of the Spirit on earth. In addition, because India has fallen into great poverty, Nature has come to resolve that difficulty as well. (Based on MSS) The Role of Nature and Soul in Progress in the World Nature does not work for progress in all fronts at all places simultaneously. Nature herself is a partial force. Soul and Nature together make for the whole. Nature is a part. A partial force cannot work for total progress. Hence Nature has decided to develop emotion in Asia and Mind in Europe. India was chosen by Nature to develop the Spirit. (MSS) Development of Spirit in India -In India Nature developed the Spirit. By Spirit, I mean the Spirit in Man as one part of his being. It is the best part. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for moksha. -Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away [from India] and worked at various places [around the world] for the development of various other parts. (MSS) Nature Develops Spirit in India, then Moved On In India Nature developed the Spirit, i.e. the Spirit in Man. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for liberation. Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away and worked at various places for the development of various other parts. [E.g. mind in Greece, individuality in Europe, science and technology currently in US]. During that period there was the necessity to preserve the treasure of Spirit discovered during the period of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. It is nature's irony that the best has to be preserved by the worst, even as the treasure of gold is saved in a forest under thorny bushes and protected by vital spirits. Indian Spirit had to be preserved in an atmosphere of poverty by a top dressing of Falsehoods. (MSS, extracted) [Now that Nature has passed into science, technology, individuality, etc., it is ready to embrace the spirit that India knows; however not quite on its old basis, but through the further spiritual development of the Force of the Supermind that is now available to all.] India's Spiritual Mission Spirit developed in India. It reached its acme, rather its penultimate peak. Nature, for her own purposes, did not want to complete the further development of the Spirit in India. She moved away. She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now she has finished one round working in various parts of the world. It is time Nature comes back to India and completes her work in the development of Spirit. So far, Spirit developed to seek its own fulfillment in moksha. That is not God's original intention in creation. God who became Sat and Spirit converted that Spirit into Supermind, Mind, Life and Matter. All of them - Mind, Life, Matter - are really Spirit disguised. Nature needs humility to continue its progress. India was humbled by foreign rule, poverty and low status. Though practically humbled, even humiliated, the inherent pride of the spiritual possession is abundantly present here. The feeling that we deserve greater luck or better treatment is there in many ways. One is expectation. For Nature to raise India's spiritual stature to that the Guru of the world, India should part with spiritual ego and acquire spiritual humility. (MSS) The Evolution of Spirit in India 100,000 years ago, Man emerged from the savannahs of Africa and entered two landmasses; the Middle East and Europe (the "western wave"), and that of the East, including India and China. The Western wave out of Africa mainly took to religion at first, while the Eastern wave took to spirituality. The Western wave of religion eventually shed some of its falsehood, evolved into rationality, democracy, freedom, individuality, science, technology, and the modern material world as we see in Europe, the USA, and elsewhere. The Eastern wave developed culture, emotion, and the Spirit. Of course, each of the two developed some of the capacities of the other -- e.g. religion developed in India, and there were strains of the Spirit in the West. My goal here is to trace the Eastern movement that enabled the flowering of Spirit. It originated in the period of the naturalistic life of the Vedas in India. There people connected to the Spirit through the natural forces of the physical world. In the stone, in elemental and environmental forces, individuals felt a connection to an ultimate spiritual Reality. Life was physical then and their connection to that Reality expressed through physical forms of nature, as well as the worship of Gods. Mind and higher emotions had not yet developed to interfere with their pure Divine reverence through physical means. Still, it was a great development in the spiritual history of man -- unprecedented until that time. And yet, people perceived that life was indeed full of suffering in life, pain, falsehood, negativity, and evil. Since these issues were raised in the subconscious of society, the avatar -- i.e. one who furthers the evolution -- Buddha came along in India and took to a very different path. He abandoned the aspiration and search for an ultimate Reality, indicating that it could not be known, and instead focused on the causes of evil and suffering in the world. He saw that if we move out of ego, all such negativity ceases. By meditating and reaching the timeless, spaceless Void one realizes the state of Nirvana, where ego, separation, and desire ceases, which, in turn, eliminates all suffering. It was a profound insight and another great development in the history of the Spirit. Over time Mind developed, and there resumed the attempt to commune with the ultimate Spiritual reality through this newly evolved faculty. As a result, the period of the Upanishads was ushered in. During that time there was a group of individuals who had a deep urge to connect with and experience the Supreme -- i.e. the ultimate transcendent Reality. They began to see that Reality in three aspects; as Existence -- i.e. as pure Spiritual Being; as a Consciousness that that had become aware of its own Existence, and as a result generated a Force that that became the energy out of which the universe would emerge; and as Delight, taking infinite pleasure in being conscious of Its own Existence. (This is expressed by the three attributes of Sat-Chit-Ananda; i.e. Existence, Consciousness-Force, Delight.) This is roughly equivalent to the fact that I exist as an individual; I am conscious of my existence -- which in turn energizes me; and I delight in being conscious of who I am. These ecstatic devotees -- known as the Rishis -- had the spontaneous experience of the Spirit, and saw how it could be brought into the details experiences of one's life. They perceived the spiritual Being emerging into the becomings of life; knew the integration of Spirit and Matter; thus had a vision of that ultimate Reality, which they called ''Brahman."� In effect, the Rishis of that time were likely the greatest spiritual aspirants of the ancient world. Though they ecstatically experienced the Spirit by communing with the transcendent Reality, it was left to the Bhagavad-Gita to address aspects the Rishis had not considered. While Rishis were more focused on pure transcendence and connection to the spiritual Reality, the Gita addressed the specific methods that would enable an individual to spiritually progress -- i.e. grow, evolve, and be transformed. By connecting to the Soul within, one not only begins the process of a change out of our lower nature -- e.g. sensing a oneness with others, controlling negative behaviors, taking to higher emotions, etc. -- but one comes in touch with the same transcendent Reality that the Rishis experienced earlier. Now there was a path of individual progress through Soul, opening the way to the transcendent spiritual Reality. Our ultimate purpose then was to find our individual Soul, discover and surrender to the Supreme, and carry out and fulfill the Divine Intent on earth. Through service of works, true knowledge of the ways of life, and surrender to the Supreme Intent, one not only evolves, but fulfills one's ultimate purpose on earth. These are several of the lessons offered by the avatar Krishna to the warrior Arjuna at the battle of Kurukshetera, as explained in the Gita. And yet, it has been left to modern India, in particular, through the spiritual insights of Vivekananda and then Sri Aurobindo to perceive the wider and all-encompassing spiritual picture. Drawing on the Rishis' upanishadic ecstatic spiritual experience and the Gita's methods of yogic progress, Sri Aurobindo put it all in an evolutionary context. He gave us the wider knowledge of the creation and unfolding of the universe, as well as the course of human destiny. He described the involution of life -- i.e. how the universe came about from a Divine source -- and the evolution of life from matter to spirit through individual transformation, culminating in a Divine life on earth. He traced the cause of Ignorance back to the involution of Spirit, showed the way back to Integral Knowledge through Soul connection and surrender to the descending spiritual Force that would aid in the individual's transformation. In this way, he provided a more integral view of the Spirit, embracing the evolutionary principles of modern life. (Based on MSS) India's Static Spirit Fulfilled in Sri Aurobindo's Dynamic View The static spirit that India has known is fulfilled through Sri Aurobindo's dynamic evolutionary view of existence. Vedanta and Creator View The Vedantic view contains the spiritual principles of Brahman (the ultimate Reality), Oneness/Non-Duality between the inner person and the outer cosmos; the Soul within, that reflects the Divine spirit; and the Transcendent Divine. The modern spiritual view, led by Vivekananda and especial Sri Aurobindo, adds the Shakti/force component that enabled the process of creation to unfold from a Divine source. It adds an evolutionary, and unfolding dimension to Vedanta. The Spiritual Essence and the Process of Creation The essence of Indian spiritual thought rests on several principles. One is that the Spirit is One. I.e. that there is one plane of universal existence. However, because we live on the surface of life, we perceive separation between our own individual existence and the outer universal reality, when in fact they are One. And yet, when I move to a deeper consciousness, I experience the spirit directly without the separative Me blocking that identity. I come to know that Oneness, which gives the greatest of Joy. A second precept is that if I go deep enough within, I will discover my true self -- my Soul. And that soul is a spark of the divine; a nook of the spirit that is harbored for the individual. Thus in the depths of consciousness, I discover that I am one with all things in the cosmos, including my environment and other, and that there is a a Soul in the deepest parts that is my own representative of the transcendent divine within. This means that in fact there are three essential spiritual principle: a transcendent divine reality, a universal reality in the cosmos that is One, and a personal True Individuality and Soul being. When we move away from the surface, of sense, and discover our deeper consciousness, we move into identity with all three. In the modern era however this understanding has begun to shift; or rather add another dimension. It also includes the dynamic dimension of life; otherwise known as the evolutionary principle. Thus the transcendent Reality is not only a spiritual essence, a being, a witness, but is also a creator Force; a power that enables forms of that spiritual Force to unfold in the universe. From out of the Reality emerged a Conscious-Force that then emerged as an invisible Energy in life out of which forms of it took shape -- from matter to human -- through a process of involution and evolution. Thus we see the dynamic, creative power of the transcend divine unfolding in time and space through matter, life forms, and mind, culminating in the human being. It should also be pointed out that there is only one process of creation in the universe -- one that that we share with our Creator. Just as the universe emerged from a Divine