Introduction

Sri Aurobindo's writings, which address in a comprehensive and intricate fashion the most complex problems of human existence, extend to more than 35 volumes. In the space allotted here, it is hardly possible to provide more than a few brief comments on some of the key principles. Furthermore, the aim here is to touch on the breadth of his work, which extends into a number of fields. Thus, for each of the fields addressed, only a few key ideas can be introduced in the barest of fashion. It is hoped that the ideas so presented – ideas which in their fullness and essence are among the most interesting, original, and powerful that have been advanced anywhere – may be sufficient to stimulate in the reader an impetus for further study.

Integral Philosophy and Metaphysics

In The Life Divine, a metaphysical treatise of more than 1000 pages, Sri Aurobindo, sets forth his spiritual philosophy in exquisite detail, considering and analyzing every component, raising and answering every conceivable objection, and culminating in a powerful, hopeful, and profound message for humanity's future. A central tenet of his philosophy, one that contributes to its fundamental importance and value, is that the Truth of existence is an omnipresent Reality that both transcends the manifested universe and is inherent in it. This Reality, referred to as Brahman, is an Absolute: it is not limited by any mental conception or duality, whether personal or impersonal, existent or nonexistent, formless or manifested in form, timeless or extended in time, spaceless or extended in space. It is simultaneously all of these but is bound by none of them. It is at once the universe, each individual being and thing in the universe, and the Transcendent beyond the universe. In its highest manifested poise, its nature may be described as Sachchidananda— infinite existence, infinite consciousness, and infinite delight or bliss—a triune principle in which the three are united in a single Reality. That is, it is a fully conscious and blissful infinite existence. The importance of this concept for humanity lies in its implication that Brahman is our deepest and secret Reality, it is our true Self, and it is possible to recover this Reality of our being by removing the veil of ignorance that hides it from us and imprisons us in a false identification with an apparently divided and limited egoistic movement on the surface of our being. This is the metaphysical basis for Sri Aurobindo's yoga, the discipline given to consciously unite our phenomenal existence and life with our essential Reality.

How has the absolute Brahman, Sachchidananda, become what we see here around us—this world of inconscient matter, struggling life, ignorance, limitation, conflict, suffering, death, and evil? First, we should see that the Absolute is not bound—not bound to its infinite existence, not bound to its infinite consciousness and the force inherent in that consciousness, not bound to its infinite bliss. Second, we should see that by definition it is capable of manifesting within its absolute existence innumerable limited, and even distorted and contrary forms of its being. Third, we should see that an infinitely extended, infinitely diverse manifestation, replete with objects and beings ranging from the most unconscious, the most vile, to the most conscious, the most beautiful, the most divine, would be perfectly consistent with an existence that was Absolute.

But how does it do this? Through what Sri Aurobindo describes as the principle of exclusive concentration. This principle is best explained through the example of our own ability to narrow our conscious awareness on a particular idea or perception, putting behind in the background of our focused awareness the rest of our conscious existence. When an author concentrates in writing her story—developing the characters, the scene, the action—her own personal identity becomes for the moment lost to her conscious awareness. Her consciousness enters into the story and identifies with it. She does not cease to be what she is or lose her knowledge of her identity, but practically her awareness is narrowed and identified at a point. This ability to focus awareness and put into the background all else is inherent in consciousness. It is through a similar process that the One and Infinite Being becomes the many, apparently separate, individual beings and things we see manifested in the universe. The separation is in appearance only, for in truth all individuals are constituted by the One, are That in their Reality, for there is nothing outside the Absolute. They are forms and appearances of its Being, expressions of its Consciousness, movements of its Delight.

According to Sri Aurobindo, for our world in particular—there are other worlds that follow a different process—there is taking place a gradual awakening of consciousness over time, an evolution of consciousness. Through its principle of exclusive concentration, the One became matter, losing all conscious awareness in the form of inanimate matter. From this base it is progressively awakening through the life of the plant, the beginnings of mind in the animal, the full emergence of mind in humanity, and is now stirring to awaken fully through the emergence of a greater consciousness than mind, the Supermind, in which the fullness of the undivided consciousness and infinite delight of the One will be manifest in individualities embodied here on earth. This evolution of consciousness, from the worm to the god, is the central process, aim, and significance of our existence.

