Addressing the Divergence Between the Inner Being and the External Nature

Complete sincerity, inwardly and outwardly, is something that does not generally happen overnight. There are too many habits, instncts and trained responses that control the way the external nature responds to expect that the mental, vital and physical elements of the being will not only accept the spiritual focus and aspiration, but be able to respond and integrate it into the actual events and circumstances of the outer life.

The development of sincerity in the nature, in the sense of a coherence between the aspiration and the external reactions, is necessarily a process of observation, attention, and systematic action. Since this is a universal human condition, it is not a matter for one to berate oneself; rather, it is an opportunity for a patient, persistent and consistent approach to address the failings and weaknesses of human nature generally, over time, and through numerous opportunities and experiences.

Sri Aurobindo notes: “It is true that a central sincerity is not enough except as a beginning and a base; the sincerity must spread… through the whole nature. But still unless there is a double nature (without a central harmonising consciousness), the basis is usually sufficient for that to happen.”

“You speak of insincerity in your nature. If insincerity means the unwillingness of some part of the being to live according to the highest light one has or to equate the outer with the inner man, then this part is always insincere in all. The only way is to lay stress on the inner being and develop in it the psychic and spiritual consciousness till that comes down in it which pushes out the darkness from the outer man also.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pg. 117