source through a process, so too do we create and accomplish in life through a similar process. We humans envision what we want to become, willfully seek it out, organize it in all aspects, and carry it out with skills and right attitudes. This is the same process by which the universe emerged from a Divine Source. Together the underlying spiritual reality and the process of creation work together to enable an underlying stable existence as well as a creative, dynamic existence in space and time. India's Future India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to do for herself and the human peoples. (Sri Aurobindo) India as Guru of the World India must find its ancient spirituality, for after all its destiny is to be the guru, the spiritual teacher of the world. The Challenge to India India is a great nation by virtue of her Spirit. She attained that status long ago. Therefore she is bound to succeed and overtake all other nations. No other nation has so much to give to the world. Her Spirit is there as inner light. But it is covered by a thick layer of falsehood, laziness, unreliability, inefficiency, lack of self-respect, all expressions of darkness. The Indian should choose the light in him and be truthful, dynamic, reliable, efficient, have self-respect, all expressions of Truth. Once the future generations sufficiently take to Truth and its expressions, the buried light will surface. (MSS) Indians Have Forgotten The Multiplicity of Spirit They Own Spiritual life has many facets, all of which are known to us Indians. We not only forget them but are proud of having forgotten our valuable treasure. (MSS) The Indian Spiritual Soil The Indian soil is spiritual. Her very atmosphere is saturated with the Peace of the Spirit. Those who visit India for the first time notice it. (MSS) The Indian Body Carries the Spirit of the Rishis The Indian's body carries the light of the Rishis, he was once a person of utter Truthfulness, and the roots of democratic Spirit are deeply embedded in the Indian nation. (MSS) The Native Spiritual Resourcefulness of India -The native Indian spiritual RESOURCEFULNESS is an idea I am enamoured of. India is a land of the Spirit. The Spirit is infinite. When the infinite Spirit emerges out of the finite human life, life reveals how resourceful it is. -Modern civilisation is a monument to that resourcefulness. It is the resourcefulness of the Mind. We in India enjoy in potential spiritual resourcefulness. We must bring it out. (MSS, extracted) The Spiritual Resourcefulness of India -Spirit is the origin of the Mind. Logically, it must be more resourceful than mind. In India, the spiritual light is carried in the bodies of the population. This idea set me thinking about the Spiritual Resourcefulness of Indians, though it is dormant and in potential. -To this wisdom belongs the power to solve any existing problem anywhere on earth. It will be a great day when Indians realise their own strength and are willing to bring it to the surface through the present ways of life. Maybe that will be a sleeping GIANT stirring. (MSS, reorganized) (MSS, extracted, reorganized) Returning to Original Indian Spiritual Values The Indian should go back to the ORIGINAL spiritual values of work, life and mind and upgrade them into psychic [personal soul-based] values. (MSS) Inner Powers of Consciousness in India Silence, vision, insight, intuition, subtlety, etc. are there in the Indian soil, but they are not accessible simply to be picked up. Once they were all well developed, but now they lie dormant in potential. One has to become receptive, value them and cultivate them, until they are acquired as a settled faculty. (MSS) The Mother Tongue of India is Spirituality English has a prestige in India which it does not enjoy in Indonesia. It is so because we were once a colony of Great Britain. In England, everyone, the child, the illiterate, speak English because it is their mother tongue. The Spirit is our mother tongue by virtue of our being Indians, Hindu or Muslim or Jain. (MSS) The Evolutionary Spirituality that is Now Emerging Europeans look out on the world and are proud of their rich heritage, even as they are oblivious to the deep culture and spiritual insights of the East. Currently the Europeans observe the sudden dramatic emergence of Americans, and the rise of the Eastern economic powers, and semi-consciously begin to question their long-held belief that they above all others have been the civilizing force of history. Likewise, the Americans look out at the emerging East, and wonder what is in store from these titanic economic and cultural powers, just at a time she thought she was the unstoppable cultural and economic leader in the world. From our current perch in history, we can trace the march of progress of civilization. As we know, it began in Africa, and then essentially moved in two directions -- to the East, where spirit and culture was born, and north to the Middle East, where religion was born. From out of the religion wing eventually emerged the rational thought and democracy of Greece, its practical application through the rules and organizational structures of the Roman Empire; the culture of the Renaissance and Enlightenment; and the economic expansion of the British Empire, which continues today through the material and cultural influence of the America dynamo. The Middle East and Africa meanwhile have remained poor and neglected. Through tragedy and suffering, the world now seeks to resolve the stagnant problems of the troubled areas. Meanwhile, the profound ancient wisdom of the East has remained unknown to a good part of the world -- even buried in its essence in its founding country, India. Why then has the profoundest understanding of the spirit ever known, that of ancient India, remained dormant and unknown? The simple answer is that civilization was not ready for the ancient wisdom of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and of the Rishis who intensely communed with the Divine Reality up to 7,000 years ago. Civilization had to first evolve through several stages before she was ready to this greatest of all spiritual knowledge and experiences to be broadcast and adopted by the rest of the world. In addition, the ancient spiritual realizations themselves had to evolve. Though great beyond measure, the spiritual realizations of the ancient Rishis were in one sense a static one. I.e. though the spiritual seekers had found a direct connection to the Divine reality, that blissful liberation took place outside of life; not within it. Thus, a new, more comprehensive spiritual realization and knowledge was necessary if it were to spread far and wide -- one that combined their deep realizations with the aspiration of modern Man. Fortunately, in the first half of the 20th century, one individual, the Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo had those very realizations and spiritual perceptions, as he was able to integrate that profoundest of ancient wisdom with modern evolutionary understanding. By showing how spirit is not just a liberating element that one can dissolve into to discover ultimate happiness and bliss, but that it can be brought into the details of life, in order to elevate and perfect it, Sri Aurobindo made the great synthesis between the spiritual wisdom of the past and the evolutionary aspirations of a modern society. Thus, after a 7000-year sleep, the great spiritual wisdom of India has begun to take on a new tone and direction, allowing a more dynamic East, and a materially-exhausted West to embrace it. In essence, Nature has waited these millennia so that the world could first make the necessary evolutionary progress -- emotionally, psychologically, and mentally -- before it could embrace this new, dynamic evolutionary view of the spirit. Now that a solid base of material prosperity has been established in the world, now that Nature's course has passed beyond the ages of oppression by church and king, now that she has discovered democracy, developed a modicum of culture, and has begun to nurture true individuality, the peoples of the world seem ready to embrace the evolutionary spiritual teachings and realizations of sages like Sri Aurobindo and others in the emerging New Age. Needs for Truth, Honesty in India Should the Indian develop the values of Truth in life, as the Westerner has, he will find that the inner Spirit he knows will emerge at some time to express through his life, not outside and beyond his life. Way to Indian Truthfulness that Fosters Spiritual Light There is spiritual light in our hearts. Let us foster it. Truthfulness fosters it. To be eternally truthful is to be a yogi. One can do it for a period certainly. In that period he will see all the future spiritual possibilities for him. It is up to him to choose. One cannot maintain this vow for 24 hours. Life will make a mockery of his decision. He who persists will see Mother always supports him. To be truthful for its own sake is enjoyable. To accept it as a challenge of life offers inner power. To seek truth for the sake of the Spirit is laudable. Decide to be utterly truthful for a period of one week or one day. Better it is for a month. If you are enamoured of Truth, you will witness falsehood moving away from you. There are grim preliminaries. One will be frightened of improvident aloofness. Truth seeking will ultimately light the inner spiritual lamp. Gradually you will see life coming under your control. In 30 days of persistent perseverance, you will have a tryst with the inner Divine. It may be a dot of light or a jet of Peace. Once you have done it, no one need canvass your support to truth. It will be self-evident JOY. The home will change into a sweet home. There is only one enemy. The desire to go back may arise from inside. (MSS) Truthfulness through the Mother Mother said Man has never lied so much as today. To know Her is to be Truthful. To live in Her is to become a personification of Truth. Also See the Development and Evolution of Spirit in Society through India The Rishis, Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad-Gita Nature Develops Spirit in India, then Moved On In India Nature developed the Spirit, i.e. the Spirit in Man. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for liberation. Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away and worked at various places for the development of various other parts. [E.g. mind in Greece, individuality in Europe, science and technology currently in US]. During that period there was the necessity to preserve the treasure of Spirit discovered during the period of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. It is nature's irony that the best has to be preserved by the worst, even as the treasure of gold is saved in a forest under thorny bushes and protected by vital spirits. Indian Spirit had to be preserved in an atmosphere of poverty by a top dressing of Falsehoods. (MSS, extracted) [Now that Nature has passed into science, technology, individuality, etc., it is ready to embrace the spirit that India knows; however not quite on its old basis, but through the further spiritual development of the Force of the Supermind that is now available to all.] The Vedic Rishis to the Upanishads to the Gita There is a Western view that the Vedas are the childish prattle of an early emerging humanity. It is common sense, if not rationality that one should know about a field to pass valid judgements on it. That is why Sri Aurobindo wrote this work to lay bare the inner psychological significance of the earliest uttering of Man whose language is described as massive in its substance and whose tonality penetrates the thick layers of the embodied being to touch the Soul. The Vedic Rishis sought immortality for the Soul. In their souls they saw God. But they worshipped the gods, seeking their help to reach Sachchidananda. They reached the first great summit of the human spirit, which occupies in the scale of human existence, the highest place, higher than the mind Man now values. The world now rightly values science, rather scientific technology, because of its immense spiritual significance. Its success is practical utility. 