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Consciousness and Awareness Articles
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- Are Our Thoughts Our Own? - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe normal mental process begins relatively simply. We hear something and accept it in our minds, and eventually we repeat the thought to others and thus, a thought-form moves through the mental atmosphere and touches many minds. Teilhard de Chardin referred to the mental force permeating the ...
Views: 220 - What Is the Role and Importance of the Physical Body for the Evolution of Consciousness? - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhy do we have a physical body? We undergo pain and suffering related to having a body as we age, experience illness, injury, the infirmities of old age, and eventually the process of death of the body, in some cases through very painful means. Those who conclude that the body is purely an ...
Views: 238 - How to Change One’s Character - by Submitted on Nov 30, 2023 from santosh krinskyHumanity has struggled with the idea of an individual changing his character and becoming something more, or different, than what he was before. Numerous methods have been tried, and at the end of the day, almost everyone agrees that human nature and the individual character that expresses that ...
Views: 239 - The Power of the Evolved Soul to Tread the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe frequently hear people speak about the ‘law of attraction’. In most cases, they treat this as some kind of method or ‘trick’ to attract wealth, fame or other objects of desire to them, through use of a sort of mental focus or vital magnetism effect. The true ‘law of attraction’ however is ...
Views: 239 - Understanding the Transmission of Our Vital Inheritance - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2023 from santosh krinskyFew are those individuals who were conceived through a consecrated and conscious act of prayer and dedication by the parents. Those individuals are blessed with the opportunity to live a life of dedication and devotion. Most people, however, are conceived without much thought or consideration ...
Views: 255 - The Influences That Direct the Development of the Vital Nature - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe can understand the role of genetic predispositions in the formation of the physical body. The transmission of physical characteristics from generation to generation, the blending of dominant and recessive genetic traits and the atavistic background that led to the status of the genetic ...
Views: 216 - The Body’s Formation Does Not Directly Correspond to the Person’s Character and Development - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe frequently try to judge the character of an individual based on physical characteristics. While it is true that there is an interaction and influence between the body, the life-force and the mind, for most people these are not at all absolute or determinative. There are well-known instances ...
Views: 209 - Can Destiny Be Modified Through Conscious Intention? - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2023 from santosh krinskyHowever difficult it is to predict specifically the destiny of any individual, due to the complex interactions that create that destiny (or shall we say ‘destinies’), there is still a sense that life carries out the path of the energies at work, as well as the trajectory those energies follow. ...
Views: 240 - The Complexity of Predicting the Destiny of Any Individual - by Submitted on Nov 23, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe predict the times and the seasons, we can predict to a certainty physical and mechanical operations, and we can even predict within a range, the pattern and scope of a particular set of events we set in motion in various fields. We expect that the physical world in which we live follows ...
Views: 331 - Transitioning the Human Consciousness from Ego-Centric to Soul-Centric Basis - by Submitted on Nov 22, 2023 from santosh krinskyIn one of his aphorisms, Sri Aurobindo points out “the ego was the helper; the ego is the bar.” We frequently get the feeling that somehow the ego is truly an obstacle to our spiritual development, without looking at it through the lens of the evolutionary arc of the development of ...
Views: 229 - What Is to Be Done With Our Multiple Personalities in the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2023 from santosh krinskyThere are numerous strategies adopted by spiritual seekers throughout the ages to try to address the divergent pulls of the various aspects or ‘personalities’ within each individual. Brute force has been tried. Stoicism and resistance to the force of desire has been tried. Abandonment of the ...
Views: 240 - Understanding the Multiple Personalities Within the Being - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2023 from santosh krinskyWestern psychologists have identified extreme cases of what they call ‘multiple personality disorder’. This is when an individual has divergent personalities that take over the frontal being and manifest themselves in different ways, in most cases suppressing the others to such a degree that the ...
Views: 251 - The Ultimate Importance and Value of a Human Birth - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2023 from santosh krinskyThere are tales in the Puranas that indicate that even the Gods, if they want to evolve and develop, must take birth on earth in a human incarnation. If we look broadly at the evolution of consciousness from the gross material, to the vital, to the vital-mental and eventually to the mental ...