There is the further question of why the Absolute would manifest in this way, and particularly why pain, suffering, evil would be allowed to exist. For there is no shifting of responsibility possible here, there is nothing or no one outside the Absolute. It is a complex problem and there are various sides to the answer that Sri Aurobindo provides; here it is possible only to suggest the outlines of the solution. One point that should not be overlooked is that it is the Brahman who thus suffers, it is not imposed on someone or something outside the Brahman. A second point is that limitation and ignorance are inherent consequences of the plunge of the Absolute consciousness into the inconscience and its slow evolutionary awakening—pain, suffering, and evil developed as consequences or corollaries of limitation and ignorance. A third point is that while pain, suffering, and evil are abhorrent to our limited ethical sensibilities, they also may serve a purpose in the larger scheme of the evolutionary process. That is, they may be the spurs needed to drive a dense and ignorant emerging consciousness towards its own fullness and ultimate release into the infinite and eternal, into the truth and delight of the divine existence. Furthermore, the end of the process, hidden from our narrow view, of a divine existence on earth, may carry within it the justification for the hard conditions of its gradual manifestation in time.

Integral Yoga Psychology

In The Synthesis of Yoga, and in his voluminous correspondence with his disciples collected under the title Letters on Yoga, Sri Aurobindo laid out the psychological principles and practices of the Integral Yoga. The aim of the yoga is to enable the individual who undertakes it to attain conscious identity with the One Reality, the Self, and to transform the mind, life, and body so they would become fit instruments for a divine life on earth. This spiritual discipline is long and difficult and is not meant for everyone; to achieve its ultimate aims requires an entire devotion of one's life to it.

The Integral Yoga utilizes various yogic practices of India's cultural heritage and synthesizes them with its own unique methods, however, there is no one set method or practice that its practitioners follow. Certain broad guidelines have been provided, several basic approaches have been described, and many specific practices and techniques have been suggested. But for each individual who undertakes this discipline, the specific path will differ. The reasons for this are twofold. The first is that the goals of this yoga can be achieved only through the guidance and power and action of the Divine Mother, the Consciousness and Force of the Supreme. The Divine Mother uses many methods and the circumstances of life flexibly with a wisdom and subtle precision impossible in a rigid programme. The second reason is that each individual presents unique characteristics, possibilities, and obstacles that can only be taken into account by the Divine Consciousness that sees and holds all things in its total regard.

The central guiding principle of this yoga is a complete surrender to the Divine Mother. It is the Mother alone who can transform and divinise our ignorant, stumbling human consciousness and life. Elaborating on this central principle, Sri Aurobindo has characterized the discipline to be followed as a “triple labor of aspiration, rejection, and surrender.” Aspiration means the sustained call of the individual to the Supreme to take possession of the ego-centered and limited surface being. Rejection involves separating oneself and withdrawing from all wrong movements that contradict or conflict with the aims of the yoga. Together, the force of aspiration and the rejection of the obstacles in the nature work to effect a sincere and true surrender of all the parts of the being to the Divine Power. In proportion to the completeness of this surrender, the individual will feel the Divine taking up the being and working in it, substituting and pouring into it its own higher powers of peace, wisdom, harmony, force, beauty, and delight.

There are several basic approaches within which these three practices may be embedded or with which they may be harmonized. The first of these approaches is the yoga of works, and here works has a broad significance that includes all one's actions external and internal. Its central character is that all one's actions are to be done as an offering to the Divine and no longer for the personal satisfaction of the ego or even for the benefit of a greater social purpose. Through this offering—which progressively must expand to the extent that this remembrance of the Divine and inner self-offering become the constant state of the being—the inner contact with the Divine grows increasingly close and entire. As this inner communion develops, one's actions begin to be felt as being originated, guided, inspired, and even executed by the Divine, eventually one feels oneself simply to be a pure channel for the outflow of a divine action.

The second approach is the yoga of knowledge. Here the central process is a drawing back of the true divine Self from its false identification with the limited personal ego, as well as a drawing back from identification with the superficial movements of mind, and life, and body. Here Sri Aurobindo capitalizes on a fundamental distinction in our conscious existence, that between the conscious, witnessing being or spirit, the Purusha, and the workings of the nature, Prakriti. In this approach, the Purusha disengages itself first from the body, observing its workings silently as a witness but not identifying with them. Subsequently, the Purusha separates itself in a similar manner from the action of the life-energy and the mind. After this separation of the Purusha from the Prakriti has been achieved, there remains a vague, elusive sense of “I,” an essential ego-sense. This sense of “I” also must be eliminated through a constant denial of its fundamental reality, and through a “constant fixing of the thought on the idea of the One and Infinite in itself or the One and Infinite everywhere.” These processes change first the mental outlook on oneself, which in turn deepens into a spiritual realisation in the substance of the being.

A third approach to the Divine is through the yoga of love and devotion. Here it is the emotional nature that is to be turned entirely towards the Divine Being in a movement of devotion, love, and self-giving. The Supreme is not only an impersonal abstraction or state of existence, but is capable of varied relations with its conscious individualities manifested in the infinity of its being. The Supreme can be viewed and approached as the Master of our existence, as our Father, Mother, Friend, Guide, Lover. The heart of this approach is the progressive development of a personal relation or relations with the Divine, in which the Divine is brought into close and frequent relation, gradually developing into a constant and increasingly intense and intimate relation. The crown of this movement is the delight of conscious union with the Supreme Beloved.