'Spirit' today is what is directly immediately useful. Scientific technology is the achievement of MIND, the mind seated in the physical consciousness of Man. Hence in Sri Aurobindo's terminology it is called the physical mind. Science as Europe has embraced is of the thinking mind, seated in the mental consciousness. Man enjoys the modern comforts of bus, car, phone and computer. They are vastly useful and make life meaningful. Spirit gives calm, peace, quiet, mental peace, silence and opens the doors to the life in the other world, to eternal enjoyment. It is not so alluring as the needs of today which are well served by technology. The Vedas were followed by the Upanishads and they were succeeded by The Gita. The Spirit the Vedic Rishis discovered was not a Spirit that detached itself from the other parts of the being - mental, vital, physical - and sought moksha. It was the Spirit that sought the Spirit in Nature and fashioned a life in unison with that Spirit. The Vedic Rishis found harmony of Spirit in life. They were aware of the crookedness of Mind, the inherent evil in life which tries to hurt Man residing in the sanctum sanctorum of his inner existence. They knew that evil, even when it comes to harm him from his wife, will ultimately do him good, but they could only helplessly refer to the incorrigible crookedness of Mind. That Mind rose to further heights in the period of the Upanishads, discovered the five elements, defined the five senses, traced their origin to Sabda Brahman, which is the first extension of the material force into which all forms dissolve. The Secret of the Vedas is the secret of the universe. (MSS) The Evolution of Spirit in India In the period of the Vedas the Rishis discovered the Spirit. Also they lived in unison with Nature. It was a life of the whole or whole life. The physical Man discovering the Spirit, living in unity with the environment of Nature, though it is of a spiritual fullness, was the victory of the first step -- the physical life, the life in the Body. The wholeness of primitive times could not last. The joint family of the last century of thirty or forty members was a life of unity. But it was the unity of an agricultural family, mostly of uneducated simple people of primary emotions living on their land. As agriculture moves to manufacture, rural life gives place to urban living, illiterate goodness exchanges itself with educated individuality, and joint family is no longer a reality. As civilisation marches ahead, joint family disappears and gives place to the nuclear family. Even its life is no longer certain. The Vedas have two parts, one seeking knowledge and the other preserving the sacredness of the rituals. A split arose there. Those who followed knowledge were the Rishis of the Vedanta. Those who preserved the rituals became the purohits [priesthood]. Sri Aurobindo pleads for the restoration of unity lost at that time. He says the unity is to be restored above in the Supramental plane. The original cleavage between the Rishis and the purohits was followed by the dichotomy of the sannyasin and the householder. Then it became the contradiction between the sannyasin who denied Matter any reality and the Materialist who discovered the secrets of the universe and denied any reality to the Spirit. This is so because the instrument of the Rishi or sannyasin was Mind that could perceive only a part of the Reality. The scientist did one better by insisting on his physical mind, a part of the Mind that is already a part. Supermind is the right complete instrument that can see the whole Reality of Brahman in the cosmos as well as in our human life. Sri Aurobindo, who discovered the Supermind guided by Vivekananda, asks us to receive the descending Force of the Supermind so that we may be raised to its own native plane. There the unity lost after the Vedic period can be restored in its fullness. It will be a unity that transcends life and Mind. The world energies are in the process of building up that unity, not according to any mental formula intelligible to us, but in terms of a Life that transcends rationality. It is a life that is intelligible to Intuition, accessible to insight. It eludes intellectual enquiries. (MSS) The Evolution of Spirit in India 100,000 years ago, Man emerged from the savannahs of Africa and entered two landmasses; the Middle East and Europe (the "western wave"), and that of the East, including India and China. The Western wave out of Africa mainly took to religion at first, while the Eastern wave took to spirituality. The Western wave of religion eventually shed some of its falsehood, evolved into rationality, democracy, freedom, individuality, science, technology, and the modern material world as we see in Europe, the USA, and elsewhere. The Eastern wave developed culture, emotion, and the Spirit. Of course, each of the two developed some of the capacities of the other -- e.g. religion developed in India, and there were strains of the Spirit in the West. My goal here is to trace the Eastern movement that enabled the flowering of Spirit. It originated in the period of the naturalistic life of the Vedas in India. There people connected to the Spirit through the natural forces of the physical world. In the stone, in elemental and environmental forces, individuals felt a connection to an ultimate spiritual Reality. Life was physical then and their connection to that Reality expressed through physical forms of nature, as well as the worship of Gods. Mind and higher emotions had not yet developed to interfere with their pure Divine reverence through physical means. Still, it was a great development in the spiritual history of man -- unprecedented until that time. And yet, people perceived that life was indeed full of suffering in life, pain, falsehood, negativity, and evil. Since these issues were raised in the subconscious of society, the avatar -- i.e. one who furthers the evolution -- Buddha came along in India and took to a very different path. He abandoned the aspiration and search for an ultimate Reality, indicating that it could not be known, and instead focused on the causes of evil and suffering in the world. He saw that if we move out of ego, all such negativity ceases. By meditating and reaching the timeless, spaceless Void one realizes the state of Nirvana, where ego, separation, and desire ceases, which, in turn, eliminates all suffering. It was a profound insight and another great development in the history of the Spirit. Over time Mind developed, and there resumed the attempt to commune with the ultimate Spiritual reality through this newly evolved faculty. As a result, the period of the Upanishads was ushered in. During that time there was a group of individuals who had a deep urge to connect with and experience the Supreme -- i.e. the ultimate transcendent Reality. They began to see that Reality in three aspects; as Existence -- i.e. as pure Spiritual Being; as a Consciousness that that had become aware of its own Existence, and as a result generated a Force that that became the energy out of which the universe would emerge; and as Delight, taking infinite pleasure in being conscious of Its own Existence. (This is expressed by the three attributes of Sat-Chit-Ananda; i.e. Existence, Consciousness-Force, Delight.) This is roughly equivalent to the fact that I exist as an individual; I am conscious of my existence -- which in turn energizes me; and I delight in being conscious of who I am. These ecstatic devotees -- known as the Rishis -- had the spontaneous experience of the Spirit, and saw how it could be brought into the details experiences of one's life. They perceived the spiritual Being emerging into the becomings of life; knew the integration of Spirit and Matter; thus had a vision of that ultimate Reality, which they called ''Brahman."� In effect, the Rishis of that time were likely the greatest spiritual aspirants of the ancient world. Though they ecstatically experienced the Spirit by communing with the transcendent Reality, it was left to the Bhagavad-Gita to address aspects the Rishis had not considered. While Rishis were more focused on pure transcendence and connection to the spiritual Reality, the Gita addressed the specific methods that would enable an individual to spiritually progress -- i.e. grow, evolve, and be transformed. By connecting to the Soul within, one not only begins the process of a change out of our lower nature -- e.g. sensing a oneness with others, controlling negative behaviors, taking to higher emotions, etc. -- but one comes in touch with the same transcendent Reality that the Rishis experienced earlier. Now there was a path of individual progress through Soul, opening the way to the transcendent spiritual Reality. Our ultimate purpose then was to find our individual Soul, discover and surrender to the Supreme, and carry out and fulfill the Divine Intent on earth. Through service of works, true knowledge of the ways of life, and surrender to the Supreme Intent, one not only evolves, but fulfills one's ultimate purpose on earth. These are several of the lessons offered by the avatar Krishna to the warrior Arjuna at the battle of Kurukshetera, as explained in the Gita. And yet, it has been left to modern India, in particular, through the spiritual insights of Vivekananda and then Sri Aurobindo to perceive the wider and all-encompassing spiritual picture. Drawing on the Rishis' upanishadic ecstatic spiritual experience and the Gita's methods of yogic progress, Sri Aurobindo put it all in an evolutionary context. He gave us the wider knowledge of the creation and unfolding of the universe, as well as the course of human destiny. He described the involution of life -- i.e. how the universe came about from a Divine source -- and the evolution of life from matter to spirit through individual transformation, culminating in a Divine life on earth. He traced the cause of Ignorance back to the involution of Spirit, showed the way back to Integral Knowledge through Soul connection and surrender to the descending spiritual Force that would aid in the individual's transformation. In this way, he provided a more integral view of the Spirit, embracing the evolutionary principles of modern life. The Evolutionary Aspect of Spirit in India In an earlier entry, I discussed the great contribution of the ancient Vedic worshippers of the Divine Reality through natural forces, as well as the later more-mental Rishis who collectively melted into that Reality, though apart from life. These were the great spiritual voyagers seeking connection with the Divine, both individually and collectively. I then followed that up with a discussion of Buddha, who confronted the issues of suffering and impermanence in life that the ancient Indian Vedics were less concerned about, as they were immersed in transcendence and blissful experience. In the end, Buddha discovered a void, a place of emptiness -- Nirvana -- from which he could escape from the trappings of life, including the desire and attachment that is the root cause of all suffering. And yet the spiritual search continued in India, as many returned to the ancient Vedic tradition, looking this time not for transcendence apart from life, but a way to link spirit and life together. And so in the Bhagavad Gita, warrior prince Arjuna is directed by Lord Krishna to find wholeness in his being by connecting to the transcendent Divine and yet performing all his duties and works for Its sake. In this way, spirit and life activity are melded together. In addition, by recognizing that the same transcendent Being is there in one's own Soul, one has the method of integrating self with spirit, enabling wholeness in one's own being. This was a revolution in spiritual insight and experience, just as Buddha's was for his time. Now in the modern era, there is a desire to go further -- to not only integrate life and spirit, but to see it in a progressive, evolutionary context. Embracing the ancient Vedantic and Gita influence, seer and sage Sri Aurobindo described the evolutionary process by which the universe emerged from a Divine