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SADHANA

  24-12-1974

SADHANA

  • (1) Methods..... flowers, mantra, meditation, Sri Aurobindo and The Mother image, Sri Aurobindo and Mother name ....

Extend these to all who give a happy consent but never force it. By extension your expand.

  • (2) Being the whole day under general consecration, issuing from the heart.
  • (3) See if your acts exhaustively express what you have accepted.
  • (4) Organise sleep and first waking thought.

One line from Prayers and Meditations or a thought before sleep.

  • (5) At every sudden moment (falling star, loud noise, sudden startle, new idea, etc.) wish for total surrender to the Divine.
  • (6) Read always communing with the consciousness of the writer behind his words, thoughts, ideas, mental consciousness. You will know about him and all he has not written.
  • (7) Examine the day for peak periods and the decisive part - establish the Presence there.
  • (8) Mentally note all life responses.
  • (9) Examine and improve the high and low periods of each day.
  • (10) See the role of habits in daily life. Try to shed a small habit during each act.
  • (11) In social context, be poised deep within and give in a contained measure.

Be kind, happy, compassionate without condescension or aloofness.

  • (12) Avoid receiving personal items from others.
  • (13) Learn to see things a few days ahead. Consecrate events a few days earlier than present.
  • (14) Commence with consecration. End with gratitude.
  • (15) Learn to see things in a positive aspect which come to you negatively.
  • (16) In yourself for each positive action, see the negative counterpart and vice versa. Try to station yourself at the core where positive and negative meet, consecrating both.

When sitting silently while others are talking you can see the major strands of your character which were formed and strengthened by the events of early life, expressing silently at that moment.

  • (17) Take active interest in every person, every object. Make any possible effort to improve their existence in however small detail.
  • (18) Remove EXPECTATION in as many areas as possible, great or small.
  • (19) Shift your entire functioning from the mental understanding to deep in the heart.
  • (20) Wherever you are in groups of people see Mother in them. Relate to every person through Mother not through human emotions.
  • (21) Try to accept people completely and minister to them. Try also to change them completely.

SELF

  • (1) Shift center of reference from the most efficient present reference to the Divine core.
  • (2) Extract the significance from past places, people, events in your life as they arise in memory.
  • (3) See life around as complementary aspects of one's own being. Handle situations only from light and strength. See the inner parallel in the previous generation.
  • (4) Look at every human contact - behaviour, personality, character, nature - make mental notes, suspend judgment, observe.
  • (5) Do the same for life incidents.
  • (6) Repeat the same in meditation. How far the personal traits colour the meditation.
  • (7) (1) Collect from writings of Sri Aurobindo and Mother the following:
  • i. Rules for human behaviour in general, e.g. Behave as if Mother is always looking at you; do not live for eating; do not complain, change someone.
  • ii. List those particularly applicable to you without being too serious.

Examine your behaviour in the light of Her statements. See if there is scope for improvement.

            (2)     Extend an experience and infer a principle from it according to how we believe Mother would have acted in a fresh situation.

HOME

  • 1. Know its physical, psychological, social history. Consecrate them and install Presence in every aspect.
  • 2. Note place, time, circumstances around happy or unhappy events. Distinguish them and offer both.
  • 3. Each object has a particular physical, psychological, social relationship to the house. Trace it to its original status. Treat them as live objects. Give active concern for them. Consecrate. Greet every object when you enter and leave the room. Give the non-functioning moments to the objects with which we are directly in touch. (the gaps)

Right Use - Care - Caress - Live relationship and communion.

  • 4. See relation of entire family to the business in practise and ideal. See the next possible step. Consecrate and progress.
  • 5. Withdraw from any attempt that causes valid or invalid fear in others. Discover corresponding fears in yourself at higher level and correct it.
  • 6. Listen to business from others' point. See areas of divergence from others as beneficial to company in most cases. Unify at next higher level.

