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Articles from santosh krinsky | Selfgrowth.com
- The Needed Engagement That Enlivens the Outer Forms of Worship - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe inner life-force behind any action is more important than the outer form which it takes. Japa and Mantra can become habitual and repetitive, and if that happens, the outer shelf remains, but there is nothing alive within. Such japa sadhana has little value. The living energy needed is either ...
Views: 417 - The Process and Steps of Ridding the Nature of Habitual Movements - by Submitted on Aug 24, 2022 from santosh krinskySome believe that it is impossible to change human nature. They repeat the proverb that one cannot straighten out a dog’s tail, but it will return to its former status time and again. Some become frustrated and essentially fight with their body, vital being or mind, wherever the movement they ...
Views: 417 - The Role of Sex in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen Sri Aurobindo states “all life is yoga”, he is speaking generally about the long, slow ‘yoga of nature’ which is taking place in the universe, leading to ever-greater stages of consciousness manifesting and transforming, successively, the previously manifested planes of awareness. This ...
Views: 417 - An Exercise to Overcome the Mental Bias to Facilitate the Ability to “Know Thyself” - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyOnce we recognise that we cannot trust the mental faculty to keep the vital desire-soul in check, the question arises as to how it is then possible to truly examine the underlying motives and wellsprings of our thoughts, feelings and actions without falling victim to the kind of bias that the ...
Views: 416 - Becoming Conscious of the Psychic Being, the Soul in Man - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere are many different spiritual disciplines and methods, and also different experiences of consciousness that result from practice of these methods. For those who aspire to bring the soul, the psychic being, forward and active in the physical body and life, Sri Aurobindo describes several ...
Views: 416 - Energies Sources: Energies of the Physical Body and the Universal Vital Energies - by Submitted on May 20, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere are a number of different ways that physically alive beings draw and obtain energy. Human beings tend to rely heavily on eating food, and converting the food into other forms of energy to carry out work in the body. Plants, on the other hand, rely primarily on direct conversion of sunlight ...
Views: 416 - Spiritual Experiences and Spiritual Realisations - by Submitted on Jul 17, 2021 from santosh krinskyOur vital nature crazes ‘excitement’ and to gather ‘experiences’. It is no different for the spiritual aspirant than for the rest of humanity in this regard. Spiritual experiences tend to be extraordinary in the sense that they go beyond the everyday perceptions or sensations and tend to have a ...
Views: 416 - Two Processes of Traditional Yogic Paths That Can Aid the Sadhana of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Sep 19, 2021 from santosh krinskyWhile the integral Yoga does not depend on the techniques or methods of the traditional yogic paths, Sri Aurobindo has identified several processes that can be of great help in some cases. They help the seeker achieve a state of separation from the outer ego-personality and vital desire-soul, to ...
Views: 416 - Habits, Human Life and Achieving Individuality … and Beyond - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2022 from santosh krinskyAs the seeker begins to examine his life, he quickly finds that virtually all his thoughts, emotions, feelings and actions are based on habitual patterns, either ingrained in the human encoding as a species, or developed through socialisation in a society or civilisation, through family ...
Views: 415 - Perception of the Divine Force Through the Inner Being - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2021 from santosh krinskyWhen we flip a light switch, we have faith that there is electricity flowing through the wires and the lights will turn on. We do not actually know or perceive the electricity, but we can see its effects in operation. Similarly, our surface being may see effects of the Divine Force at work in ...
Views: 415 - The Nature and Role of the Ego - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe development of the ego-consciousness is part of the evolutionary cycle of increasing manifestation of conscious awareness in Nature. As consciousness develops it moves from a generalized sense of existence to a more specific recognition of one’s own life and awareness. In animals we see this ...
Views: 415 - The Need and Method to Become Conscious and Change the Nature - by Submitted on May 05, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe identify something about ourselves that we would like to change — it could be a physical transformation we seek, or a way to address an imbalance in our feelings or emotions, or it could be a change to our mind-set to overcome ideas of weakness, failure, incapacity, etc. We then try to find a ...
