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Articles from santosh krinsky | Selfgrowth.com
- The Complementary Aspects of Aspiration and Prayer - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2022 from santosh krinskyJust as there is a debate between science and religion, there is a corollary argument that encompasses aspiration versus prayer. Aspiration for growth, development, knowledge, progress, expansion is acceptable to those in the “science” camp. Prayer is relegated by these individuals to the ...
Views: 385 - Aspiration and Prayer - by Submitted on Dec 20, 2022 from santosh krinskyMany people confuse aspiration with prayer. They are however, actually two different things, and while they may support one another when they align, it is not necessary that aspiration lead to prayer. Aspiration refers to the inner state of consciousness that arises from the psychic being in a ...
Views: 394 - The Aspiration Must Be Kept Alive and Constant - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2022 from santosh krinskyChanging human nature is a process of time and effort and is therefore subject to periods of waxing and waning of effort. Human beings tend to relax and enjoy their lives when all things are going well. Thus, it is primarily in times of difficulty and stress when we remember to focus on the need ...
Views: 382 - The First Movement of Aspiration for the Divine - by Submitted on Dec 18, 2022 from santosh krinsky“Seek thou to know that from which these creatures are born, whereby being born they live and to which they go hence and enter again; for that is the Eternal.” Thus goes the teaching of Varuna to his son Bhrigu in the Taittiriya Upanishad (translation by Sri Aurobindo in The Upanishads, pg. ...
Views: 369 - Kindling and Increasing the Psychic Fire - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe flame of aspiration is the force that powers spiritual growth. Many people believe that the association of a fire or flame with the psychological stance is purely some kind of poetic device, without any underlying reality. Yet, human experience shows us that various modes of emotion, for ...
Views: 384 - The Need for Intense Aspiration for the Divine Realisation - by Submitted on Dec 16, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe time and effort needed to overcome the numerous impediments along the way for those seeking the Divine realisation implies that the seeker must have an intense inner drive to carry on through all difficulties and delays encountered. This inner drive is known as aspiration. It is called the ...
Views: 339 - The Nature and Power of Sincerity in the Practice of Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhat exactly is the meaning of ‘sincerity’ in the context of the integral yoga, and what makes it so essential to the successful practice of this yoga? For most people, sincerity is a quality defined by adherence to a specific idea or belief and a direct translation of that belief into the ...
Views: 392 - The Soul’s Faith Is a Precursor to Attainment of the Truth of Existence - by Submitted on Dec 14, 2022 from santosh krinskyFaith is generally put in opposition to Knowledge, underlying the long-term dispute in the West between ‘religion’ and ‘science’. This debate has religion requiring belief in the tenets of the religion based on pure faith, and denying the validity of a science-based knowledge approach that may ...
Views: 453 - Four Instruments for Attaining the Perfection of the Practice of Yoga - by Submitted on Dec 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyPeople frequently seek for a very specific, directed form of practice which will provide liberation and spiritual perfection. They ask ‘what is the best form of practice’? Sri Aurobindo takes a much more flexible approach which is based on the need and development of the individual practitioner, ...
Views: 350 - The Beginning of Liberation from the Limitations of the Mental Consciousness - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2022 from santosh krinskyAs long as the mental consciousness remains insulated within its own range of awareness, it believes it has a power of knowledge and action that can be made practically infallible. Even when its shortcomings are made patently obvious, it believes that an improvement in its processes, or the ...
Views: 355 - Overcoming the Static, Self-Satisfied Rigidity of the Mental Consciousness Is a Precondition to Development of a New Mode of Being - by Submitted on Dec 11, 2022 from santosh krinskyAs long as we are blinded by the light of the mental consciousness, we fail to recognise the greater consciousness and power of the spiritual consciousness. We look upon human existence as static. The stories and myths held by large numbers of people in the world place the human being at the top ...