Source, as well as how we can progressively develop our own higher nature leading to a supernature. He has taken the message of earlier ancient wisdom and given it an upward arc that is supported by the modern scientific and philosophical influences of the West. Besides revealing the universal process of creation, Sri Aurobindo adds two powerful dimensions to the spiritual story. First, he speaks not only of a soul, but of an Evolving soul that uses the experiences of the person it inhabits through successive births on its journey for fulfillment. When we come in touch with that ''psychic being"� within, we begin the process of personal evolution and transformation. Second, Sri Aurobindo speaks of an ultimate power in the universe: a Supramental Consciousness and Force that not only enabled a universe to emerge from an Infinite, Divine Source, but is a power that can aide in the transmutation of our nature and set right all condition of life. Through these internal and external powers, we engage in a clearly delineated evolutionary process, which helps us evolve a supernature, which in turn can set the stage for the emergence of a new type of spirit-oriented human existence, a divine life on earth. The Rishis Discovery of Satchitananda and Phenomena as the Reality Sri Aurobindo says that we have found Sachchidananda as the [Omnipresent] reality. That is what the Rishis discovered. ... The Rishis also know that it is the reality that has changed into phenomena. (MSS) Experience of Spirit Apart from Life that Robbed India of Her Vitality Why did the ancient Rishis stop at Moksha, i.e. liberation, by discovering and merging with Spirit (Sat), but then rejecting Life? It is because Mind, which the Rishis, the ancient spiritual seekers saw only one side; not the whole; rejecting the other sides, including Life, which it deemed an illusion. They thus melted into the Pure Existent (Sat, Spirit) at the expense of life on earth. That in effect sapped the energies of India from that time forward. Connecting to spirit was a great, unprecedented world experience, but it in affect rejected the other parts of the whole of existence. Sri Aurobindo indicated that if the rishis had gone further, beyond Mind and its limitations to connection to Brahman, (the Absolute), which includes both spirit and life, she would have thrived instead of decaying. I.e. they could have seen that the Reality exists in the unmanifest and the manifest, the spirit and life. This exclusion of life also had byproducts such as the adoption of caste (it its lower, social, rather than spiritual sense), which opened her to invasion, domination, and eventually partition. Now she is trying to work her way back to overcome these through a path toward reunification, which will allow her to fulfill her destiny as Guru of the world. To accomplish this, i.e. to realize Brahman in spirit and matter, one needs a faculty to make it happen. Sri Aurobindo indicates that of we rise to Supermind, i.e. truth consciousness, we will have the spiritualized mental consciousness that will enable us to see spirit above and in life, rejuvenating and reenergizing the society, and manifest infinite possibilities that even today are unknown. (As we will later discover, to reach Supermind to have the vision of Brahman of unity of spirit and matter one must descend into and center ourselves in the inner regions of our being, culminating in the psychic being, the evolving soul within.) The Indian Body Carries the Spirit of the Rishis The Indian's body carries the light of the Rishis, he was once a person of utter Truthfulness, and the roots of democratic Spirit are deeply embedded in the Indian nation. (MSS) The Division of the Rishis & the Priesthood in Indian Spirituality The Vedic Rishis never gave up life. They lived a full life, a life that was in balance with Nature. In the later centuries, there was a division, a division of knowledge and rituals. Vedanta was the culmination of the pursuit of knowledge, Jnana. They became the Rishis. The others came into life and took to the priesthood. (MSS) Sri Aurobindo's 'The Secret of the Vedas' Sri Aurobindo wrote 'The Secrets of the Vedas' to lay bare the inner psychological significance of the earliest uttering of Man whose language is described as massive in its substance and whose tonality penetrates the thick layers of the embodied being to touch the Soul. Lessons of the Gita In ancient India there is a division between two great clans. This story is captured in the Indian epic the Mahabharata. They are about to fight a great battle. This is captured in the Bhagavad-Gita, a section of the Mahabharata. Arjuna, a member of one clan inquires of the avatar (i.e. the incarnation of the Divine) Krishna how he can possibly fight those who is related to. Krishna instructs him to do what is necessary; to carry out what the Divine plan. Krishna teaches him to find his True self and Soul within mirrors the Divine reality. From those depths he will come to understand all of the truths that Krishna, his guide and chariot driver, will teach him. Arjuna will learn that all of his life should be given as a service to the world, not to his selfish wants and needs. Devotion and surrendering to the Divine Will is the ultimate purpose of life, not the aggrandizement of ego. All of these lessons will give him the essential knowledge of the world. Doing works for the sake of the world, finding one's Soul within, connecting with and surrendering to the Divine reality can give one the Ultimate Knowledge in life. The Lesson for the Ripe Soul in the Bhagavad-Gita In The Gita Krishna offers to the ripe soul [i.e. one who has developed considerably within] a psychological method [of yoga, personal evolution]. It is a method of Jivatma [the individual soul] surrendering to Paramatma [the Divine]. It is accomplished by renouncing desire, ego and belief in Dharmas. (MSS, with embedded explanations) Several Lessons of the Bhagavad-Gita Find one's soul and from their one can live a life of infinite service. One gives for one's own sake; ultimately one surrenders to the Divine. When one is in touch with the true self, one perceives right action. By being in touch with the soul within one knows the Divine reality and intent. One overcomes the limitations of our physical, vital, and mental being. One gains the knowledge of how to act in life, in service to others, based on the soul connection within. Ultimately there is a deep devotion and surrender to the Divine. These are several lessons of the of the Bhagavad-Gita. Achievement According to the Gita There is no limit to what we as a person or as a society can achieve. We are only limited by our own belief systems. "We become what we believe we can become." (Bhagavad-Gita). The Gita and Accomplishment The capacity to create this interest and accomplish through that depends upon what one is really interested in. It is this truth that the Gita speaks as one can achieve whatever one wants. (MSS) We Can Become What We Aspire For The Bhagavad-Gita says that one can become anything if only he can aspire for it. (MSS) What the Gita Says If man is interested in anything, he will overlook every other thing and achieve it. That is what The Gita says. (MSS) Lesson of the Gita You can achieve that which you believe you can achieve is a lesson of the Gita. You can become that which you believe you can become. See Article on Becoming that Which You Believe You Can Become Limitation of the Gita's Liberation into the Spirit -The yoga of the Gita excels Raja [Knowledge] Yoga. It seeks moksha. Its instrument is surrender. The Gita's surrender is to give up the dharmas the mind has accepted. -The Gita's surrender is the most powerful yogic instrument, but it aims at moksha [liberation into the spirit], not transformation. (MSS) The Gita's Surrender Gita advocated the surrender of motives to reach Satchidananda [Existence, Conscious-force, Delight] and the Supreme as those were days of the vital man. (MSS) Route of Surrender The Gita showed such a man the shorter route of surrender. (MSS) Yoga of the Gita through Skill in Works Skill in works is yoga, says The Gita. (MSS) Modern Spiritual Thought: The Teachings of Sri Aurobindo [Beyond the teachings of the Gita are the modern evolutionary spiritual teachings of Sri Aurobindo.] Click Here to See Entries India as Guru of the World (top) India's Spiritual Technology The West is creating an astonishing infinite material reality through science and technology, which is unfortunately marred by corresponding negative effects, due to her limited physical consciousness. She can however begin to emerge out of that limitation. All indications are that she can become the pioneer of the new consciousness and move out of her current limitations. India, on the other hand, can cultivate her ''spiritual technology"� to enable infinite benefit at all planes of human existence. From that position, her wisdom and spiritual truth, now applied to all facets of life, will attract the attention of the world, enabling her to finally fulfill her destined role as the Guru of the world. For India to Be Guru of the World She Must Attain Geographical Unity India who reached the peak of the Spirit had her land in a thousand fragments. For her Spirit to become the Guru of the world, the very first condition is physical, geographical unity. Sri Aurobindo says Nature resorted to foreign invasion to unite India have failed in all her attempts. Britain gave us that unity but partition came to mar it. The Spirit in India still awaits the geographical unity of her various parts. (MSS) India as Guru of World After She Has Unified Sri Aurobindo said that India would take her rightful place as guru of the world, when she has become unified. Independence was a first step, a second step is a federation of her former states. Sri Aurobindo's Vision of India as Guru of the World Sri Aurobindo aspired that India rediscover her ancient spiritual past, but in a new form that would embrace life and include the evolutionary perceptions of modern existence. He believed that if India could have the multifaceted, dynamic experience of the Spirit, she could fulfill her role as Guru of the World. These developments would in turn be precursors of even greater changes -- including the unity of the nations of the world, and the spiritual transformation of humanity, ushering in a Divine life on earth. True Spirituality is to Perfect Life True spirituality is not to renounce life, but to make life perfect with the Divine Perfection. This is what India must show to the world now. (The Mother) Fulfilling India's True Destiny A vast inner and outer progress is needed if we are to fulfil India's true destiny. (Sri Aurobindo) India's Spiritual Mission Spirit developed in India. It reached its acme, rather its penultimate peak. Nature, for her own purposes, did not want to complete the further development of the Spirit in India. She moved away. She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now she has finished one round working in various parts of the world. It is time Nature comes back to India and completes her work in the development of Spirit. So far, Spirit developed to seek its own fulfillment in moksha. That is not God's original intention in creation. God who became Sat and Spirit converted that Spirit into Supermind, Mind, Life and Matter. All of them - Mind, Life, Matter - are really Spirit disguised. Nature needs humility to continue its progress. India was humbled by foreign rule, poverty and low status. Though practically humbled, even humiliated, the inherent pride of the spiritual possession is abundantly present here. The feeling that we deserve greater luck or better treatment is there in many ways. One is expectation. For Nature to raise India's spiritual stature to that the Guru of the world, India should part with spiritual ego and acquire spiritual humility. (MSS) Nature Develops Spirit in India, then Moved On In India Nature developed the Spirit, i.e. the Spirit in Man. India recognized that Man's best part is the Spirit and devised various ways to attain it and release it for liberation. Having discovered the