A fourth approach is through what Sri Aurobindo has called the yoga of self-perfection. This approach has elements in common with the others, because to perfect the nature it is necessary to disengage the Self from the ego and the outer nature, and to become receptive to the action of the Divine Mother who alone can effect this change. The first need is to purify the various parts of the mental, vital, and physical nature. Each part has a particular function in the overall expression of the spirit in the outer nature. Ordinarily, however, the various parts of the nature do not keep to their proper role, but become intermixed and confused with the others. Purification is to become aware of the complex elements of the nature, and to put this confused action into order. In addition, the various elements of the being must be developed and uplifted beyond their ordinary action and abilities and raised to their highest possibilities. As part of this elevation, the yoga of self-perfection includes in its scope the development of the higher reaches of the mind beyond the intellect—the higher mind, illumined mind, intuition, and Overmind. As the consciousness successively ascends to each higher level, their greater lights and powers are brought down to enlighten and change the lower nature. Ascending beyond even the Overmind, one enters the supramental consciousness, an entirely divine consciousness and omnipotent force, which alone can entirely transform and perfect the outer nature.

These four basic approaches constitute the main lines of spiritual discipline of the Integral Yoga. Each of the four feeds into the others and assists in their development and perfection. Depending on the individual, one or another approach may be emphasized in the beginning, but eventually all are developed so as to include all the parts of the nature in the inner realisation and the outer transformation of the being. For the principle of the Integral Yoga is that all the parts of the nature participate in the Divine Consciousness and Delight and express this divinity in a transformed outer life.

Psychology of Social Development

Sri Aurobindo's spiritual vision extends beyond the perfection and transformation of the individual; it includes in its scope the evolution and transformation of human society. In both the individual and in the society, the soul and spirit is at first hidden and occult, influencing the direction and course of development from behind, but allowing nature to follow its gradual, zigzagging, and conflict-ridden course. Afterwards, as mind develops and becomes more and more dominant over the obscure impulses and ego-centered drives of the vital nature, a clearer, more objective and enlightened perception and approach towards human existence and development become possible. At some highest stage of mental development, there comes into view a greater possibility and principle that is spiritual and supramental in nature, and it is at this point that a true solution to humanity's persistent problems becomes visible in the context of a greater and more radical transformation of human life into a divine living.

In The Human Cycle, Sri Aurobindo describes the stages of development of human society, illustrating with a perceptive analysis of historical and political developments and trends, and he outlines the ideal society towards which it is moving. Starting from Lamprecht's theory that societies pass through several distinct psychological stages of development—symbolic, typal and conventional, individualist, and subjective—Sri Aurobindo expresses his view of historical and sociological development in the light of his theory of spiritual evolution. After taking a passing glance at the symbolic, typal, and conventional stages in Indian and European history, Sri Aurobindo focuses on the individualistic and dawning subjective stages of modern societies, and presents a more detailed picture of a future spiritual stage in which all the others find their meaning and towards which they unconsciously move.

The symbolic stage is illustrated by the ancient Vedic age, in which “the religious institution of sacrifice governs the whole society and all its hours and moments, and the ritual of the sacrifice is at every turn and in every detail, as even a cursory study of the Brahmanas and Upanishads ought to show us, mystically symbolic.” The typal stage is characterized by a dominance of psychological and ethical concerns and motives, and all else, including the spiritual and religious, become subordinated to these. In Indian society, it was best expressed in the ideal and concept of Dharma, the upholding of tradition and the fulfillment of one's social position and responsibility. In the conventional stage, the outward expressions of the ideal begin to overshadow the ideal itself, such that customs, outward signs and symbols become ends in themselves, and their inner spirit and significance begin to become eclipsed. In its early phase, the spirit and inner significance of the social institutions still live and thrive within the well-developed structures, but afterwards the institutions become more and more formalized and artificial, and their inner purpose and significance become obscured. In Indian society, this is illustrated with the growing rigidity of the caste system in which the society was organized, with its increasing emphasis on custom, heredity, and ritual.

Sri Aurobindo explains that “the individualistic age of human society comes as a result of the corruption and failure of the conventional, as a revolt against the reign of the petrified typal figure.” He illustrates the occurrence of this stage in Europe beginning with its revolt of reason against the Church and fixed authority and its continuation and blossoming with the growth of scientific inquiry. Through science, a new basis of principles and laws could be discovered and established that were open to scrutiny and logical analysis and reasoning. There were also established the democratic ideals that all individuals had the right to develop to the full stature of their capabilities, and that the individual was not simply a social unit with a social function, but also had unique individual needs, possibilities, and tendencies which should be allowed freedom and opportunity for development. As a part of the revolt against traditional authority, there developed in some regions another intellectual philosophy and political movement, apparently in contradiction to individualism, of the supremacy of the society as a whole over the individual. Sri Aurobindo also analyses the strengths and limitations of this viewpoint, and its relations and opposition to the democratic ideal.