Views: 415 - The Yoga-Shakti Active in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor the majority of individuals who live on the surface of their being, the energy they experience, the thoughts, emotions, feelings, perceptions are simply the working of the machinery, with no understanding about the process or source of this energetic action in their lives. For those who have ...
Views: 415 - Dealing with the Subconscient Elements of the Being - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2022 from santosh krinskyAs the individual confronts the various impulses, emotions, drives and thoughts that arise and drive his life and action, he begins to recognise that there are elements that are not easily identified on the surface, and that there is something that cannot quite be grabbed with the intellect, ...
Views: 414 - Overcoming the Reaction of Jealousy - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyJealousy is one of those deeply rooted vital reactions that are not amenable to being “convinced” to change by mental logic. Highly educated, refined individuals are also subject to jealousy when appropriate circumstances arise, and as with other such deeply rooted reactions, the vital ...
Views: 414 - The Need for Time to Assimilate the Descent of the Divine Force - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe vital nature craves excitement and signs of progress. It feels like time spent reflecting, relaxing, or contemplating may be ‘wasted time’. This is similar to the mindset that sees a vacant piece of land, with just plants, flowers and trees on it as ‘wasted’ as it has not been ‘developed’. ...
Views: 413 - elations of the Yogic Practitioner With Non-Practitioners - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2022 from santosh krinskyFamily, friends, relatives, children, parents, siblings, community. It is both normal and generally accepted that people form attachments to those with whom they have close relations. Those attachments demand attention and effort. For those who have a calling to follow the religious life or a ...
Views: 412 - Indulgence of Vital Desire Is Not a Solution — Neither is Suppression of the Vital - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe Mother illustrates the difficulty of transforming the vital nature. None of this is either fast or easy, given the complexity of human nature and, in particular, the vital being. There are also deeply entrenched habits of action and reaction and a general force of vital nature that lives in ...
Views: 412 - Our Subconscient Inheritance - by Submitted on Aug 28, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe pride ourselves on our independence and self-sufficiency. We believe that we make conscious choices that are ‘our own’ choices. We do not generally recognise that who we are today, and what choices we tend to make, are very much conditioned by and even controlled by influences from the past. ...
Views: 412 - Recuperating Energy Through Contact with Nature - by Submitted on May 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyMuch of modern-day life is centered around urban living. Most urban dwellers have little, if any, exposure to Nature on a consistent basis. They also tend to feel stressed, drained and exhausted by the lives they lead. When they head out to a natural area, they frequently feel a release of ...
Views: 412 - The Nature of Faith - by Submitted on Dec 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhat is faith? Faith has generally been associated with belief in a religion and its specific tenets, or ‘articles of faith’. We are educated within our religion of choice about the basic beliefs that underlie that religion and we are asked to accept them ‘on faith’. In some cases, these ...
Views: 412 - Violence and Non-Violence — in Life and in Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 05, 2022 from santosh krinsky‘The law of the jungle.’ ‘Dog eat dog’. ‘Survival of the fittest.’ ‘Darwinian evolution.’ These ideas illustrate the way we understand life on earth, and its requirements for survival and success in worldly life. When Jesus proclaimed ‘the meek shall inherit the earth’, he expressed an idea that ...
Views: 412 - Our Many Selves: Practical Yogic Psychology — Introduction - by Submitted on May 28, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe tend to believe that we are a single, consistent and harmonized individuality, personality, character. For the most part, we are not self-reflective enough to recognise the inconsistencies and inner conflicts that take place within the being, due to different drives, needs, desires, and ...
Views: 411 - The Seeds of Thought, Emotion, Feeling, Action and Reaction Reside in the Subconscient Level of Consciousness - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe yogic trance state called ‘samadhi’ has several levels, including one that is known as ‘with seed’ and one ‘without seed’. The difference essentially is that the level ‘with seed’ means that it still retains the capacity to be broken by the intrusion of external stimuli and internal reaction ...
Views: 411 - Evolutionary Change and the Process of Time - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2022 from santosh krinskyEvolutionary changes take place in what we may call “evolutionary time”, which measures major changes over millennia, certainly far beyond the span of any individual human lifetime. Thus, when we look at any attempt to modify human nature, not to speak of physical characteristics that are ...