Spirit, Nature moved away and worked at various places for the development of various other parts. [E.g. mind in Greece, individuality in Europe, science and technology currently in US]. During that period there was the necessity to preserve the treasure of Spirit discovered during the period of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. It is nature's irony that the best has to be preserved by the worst, even as the treasure of gold is saved in a forest under thorny bushes and protected by vital spirits. Indian Spirit had to be preserved in an atmosphere of poverty by a top dressing of Falsehoods. (MSS, extracted) [Now that Nature has passed into science, technology, individuality, etc., it is ready to embrace the spirit that India knows; however not quite on its old basis, but through the further spiritual development of the Force of the Supermind that is now available to all.] Nature's Voyage Away from & Back Towards India Spirit developed in India. It reached its acme, rather its penultimate peak. Nature, for her own purposes, did not want to complete the further development of the Spirit in India. She moved away. She set about developing Mind, Vital, Science, Organisation, Technology in other parts of the world. Now she has finished one round working in various parts of the world. It is time Nature comes back to India and completes her work in the development of Spirit. So far, Spirit developed to seek its own fulfillment in moksha [liberation into Spirit apart from life]. That is not God's original intention in creation. [It is completed when Spirit is brought into the details of life; the Spirit Being into the Becomings of life] God's delight lies in the original delight of the Spirit. It comes out when the original Spirit hidden in Mind, Life and Matter emerges on the surface. Nature will start that phase only when the self-sufficient pride of the Spirit in its superiority gives way. Nature needs humility to continue its progress. India was humbled by foreign rule, poverty and low status. Though practically humbled, even humiliated, the inherent pride of the spiritual possession is abundantly present here. The feeling that we deserve greater luck or better treatment is there in many ways. One is expectation. For Nature to raise India's spiritual stature to that the Guru of the world, India should part with spiritual ego and acquire spiritual humility. (MSS, extracted; with our added comment) Sri Aurobindo's Multi-Faceted Dream The great seer and sage Sri Aurobindo imagined five steps that would usher in the evolution and transformation of humanity, enabling what he called a Divine Life on earth. The first was the emergence of Asia into prosperity and cultural influence. That has surely begun, especially in the past decade or so. Her influence upon the thought of the world is bound to grow by leaps and bounds in the years to come. The second was the prosperity and emergence of India. That too is well under way. For until she attains economic well being, she cannot ascend to her rightful role as the spiritual Guru of the world -- another of the five steps Sri Aurobindo dreamed of. Another mighty step towards a spirit-base Divine life on earth is the emergence of human unity, which is presaged by world alliances, culminating in world governance. The European Union (EU) is perhaps the first major step in that direction in that it creates an alliance and unity of closely aligned nations. In the EU, disparate cultures are attempting to align themselves for collaborative purpose and action. The emergence of a world parliament and perhaps a collective security force like a world army to solve global issues could be further steps in the march towards a unity of nations and the world. There is also a spiritual component to Sri Aurobindo's vision. One is for India and one for the individuals of the earth. For India, she can rediscover and expand on the spiritual wisdom of the ancient Rishis -- perhaps the greatest collective spiritual experience and wisdom ever known to Man -- and apply it to the economic, social, and cultural life of her people. In that way, India can become a living laboratory of the power of the spirit in the modern world. If she succeeds, she will surely take her rightful place as the Guru of the World. Finally, disparate individuals around the world can begin to know the spirit in their individual lives, discovering it within in the depths of their being down to the evolving Soul, and by opening to and surrendering to the descending spiritual Force that is there in the atmosphere. In the process, they will invariably transform aspects of their being -- mental, psychological, vital/emotional, and physical -- and develop capacities to attract good fortune from the world around them. When a cadre of such individuals emerge, then they will create the fifth and final condition for a Divine life on earth to come about. The emergence of Asia, the prosperity of India, the movements towards world unity, the spiritual emergence of India and her ascent to become the Guru of the world, and the emergence of a group of transformed spirit-oriented individuals are the intervening steps that can usher in a Divine Life on Earth, fulfilling Sri Aurobindo's dream for humanity. Prosperity and Spirituality in India (top) Prosperity and Spirituality in India For the Indian Spirit to emerge freely, Sri Aurobindo said, she must be FREE. When she became Free, HE said, she must be reunited with Pakistan. Her Spirit, which is destined to be the GURU of the world, cannot play her true role as long as she is poor. She must become PROSPEROUS, not only materially, but her Prosperity must be Spiritual. It must come to her spiritually. All Prosperity is Spiritual. Let us discover that Spirituality is Prosperity. (MSS) Fulfilling India's True Destiny A vast inner and outer progress is needed if we are to fulfil India's true destiny. (Sri Aurobindo) Opportunities of India Ours [i.e. India] is a spiritual country. The very soil is spiritual. So, our opportunities are different. (MSS) Prosperity of India India is a land of Rishis. Her sons carry the spiritual light in their bodies. The light is there in the very depths of being; but life is dry and poor. Indeed all Prosperity is a version of the Spirit. But the Spirit systematically expressed in life will be PROSPERITY of the divine life. The West is prosperous. Western prosperity is there because they have discovered Brahman in Matter. [On the other hand] Their science is lifeless and produces negative side effects and strengthens the Forces of violence of all descriptions. My view is to discover Brahman in Life so that Life will turn into LUCK, into one of unfailing success. (MSS, slightly modified) The Challenge to India India is a great nation by virtue of her Spirit. She attained that status long ago. Therefore she is bound to succeed and overtake all other nations. No other nation has so much to give to the world. Her Spirit is there as inner light. But it is covered by a thick layer of falsehood, laziness, unreliability, inefficiency, lack of self-respect, all expressions of darkness. The Indian should choose the light in him and be truthful, dynamic, reliable, efficient, have self-respect, all expressions of Truth. Once the future generations sufficiently take to Truth and its expressions, the buried light will surface. (MSS) Beyond Poverty Turning into Prosperity for India It is not enough poverty changes into prosperity. The Indian should KNOW he has a spiritual treasure in him. When that awakening is there, Srinivasa Ramanujam will be a widespread phenomenon, not a unique isolated occurrence once in a few centuries. They will rise in tens and later in greater numbers and in quicker succession, as it is waiting above to pour down into our lives. The immediate necessity is to wipe out poverty and usher in prosperity in an abundant measure. Beyond that, it will be a marvel. (MSS) Strategies for Indian Prosperity and Success Spirit Regained -- The roots of Indian spirituality need to be rediscovered. The light that is natively there in the body of the Indian must be reclaimed. Use Spirit in Life -- As the Spirit is regained, it should not be utilized for one's personal spiritual liberation outside of life (i.e. moksha), but utilized and applied to the details of one's active life. The spirit should be called into each act of our lives. In addition, it would serve us well to understand the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, as He has moved Indian Knowledge forward by explaining the way Spirit can consciously be applied in the evolving life of Man. Spirit-based Resourcefulness -- The West has used its mental resourcefulness to enable the infinite to emerge in matter in the form of material discoveries, technologies, comforts, etc. India can use her spiritual resourcefulness to enable infinite results and possibilities to emerge in all planes of human life, not just the material, as in the West. Develop Spiritual Capacities -- Indians can develop spiritual capacities of Silence, vision, insight, intuition, subtlety, etc. to enable ultimate possibilities and fulfillment in life, such as the acquisition of an ever-revealing integral knowledge to solve all of life's problems. Individuals can become receptive to, value, and cultivate these capacities by moving away from a surface oriented existence, and discovering a deeper consciousness within, which will reveal the inner life from which these capacities of spiritualized mind can emerge. Opening to the Force -- By opening to the (supramental) Force that is powerfully there in the atmosphere since 1956, and applying it in the details of life, one will be able to experience instantaneous miraculousness of life response; enabling the infinite to rush into the finite in terms of material abundance, rich social existence, true insight and knowledge, joy and delight of being, etc. Needs for Truth and Honesty -- Perhaps the single value that has most contributed to the success of the West has been its full acceptance of Truth in life -- i.e. being truthful and honest with one another, not tolerating corruption and bribery, and a general belief in the practical values of integrity, decency, and virtue. It is crucial that Indians apply the value of Truth in their own lives if they are to have material success. If they do so, they will get an added benefit not currently available in the West. Because the spirit is inbuilt into every Indian, adoption of Truth in the details of one's life will enable the spirit to express in every undertaking, in every aspect, in all planes of life. This will reflect in endless, causal positive responses from life, enabling one's daily existence to become a ceaseless wonder and marvel. Self-respect -- No aspect of Indian life has created more prosperity than the sense of self-respect among its citizens. Self-respect creates energy that leads to prosperity. Prosperity in turn creates self-respect. Through the reinforcement of this two-way dynamic, a vast energy can emerge in India. Government can support this, as can every individual learn to foster self-respect in his or her own life. For example, if Indians take to the entrepreneurial way of life, self-respect will become abundant throughout the land. Preserve Indian Cultural Values -- Education has developed extensively in the West, as has technology. These are two currents that have enabled their vast material success. India should also welcome education and technology, but not on the terms of the West. Technology should not be an end in itself, but rather a means to work for the elevation of all aspects of Man, as those needs are superior to technology in of itself. Thus, India should welcome technology and introduce it at all levels of life in such a way that her cultural values of life are preserved. Endless possibilities for the betterment of society will then arise through the application of technology based on cultural and spiritual values. Life will then express richly and abundantly at all planes, releasing the infinite possibilities of life -- not merely at the material level as in the West. Geographical