Views: 345 - Signs of Entering the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on Dec 10, 2022 from santosh krinskyMost children focus on their need for food, emotional comfort and play, which is a means of gaining knowledge and power of action for them. As they move into later stages of life, they can get fixated on attaining good grades in school, making friends, hobbies and sports. As they reach puberty, ...
Views: 442 - What Is the Purpose? Why Am I Alive? Is There a Meaning to Life? - by Submitted on Dec 09, 2022 from santosh krinskyModern day civilisation suffers from an epidemic of ’emptiness’, a feeling that life has no meaning or purpose. This leads to various coping mechanisms such as dissipation through use of drugs or alcohol, or through consumption of mindless entertainment. For those who do not choose these ...
Views: 408 - How to Change One’s Consciousness, Part 3: Observing and Being Attentive - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2022 from santosh krinskySpirituality is not about having an intellectual understanding. There are methods described in various paths of spiritual growth, in books, or in other forms of instruction which have their potential benefit, but they are not a replacement for an actual inward experience that changes the texture ...
Views: 380 - How to Change One’s Consciousness, Part 2: Following the Clues to Spiritual Awakening Within - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe rightly recognise that memory is not the same as a living experience. Yet, the power of memory holds a key for those who wish to undertake spiritual development. We see this in the context of religious and spiritual pursuits that rely on the power of memory in some form to renew and actualise ...
Views: 355 - How To Change One’s Consciousness, Part 1: The Initial Experience - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2022 from santosh krinskyThrough long habit and through a process of socialisation, we desire and expect that a specific path of development can be placed in front of us to guide us systematically along a pre-determined track, and that this path is suitable for everyone. We therefore believe that our accepted form of ...
Views: 382 - The Subtle Power of Atmosphere and Example in Spiritual Development - by Submitted on Dec 05, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a typical belief that through the use of logic, argument or some kind of pressure that is exerted, through perhaps an enforced dogma or belief system, that opinions and beliefs can be changed. It is true that the power of an idea may capture an individual’s focus and support. It is also ...
Views: 464 - Becoming Aware of the Central Will of the Being - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe decisive spiritual experiences an individual has stay with him throughout his life. Those who are anchored in their external lives undergo countless experiences but these tend to fade, become jumbled or simply blend into one another. Who can, after all, remember what they ate for breakfast ...
Views: 369 - Even a Brief Glimpse of the Spirit Is Sufficient to Direct the Seeker to the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen an individual turns his attention to the spiritual path, he may experience along the way certain doubts as to his suitability, his capacity, and his ability to attain the truth described by those who have experience along the path and who describe various steps and stages. The way is long ...
Views: 351 - The Development of the Spiritual Focus Over Time - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe tend to measure success or failure in terms of specific results we see in our relatively short, individual lifetime, based on our preconceived or societally sanctioned ideas about what constitutes success or failure. When it comes to progress in spiritual development, however, this is not ...
Views: 353 - 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: 436 - The Spiritual Call Comes… Then What Needs to Happen Next - by Submitted on Nov 30, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe have a vision. We get inspired. We have a near death experience. We come back from the spiritual experience and we are sure it is meant to change our lives, as we suddenly have a whole new vista open up before us, a realm of truth, beauty, harmony, light. Then we come back into our normal ...
Views: 339 - The Call to the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf we look at the individual life as separate from the rest of the creation, and claim that it starts at birth and ends at death, there seems to be no rationale or meaning for that life, nor can we explain the evolutionary progression of awareness, understanding, growth, and development that we ...
Views: 501 - Spirituality: What It Is Not, and What It is - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe frequently hear people speaking about spirituality. They indicate ‘I consider myself to be spiritual, not religious.’ Beyond that distinction, however, when one asks what they mean by ‘spirituality’ there is a wide range of responses that make it clear that spirituality is mostly something ...
Views: 366 - The Individual and the Collectivity - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyMany studies have been done, and real-life examples have shown the power of a body of people focused on a particular feeling, thought or action. Mob psychology shows that individuals who otherwise might be seen as quiet and peaceful can be riled up into paroxysms of anger when part of an angry ...
