With great humility that we are children in this sadhana, let us explore this quote of The Mother in Mother’s Agenda. The image indicates Her experience. Just before we begin our meditation let us read this quote and allow what comes naturally to unfold. We can request the Divine Mother to teach us this sadhana in Her own choice and our pace possible.
“This is one of the things I’ve learned lately by experience—universalisation, the contact with everything (horizontal gesture)—and it has been shown to the body in such a precise way, in the detail of the vibration…. In the state of receptivity (vertical gesture to the Heights), of receptive passivity (the opposite of action, that is), the body must be turned exclusively to the Supreme (same vertical gesture): the body and the cells have been taught that, and they’ve understood—they’ve understood and are now used to it. In the state of action (horizontal gesture), when you are one with (well, let’s limit the problem to the earth), one with the whole earth, there must be an ACTIVE radiating vibration of the supreme Force. Receptivity like this (vertical gesture that receives the Force), and activity like this (horizontal gesture that spreads the Force out). And the cells have felt, they’ve understood, they can do it. And the relationship with everything around you, down to the smallest
When you realize those two attitudes simultaneously, the contagion is abolished: the mental contagion (the one Sri Aurobindo refers to here, the one you get when you “admire” something), the mental contagion, the vital contagion, and EVEN THE PHYSICAL CONTAGION—when the cells realize that, you stop catching illnesses….
There are those who found this, the vertical ascent to the heights, and who isolated themselves from the world (they weren’t able to do that completely because they didn’t have the knowledge, but they tried). That’s not the solution. Then there are those who want to help, the generous ones who are like this (gesture of horizontal expansion), and who catch everything, even the mental illnesses of all the people around them. The truth is the two together: this, the passive, receptive state (vertical gesture), and that, the active state of action and radiating influence (horizontal gesture). And the body has become wholly conscious of the dual movement and is working to realize it in detail.
A great problem has been solved.
And it’s interesting because those two attitudes can be almost simultaneous, but they are … From the standpoint of vibration, of vibratory sensation, they are two opposites that combine with each other: receptivity like this (gesture), towards the Consciousness, the Force, Power, Light, all, that comes from above, and naturally Love (but about Love I will speak later). And it comes (gesture of descent), it comes down and everything, everything is ab-so-lute-ly passive and receptive (gesture of vertical opening): it absorbs and absorbs and absorbs, like that, totally given, in the state of a sponge that absorbs and absorbs and absorbs…. At the same time, there is the relationship with the world (horizontal gesture) and the Power coming through and working, with the sense of the Force, the Action, the Thing imposing itself. It’s magnificent. And in the SAME vibratory radiance of … of “That.” Always the same all-powerful Perfection being absorbed and acting (gesture of flowing through Mother over the world in a perpetual movement)…..
So it’s the solution to these two errors that constantly contradict each other: the error of shrinking, of an exclusivism of influence (which, when practiced on the mental level, becomes a limitation, a pettiness, like all exclusive faiths); or else eclecticism without effect or force, which makes a sort of muddle of everything, of all ideas (mentally it doesn’t matter, but on the level of the transformation, it’s serious). So for these two opposites the problem has been solved.
And the state I’ve just described is possible in the body’s cells and in the corporeal consciousness, also in the psychic consciousness; but vitally and mentally, even if you understand, it seems like an almost impossible realization because of a fixity, a fixity in the form: the form of thoughts and the form of sensations. Mentally it could only be expressed as an acceptance of all thoughts, all formulae, raising them up towards … something that’s no longer a thought, no longer a mentally formulated thing, but a light, a conscious light that organises and unifies. But if you take them all on the same plane … You can accept everything, but everything as one viewpoint—one among innumerable viewpoints on “something” that cannot be expressed in words, because as soon as you put words on it, it becomes a formula, and the formula takes the power away. But physically, in the body’s cells, it’s very, very clearly perceptible and is lived quite spontaneously: you receive only from on high, and you spread it.”
Our humble Prayer – Can be done as a practice each moment or day
Calling the Divine Mother: I humbly pray for Her presence to grace my heart center. Seeing The Mother’s smily face within (the Eyes are also smiling with love and compassion) and praying, “Mother, please do not see me as impure. Kindly come, and rest within me”. With devotion, I cleansed my heart center, placed there a radiant golden cloth and lit a gentle lamp to welcome Her. Now, concentrate on the flame, you can concentrate on Her beautiful smiling face or Her lotus Feet or simply envisioning Her seated within the heart center. In this stillness, allow Her touch to envelop you. You can feel Her presence.
“Is there a center that corresponds to the subtle physical?…
Well, for the subtle physical it goes from the navel down to the last center,1 that whole region.
And what are the influences that come from the subtle physical?