Views: 248 - Boredom and Its Cure - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe are frequently not aware of the state of boredom and its various manifestations within us. We do recognise periods when we feel at a loss and want to do or experience something or distract our minds and we recognise these times as boredom. What we do not necessarily recognise however are the ...
Views: 292 - To Become A Conscious Instrument of the Divine Force - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe Mother identifies a distinction between those of goodwill who are ‘unconscious’ instruments of the Divine, and those who can and do become ‘conscious’ instruments of the Divine. Those with good will and aspiration may be guided or impelled to undertake actions which support the divine ...
Views: 237 - Morality and Spirituality - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2023 from santosh krinskyIn the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna becomes conscious of the sin of fighting against and killing his relatives, revered teachers and elders, and declares that the moral code supports the idea that he should not fight. Sri Krishna responds that the divine intention is not limited by human-made moral ...
Views: 244 - Addressing the Contradictions Between the Spiritual Consciousness and the External Body-Life-Mind Complex - by Submitted on Nov 15, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe have numerous historical anecdotes about individuals who were creative and productive in their own field, but who had elements of their being that seemingly could not hold the creative force easily and devoted into various forms of dissipation when they were not directly engaged in their ...
Views: 236 - Employing the ‘Psychic Mirror’ as a Tool For Transforming the Nature - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe methodology for the mastery and transformation of the external nature of the individual essentially comes down to a shift in standpoint to the psychic being, which is the soul-element in the being, and then, a systematic review and management of the external nature and its various parts, ...
Views: 235 - The Inconstancy of the External Nature Under the Influence of the Action of the Three Gunas - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe Bhagavad Gita provides an extensive review of the operation of the three Gunas, the qualities of Nature, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. These qualities are always interacting and changing based on that interaction. There is no consistency or constancy in how an individual responds so long as he is ...
Views: 237 - How to Establish Unity in the Being - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe Mother advises that the way to establish unity in the being is to treat the psychic being or the central aspiration as the guiding principle, and then observe and manage the mind, the life-energy and the body to conform to the intentions expressed by that central guiding principle. It is ...
Views: 236 - The Justification and Benefit of Unifying the Being Around the Psychic Being and the Spiritual Purpose of the Life - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhen we work in the external world, whether it is to study, to follow up a line of development of some sort, to train the body for athletic endeavours, to strengthen and refine the mind to undertake serious development of the powers of Reason and intuition, etc., we do so with some expectation ...
Views: 236 - A Shift of Standpoint from the Ego-Personality to the Soul or Self Is Needed to Unify, Organise and Harmonise the Entire Being - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe tend to identify ourselves with the constructed ego-personality that we have built up, without recognising that this personality is itself an amalgam of different drives, instincts, habits, emotional predilections, feelings, thoughts, etc., which in many cases are not in alignment with one ...
Views: 252 - The Constant Effort Needed in the Yogic Practice - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhen people think about yoga, they generally think about practicing certain poses, or asanas, or doing certain breathing techniques, or chanting various mantras, reading certain books, meditation, or singing devotional songs, etc. Those who take up the practice of Raja Yoga follow an eight-fold ...
Views: 230 - The Process of Bringing Harmony and Unification to the Being Centred Around the Spiritual Purpose - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2023 from santosh krinskyAs long as an individual lives ‘aimlessly’, without recognising a higher purpose in life, there is no way to appreciate and measure the actions of the external nature with respect to any variance from that aim or purpose. The aim or purpose comes with the identification with the soul, the ...
Views: 229 - The First Step in Unifying the Consciousness - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe mind, vital, and physical body tend to pull one in different directions, based on their differing needs, wants or desires, and propensities. This creates a tension in the being when the pulls from these aspects come into conflict with one another. For instance, someone has the desire to ...