Views: 414 - The First Necessary Step in Preparation for the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2022 from santosh krinskyOne can clearly appreciate the unique nature of the integral yoga when one reflects on the preparation needed for the practice when compared to the preparations required for numerous other paths of yoga. The 8 steps set forth in Patanjali’s yoga sutras include two preparatory stages, called ...
Views: 427 - Obtaining a Clear Perception and Understanding of Life Purpose and Significance - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf we examine closely our mental state when we undertake activities with which we are familiar, experienced and educated, we see that our minds are sharp, our perceptions are detailed and our understanding is precise. We find it easiest to achieve this status with external things, although some ...
Views: 483 - The Psychic Entity Knows the Purpose and Significance of Our Existence - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen we live primarily, or entirely, focused on our external life via the instruments of the body, life-force and mind, we cannot determine nor recognise the purpose and significance of our existence. We may speculate. We may hold opinions. We may adhere to some doctrine, such as a religious ...
Views: 424 - Do We Know What We Seek in Our Lives? - by Submitted on Nov 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe feel like something is missing in our lives. It could be something material, it could be just a pang of hunger or thirst. It could be a sense of emotional emptiness, unattached to a specific object. We may feel like we need to find out something, do something, know something, respond to ...
Views: 420 - The Usefulness of Suffering - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2022 from santosh krinskyDr. Dean Ornish held a webinar on Sunday November 20, 2022 with the Vegan Society of Honolulu, Hawaii, in which he succinctly explained the role of suffering in the progress of humanity. For those who do not know about his work, Dr. Ornish has spent decades studying the impact of diet and ...
Views: 410 - Progressively Becoming Conscious - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2022 from santosh krinskyEveryone believes they are ‘conscious’. Spiritual seekers, especially, having awakened from the purely mechanical, habitual processes of the external life, certainly believe they are conscious. Those who believe in various religious traditions, by virtue of that belief, accept that they are ...
Views: 408 - Exploring the Stages and Phases of Inner Growth of the Human Individual - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen we read Sri Aurobindo’s aphorism noted below, we tend to focus on the second part of the equation, the “bar” to achieving the higher result. There is an implication thereby that we have already achieved the first part and that we are thus ready to proceed to the next phase or stage of inner ...
Views: 424 - 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: 441 - The Benefit of Obstacles and Difficulties for the Development of Conscious Awareness - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a quality of human nature. When things are going well, we are happy and contented, we tend not to make extraordinary efforts or focus on change. We feel like things are where they should be in our lives, and we move into ‘enjoyment mode’ rather than ‘change mode’. In some cases, we believe ...
Views: 396 - The Semi-Conscious Life We Lead - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf we reflect carefully, we will recognise that much of what takes place in our lives occurs without our conscious awareness, participation or control. The activity of the cells, the nervous system, the internal organs are all virtually automatic functions that elude conscious oversight. Very ...
Views: 367 - The Evolutionary Cycle and the Speeding Up of the Evolutionary Cycle - by Submitted on Nov 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen we reflect on the evolution of consciousness, it becomes obvious to us that nothing can evolve out of Matter that is not already involved in some way. We plant an acorn, and an oak tree grows. Someone unfamiliar with the science would treat this as a magical event. We put one form of ...
Views: 406 - Understanding the Cycles and Phases of Spiritual Development - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2022 from santosh krinskySeveral days ago a seeker raised a question, rephrased here: “I read Sri Aurobindo’s writings regularly and for a time they stay active within me, but then, it falls away and I feel blank inside. Am I losing the benefit of Sri Aurobindo’s teaching, and if so, how can I ensure that it stays ...
Views: 413 - Following the Right Path to Divine Realisation - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe very easily fall into the mistaken idea that the path we follow is the best way to approach the Divine or achieve spiritual realisation and that other paths are either less effective or do not provide the complete liberation from the ego-personality. We also tend to accept the idea that ...