Generally they are of a far higher quality than material influences. I have noticed (I don’t know whether it’s a personal or a general thing) that the subtle physical I see is always of a somewhat higher quality than the physical proper. I mean somewhat more harmonious: things are smoother. All that comes from the vital is more often than not aggressive, quarrelsome and so on—and difficult. But this realm is generally calm—calm, orderly, where things are more harmonious—GENERALLY (I can’t say whether it’s the case with everybody, but in my own case it’s like that).
As I told you, Sri Aurobindo lives there permanently, as though in a house of his own: you can see him, you can stay with him, he is busy. It is very much like the physical, but a physical that would be less grating, you understand, where things are more harmonious and satisfying, less excited. There is less of that feeling of haste and uncertainty. In that house where Sri Aurobindo lives, life unfolds very, very harmoniously: people come and go, there are meals even…. But all that obeys more general laws, and a sense of security and certainty not to be found in physical life. And the symbolism is more exact (I don’t know how to express it…), the symbolic transcription of things is less distorted, more exact……….
I think that as the Supramental descends, the subtle physical will have a greater and greater action on earth, because it is the world where the new creation will be formed before it “descends,” before it becomes absolutely visible and concrete.”
The muladhara, at the base of the spine.
Mother’s Agenda, Volume 4, January 18, 1963
Inner Practice
*Aspire with our inner flame that we would like to meet our Master be it The Mother, Sri Aurobindo or Vallalar or anyone else in current time in the subtle dimension of their subtle body.
*For this we can be anchored in our body and keep our awareness fully within The Divine Master. The less we are aware of our personal experience the better is the process. We are steady in our awareness which is touching their body, but we drop all sense of ourself including our desires. We see The Divine Master with our inner eye, feel them with our inner heart and remain THERE, OUT THERE wherever we feel Them until we feel Their subtle body or substance.
*You can focus on any one part of The Master or Mother’s divine body or Their whole body.
*Soon you will see or feel or have the fragrance or get the vibrational presence of Their subtle body.
*Soon you will feel Their Substance and Presence within our body here and there.
*The more we are present with Their Substance within us IT expands to unite with THEM.
“The vehicle and the forward movement are the sadhana, beyond the shadow of a doubt. I understood that the speed of sadhana was greater than the speed of the forces of destruction. And it ended in certain victory, there is not a shadow of doubt. This feeling of POWER once I was firmly grounded there [in the ‘square’], enough power to help others.” – Mother’s Agenda
For many of us who celebrate the peace, calmness and silence which is one aspect of sadhana or spirituality, here is a tiny quote to reflect deep into the speed and swiftness aspect. This quote comes from a larger experience of The Mother quoted in Mother’s Agenda. Those interested could read it fully in the July 12, 1960 section. Below we share a tiny portion of Her experience. Tune in to Her speed of sadhana and reflect in your own inner practices how you can bring this speed to counter the illness that is trying to come in, a ill thought that is trying to form, that frustration that is trying to build up or that giving up attitude that is going to come in the way of Divine’s Victory over you. Reflect deeply and practice speed of sadhana from your side. From the Divine’s side reflect how you can let go of all your bias that ‘this is how transformation will occur’. How can you be free from formations of mind, vital and even past experiences of your body? How can you allow the Divine to Grace you with love and swiftness when She has decided upon you?
Sharing a portion of The Mother’s experience below. Those interested can read the fuller description from Mother’s Agenda.
“What was pleasing, and really quite interesting, was this tremendous speed, like an arrow, and I always arrived in time, just in time, just in time. Once I had crossed over to the other side (I clearly felt that nothing would be left, for it was such a powerful deluge), the danger was finished, there was no longer ANY possibility at all of being touched – this was the main feeling. Everything was stopped. Nothing could touch.
I turned around and saw all this water rushing down, and I thought, ‘Now let’s see if we can do something here.’ There was someone behind who interested me, someone or something – it was still something; it was very likable and had something of the blue color that was here on the other side. Not really individuals, but more like beings representative of something that was following me quite closely. When I was there, it also was there, but it could not keep up, it kept losing ground – as my speed increased, its decreased. It could not keep up. But it interested me in a special way. ‘Oh, he’s so close (he or it); he might just make it,’ I thought. And at that moment, I saw that all this destructive will with its instrument of water, symbolically water, had rushed past and was spreading out everywhere. But there was still a chance of saving all those who were along this path. And that’s immediately what I thought of, it was my first wish: ‘Let’s see if they can still get across, if I can manage to get them across.’ I remembered some especially dangerous spots (while speeding past, I had remarked, ‘Oh, here we might still be able to do this, there that could still be done’ – my consciousness moved at the same speed, and I noted everything along the way), and once I was firmly there on the other side, I started sending back messages.” – Mother’s Agenda
“Power of double attention, to thought and to Ananda, is now well-established. What has now to be got rid of, is the interference of the mind-stuff in condensation; this is being already done initially by the interposition making no essential difference, since even then the Ananda reaches the side of conscious attention, subordinate as yet, which is deputed to receive it. But this siddhi is as yet imperfect and initial.”
