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Consciousness and Awareness Articles
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- The Four Parts of the Vital Being: Their Functions and Their Seats - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor those who focus on liberation from the worldly life, it is not much of a consideration to understand the exact details of the vital nature. If they can find a way to eliminate or reduce its action overall, so that they can concentrate on the process of liberation, that is considered ...
Views: 545 - The Role and Destiny of the Vital Force - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe life-force represents the next evolutionary stage beyond physical Matter. It transforms material energy and channels it for development of perception, feeling, and interaction. It prepares the way for the advent of the subsequent evolutionary phase of the manifestation of Mind. When it first ...
Views: 581 - The Role and Destiny of the Body - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe physical body has provided spiritual seekers with a riddle and a challenge throughout time and across the globe. For those focused on the external life there is no question. They enjoy, they develop the capacities of the body, they do not think twice about it, other than to the extent that ...
Views: 574 - The Existence of Mental, Vital and Physical Planes of Existence Independent of the Material World - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2021 from santosh krinskyWhere do life and mind come from in the material world? How does inanimate Matter become the basis out of which life evolves? Western science, at a loss as to this process, simply has speculated that given enough time, the chemical/electrical interaction of material forces will spawn life and ...
Views: 563 - The Influence of the Circumconscient Environmental Consciousness - by Submitted on Mar 05, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe paradigm that has ruled Western psychology has focused on treating the individual as a discrete entity, separate and apart from everyone else, and independent of his environment. Pressure may be exerted by societal influences, economic influences or family relationships and expectations, but ...
Views: 521 - Can Human Beings Change? - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe try, as human individuals, to make changes in our lives. Self-help information proliferates, and people try numerous methods to change various habits, cravings and directions in their lives. We have a proverb that it is harder to change human nature than to straighten out a dog’s tail, which ...
Views: 667 - Experiencing the Shift of Consciousness from the Outer Being to the Inner Being - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a complete reversal of consciousness that occurs when the inner being opens and the awareness shifts inward. It may be experienced as a separation of an observer watching all the actions and events in the outer world, including the thoughts, feelings, perceptions and outer stimuli that ...
Views: 623 - The Surface Being and the Inner Being - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor most people, their lives are focused on the external world and their inner life consists mainly of brooding over or planning actions within that context. Even the distinction between extrovert and introvert is primarily a difference in ways of response to the world. The extrovert tends to be ...
Views: 648 - Understanding and Distinguishing the Complex Makeup of Human Nature - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2021 from santosh krinskyEverything we experience is filtered through the mind. For daily life, it may not be essential to go much deeper into the question, although even there some amount of awareness can be helpful, such as when one experiences pain, the actual cause needs to be determined to resolve the issue ...
Views: 631 - The Worlds and Planes of Consciousness - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe tend to take for granted the feelings, emotions, ideas, thoughts, creative impulses, imaginations, insights, inspirations and intuitions we experience. We do not generally try to find out the source of these things, or how they come to be known to or experienced by us. We treat our bodies as ...
Views: 620 - The Occult Action and Interaction of the Planes of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2021 from santosh krinskyFrom a superficial perspective it is virtually impossible to understand the development of consciousness from Matter to Life, and from Life to Mind, and beyond. We now recognize that our beliefs and actions are conditioned by factors unseen and essentially unknown to us. C. G. Jung described the ...
Views: 432 - Planes of Consciousness and Their Role in the Creation - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe generally try to understand things from our own individual perspective, yet this perspective is severely limited and cannot fully comprehend or appreciate the larger forces at work or the complete significance of the creation. If we make the shift to the divine standpoint, however, we can ...
Views: 597 - The Creation of the Worlds and the Cycles of Evolution - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2021 from santosh krinskyEntropy is a scientific theory that holds that the universe tends towards increasing disorder and dissolution over time, eventually having ordered patterns break down into randomness or chaos, and dissolution. While it is set forth in Western science as the second law of thermodynamics in a very ...