Views: 410 - Understanding and Respecting the Body’s Need for Rest - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen an illness strikes the body, its energy must go to recuperation and rebuilding its basic strength. For a practitioner of yoga, as well as for those who have a developed mental or emotional consciousness, or an aesthetic sense, the recuperation and rebuilding phase can be irksome, as there ...
Views: 410 - The Illusion of Constant Action - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a malady of modern society that we believe we must stay constantly busy, We do not understand nor appreciate the value of quiet time for contemplation and stepping outside of the whirl of day to day activities to unite our awareness with that of the consciousness which manifests in the ...
Views: 409 - The Separation of Purusha and Prakriti as a Powerful Tool for Shifting the Standpoint Out of the Ego-Personality and into the Divine Standpoint - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2021 from santosh krinskyAs long as we remain rooted in the ego-consciousness, we identify ourselves with the mind, life and body and their needs, demands, and habitual ways of responding to the challenges of existence. Within this framework, we are trapped by the definitions and boundaries that circumscribe our ...
Views: 409 - Vital Disturbances Arise from Universal Nature and Bring Forth Habitual Responses - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo explores the boundaries of the Ignorance and a framework for attaining knowledge. He describes at some length, the ‘circumconscient’ influence on what we believe are our own internal actions and reactions. We view ourselves through the ego-consciousness and ...
Views: 409 - Spiritual Realisations and Experiences - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2023 from santosh krinskySpiritual Realisations and Experiences Posted on April 1, 2023 There is an interesting tale in the Mahabharata when the preceptor Drona was teaching the sons of Dhristarashtra and Pandu, the royal princes of the kingdom, the lesson of the day, which was “not to become angry”. He asked each of ...
Views: 408 - The Limitations of Religious Worship for Spiritual Growth and Development - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2023 from santosh krinskyWorship of an external deity, an avatar, savior or enlightened being is recognised as a sign of religious dedication on the part of an individual. In many instances, however, this form of worship is a more or less empty ritual that is part of a societal expectation or norm, or operates as a ...
Views: 408 - Entering the Viewpoint of Another Person Widens the Understanding and Builds a Basis for Harmony - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere is a complex game called ‘chess’. The modern form of the game reputedly developed from a strategic game that appears to have originated in India in around the 6th or 7th century, although there were likely precursor forms that existed prior to that time. As a game of strategy, the object ...
Views: 407 - Steps Toward Achieving a Calm Mind - by Submitted on Feb 07, 2023 from santosh krinskyEverything comes to the seeker based on his ability to tune his focus and maintain that focus in an unwavering manner over time. Sri Aurobindo, in his book The Mother, sets forth the methodology as “aspiration, rejection, surrender”. Aspiration is the will from the depth of the being to achieve ...
Views: 407 - The Need to Overcome the Subconscious State of Sleep - by Submitted on Jan 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyNormally when we sleep, the body goes into a state of tamas and with it, the consciousness loses the thread of the progress of the preceding day. While the progress is not ‘lost’ in the long run, it does mean that we tend to have to re-establish what was done previously time and again. Something ...
Views: 407 - The Needed Balance of Spiritual Development and Mental Development - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere has been a long-standing debate between those who believe in the power of mental development, under the rubric of ‘science’ and those who believe in the power of faith and spiritual aspiration, under the general terminology of ‘religion’. A similar debate rages between the position of ...
Views: 407 - The Role of the Psychic Being in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn order to both observe and manage the actions and reactions of the mind, life and body, it is necessary to achieve a standpoint outside of their action. Sri Aurobindo identifies the psychic being as the separate entity, what may be called the ‘soul’, as the consciousness capable of this ...
Views: 407 - Calming Agitation of the Nerves: An Exercise - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyMost people get ‘wound up’ occasionally or frequently. This leads to what is called in Ayurveda ‘deranged vata’. Vata is the dosha that represents the air element in the being. The symptoms can include nervous tics, headaches, indigestion, insomnia, and a general feeling of lack of ease or ...
Views: 406 - Making the Vital Being an Instrument of the Divine Shakti - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe idea of changing the basic way that human beings respond to circumstances is one that has been considered to be a virtually hopeless task. Long human experience has provided the impression that our vital nature is fixed and, while we can perhaps soften it around the edges, it is basically ...