The subjective age comes as an outgrowth of the individualistic and rational questioning of the conventional institutions and structures of society. The individualistic age culminates in a new intellectual foundation and development in all the spheres of life, but this rational view of the world and the self can only go so far, it cannot reach into the depths of the being. Nevertheless, its questioning spirit, its search for truth leads it beyond its own capabilities, leads it to search for a deeper foundation and a more complete understanding of the mysteries and subtleties of self and world. The subjective age begins when society begins to search for the deeper truths of its existence below the surfaces which the reason has explored and explained in an ordered, but limited sense. Examples of this tendency already apparent include, in education, to begin to understand the psychology of the growing child and to base systems of teaching upon this basis; in criminal justice, to begin to understand the psychology of the criminal, and to strive to educate and rehabilitate rather than simply punish or isolate; in societies and groupings of people, to regard them as living and growing organisms with their own soul and inner tendencies, which must be fostered, developed, and perfected.

The subjective age, with its inward turn towards the essential truth of the self and of things, opens the possibility of a true spiritual age. The subjective age could conceivably stop short of becoming spiritual. A true spiritual age will come only if the idea becomes strong in the intellectual life of humanity that the Spirit is the true Reality standing behind our physical existence, and that to realise the Spirit and express it outwardly in mental, vital, and physical terms is the real meaning and aim of human existence. There is a deeper spiritual Reality that is the true Self of both the individual and the society, and it is only by identifying ourselves with it, rather than the limited and superficial individual or social ego, that the individual and social existence find their true center and their proper relation with one another. Therefore, in a spiritual age, society would “make the revealing and finding of the divine Self in man the whole first aim of all its activities, its education, its knowledge, its science, its ethics, its art, its economical and political structure.”

India's Spirit and Form

In The Foundations of Indian Culture, Sri Aurobindo examines the nature of Indian civilization and culture, its central motivating tendencies, and how these are expressed in its religion and spirituality, its art, literature, and politics. The first section of the book provides a general defense of Indian culture from disparaging criticism due to the misunderstanding of a foreign perspective, and its possible destruction due to the aggressive expansion and infiltration of Western culture. This section is interesting in the light it sheds on the nature of both Eastern and Western civilizations, how they have developed over the centuries, how they have influenced each other throughout the ages, and the nature and significance of these exchanges in the recent period. The principle tenet of the exposition is that India has been and is one of the greatest civilizations of the world, one that stands apart from all others in its central emphasis, or rather its whole foundation, based on spirituality, and that on its survival depends the future of the human race— whether it shall be a spiritual outflowering of the divine in man, or a rational, economically-driven, and mechanized association of peoples.

After an overall view of the culture, we are taken on a more detailed tour of each of the primary components of Indian culture, beginning with its religion and spirituality, the heart and soul of Indian culture, and the basis for all its various manifestations. Sri Aurobindo quickly takes the reader to the core of the matter:

"The fundamental idea of all Indian religion is one common to the highest human thinking everywhere. The supreme truth of all that is is a Being or an existence beyond the mental and physical appearances we contact here. Beyond mind, life and body there is a Spirit and Self containing all that is finite and infinite, surpassing all that is relative, a supreme Absolute, originating and supporting all that is transient, a one Eternal... This Truth was to be lived and even to be made the governing idea of thought and life and action... All life and thought are in the end a means of progress towards self-realisation and God-realisation." (p. 125)

But Sri Aurobindo does not simply reveal the essence of Indian religion and spirituality, he sets this in the context of its religious and spiritual traditions, examines its development through the ages, and puts it into relief and contrast with European religion. We are shown how the spiritual essence was already present in the Vedas, the world's oldest spiritual scriptures, though much of these sacred teachings were couched in a veiled symbolic language accessible only to the initiate. Subsequently, the Upanishads revealed the same essential teachings to the masses in a philosophical language, and still later, the various multifaceted spiritual approaches to the Infinite were developed in epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, with the core spiritual teaching placed in the latter's episode of the Bhagavad Gita, as well as through many other religious movements and spiritual teachings. Of these important spiritual scriptures, many of which were translated and interpreted by Sri Aurobindo in other major works, we shall have more to say later. In the present section, while touching on the central messages and importance of these scriptures, the primary focus is on how these various developments influenced Indian culture and shaped its life and institutions.