Views: 610 - Evolution of Consciousness - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn order to evolve, a power or principle must be first involved. When we say that life evolved out of inanimate Matter, we have to reflect, “how is this possible?” When we examine Matter at the sub-atomic level, we see an incredible power of consciousness at work with very precise and ...
Views: 604 - Evolution: East and West - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a long tradition in the West that does not accept evolution in any form as an acceptable explanation for life on earth. This view is set forth in the creation story in Genesis where God created each form and being of its own kind and created human beings to act as stewards of the ...
Views: 606 - The Fundamental Nature of Existence is Consciousness - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2021 from santosh krinskyAs we reflect on our own existence, and our relationship to the world around us, we begin by referencing everything to our own desires, needs, wants and feelings. We look at the world as external to us, inanimate matter somehow sustaining plant and animal life. The sun appears to revolve around ...
Views: 571 - Three Differences Between Integral Yoga and Traditional Spiritual Paths - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyPeople frequently wonder how the integral yoga may differ from the traditional paths of yogic practice. The aim of the integral yoga is to transform consciousness here on earth; it is not fixated solely on individual liberation, although individual realisation is a necessary step on the path, ...
Views: 525 - The Three Transformations of Consciousness in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo provides a detailed explanation of what he describes as the “triple transformation”. The first two, the psychic and spiritual transformations, are well-known steps in the spiritual journey and thus, for a good portion of the way, the traditional paths of yoga ...
Views: 515 - The Role of Devotion and Love in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2021 from santosh krinskyEvery part of the being must be engaged if the integral yoga is to progress. The physical body, the vital being, the emotional being, and the mind all have their role. What is a chore for the physical being, and a dry intellectual endeavour for the mind, becomes a source of joy and dedication ...
Views: 528 - Primary Functions and Powers of the Major Chakras in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2021 from santosh krinskyPractitioners of yoga are generally familiar with the usual definitions of the chakras, their forms, colors and major operative powers when they open. In the integral yoga, where evolutionary planes of consciousness are recognised, Sri Aurobindo has expanded the definitions and understanding of ...
Views: 571 - The Process of Opening of the Chakras in Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe opening of the chakras has been the subject of a tremendous amount of focus in the yoga literature, with emphasis on the awakening of the kundalini energy at the base of the spine, and the rising up of this energy through each of the chakras up to the crown of the head. The dangers ...
Views: 649 - The Tantra and the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe Tantric tradition has developed a methodology (frequently and widely misunderstood and misapplied), to bring about the opening of the subtle energy centers, called chakras, that reside within our energetic body and control the various functionality of powers of body, life and mind within our ...
Views: 561 - The Integral Path Combines the Vedantic and the Tantric Approaches to Divine Realisation - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2021 from santosh krinskyAt a certain point we come to the conclusion that our minds cannot finally determine the truth or the meaning of our existence. We recognise that many of our daily perceptions and assumptions about the world and, in fact, all of existence, are simply inaccurate. We see the sun rise in the East ...
Views: 561 - The Supreme Consciousness and the Creative Force of Manifestation - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyIndian spirituality and philosophy has recognized two primary aspects to existence, the Supreme Consciousness that creates, informs, constitutes and contains all that exists, and the Creative Force that actually manifests the universal creation. The Gita describes the Supreme Consciousness as ...
Views: 522 - The Integral Yoga: Development Beyond the Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2021 from santosh krinskyWhile the Bhagavad Gita provides a strong foundation for the spiritual practice of the Integral Yoga, it was developed within a context of time, place and circumstance that brought it to a certain stage of human evolution and potential. Today, the teachings of the Gita remain relevant, but do ...
Views: 547 - The World is a Manifestation of the Divine - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe mind can justify a world of illusion that has its outlet in an escape to unity with an undifferentiated, unmoving Absolute; and it can equally justify a world of reality that is the manifestation of the Being who creates, sustains, informs, contains and constitutes that world. The various ...