Views: 238 - The Need to Organize and Arrange the Actions of the External Being Around the Aspiration of the Psychic Being - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2023 from santosh krinskyTo transform the life into one of spiritual focus and purpose, the various parts of the being need to be organized and ordered systematically to match the aspiration with the outward action. The thoughts, emotions, feelings, responses should be both coherent and arranged to present an harmonious ...
Views: 231 - The Complexity and Time to Harmonise and Unify the Being - by Submitted on Nov 05, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe mind is the characteristic power exercised by the human race. While the higher reasoning and abstract mind is somewhat limited in its action across the broad spectrum of human individuals, the basic mental powers are widespread, providing the capability to review, categorize and classify, ...
Views: 228 - The Progressive Nature of Increasing Consciousness - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2023 from santosh krinskyAs the seeker becomes more and more conscious he may experience reflections of his past actions which, in retrospect, were incorrect, inaccurate or false. This frequently brings feelings of regret and soul-searching. This is however an over-reaction to an increasing sense of awareness. It is ...
Views: 228 - The Progressive Nature of Increasing Consciousness - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2023 from santosh krinskyAs the seeker becomes more and more conscious he may experience reflections of his past actions which, in retrospect, were incorrect, inaccurate or false. This frequently brings feelings of regret and soul-searching. This is however an over-reaction to an increasing sense of awareness. It is ...
Views: 239 - Seeing Oneself and Others With Open Eyes - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2023 from santosh krinskyTo the extent we fail to see the underlying motivations and desires that drive our thoughts and our actions, we tend to take a relatively benign view of who we are and how we respond to life. Similarly, to a great degree we tend to assign a similar motivation to others, although, it must be ...
Views: 238 - The Role of the Witness Consciousness in Overcoming the Force of Desire - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe are generally so embedded in the external surface consciousness and the ego-personality that we naturally believe that represents ‘who we are’. This focus on the external being, however, is subject to being driven by impulsions, desires, impressions and various forces that are at work to push ...
Views: 224 - Steps Needed to ‘Become Conscious’ - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2023 from santosh krinskySome people believe that an intense aspiration is all that is needed to overcome the obstacles that prevent seekers from seeing, understanding and effectively responding to the forces that drive the outer life they lead. Others emphasize the details of the methodology to gain the needed insights ...
Views: 247 - Vital Motivations in Action May Disguise Their True Nature from the Spiritual Seeker - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2023 from santosh krinskyIndividuals become famous as great philanthropists. Some pledge their wealth to a great cause, such as solving the climate crisis, others undertake to build hospitals or feed large numbers of people. These individuals are looked up to and used as examples of selfless individuals. Yet, a deeper ...
Views: 227 - The Witness Consciousness and the Role and Action of the Three Gunas - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe establishment of the witness-consciousness, separated from and observing the actions of the external nature, is an important process, not just for those taking up the practice of the integral yoga; rather, it can be a valuable tool for everyone to be more effective in directing their own ...
Views: 232 - Spiritual Insight, Not Psychotherapy, Leads to Deeper Truths of the Being - by Submitted on Oct 29, 2023 from santosh krinskyAs human beings typically rely on their mental capacities to understand things, seekers frequently take the advice of tracing back to the roots of the impulses, thoughts, feelings they experience as requiring a method akin to the processes followed in psychotherapy. Western psychotherapy uses ...
Views: 234 - The Need to Keep the Temple Clean - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe body-life-mind complex is the nexus and the container for the divine force in manifestation. The force, when it descends into the conscious awareness of the devotee, requires that the instrument be stable, pure and ready to receive and transmit the force without diminution or distortion. ...
Views: 224 - The Need to Overcome the Tendencies to Self-Deception and Self-Justification in the Nature - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2023 from santosh krinskyThere is the aspiration and dedication that the seeker recognises and treats as his true identity. Then there are all the thoughts, motives and actions that undermine or contradict in some manner that aspiration and dedication. Many people fail to recognise that this contradiction exists, as ...