Page 1076, Record of Yoga, Sri Aurobindo
“K.A is now in a way settled in the body, thus fulfilling the suggestion about the 7th; but the intensities vary and there is not perfect continuity when the mind is turned away entirely from the body. Nevertheless the opening of a double consciousness which has the full mental or gnostic activity and below it the sense of the body has definitely set in in spite of frequent intermittence.”
Page 1114, Record of Yoga, Sri Aurobindo
We humbly touch Record of Yoga, a treasure house of Yogic Sadhana of Sri Aurobindo. Concentrate and dive deep into these two quotes and experientially practice the double attention or concentration. Some suggestions are offered below. These are only hints based on our limited understanding of His intense work. By focussing on these may the true illumination and practice awaken within us.
The clue given is double attention to thought and Ananda. This leads to a beautiful condensation. How can we practice this? Some options are:
Keep awareness within your thoughts and also Above your Head Space or Consciousness and wait. Actually awareness should be within both. You will feel or see movement of thoughts – First awareness. You will experience some quality above Head like Vastness, Joy, Light or Presence – Second awareness. It is a joy to read that Sri Aurobindo was practicing to get this dual awareness perfect. We too can do in our own ways. Then the condensation ie. the mixing of the quality present Above our head with the substance of our thoughts can unfold.
Connect to your forehead region and open it to the Consciousness above, being present within the ajna chakra region and also being present Above head and wait
Place your awareness within the thought region and also within the living presence present as a flame within the cave of heart and simply wait being present together in both the spaces.
Also in any part of your body if you have accessed a Divine Self-Existent joy like within your lips or in the Sacred consciousness beneath your feet you can connect this to the thought region with dual awareness and wait.
The second quote on double consciousness is illumining. Practice being within your body and above your mind consciousness simultaneously and actually. If you are actually within your body, you will feel your body’s substance ( the mass, weight or density of your body), you will be aware of sensations both pleasant and unpleasant and by Grace each of us will also be shown the domain of subtle substance that is self-lit and has a natural delight. Now the second, if you are actually above your mind progressively the seven suns Above will open up in our extended consciousness. This is the journey of unfolding of our Divine Body.
May each of us explore this double concentration and share back our insights and experience to all of us.
Quote 1: “But I am not sure, for when I had this experience (not of the divine Presence, which I had already felt in the cells for a long time, but the experience that the Divine ALONE is acting in the body, that He has BECOME the body, yet all the while retaining his character of divine omniscience and omnipotence) well, the whole time it remained actively like that, it was absolutely impossible to have the LEAST disorder in the body, and not only in the body, but IN ALL THE SURROUNDING MATTER.”
Quote 2: “It is the result of the descent of the supramental substance into Matter. Only this substance – what it has put into physical Matter – could have made it possible. It is a new ferment. From the material standpoint, it removes from physical Matter its tamas, the heaviness of its unconsciousness, and from the psychological standpoint, its ignorance and its falsehood. Matter is subtilized. But it has surely come only as a first experience to show how it will be.
It is truly a state of absolute omniscience and omnipotence in the body which changes all the vibrations around it.”
June 6, 1958, Mother’s Agenda
INSIGHT:
Very humbly we need to examine this quote without any desire or ego or ambition or subtle spiritual pride stealing in. We are reading the work of the Masters. Here is quoted an experience of The Mother. This realization within the Body of The Mother has an impact on the ONE SUBSTANCE which is present in all our bodies. Without ego or desire it is very important for us to read and digest this quote, as it would make a significant shift in our own practice.
In the beginning in deeper body work we learn to bring our awareness within our body and connect to the Divine – Above, within cave of heart, as Divine Mother or Lord and the like. In the beginning we may be aware of the energy or sensations within the body. Matter itself can become our focus leading us to connect to our substance. Our inner senses will reveal the nourishing and limiting qualities present here. Yet our inner senses may not be able to sense the fullness or the depth of substance. There is a truth radar which by Grace of Divine shows to us a portion of substance which has some Divine Qualities like radiance, beauty, malleability and blissfulness. This portion of Divine substance at times expands and fills neighbouring cells of body or larger portions of the body too. At other times our awareness seems caught up with the inner dramas and the Divine substance is not in sight.
This aspiration and sadhana to build this Divine substance within each of our bodies is done by the Divine and Masters. It is a ‘Source’ that is available to all of us. As we internalise this our sadhana could take a new turn. We learn to be within our body’s substance, aspiring for Divine substance. We are with our breath, our mantra, our surrendering posture, our connect to Divine Above and the like. Yet we wait like a bridegroom waits to be with the bride and unite, we wait to glimpse this Divine substance and give space for IT to act, mould and grow within us.