Views: 607 - Adwaita Vedanta (Mayavada) and Integral Non-Dualism: Contrasting Interpretations of the Nature of Reality - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2021 from santosh krinsky“One without a second.” This Upanishadic dictum forms the basis of Shankara’s philosophy of Adwaita, Vedantic non-dualism. The seeker leaves behind the illusion of the world to merge into the pure, transcendent Oneness of the Brahman. Sri Aurobindo proposes non-dualism, however, that adds the ...
Views: 601 - The Integral Way to the Truth of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 08, 2021 from santosh krinskyIt is not through the power of mind that one achieves knowledge of the truth of existence. The frame within which the mind operates, and the methodology that it utilizes, simply cannot appreciate, nor understand, those aspects of existence which fall outside of its direct scope or which exceed ...
Views: 560 - The Need to Transcend the Intellect in the Search for the Truth of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 07, 2021 from santosh krinskyOnce we acknowledge that Truth cannot be ascertained through intellectual prowess alone, that the mind is not an instrument of truth, but rather an instrument for seeking, filled with doubt, confusion and limitation, we can no longer rely entirely on the mind to be the arbiter of what reality ...
Views: 568 - The Need for a Direct Experience of the Reality of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2021 from santosh krinskyAt the end of all our speculation, logic, reasoning, and opinions, we find that we are plagued by uncertainty and doubt in our minds about the meaning of our existence, our purpose in the world and the reality of the universal creation. We can recognize that what we observe through our senses is ...
Views: 533 - The Limitations of the Intellect in Grasping the Supreme Truth of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2021 from santosh krinskyNo matter how highly develop and powerful the intellect is, at some point it reaches the limits of its power and acknowledges that all of its activity is limited within a frame that prevents it from knowing anything with certainty. The intellect builds steps of logic based on various assumptions ...
Views: 576 - Use Every Relationship to Uplift Your Life - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2021 from Guy FinleyThe greatest, most abundant resource on planet Earth is also its least understood and utilized. Its unlimited supply is found virtually everywhere, anytime, and under all circumstances, even though few recognize its real value. What is this most precious collective resource? It is our ...
Views: 774 - New Powers to Help You Perfect Your Relationships - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2021 from Guy FinleyThere is always a moment before a problem starts with another human being where we realize that what we want is not going to happen. Ordinarily we'll say the other person is about to "ruin my day." But there is, for those of us who want to understand, not only a way for our day not to be ruined, ...
Views: 686 - Opening to the Divine Consciousness - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn his book The Mother, Sri Aurobindo outlines the personal effort to be made by the seeker of the Divine. This consists of the movements of aspiration, rejection and surrender. Aspiration means the inner focus and dedication to achieving the divine consciousness and living in that ...
Views: 623 - Ordinary Consciousness and Spiritual Consciousness - by Submitted on Jan 30, 2021 from santosh krinskyOur mind and senses are generally turned outwards and we constantly are prodded to pay attention to events, people and circumstances in the outer world. We build up careers, we start families, we entertain ourselves, we satisfy the desires that arise as a result of our interaction with the outer ...
Views: 690 - The Object of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2021 from santosh krinskyPeople take up the practices of Yoga with many different objects in mind. Many do so from the viewpoint of the individual ego, seeking for fitness, health, energy, prosperity, fame, or for individual spiritual realisations, spiritual experiences, acquisition of special powers, conquest of death ...
Views: 664 - The Principle of Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyWhen we look back at the history of the practices of Yoga, we find several lines of development. One is to move the consciousness away from focus on the outer world and its events, activities and insistent occupations to focus entirely on entering a status of unity with the Divine, the Absolute, ...
Views: 626 - Spiritual Choice. Part II - by Submitted on Jan 24, 2021 from Jacklyn LoRight Spiritual Choice In our God’s hierarchy, a Right Spiritual Choice is a Choice towards Light. One of the best samples of a Right Spiritual Choice is represented in the drama-horror movie The Rite ( 2011). Multiple Spiritual Choices towards Light is the best-case scenario for any ...