Unity -- India had discovered the spirit, and knew the oneness of spiritual existence, even as its land over time fragmented into a thousand pieces. For her to become the guru of the world through the utilization and broadcast of the Spirit, she needs to first attain physical, geographical unity. Sri Aurobindo says Nature resorted to foreign invasion to unite India, but has failed thus far in all Her attempts. Britain gave India that unity, but partition of the country came to mar it. Thus, the Spirit in India still awaits the geographical unity of her various parts. Indian Independence on August 15 (Sri Aurobindo's birthday) in 1947 was a first step. A second step would be a federation of her former states, including a reunion with Pakistan. What India is now What India should become and do India is following the West and accepting their leadership as she desires their prosperity and technology. She should emerge as the spiritual leader of the world which is her true destiny and make the Western nations come as her followers. She is one among the many developing countries now. She should equal or exceed the U.S in the next 20 or 30 years in national prosperity as well as per capita income. The youth of this country are still enamoured of the safety and security of salaried employment. They should give up this security mentality and take to self-enterprise which will develop them as well as the nation. Social conformity and tame submission to the values of the majority seem to be the ideal. Developing one’s own unique individuality and forging one’s own independent course in life should become the ideal. American and western culture is spreading through India in an indiscriminate fashion. India should accept western values and lifestyles in a selective manner and thereby accept what fits with her own core values and reject what is superficial and harmful to her own culture. The educational system at the school level is oriented to memorization and passing exams. The school education system needs to be redesigned in such a way as to promote thinking, understanding and originality. Dependency on government support and subsidies is creating an unhealthy dependent attitude among the population. People should reject this mentality of seeking subsidies and free gifts and develop an attitude of self-reliance and self-support. Cleanliness in homes and public places is very poor. The nation must become as clean as any western nation. Corruption is pervasive in government offices. Government staff should reject corruption as something shameful and their income should rise high enough for them to have no incentive to get money through corruption. Marriages are arranged like business transactions with dowry being the decisive factor. Dowry should disappear from the marriage scene and people should marry for love. Rituals and anachronistic traditions are very prevalent. People should free themselves of rituals and reject anachronisms and thereby save their energies and improve their productivity. People are motivated to achieve mainly through competition and peer pressure. People should be inspired to achieve on their own and peer pressure and competitive spirit should become negligible. Lying as a habit is very common and people do not hesitate to lie even under oath in a court room. Indians should become as truthful as the English gentleman of the 19th century. The educational and productive value of the computer and internet is not very well known. Every school student must have access to a computer and people should look up to the internet as a store-house of knowledge. Only a small portion of the economy is in the organised sector. The whole economy should come under the organised sector. The powers of organization are being used only in a small measure. All segments of Indian life should benefit from the powers of organization. Athletic performance in the international arena is very poor/ India should emerge as a major winner of Olympic medals and come within the top five nations. Nobel prizes are won only occasionally. All six prizes should be won by Indians at least in one year. There is a lot of disharmony with her neighbours such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The spiritual unity of the Indian subcontinent should become a fact and the spiritual map of India as drawn by Mother should turn into a reality with Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all becoming a part of united India. The power of her spiritual heritage is not real to her own people. It should become real enough for Indians to bring it out and apply it in the economic and social aspects of their lives and thereby improve their income and accomplishments to levels undreamt of. Interstate river waters have become a contentious issue. The Ganga and Cauvery should be linked and all animosity regarding sharing river waters should disappear. There is a prejudice towards learning Hindi in Tamil Nadu. Hindi should be accepted by Tamilians and thereby the integration of Tamil nadu into mainstream national culture should be completed. N. Asokan (MSS) What India Can Become India should take to spirit dynamically, connecting her ancient spiritual realization to the details of the modern world. Indians should use intuition in all field to garner the truth of things, as it is in the tradition. It will propel them to the stars. India can reevaluate history based on inner understanding of events, develop a new literature, create new cultural forms, lead in subtle technologies. Indians can explain the formation and unfolding of cosmos to the scientists. Indians can lend their extraordinary and unique reasoning capacities and powers of expression to the various field of life. India can bring a new, rich emotional capacity of human interaction and communication – i.e. higher culture. Indians can teach us to see the bright side of everything; to get at higher harmonies where there are discords. Indians can bring the spirit to bear in every thing, bringing out its infinity – because it is in their nature to perceive such things. India can work from a theory of progress: i.e. Sri Aurobindo process of creation to go forward. India can be a pioneer who helps usher in supramental living and a divine life on earth. India, Organization, and Her Potential Prosperity & Influence India has achieved a lot in fifty years since her independence, which earlier would have taken five thousand or ten thousand years in prehistoric times. She could have been the equivalent of USA in prosperity, Japan in honour and savings, Europe in mental culture, and offered the spiritual leadership in these fifty years. Ten thousand years ago, organisation emerged unconsciously. Now organisation is already evolved at all points. India should be awake at the level of organization -- become organisation conscious -- if she wants to achieve in the next ten or even five years. (Paraphrase of MSS) Source of India's Current Wealth Presently [2006] the bulging population and urban migrations are two major factors that have made India the 12th wealthiest nation in the world. (MSS) Why India has Suddenly Sprung to Life Those in India find that the country suddenly sprung to life around the mid 1990s and has been accelerating ever since. We who have studied it closely can trace back the origins of that movement to the Green Revolution and the rise of a new generation that had never known subservience to the British. (MSS) On Insights, Capacities of Indians, and their Vast Potential for Prosperity Indians are very insightful, have a great theoretical grasp. Both arise from their spiritual understanding, which is beyond all others. If they throw off their inhibitions, become more free in their social values, the sky is the limit for them, as they too will have incorporated a number of necessary components for Prosperity. (Paraphrase of MSS) Social Revolution of Rising Expectations Manifesting on Several Fronts in India -India is in a period of more than one transition. -The greatest of revolutions today is urban migration. Original, native talents of rural life move to the towns. A rice merchant moving to the city founds the biggest medical college in the State. A nobody starts a chain of successful hotels and opens its branches abroad. Software not only gives fabulous salaries but raises enterprising entrepreneurs beyond billions. -The revolution in education is almost wild. Every auto-driver puts his children in the best schools. While USA produces 60,000 engineers a year, half of whom are from Asia, India produces 300,000 engineers annually. Education is undergoing a revolutionary change. The look of the market is constantly changing. "There is nothing we cannot get here in India which we could only get before in USA,'' said several Americans. Products made in India do have a better quality now, which means a technological revolution of sorts is underway. -Behind the Green Revolution, the White Revolution, the revolutions in education and technology and urban living lies a great invisible fact. MAN is awake. He is no longer a slave, an untouchable, the oppressed, the backward. He wants to live a full life, enjoy his rights, give good education to his children, greater freedom to women, live comfortably, and assert his individuality. What we witness is a social revolution in India. It is called the Revolution of Rising Expectations. It is no single period of transition; it is several transitions rising and merging together. -It means ALL TALENTS can aspire for the top and instantaneously. (MSS, extracted) Returning to Original Indian Spiritual Values The Indian should go back to the ORIGINAL spiritual values of work, life and mind and upgrade them into psychic [personal soul-based] values. (MSS) Inability of Indians to Think for Themselves; Need to Return to Original Spirit Above Thinking "In an article in Time magazine the author stated that Indian programmers/engineers though abundant and technically competent are at their best when taking directions from others; implying that they tend not to think for themselves" It is true. The Indians are trained NOT to think and that is why they are so. It is the majority. The original spirit is above thinking. Until the Indian reaches his original spirit of inquiry, he will fit this description. Source of Indians Lack of Work The Indian does not record knowledge as is done in the west, and thus has not found work. (MSS) The Self-respect of Individuals has Great Effect on their Prosperity The more prosperous the nation, the greater is the self-respect of the Individual. In poorer nations, the population is ignorant, illiterate, docile, submissive, and abject. People do not value themselves as something to be counted upon. Poor people are satisfied with poor meals, poor clothes, poor housing, etc. Times change. No longer is man content with one meal, one dress, and no schooling for his children. The middle class man now aspires for a good education for his children. Good food, good clothes and good shelter for the whole family is self-respect at the physical level. Higher education is partly mental self-respect, partly vital self-respect. Self-respect in the Individual is a welcome sign. When the whole population comes to assert their self-respect, a huge demand for clothes, paper, pens, food grains, etc. is created as if the population had been doubled or trebled. e.g. The population of India since 1947 has trebled by itself and man is coming into his own. That creates a new market of extensive services apart from consumer goods. This market produces MONEY, as land and factories produce money. This aspect of the Indian economy has done more for the development of India than the Five Year Plans of the government. Self-respect creates Prosperity; Prosperity generates self-respect. Thus it becomes the opposite of a vicious cycle - a virtuous cycle. (MSS, somewhat altered) The Green Revolution in India The Green Revolution brought some substantial prosperity [in India] to the rural side and relieved them from chronic unemployment or underemployment. (MSS) Indian Prosperity that Leaps Over Phases If the younger generation can take