Views: 386 - Elements Common to the Paths of Inner Growth - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, there are 8 limbs, or steps, systematically presented as the basis for the practice of Yoga. The first two of these, known as yamas and niyamas present preliminary practices to purify and stabilize the being to prepare for the practice of yoga. Many people consider ...
Views: 408 - Three Primary Paths of Inner Growth and Spiritual Development - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2022 from santosh krinskyEach individual has a unique way of relating to and developing his spiritual aspiration. Those who are more intellectually inclined may find that they naturally incline towards what is known as the yoga of knowledge. Those who have a nature more inclined to devotion and emotional expression may ...
Views: 391 - The Development of the Psychic Being - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe can identify a systematic evolution of consciousness in the external world. Life evolves out of Matter, Mind out of Life. We do not, however, thereby determine either a significance or purpose to this evolution nor any causative factors that involve mind and life into matter such that they ...
Views: 375 - The Nature, Character and Evolutionary Role of the Psychic Entity, the Soul - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe Rishis of the Rig Veda place Agni at the beginning and in a central role in the spiritual development they described. The flame of aspiration, the ‘knower of all things born’, the mystic fire is the starting point for spiritual growth. This flame resides in the psychic being, the soul, ...
Views: 427 - The Influence of Inner Planes of Consciousness on the Outer Life of the Individual - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo devotes a chapter to the ‘sevenfold ignorance’. While we are fixated on our external mind, life and body and the life we lead in the external world, we remain ignorant of the forces at work, behind the scenes, to create what we call our being and personality, ...
Views: 367 - The Subtle Higher Forces of Existence Create Our External Being and Action - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen looked at from the outside, it seems that Matter came first and out of Matter arose Life and out of Life arose Mind. What is not addressed here is how material forces were able to create life and intelligence, in a seemingly random fashion. This is why some religious traditions posit that ...
Views: 377 - Glimpses and Experiences of the Inner Being, and the Shift of the Consciousness from the Outer to the Inner - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf we focus on the experience of our normal, daily lives, we will find that it can be characterised by a specific feeling or quality that we know as our usual experience. While each individual may have a different characterisation of this experience, some happy, some sad, some joyful, some ...
Views: 566 - Inner Growth Differs from Modern Concepts of Growth of Awareness - by Submitted on Nov 05, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe have seen a phenomenal growth of practices that bring attention to our daily actions. Mindfulness training asks us to attend to each movement, each step, each bite of food, and each thought and emotion. Clearly with the amount of distraction we suffer from as a result of our love affair with ...
Views: 401 - The Development of the Human Being and the Transcendence of the Human Being: Personal Growth and Inner Growth Defined - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2022 from santosh krinskyPersonal growth and inner growth, the enhancement of the human being and its capabilities and the transcendence of the human being to develop a being awake and active with a new level of consciousness, are not in conflict with one another. The human being must develop to a certain degree to ...
Views: 546 - Comparing Current General State of Human Consciousness With More Evolved States, Part 7 Separative Ego Versus Universal, Transpersonal Awareness - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe default standpoint for almost the entire human race is that of the ego. There are tribal societies that try to reduce the predominance of the ego through a collective mindset, but even in such societies, pride, rivalry for dominance, and other forms of ego persist. In the West, a premium is ...
Views: 527 - Comparing Current General State of Human Consciousness With More Evolved States, Part 6 Subjection to Suffering from the Dualities Versus Equanimity - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe dualities, or pairs of opposites, are recognised throughout the world as a condition of life. Night and day, positive and negative, and all other dualities, can be seen in material nature, as well as in our vital and emotional existence and in our minds. Electricity flows between positive ...
Views: 522 - Comparing Current General State of Human Consciousness With More Evolved States, Part 5 Identification With the External Nature Versus Poise of Detachment - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe generally experience ourselves as our body, life and mind. When we injure our body, we say that we have hurt ourselves. When there are hunger pangs, we say that we are hungry. When we experience an emotion, we say that we have become angry, or are in love, or are feeling lonely or depressed. ...
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