Views: 678 - First Steps in the Practice of Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe transformation of the individual is not something that occurs magically overnight. Even if someone is awakened out of their habitual routines by some extraordinary experience, such as a sudden spiritual opening, or even a near death experience, the ongoing effort is still required to bring ...
Views: 596 - Conscious Evolution - by Submitted on Jan 22, 2021 from santosh krinskyEvolution takes time. Hundreds of millions of years were required to move even small steps forward, as universal “time” does not fit into the “human” time-sense. Humanity measures things in terms of an individual lifespan, and in increments that we have devised from our humanity-centric ...
Views: 667 - Conscious Evolution - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyEvolution takes time. Hundreds of millions of years were required to move even small steps forward, as universal “time” does not fit into the “human” time-sense. Humanity measures things in terms of an individual lifespan, and in increments that we have devised from our humanity-centric ...
Views: 734 - Self-Realization ... and Beyond - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2021 from santosh krinskyhe long legacy of the Yogic tradition is founded on the recognition that there is a greater Reality that exists, that the human individual is a participant, in fact a part of that reality, and that it is possible through the practices of yoga, including various psychological and psycho-physical ...
Views: 651 - The Spiritual Revolution - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2021 from santosh krinskyHumanity is facing a crisis of existential proportions. Climate change, pollution, income inequality, access to fresh water and food, and the consequences that lead to mass migration, war, and increased risk of pandemic disease vectors all are forcing us to confront our entire way of looking at ...
Views: 675 - The Mind of Light in the Context of the Current Existential Crisis - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2021 from santosh krinskyIs it our destiny to create a divine life on earth? When we look around at the world today, we see innumerable problems, crises and contradictions that provoke many to feel utterly hopeless. Everywhere people have experienced the pain, the challenges, the aggressive opposition of ideas, ...
Views: 710 - If You Want to See Change in the World, Do This! - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2021 from Guy FinleyAround the world today, millions if not billions of individuals are being consumed by negativity. The world and our relationship to the cosmos always run through cycles of increased or decreased activity. Right now we are in a cycle of increased activity where many people are stirred up. In such ...
Views: 864 - Honestly Evaluating Our Daily Walk - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2021 from Bruce WawrzyniakLate last year as both the NBA and the NHL moved deeper into the playoffs and closer to an eventual champion, we were reminded of how one team needs to win 16 games to eventually be the one to hoist the Stanley Cup or the Larry O'Brien trophy. While they didn't have to go undefeated, you'd still ...
Views: 724 - The First Signs of the Advent of a Mind of Light - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2021 from santosh krinskyAre we witnessing the first signs of the development of a mind of Light in the world today? If we look back at human civilisation over the last several thousand years, we can see several bright spots where individuals or relatively small groups of people broke out of the fixation on material ...
Views: 665 - Spiritual Choice. Part I - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2021 from Jacklyn LoIntroduction According to contactees with Supreme Consciousness, we live in a transition period from the fifth to the sixth race. That is an extremely challenging time since the previous era's results are summed up, and humans' destinies are decided. A tiny group of the very best people ...
Views: 682 - Radical Spirituality: Find Out Your Subconscious Fears and Defenses Part 4 - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2021 from Scott & Stephen PetulloThe power of the human mind is truly remarkable. You’re consciously aware of the content of this article as you read it, but the focus of your collective subconscious mind is likely elsewhere, and is infinitely more powerful. Ultimately, you can’t control what your subconscious mind does; it ...
Views: 630 - The Secret Significance and Process of Evolution - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2021 from santosh krinskyWestern science has attempted to understand existence by analysis, first and foremost of the outer forms and forces we experience in the world around us. The mind’s analytical and organisational capabilities have been brought intensively to bear upon the forms of existence, the material basis, ...
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