Sri Aurobindo next examines the nature and qualities of Indian art, concentrating on its architecture, sculpture, and painting. His focus is on revealing the essence of Indian art, its foundation in spirituality, its rich complexity, its depiction and expression of the Divine and the inner worlds and the soul of mankind. As he puts it, “Indian architecture, painting, sculpture are not only intimately one in inspiration with the central things in Indian philosophy, religion, Yoga, culture, but a specially intense expression of their significance... They have been very largely a hieratic aesthetic script of India's spiritual, contemplative and religious experience.” Sri Aurobindo reveals an extraordinary knowledge and appreciation of Indian art. At the same time, he is sensitive to cultural differences in understanding and appreciation, and is carefully instructive in considering the differences in European and Indian art, and in the aesthetic sensibilities that are likely to arise from these differences. As a result, this section gives the Western reader the essential keys to enter into a deeper appreciation of Indian art, while giving the Indian, who may be influenced more or less strongly by Western cultural pressures, a better understanding and firmer confidence in India's artistic traditions.

In the chapters on Indian literature, we are shown again the fundamental spiritual basis of Indian culture, as the earliest and greatest formative works of Indian literature are spiritual and religious. We are given introductions to the Vedas, the Upanishads, the great Epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, the later classical age of ancient literature including the poetry of Kalidasa, various philosophical writings of the middle ages, the religious poetry of the Puranas, the yogic and spiritual texts of the Tantras, Vaishnava poetry, and others. Here we are given only a taste of the spiritual substance of this sacred literature and some appreciation of the tremendous influence it had upon the development of Indian spirituality and culture. Sri Aurobindo further developed his exposition of the most important spiritual texts — Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita (an episode in the Mahabharata) — in separate books: The Secret of the Veda, Hymns to the Mystic Fire, The Upanishads, and Essays on the Gita. In The Foundations of Indian Culture we are given a wonderful overview of this literature, enabling the reader to appreciate the nature of each body of work while at the same achieving a sense of the overall breadth and the development over time of the literature as a whole.

Sri Aurobindo also examines the Indian polity, the development of India's administrative and governing structures set in their historical context. Here as in the other aspects of Indian culture, we find a fundamental basis in spirituality, and a sophisticated, intuitive, and humane development. We are shown in considerable detail and with an obvious mastery of facts, the arrangement and workings of the governing structures from ancient times to the present. A central tenet of the system was its focus on the upholding of Dharma, the duty and right rule of action for individuals of varying positions in the society, including the king. The governing structures developed organically, from the extended family, to the clan and villages, to associations among smaller grouping, to larger grouping within kingdoms. Power and legislative authority was distributed throughout the system, and included civic and general assemblies that represented a cross-section of the peoples. The monarch was in effect a constitutional monarch that could be removed due to mismanagement or abuse of power through the assemblies. We are shown how the system eventually broke down under foreign invasion and influence. We are led to the admission that in an important sense the political system failed in that it was unable to achieve a unity of the all the Indian subcontinent, a difficult endeavor in any case, nor could it sufficiently protect its peoples from foreign military invasion and subjugation. Interestingly, this is ascribed in part to the inner and spiritual basis of Indian culture and polity, which is inconsistent with a superimposed, artificial administrative structure, which would have been easier to establish. This inner basis of India's unity, reflected most directly in her spirituality and religion but also in the other fields of culture, has remained intact throughout the millennia, despite India's frequent and enduring foreign occupations.

Literature of the Future

Sri Aurobindo's genius was such that not only could he express his tremendous spiritual thought and vision in exceptionally intricate metaphysical reasoning, in rich and subtlely perceptive psychological terms, but also in the most profound and beautiful poetry. We have seen the field of his thought and vision was very broad and included the history and development of human civilization and especially the role and importance of Indian culture in that development. But it is perhaps in Sri Aurobindo's theory of poetry, written under the title The Future Poetry, that we can best appreciate the importance he attached to art and culture for the significance it has for the spiritual evolution of mankind. He foresaw that a new, deep, and intuitive poetry could be a powerful aid to the change of consciousness and the life required to achieve the great spiritual destiny of mankind that he foresaw, because unlike philosophy or psychology it could make the reality of the Spirit living to the imagination and reveal its beauty and delight and captivate the deeper soul of humanity to its acceptance. And it is perhaps in Sri Aurobindo's poetry itself, particularly in his epic poem Savitri, that we find the fullest and most powerful statement of his spiritual thought and vision.