to education and modern technology such as Internet, India can be straightway ushered into Prosperity bypassing the agricultural phase and partly even the economics of manufacture. (MSS) Vast Opportunities for India in Times of Great Transition Times of transition, historians say, offer matchless opportunities for penniless men with powerful brains and imagination. They are astonished how quickly these penniless men come to the fore. India is passing through one such transition, a change from low poverty to high prosperity. For every hard-working man who can think big, who can work indefatigably until the problem on hand is solved, a meteoric rise awaits. They should leave their usual narrow grooves and enter into the mainstream of transition and act ceaselessly. (MSS, extracted) The Market is There for the Unselfish Thinker The quest for knowledge [in the world] is there in a greater measure than before, in an unprecedented measure. It is a valuable market for those who are willing to exert themselves to cater to that market. That market is ubiquitous. It cannot be known from the textbooks or college courses. It has to come out of one's own thinking based on his own observation of others' needs. For such a person, an unselfish THINKER, there is an ever-expanding market in every sector. He who discovers it is the pioneer in that field. Even a new packaging - the sachet - brought about revolutionary potentials. Think, you can live better. (MSS) India Contemplating Act to Guarantee Employment The Government of India deserves warm appreciation and rich congratulation in contemplating one such act - an act to guarantee employment in some measure. This is an act proper to the developed countries, but India, precariously perched in various ways, has initiated it. Sure, She is trying to be an evolutionary leader in the sphere of SOCIAL EVOLUTION. I hope this is a beginning and the government will pursue the Act with the public, the State governments, the judiciary, and their own administration for the right social attitude that will infuse life into the SPIRIT of this Act. (MSS) India Can Lead Again through Adoption of Guaranteed Employment India, who by winning her freedom without armed uprising that led 45 Asian and African nations to their freedom, can further lead the world by adopting the principle of guaranteed employment in the country. (Paraphrase of MSS) India, Nations of World Must Avail of Opportunities of Society by Passing Laws, Change Attitudes Now is the time for such a wave of Prosperity to start and gradually spread over all countries, because Time is on our side, Life is benevolent, and Society is compassionate. As we passed an act abolishing untouchability [in India] and offering concessions to those who were oppressed, to avail of this great BOON of God present in the atmosphere of the earth, laws have to be passed and attitudes of various societies should change. India's Should Use Internal Gold She goes to IMF for five billion dollar loans while there is $200 billion gold at home. She has all the technology needed for another one hundred years and can raise hundreds of thousands of crores of rupees internally, but her energies are spent in border conflicts, in corruption, fighting droughts, etc. The result is, she is where she was in 1950 or 1980. (MSS) Strategies for Indian Prosperity and Success Spirit Regained -- The roots of Indian spirituality need to be rediscovered. The light that is natively there in the body of the Indian must be reclaimed. Use Spirit in Life -- As the Spirit is regained, it should not be utilized for one's personal spiritual liberation outside of life (i.e. moksha), but utilized and applied to the details of one's active life. The spirit should be called into each act of our lives. In addition, it would serve us well to understand the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, as He has moved Indian Knowledge forward by explaining the way Spirit can consciously be applied in the evolving life of Man. Spirit-based Resourcefulness -- The West has used its mental resourcefulness to enable the infinite to emerge in matter in the form of material discoveries, technologies, comforts, etc. India can use her spiritual resourcefulness to enable infinite results and possibilities to emerge in all planes of human life, not just the material, as in the West. Develop Spiritual Capacities -- Indians can develop spiritual capacities of Silence, vision, insight, intuition, subtlety, etc. to enable ultimate possibilities and fulfillment in life, such as the acquisition of an ever-revealing integral knowledge to solve all of life's problems. Individuals can become receptive to, value, and cultivate these capacities by moving away from a surface oriented existence, and discovering a deeper consciousness within, which will reveal the inner life from which these capacities of spiritualized mind can emerge. Opening to the Force -- By opening to the (supramental) Force that is powerfully there in the atmosphere since 1956, and applying it in the details of life, one will be able to experience instantaneous miraculousness of life response; enabling the infinite to rush into the finite in terms of material abundance, rich social existence, true insight and knowledge, joy and delight of being, etc. Needs for Truth and Honesty -- Perhaps the single value that has most contributed to the success of the West has been its full acceptance of Truth in life -- i.e. being truthful and honest with one another, not tolerating corruption and bribery, and a general belief in the practical values of integrity, decency, and virtue. It is crucial that Indians apply the value of Truth in their own lives if they are to have material success. If they do so, they will get an added benefit not currently available in the West. Because the spirit is inbuilt into every Indian, adoption of Truth in the details of one's life will enable the spirit to express in every undertaking, in every aspect, in all planes of life. This will reflect in endless, causal positive responses from life, enabling one's daily existence to become a ceaseless wonder and marvel. Self-respect -- No aspect of Indian life has created more prosperity than the sense of self-respect among its citizens. Self-respect creates energy that leads to prosperity. Prosperity in turn creates self-respect. Through the reinforcement of this two-way dynamic, a vast energy can emerge in India. Government can support this, as can every individual learn to foster self-respect in his or her own life. For example, if Indians take to the entrepreneurial way of life, self-respect will become abundant throughout the land. Preserve Indian Cultural Values -- Education has developed extensively in the West, as has technology. These are two currents that have enabled their vast material success. India should also welcome education and technology, but not on the terms of the West. Technology should not be an end in itself, but rather a means to work for the elevation of all aspects of Man, as those needs are superior to technology in of itself. Thus, India should welcome technology and introduce it at all levels of life in such a way that her cultural values of life are preserved. Endless possibilities for the betterment of society will then arise through the application of technology based on cultural and spiritual values. Life will then express richly and abundantly at all planes, releasing the infinite possibilities of life -- not merely at the material level as in the West. Geographical Unity -- India had discovered the spirit, and knew the oneness of spiritual existence, even as its land over time fragmented into a thousand pieces. For her to become the guru of the world through the utilization and broadcast of the Spirit, she needs to first attain physical, geographical unity. Sri Aurobindo says Nature resorted to foreign invasion to unite India, but has failed thus far in all Her attempts. Britain gave India that unity, but partition of the country came to mar it. Thus, the Spirit in India still awaits the geographical unity of her various parts. Indian Independence on August 15 (Sri Aurobindo's birthday) in 1947 was a first step. A second step would be a federation of her former states, including a reunion with Pakistan. Negative to Positive Tendencies A nation can prosper if all doors are open to all kinds of talents, wiping off rules, regulations, degrees, conventions, etc. Should India do so, she will be ushering in several Revolutions simultaneously. Talents must rule over degrees. Talents first, talents last. Caste, creed, race, sex, rules must give way to talents if India should march ahead. It is equivalent to a Revolution which all of us need urgently in all fields. (MSS) India's Spiritual Technology The West is creating an astonishing infinite material reality through science and technology, which is unfortunately marred by corresponding negative effects, due to her limited physical consciousness. She can however begin to emerge out of that limitation. All indications are that she can become the pioneer of the new consciousness and move out of her current limitations. India, on the other hand, can cultivate her ''spiritual technology"� to enable infinite benefit at all planes of human existence. From that position, her wisdom and spiritual truth, now applied to all facets of life, will attract the attention of the world, enabling her to finally fulfill her destined role as the Guru of the world. Population Creates Greater Money, Currency Value -- E.g. EU; Common India/China Currency -There are INVISIBLE forces in the society that create money, not false money, but true money. Population is one such. -The US population is 270 million. The dollar ruled the world market. Europe came together in the European Union and created the euro dollar which was five or ten rupees lower in value than the dollar. Now the EU is growing and has increased from 9 countries to 25 countries. Her population rose to 480 million and today the euro dollar is at Rs. 58. 'Rise in population raises the currency value' may be voodoo economics for the traditional pure monetarist, but it is TRUE as we see in the euro dollar. Money is Trust, said Bernard Leiter, the innovator of a new form of currency. As the size of population increases, the TRUST rises too. Hence the higher value of currency. Trust, expert economists say, raises economic activity. It also raises the REAL value of currency whose basis is Trust. -Suppose India and China join to create a common currency, the value of both the currencies will rise. We should not shut our eyes to such possibilities. [MSS] Authority & Results in US vs. India The same fund of energy in the USA as in India gets converted into a far greater and better result because of organisational efficiency, which is different from technological superiority. One part of that organisational effectivity is that in USA the AUTHORITY has moved down from the top and functions at various low levels on its own. Authority is effectively delegated. Delegated authority defines the personality of the worker. He is thus enthused, energised, and motivated because what he does he sees as his own achievement. In India, it is still at the conceptual stage. Top management pays lip service to delegation. (MSS) On the Value of High (i.e. "Over-) Population -Malthus warned the world two hundred years ago that the world would perish from over-population. It was prophetic and was true. At least from the beginnings of the 20th Century, Malthus was taken seriously in thought. In the post-war period, population was haunting the thought of the world. -Henri de Saint-Simon was a contemporary of sorts to Malthus. He said that the dread of growing population was true, but as the knowledge of the world too was growing, it would be able to manage any problem that arose. It requires a genius to envision that. It implies that the solution to any problem is embedded within it. -It was he who said that the golden age lies in the future, not in the past. (MSS) [India now sees the tremendous value of having a large population in that through the prosperity of its diverse