Views: 406 - Observing and Controlling One’s Speech - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2022 from santosh krinskyMauna Sadhana, the discipline of silence, can be a very powerful way to gain insight into the impulse to speech and the control of speech. We frequently speak without filtering what we have to say. The idea comes into our mind and before we know it, it is making its way out in the form of ...
Views: 406 - The Force of Habit and the Physical Consciousness - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2022 from santosh krinskyFor the physical consciousness, repetition and the building of habit is the centerpiece of harnessing physical, material nature. The “laws of physics” are essentially habits at the level of Matter that function to create an order and system in Nature that maintains the cohesion and operation of ...
Views: 406 - The Nature of Equality in Yogic Psychology - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe term ‘equality’ in general use relates to inter-personal relationships within the society, but that is not how the term is utilized in yogic psychology. Equality in that sense means the ability to accept all touches from the universe, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, emotions, powers and ...
Views: 405 - The Process of Sleep and its Transformation in the Practice of Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf we examine the sleep state, we can identify different phases of ‘normal’ sleep patterns for human beings in general. Starting from the waking state where we are conscious of the sights, and sounds of the outside world, as well as the thoughts and emotions and nervous impulses, feelings and ...
Views: 405 - The Vital Nature: a Great Assistant, but an Impossible Master - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2022 from santosh krinskyLion tamers, horse whisperers, dog trainers, all learn certain things about how to bring the vital nature into a compliant and participatory mood, to carry out the wishes of the trainer. They quickly learn that they cannot simply allow these vital beings the absolute license to do whatever they ...
Views: 405 - Observing, Understanding and Overcoming the Impact of Negativity and Hostility on the Sensitive Nature of the Refined Individual - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2022 from santosh krinskyRefined and sensitive individuals tend to judge others by their own internal standard. In many cases, this means expecting others to always respond with good will, compassion and honesty. They build up an image of how the world ‘works’ that is based on their inner sense of things, and in many ...
Views: 404 - The Choice Before the Practitioner of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe pressure of both the habitual patterns established by the physical body, the vital life energy and the mental development, together with the pressure of society and the impact of past education, creates an enormous impediment to the radical change in standpoint necessitated for the ...
Views: 404 - The Need for Persistent Energy and Focus to Live the Spiritual Life - by Submitted on May 12, 2022 from santosh krinskySpiritual progress is an ongoing process that requires patience, persistence, endurance and strength of purpose, along with the focus of energy needed to achieve any substantial realisations. Some people believe that spirituality is something weak and ineffective, that leads people to abandon ...
Views: 404 - Transforming the Vital Nature, Part 2: Overcoming Difficulties and Obstacles on the Path - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe primary initial difficulties faced by the sadhak in overcoming the vital nature are related to the Gunas of Rajas and Tamas. Rajas is naturally energetic and somewhat aggressive and thus, it tackles issues with vehemence. When it becomes frustrated or suffers a setback, it tends to recoil ...
Views: 404 - A Sudden and Decisive Spiritual Opening Transforms the Individual’s Life When It Takes Place - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2022 from santosh krinskySometimes the spiritual opening comes in what appears to be a miraculous fashion and the direction of the individual’s life takes a major turn. This goes beyond a brief glimpse of the spiritual truth which can fade and require renewal in order for it to stabilise and solidify the direction. Such ...
Views: 403 - Exercise of Will as Part of the Process of Yogic Transformation - by Submitted on May 09, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere remains considerable confusion about the role of will-power in the development of the spiritual life of the individual. On the one side, the seeker is asked to not give in to the force of vital desire, and the will is often confused with desire. Thus, the idea of acting without desire is ...
Views: 403 - Spiritual Practice Requires Strength of Body, Life and Mind - by Submitted on Jan 16, 2022 from santosh krinskyMany people mistakenly believe that those who take up the spiritual life and withdraw from active involvement in the outer life of society, marriage, familiy, commerce, governance, etc. are somehow weak or unfit to succeed in society and they are “taking the easy way out”. It is true that some ...
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