Consistent with his spiritual vision and the tremendous coherence of the many-sidedness of his work, Sri Aurobindo's ideal of poetry is the mantra, an outflow and direct expression of the Divine Reality. He suggests that true poetry is a creation of neither the intelligence nor the imagination, but rather it is a creation of the soul. At the same time, the true recipient and, let us say, true target of poetry is neither the intelligence, the emotions, nor the vital nature, but rather again it is the soul of the listener. The intelligence, imagination, emotions, and vital nature are instruments of the soul and thus may shape or color the poetry, Sri Aurobindo says, but “the more rapidly and transparently [they] do their work of transmission, the less they make of their separate claim to satisfaction, the more directly the work reaches the sinks deep into the soul, the greater the poetry.”

While he grants an indispensable place for technique in poetry and discusses it in some detail, he gives it a secondary place quite subordinate to the poetic inspiration. He says of all the arts, technique is perhaps least important in poetry. He explains that this is because the instrument of poetry, the rhythmic word, is more full of subtle and immaterial elements than the instruments of other arts; it is more complex, flexible, variously suggestive, and has more possibilities in many directions.

In The Future Poetry, Sri Aurobindo analyzes the development of English poetry, indicates the significance and direction of its drift, and then traces the lines of its future development. Sri Aurobindo indicated that the poetry of the future would embody a harmony of five eternal powers: Truth, Beauty, Delight, Life and the Spirit. The Truth that the future poetry will embody is not simply the limited truth of the outward life and nature, nor the truth of reason, philosophy, or science. Truth, says Sri Aurobindo, “is the very face of Infinity and Aditi herself, the illimitable mother of all the gods.” In a revealing passage he says, “its field is all soul experience, its appeal is to the aesthetic response of the soul to all that touches it in self or world; it is one of the high and beautiful powers of our inner and may be a power of our inmost life. All of the infinite Truth of being that can be made part of that life, all that can be made true and beautiful and living to that experience, is poetic truth and a fit subject matter of poetry.”

Just as poetry is concerned with the infinite truth, it is concerned with the infinite life of the spirit in its many creations. It is concerned more with the inner life than the outer, though outer circumstances, the objective world can be a means or a vehicle to contact or express that deeper inner life. It is a deeper and wider life that the future poetry will express and open for us, a life not imprisoned in the moment and the immediate act, but a life which has the background of eternity and the act which carries within it an eternal peace and the momentum of a universal power.

Even more essential to the future poetry are Delight and Beauty. Sri Aurobindo says that “delight is the soul of existence,” and “beauty is the concentrated form of delight.” Behind all things, whatever their appearance to the surface mind, there is an intrinsic spiritual delight and beauty. This bliss inherent in all existence is called Ananda, and it is this deeper delight and beauty in the essence of things that moves the poet and finds expression through poetry.

Sri Aurobindo foresaw and worked to secure of a great spiritual destiny for humanity. The future poetry will be inspired by and express this greater spiritual consciousness and life. The spirituality that it could thus reveal and inspire in mankind is the view of existence as a progressive manifestation of the Divine in the universe and mankind's life as a field for a possible transformation into a new and perfected and divinised life. It would help open humanity to its deepest soul, to the higher levels of mind and spirit and to the vastness of the cosmic consciousness. It would show a solution and way of deliverance for humanity from its vital unrest and mental questioning by the uplifting strength of the Spirit within and its supporting calmness and power of knowledge and mastery. It would reveal the unity of the self with other conscious beings in Nature, the soul and life of the plant and animal, the soul and life of things that seem inert. It would reveal to mankind the meaning of existence, express the universal delight and beauty and power of a higher life, and the infinite potentialities of our future existence.

We find in Savitri, Sri Aurobindo's epic poem in blank verse of about 24,000 lines, the perfect expression of the future poetry that he described, predicted and strived to realize. Based on a tale from the Mahabharata of love conquering death, Savitri describes in vivid detail and grand proportions the nature and significance of existence, the secret worlds and inner experiences of a master Yogi, the many layers and levels of human and cosmic consciousness, the demonic and the divine, the reason of suffering and the way out. It is here that we can see and feel the potent truths that are described so intricately and exhaustively in Sri Aurobindo's prose works. It is here that we sense concretely the deeper Reality that lies hidden within us all.

Integral Education

The thought and vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother was focused on the divinisation of man. It aimed at a transformation of our human existence with its ignorance and suffering into a divine life united inwardly with the Supreme and expressing outwardly that greater, infinite existence in a transformed mind, life and body. Their aim was not only that this change would be made in a select number of individuals, but that a new divine principle of being and consciousness, the supramental consciousness, would be active in the earth consciousness and working towards its transformation. They envisioned that this consciousness would be accessible to all those in humanity that could open and become receptive to its influence and power. In this wider aim of the general uplifting of humanity towards its divine possibilities and transformation, education has an important role, because the early years of life are so important in the formation of the character and instrumental nature, and because a poor or misguided education can be so destructive of the actualization of an individual's divine potentialities.