population it can bring higher values, including spiritual values, in a myriad of way. -editor] Science, Technology, Scholarship, Education, Culture, and Spirit (top) Balancing Technology and Spirit in India Fritjof Capra is a professor of physics who has written extensively on the new approach called for in science. Indira Gandhi met him for fifty minutes, gave a patient hearing and asked him if he had any ideas for her to introduce modern technology without India losing her culture. He advised her to create a council as in USA that would advise her on the subject. Such a council with a strong sense of traditional culture, he said, would allow her to assess her options and her risks. It was an administrative suggestion. Prof. Capra thinks of science not from the traditional or classical viewpoint. His effort has been to integrate Eastern mysticism with Western science. He says he wishes to broaden the base of science and for that purpose he looks to Tao, Buddha, and Vedanta for inspiration. Indian scientists who have deep roots in spirituality are eminently fit to initiate such an inquiry. Indira's concern was limited to culture. She saw the value of technology as well as culture. She explained to Capra that she had seen the loss of Indian culture when technology entered the life of people. This patriotic question is of interest to me because the one destroys or at least dilutes the other. Can we have the benefit of both? My answer is that by national leadership in the field of Spirituality we can have both, not in the same form, but with appropriate modification. The real danger here is the temptation to choose the one or the other. That way we will become Westernised. Already the country is 30% Westernised. Westernisation will certainly destroy our culture as well as our spirituality. We accepted Western education, even after gaining Freedom, in its original form without any major effort to modify it to our conditions. Education is welcome, as technology is certainly welcome. It does not mean we should change our mind-set to theirs. Man is superior to technology. Man should USE technology for his work. He should not allow himself to be ruled by technology. Often people who have a lot of money are possessed by wealth. India should welcome technology and introduce it at all levels of life, as Indians would do, so that the basic cultural values of Indian life are preserved. Mind must be open to new developments and life should be flexible to enjoy new developments on the basis of old cultural as well as SPIRITUAL values. (MSS) Limitations & Potentials of Perceptions of Technology, Internet in India -Compare Indians using modern equipments such as Internet and Americans using the same. To them [Americans] they are products of their society. To us [Indians] they are products of use. The American can more readily take to those products and use them far better. [This is because Americans draw from the power of society]. Indians can learn this. -On the other hand, Indian can reach the higher planes of Mind far better than the American to whom such planes do not exist in his subtle atmosphere. (MSS, modified) The Scientist Availing the Theory of Creation which Knows Spirit Should the seeker be a scientist and wish to make an original contribution to the body of knowledge, pushing the frontiers of knowledge to celestial frontiers, he need not make fresh original discoveries. They await his availing of them, waiting for him to seek them. The Theory of creation has long ago solved the mystery Science is looking for. The world of scientists abroad is buried in the obsession they have created for themselves. When the Indian scientist invokes the Sprit, he will emerge into the Truths the world is waiting for. Mother India is lovingly offering her children a rare treasure. Will they acknowledge her abundant love and receive it? (MSS) India Can Mine Its "Spiritual Technology" India is sitting on the diamond mine of Spiritual potentials. She does not have the technology to mine the diamond and cut it into usable stones. The West is sitting on coal mines. Their mines have iron ore. They have the technology to process the ores. Sri Aurobindo has brought a mine of greater value which comes with its own technology. Modern products come to our markets with the knowledge of how to use them, as it is in the interest of trade to teach the customer the use of the product. (MSS) India's Spiritual Technology The West is creating an astonishing infinite material reality through science and technology, which is unfortunately marred by corresponding negative effects, due to her limited physical consciousness. She can however begin to emerge out of that limitation. All indications are that she can become the pioneer of the new consciousness and move out of her current limitations. India, on the other hand, can cultivate her ''spiritual technology"� to enable infinite benefit at all planes of human existence. From that position, her wisdom and spiritual truth, now applied to all facets of life, will attract the attention of the world, enabling her to finally fulfill her destined role as the Guru of the world. Indian Intelligence and Scholarship -The mental clarity of Indian ladies with little education and less experience far excels the American intelligence. -Talk to a Sanskrit scholar. If you know English lexicographers personally, then compare their comprehension. You will certainly be proud of India. Do you know Tamil scholars who are dedicated to the language? Sit with them, listen to their penetration. Nowhere in the world has scholarship gone to greater heights. (MSS) How Knowledge is Acquired in India -Academic organisation as known in the West is alien to the Indian genius. In India, the collective pursuit of a subject was unknown till Western type universities were founded. These universities have not struck roots in the Indian mental soil with the result real good work is scanty. -In India, pursuit of knowledge is given to the Individual. He has to play the role of a university of a wider community of scholars. None of his findings are recorded, but remembered. -Such a process eliminates the average intellect entering the field. -The Indian scholar's observation is mainly inside his own personality in the sense whatever external observation is there he tries to transfer it inside and translates it in terms of the inner. The absence of written records makes his memory superhuman. Incidentally, this is not the memory of facts observed, but memory of understanding. (MSS) Public Access to Knowledge -University teachers keeping important reference books of the department library for their own use and for those close to them used to be the custom. There were not many professors who would gladly part with the information, even to their own students. As far as possible, any information that one needed would be kept as a secret. The public came to know of essential information only by experience, which means they had very little access to information. The Internet is gradually making such information public, thus removing all social inhibitions, which spreads like a wet blanket all over social life. Truly, it is a revolution the world is undergoing. -The Prime Minister [of India] announced that the government is contemplating starting a Knowledge Commission. If this Commission can release ALL information that is now a close preserve of the social hierarchy and make it fully available to the public, a great step will have been taken. -A further step is needed by which the public should get into the habit of using the available knowledge for their personal benefit. Any beginning in this direction is of value. (MSS, extracted) Education Potential in India -In the last hundred years general education has moved in horizontal expansion and not in vertical growth of quality. On a scale of 1 to 1000 one hundred years has succeeded in moving education from point 7 to point 8, from memorisation to understanding. India, in view of the inner light, has the opportunity to jump to 80 from point 3 if only she links the present to the potential of the past heritage. If all the progressive schools in India, about 100 or 500 of them, UNDERSTAND the above truth, overnight they can devise a method for implementation. I can do it readily if anyone wants it. Should any school fulfil the prerequisites and need a syllabus for Spiritual education, it can be readily supplied. -To link the Spiritual heritage of India to Indian education is a stupendous task not attempted till now. (MSS) Inability of Indians to Think for Themselves; Need to Return to Original Spirit Above Thinking "In an article in Time magazine the author stated that Indian programmers/engineers though abundant and technically competent are at their best when taking directions from others; implying that they tend not to think for themselves" It is true. The Indians are trained NOT to think and that is why they are so. It is the majority. The original spirit is above thinking. Until the Indian reaches his original spirit of inquiry, he will fit this description. Symbolism Appreciated in India's Ancient Literature In India, symbolism* has been developed as a major vehicle of communication. Our ancient literature is full of it. Intellectuals are annoyed if an example is offered, as it is, at least in their opinion, an affront to their comprehension. Indians enjoy listening to an analogy. (MSS) [*particularly in their epics, and often addressing the meaning of life & spirit -- editor] India Rising Several weeks ago, I was very surprised to read that America's most famous film director Steven Spielberg had considered selling his film company DreamWorks to a Bollywood company. For me this was another sign of India rising, but perhaps not in the way we normally think of it. In recent years, I have taken a great interest in non-Hollywood films, and have really appreciated efforts from Iran, China, and now India. In 2007, I viewed many highly rated Indian and American films, and recently came to a startling conclusion: the top half dozen rated Indian films were preferable in my mind to the five nominees for best picture at the Oscars, which were Hollywood-based. Indian films like Water, Guru, Chak de! India, The Namesake, Gandhi My Father, Peck on the Cheek and others were very strong, if not excellent. When I thought about it further, it struck me that India has passed a threshold. They were not only rapidly becoming economic equals of the West, but cultural ones as well. Now there are those who will say that India already has a great culture, and that in fact recent developments in Bollywood cannot compare to the great music, dance, architecture, and other cultural forms of the country. However, I took these developments as first signs of the emergence of the spiritual culture of India. Why spiritual? Because the new spirituality begins by first embracing the modern notion of rational thought, and then moves upward from there to insight, illumination, and intuition. It culminates in the many sided, integral knowledge of any object or matter of inquiry. India through her prosperity is beginning to shed old superstitions and is embracing the modern thought processes of the West. It reflects in these fine Indian films, and then goes a step further by bringing out a subtle presence that resides in this Spiritual Land. Again, there are those who will point to the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita as the greatest of all spiritual wisdom ever devised, and I would not disagree, but the current spiritual emergence is something quite different, having a different character. It adds evolution to the equation. India through her prosperity is emerging into a new mentality that is the first step to a spirituality that embraces the progressive, evolutionary movements of life. That mentality expresses in these very fine Indian films, and then suggest something more, some unique Indian quality that has yet to emerge. For me it is the progressive unfolding of spirit in the details of life; a hallmark of the emergence of the spiritual individual and the next stage of life on earth.   Post Comment