Spiritual Experiences and the Foundation of Peace and Aspiration Needed As Their Basis

The vital nature is enamoured of experiences that are new and different, ‘exciting’, unusual. This is the allure of the vision quest, fasting, and the use of entheogenic substances to bring forth experiences, visions, contact with alternative states of conscious awareness, and alternative realities. Many techniques have been developed to encourage these experiences, including various psycho-physical practices, breathing techniques, mantras and chanting, the use of mudras, bandhas, tratak, devotional singing and dance, Sufi dancing, etc. Seeking experiences such as an out of body experience, or a sense of the descent of a power into the body, the intense silencing of the mind, the experience of a deep peace, or an ecstatic bliss. These experiences are exciting to the vital nature and the mind, and they speak to the sense of power, the sense of one’s own unique spiritual capacities, and in some cases, if not turned toward humility and gratitude, can accentuate the rising of a form of vital pride, and even arrogance towards others.

In the end however, these experiences are either distracting to the effort or even misleading if one does not establish the foundation of the spiritual consciousness, based in development of peace, quiet in the mind, and the turning of the spiritual aspiration to the Divine. When experiences come, and they generally do come as the higher consciousness descends and begins to manifest itself in the seeker, they can be a support and aid to the growth if they are based on this solid foundation and thus, do not act to distract or mislead the seeker, but to guide, lead and help the seeker to realize and manifest the deeper Truth for which he is aspiring.

Sri Aurobindo notes: “Experience in the sadhana is bound to begin with the mental plane, — all that is necessary is that the experience should be sound and genuine. The pressure of understanding and will in the mind and the Godward emotional urge in the heart are the two first agents of Yoga, and peace, purity and calm (with a lulling of the lower unrest) are precisely the first basis that has to be laid; to get that is much more important in the beginning than to get a glimpse of the supraphysical worlds or to have visions, voices and powers. Purification and calm are the first needs in the Yoga. One may have a great wealth of experiences of that kind (worlds, visions, voices, etc.) without them, but these experiences occurring in an unpurified and troubled consciousness are usually full of disorder and mixture.”

“At first the peace and calm are not continuous, they come and go, and it usually takes a long time to get them settled in the nature. It is better therefore to avoid impatience and to go on steadily with what is being done. If you wish to have something beyond the peace and calm, let it be the full opening of the inner being and the consciousness of the Divine Power working in you. Aspire for that sincerely and with a great intensity but without impatience and it will come.”

Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 1, Calm — Peace — Equality, pg. 9