Although this area of their thought and vision was less developed or articulated than some other areas, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother did establish various guiding principles for a new form of education, which became known as the Free Progress System, and the Mother established a school that was based on these principles. In addition, we can find in their writings and talks many other guidelines and suggestions that can be readily applied in the educational setting. This educational approach can also be informed and developed by integrating it with other foundational writings such as those in Integral Yoga Psychology, and with alternative educational methods with which it is in affinity, such as the Montessori method. Other thinkers and writers following Sri Aurobindo's and Mother's approaches also have made advances in the consolidation and development of integral education. In many ways, and due in part to its applied nature, this area of study is most readily accessible to further research and development.

Sri Aurobindo outlined three fundamental principles of integral education. The first is that “nothing can be taught.” He indicated that the proper role of the educator is not to instruct or to impart knowledge to the pupil, but rather to help and guide the student in acquiring knowledge for himself or herself. The educator's role is to suggest and to encourage the pupil in the quest for knowledge, and to assist the learner in finding it. The true knowledge comes from within, it is not supplied in the form of information from outside. The provision of outside resources and a stimulating and enriching environment is useful in that they may help to awaken the individual to potentialities that are hidden within, while at the same providing materials and a field of experience with which to manifest these latent possibilities. But the choice of these materials, the manner and timing in which they are utilized by the learner, must be determined according to nature and rhythm of inner development and awakening of the individual student.

The second principle is related to the first. It is that “the mind has to be consulted in its own growth.” This means, again, not to impose knowledge on the pupil, nor to arrange for the student to develop particular qualities, capacities, ideas, or a prearranged career. Each individual has a unique dharma, a particular Divine-given talent and duty, and it is the educator's responsibility to help the student identify these innate interests, predispositions, and abilities and to develop and perfect them. To externally impose some arbitrary set of ideas, capacities, or qualities determined by others is to deflect the individual from his or her natural developmental trajectory, to separate and estrange the person from their own soul, and to lead the individual in wrong directions and hamper and cut short the potentialities of the life.

The third principle is “to work from the near to the far.” This principle pertains to the basic observation that in addition to the importance of the soul and its past development in shaping the individual nature, other factors such as heredity, the immediate surroundings in which one lives and breathes, one's nationality and ethnic customs, the country in which one lives, all play important roles in the development of the outer nature. Educationists should use these material, work in the individual's own context, allow the individual's roots in this native soil to grow strong and develop. When this basis is securely established, it is easier and safer for the individual to reach out and expand the circle of these first established moorings. But this principle may be applied to various levels of development, not only the physical and cultural milieu. In general, the individual must be guided from what is known, what is accomplished and secure, to further extensions of knowledge and ability that lie within reach but are as yet unrealized or undeveloped.

The Mother also established basic guidelines for integral education, as well as a wealth of practical advice and suggestions. She indicated that a complete education must include five aspects that correspond to five fundamental aspects of the human being— the physical, the vital, the mental, the psychic, and the spiritual—and provided a sound basis of knowledge for the proper and full development of each of these domains. Here we provide a few of her guiding principles and suggestions in each area.

She indicated that the education of the body should begin at birth and continue throughout the life. In the education of the physical consciousness, method, order, and discipline become paramount. The early development of sound habits, consciously cultivated and controlled, yet supple and adaptive to circumstances, is important for a full and effective manifestation of the possibilities of the nature. All the parts of the nature are intertwined, and the divine possibilities of the nature, as well as the mind and vital, each require a sound body for their full manifestation. Habits of proper eating, rest, hygiene should be developed early. Also required is “a total, methodical and harmonious development of all the parts and movements of the body.”

The Mother indicated that the education of the vital is very important, but there is much confusion about how go about it. She also said that it is very difficult and therefore requires a great deal of patience and persistence. She indicated it has two aspects: “The first is to develop and utilize the sense organs, the second is to become conscious and gradually master of one's character and in the end to achieve its transformation.” She said that the development of the sense organs should continue throughout life, and they can be cultivated to achieve a much greater precision and power than generally believed. For example, she indicated it is possible to widen the physical consciousness and project it out of oneself so that the senses could operate at a great distance from the physical body. In addition there are other senses that can be cultivated such as the aesthetic sense, the sense of beauty and harmony. Regarding the gaining of conscious awareness and mastery over the vital, the Mother indicated that this should begin at an early age with the child being taught to observe his or her reactions, impulses, desires, and their causes. In addition, there must be instilled in the child a will towards progress and perfection, towards the mastery of these movements. It is then a matter of proceeding towards this mastery with strictness and persistence, through the exertion of effort and application, which in turn strengthens the power of the will.

