The Absolute, Sri Aurobindo.

Sometimes you stumble on great interpreters of life.


"Central theme of Sri Aurobindo's vision is the evolution of human life into life divine. Writes he: "Man is a transitional being. He is not final. The step from man to superman is the next approaching achievement in the earth evolution. It is inevitable because it is at once the intention of the inner spirit and the logic of nature's process."

One of Sri Aurobindo's main philosophical achievements was to introduce the concept of evolution into Vedantic thought. Samkhya philosophy had already proposed such a notion centuries earlier, but Aurobindo rejected the materialistic tendencies of both Darwinism and Samkhya, and proposed an evolution of spirit along with that of matter, and that the evolution of matter was a result of the former.

Sri Aurobindo argues that humankind is not the last rung in the evolutionary scale, but can evolve spiritually beyond its current limitations to a state of spiritual and supramental existence. This evolutionary existence he called a "Divine life on Earth", characterized by a spiritualized, supramental, truth-consciousness-oriented humanity

He speaks of two central movements in the process of creation: an involution of consciousness from an original omnipresent Reality, manifesting a universe of forms, including matter; and an evolution of those material forms in creation upward toward life, mind, and spirit, reconnecting to their spiritual source. It is also a process of evolution.

The process by which the Energy of creation emerged from a timeless, spaceless, ineffable, immutable Reality, Sri Aurobindo refers to as the Involution. In that process the Reality extended itself to Being/Existence (Sat), Consciousness, that generated a Force - (Chit); and Bliss (Ananda)-- self enjoyment in existing and being conscious. Through the action of a fourth dimension, Supermind (i.e. Truth Consciousness), the Force (Chit) of Sat-Chit-Ananda was divided into Knowledge and Will, eventually formulating as an invisible Energy that would become the source of creation. Through its own willful self-absorption of consciousness, the universe would begin as Inconscient material existence from out of that Energy.

The process of existence emerging out of the Inconscient is referred as evolution. Initially, it emerges gradually in the stages of matter, life, and mind. First matter evolves from simple to complex forms, then life emerges in matter and evolves from simple to complex forms, finally mind emerges in life and evolves from rudimentary to higher forms of thought and reason. As each new principle emerges, the previous stages remain but are integrated into the higher principle. Humanity represents the stage of development of mind in complex material forms of life.

Sri Aurobindo's argues that Man is born an ignorant, divided, conflicted being; a product of the original inconscience (i.e. unconsciousness,) inherent in Matter that he evolved out of. As a result, he does not know the nature of Reality, including its source and purpose; his own nature, including the parts and integration of his being; what purpose he serves, and what his individual and spiritual potential is, amongst others. In addition, man experiences life through division and conflict, including his relationship with others, and his divided view of spirit and life.

Even more beautiful is that he admired a friend of his, a woman. He admired her so much that he gave her full reign as he retired. Much like Jesus and Mary in the Gnostic texts. He named her The Mother, her parents named her Mirra. Mirra Alfassa.

He wrote about her;

"The One whom we adore as the Mother is the divine Conscious Force that dominates all existence, one and yet many-sided that to follow her movement is impossible even for the quickest mind and for the freest and most vast intelligence."

Again, it doesn't prove anything but....
The premise: life, driven by hunger, created us to adapt to an environment outside our immediate reach; space. Space, live has experienced, can be a hostile adversary. But even before space became our 'new' environment, the planet on which we live can be even more dangerous to our chances to survive. We, human kind, are a link in life’s' evolutionary process that will eventually create a being able to survive without our planet. If we won't reach that goal, this planet will be our end.

This poem of Sri Aurobindo in essence tells us what to realize on our deathbeds.. We are created in Her image.    

The Absolute.

No mind, no form, I only exist;
   Now ceased all will and thought;
The final end of Nature's dance,
   I am it whom I have sought.
A realm of Bliss bare, ultimate;
   Beyond both knower and known;
A rest immense I enjoy at last;
   I face the One alone.
I have crossed the secret ways of life,
   I have become the Goal.
The Truth immutable is revealed;
   I am the way, the God-Soul.
My spirit aware of all the heights,
   I am mute in the core of the Sun.
I barter nothing with time and deeds;
   My cosmic play is done.

Though a far more amazing find is a song from one of my all-time favourite artists, Tuck & Patti. I've known this song for many years, and it overwhelmed me when I listened to it again, after my 'enlightenment'. This song actually told me for the first time that the answer to the life force was Hunger. Literally. Read for yourselves:

“Strength”
By Tuck and Patti

Years of tears Pain for breakfast
Lunch is longing Dinner never comes
Hunger ruled this lonely spirit. All the time.

Tears of yearning for a stranger Who would take the pain away
And ease the sorrow and the hunger and the longing...
But the stranger never came

She didn't understand that this was all arranged

She stays up late and studies
Though her eyes are red and she is weary
Sometimes she is afraid

She can't believe, still can't believe
he left her with these babies all alone

She sometimes feels she just won't make it
That she will shatter all to pieces Or just disappear
But there's a feeling in her spirit, when she is quiet she can hear it
And it gives her strength and courage to dry her own tears