Views: 229 - The Process of the Integral Yoga to Achieve Liberation from and Transformation of the External Surface Nature - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2023 from santosh krinskyIf it were only simple! The integral yoga holds out the goal of not just attaining liberation from the external surface nature, but also transforming that nature under the impulsion and intention of the divine intention in the universal creation. While the concept of liberation is well known and ...
Views: 251 - Interaction Between the Individual and His Social Relationships - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2023 from santosh krinskyThere is a subtle interaction that takes place in any social setting. Even an individual who is awake and conscious of his own thought and expression may, and frequently is, subtle impacted and influenced by the physical, vital and mental forces with which he is in contact. When an individual ...
Views: 238 - Individuation Is Not Isolation from External Influences - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhen we reflect on the individuation process for which the ego-consciousness is the instrument of Nature, we oftentimes go to the extreme of believing that we are totally separate, independent and free of outside influence. We believe that our individuality is a wall of separation that keeps us ...
Views: 239 - Individuation Is Not Isolation from External Influences - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhen we reflect on the individuation process for which the ego-consciousness is the instrument of Nature, we oftentimes go to the extreme of believing that we are totally separate, independent and free of outside influence. We believe that our individuality is a wall of separation that keeps us ...
Views: 231 - Wise words from Jayne Mansfield - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2023 from Scott & Stephen PetulloJayne Mansfield (April 19th, 1933 – June 29th, 1967) was an American actress, singer, entertainer, and Playboy Playmate. She was known for her publicity stunts and personal life, had several box-office successes, and won a Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe Award. Jayne was one of ...
Views: 321 - To Be In a State of Attentive Observation - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2023 from santosh krinskySome years ago, a visitor residing temporarily at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in India attempted an experiment. He determined to undertake a period of ‘social’ silence, while remaining active in the community and undertaking various work assigned to him. The rules he set for himself included utilizing ...
Views: 242 - The Exploration of Inner Space - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2023 from santosh krinskyHumanity has developed a method for exploration of the world around us, and in recent times, the exploration has expanded to include exploration under the vast oceans, exploration of the solar system and further reaches of outer space. Attention has now turned to the internal foundations of life ...
Views: 240 - The Science of Living - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe wisdom seekers of past ages essentially set forth one overriding dictum “Know Thyself”. Simple enough! We then, however, begin to understand the difficulties involved. Sri Ramana Maharshi poignantly asks us to inquire ‘who am I”? Who, indeed…. For those who live primarily in the external ...
Views: 305 - The Difficulties of Changing Human Nature and the Need for Patience and Perseverance - by Submitted on Oct 19, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhen a seeker awakens to the deformations of the body-life-mind complex, the distorted feelings, the misdirected emotions, the incomplete and misguided thoughts, the entire complex focused on and rooted in the idea of the aggrandisement of the ego-personality at the expense of everything else, ...
Views: 242 - The Challenges of Merging the Ego into the Divine - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2023 from santosh krinskyThere are several ways to approach the question of consecration of one’s being and life to the Divine. As the Mother makes clear, the need to be an individualised being that can actually have something to offer to the Divine is both paramount, and requires substantial effort to both understand ...
Views: 247 - The Mental Process and Developing Independence of Thought - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe may believe that we create our own thoughts and ideas, but a close examination makes it clear that streams of thoughts, ideas, mental energies are constantly bombarding us, both overtly through what we read, what we hear, what we see and what we experience, and covertly through the subtle ...
Views: 245 - The Role and Benefit of the Physical Body - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2023 from santosh krinskySpiritual aspirants frequently complain about the obstructions provided by the physical body. There is a need to eat, a need to sleep, the constant pressure of physical existence, the wear and tear of the aging process, the potential for illness or injury, and the eventual breakdown and ...
Views: 245 - Precondition for Offering the Ego into the Divine Consciousness - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhen we think about dissolving the ego and offering ourselves to the Divine, we do not often consider the details involved and the difficulties attendant on that process. What is it we are offering? How are we accomplishing that offering? What does the offering look like in terms of its ...
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