Vision of the Future

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have given to humanity a great vision for the future. This vision includes the appearance of what we may a call a new species, the supramental being, a divine being which would be as different and superior to mankind as mankind is to the animal. It would have a consciousness different in kind than the mind of man, a different status and quality and functioning. Even the physical form of this being would be different than that of humanity, more luminous and flexible and adaptable, entirely conscious and harmonious. Between this supramental being and humanity, there would be transitional beings, who would be human in birth and form, but whose consciousness would approach that of the supramental being. These transitional beings would appear prior to that of the full supramental being, and would constitute an intermediate stage in the earth evolution, through which the soul would pass in its growth towards its divine manifestation as the supramental being in the earth nature.

Thus, one important part of Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's future vision is the elucidation of the transitional being and the supramental being. Although in their writings one finds it frequently mentioned that the supramental consciousness is impossible to describe in mental terms, they have nevertheless provided very good indications of its general nature and capacities. These have been described at length in The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, The Supramental Manifestation Upon Earth, Savitri, and Mother's Agenda. The descriptions made of the nature of the transitional and supramental beings are dazzling, high above any ordinary conception of human possibility. We may give as an example, which touches upon a defining characteristic, this sentence from Sri Aurobindo's chapter “The Gnostic Being” in The Life Divine: “A complete self-knowledge in all things and at all moments is the gift of the supramental gnosis and with it a complete self-mastery, not merely in the sense of control of Nature but in the sense of a power of perfect self-expression in Nature.”

Another interesting aspect of the vision is the manner and sequence of processes through which the supramental being will make its appearance in the earth nature. Again, these processes were not specified in exact detail, and in many cases they were presented as possibilities or probabilities rather than as certainties, but Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have been given very interesting suggestions and outlines of the scenario. Sri Aurobindo indicates that “there will be established on earth a gnostic Consciousness and Power which will shape a race of gnostic spiritual beings and take up into itself all of earth-nature that is ready for this new transformation. It will also receive into itself from above, progressively, from its own domain of perfect light and power and beauty all that is ready to descend from that domain into the terrestrial being.” He further indicates that “The creation of a supramental being, nature, life on earth, will not be the sole result of this evolution; it will also carry with it the consummation of the steps that have led up to it; for it will confirm in possession of terrestrial birth the Overmind, the Intuition and the other gradations of the spiritual nature-force and establish a race of gnostic beings and a hierarchy, a shining ladder of ascending degrees and successive constituent formations of the gnostic light and power in earth nature.” In other words, there would be established ascending levels of transitional beings, manifesting the levels of consciousness and expressive nature intermediate between the ordinary human and the supramental levels.

Sri Aurobindo indicates that even all of nature might be affected by the appearance of the supramental light and force:

A dominant principle of harmony would impose itself on the life of the Ignorance; the discord, the blind seeking, the clash of struggle, the abnormal vicissitudes of exaggeration and depression and unsteady balance of the unseeing forces at work in their mixture and conflict, would feel the influence and yield place to a more orderly pace and harmonic steps of the development of being, a more revealing arrangement of progressing life and consciousness, a better life-order. A freer play of intuition and sympathy and understanding would enter into human life, a clearer sense of the truth of self and things and a more enlightened dealing with the opportunities and difficulties of existence.

So far we have touched on the nature of the supramental being and the process of its emergence, and in the passage quoted above there is the further suggestion of the wider consequences of the supramental change, a harmonization of the conflict-ridden, difficult evolution and progression of humanity in general. This broader view of the future development of human society and world culture is another important aspect of Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's future vision. In an earlier section of this overview, on Sri Aurobindo's social and political thought, we have mentioned the various stages of the development of human society, the nature of the subjective age that is beginning, and the possibilities of a spiritual age. Now again we return to this vision of a spiritualised society, the dominance of the spiritual aim in world culture.

It is in the acceptance of the spiritual ideal and a sincere turning of the being towards its manifestation—first by individuals, then by “a great number of individuals,” and finally by the community—that marks the advent of the spiritual age. This turn must start with individuals, only afterwards can it become established more generally in the social order. But this turn towards the spirit and soul as the effective leader and master of the mind, life, and physical existence must be true and sincere, there must be a genuine shift from the mental and vital ego to the divine. This true change of standpoint from the ego to the spirit is difficult to establish even in the individual, for the society, for the mass of humanity, it is an even greater difficulty. As this change becomes effectively realised first in individuals, through them it must be powerfully communicated to the society as a whole as an uplifting ideal, not something that is imposed. Then gradually it will become accepted and assimilated into segments of the society, and from there permeate throughout the society and become generalized. The signs of this turning in the society would become evident in all its aims and activities and institutions. It “would make the revealing and finding of the divine Self in man the whole first aim of all its activities, its education, its knowledge, its science, its ethics, its art, its economical and political structure... It would embrace all knowledge in its scope, but would make the whole trend and aim and the permeating spirit not mere worldly efficiency, but this self-developing and self-finding.”

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