WORK

  • 1. See the word "world" as a being.
  • 2. Try to see the business as a living element in the larger integrated being of the nation and world. Identify with the business and send your highest consciousness through it to the nation.
  • 3. Rewrite business speech expanding each section, extending principles, innovating principles, illustrating with experiences written for western audience.
  • 4. WORK MUST BE CONFINED MAINLY TO CONSCIOUSNESS. Never give an occasion for dispute.
  • 5. Propose new system of education, psychotherapy.
  • 6. Naming any establishment "Sri Aurobindo".

BUSINESS

  • 1. Enter into personal, silent, conscious relation with every person, system, object, etc. and nourish it by your consciousness.
  • 2. Try to relate the business to many acts, persons, events, objects of your personal daily life, (e.g. supermarkets, new items, highways....) so as to integrate life and business in you and broaden the consciousness of the business.
  • 3. Learn history of business. Listen to periods of crisis which led to successes or failures. He will benefit by reliving them with you.
  • 4. Study employees SILENTLY to learn their talents and untapped capacities.

Do not straight away propose changes. (a) upgrading employee to his maximum capacity (b) upgrade plane of work from material to human capacities. See if flowers can be used.

  • 5. Spot simple avoidable sources of friction and try to have it removed by others recognition and personal initiative. Look for small improvements that can have major effect.
  • 6. Relieve workers of false feeling that they are giving more than others, being exploited, etc. Each can be shown he receives proportionately and others also give. Each must be conscious of what he gives and what he receives.
  • 7. Examine every system to see if it is working at maximum efficiency. It is a resource to be exhausted. Create occasions to meet all employees, use all equipment, refer to old files and materials.
  • 8. If management is progress-oriented (not profit) employees will be work-oriented. Genuine interest in the person not just his work means he is interested in the quality of his work, not just the time spent.
  • 9. One devotee on the staff would make great impact.
  • 10. Play Mother's music for 5 minutes daily. Post truisms in your workspot.
  • 11. In personal relation with other workers find out their health and home problems. Try to silently relieve them. Ask "Is there any way you can further your prospects here or elsewhere?"; encourage him. Work silently for his opportunities.
  • 12. For every needed change in business find inner parallel in others and yourself.
  • 13. Set all machinery in perfect quiet working condition. Take personal initiative.
  • 14. See efficiency of response in terms of time to all incoming items - mail, calls, jobs, persons, etc. Work for greatest speed of response.
  • 15. Mentally note number of people who smile and frown. Mentally encourage the smiles.
  • 16. Find ideas in management books paralleling our own. Note them and speak them as the author's ideas. They are good channels for the consciousness.
  • 17. Try to remove areas of secrecy, hiding, etc. especially where it is out of falsehood or a hook for falsehood.
  • 18. Increase available cleanliness, orderliness, regularity even by small extend.
  • 19. Listen to story of all jobs that have been missed. See why and how. Weaknesses are revealed.

GENERAL

  • 1. Practical service to propagate Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's teachings:
  • a. Every possible contact of press, radio, news, etc. to publish or distribute any item connected with His work. Do first inside then take initiative..
  • 2. Happy willing service to any devotee or Mother's Centre is service to the Divine. Recall all people you have known here and offer them to the Divine. Many will come to you. Be open minded, take active interest when time permits.
  • 3. Speak to publishers about integrative approach to psychology, etc. and preparation of book unifying all viewpoints at higher level.
  • 4. Contact anyone proposing a philosophy of business other than production for profit. e.g. production for consumption, etc. correspond.
  • 5. Look for correspondences to Sri Aurobindo in science journals, etc. Collect materials.
  • 6. Contact as many people as possible along these lines.
  • 7. Try to make at least token relationship with an international institution.

SIGNIFICANT SMALL ITEMS

  • 1. Be alert for the significance of quixotic occurrences in conversation, meetings, circumstances. See where they lead. Life hints at the future. Consecrate without ambition.
  • 2. Let no negative thought enter your mind or find expression. If you express one, express it positively. Best thing is to listen, not to talk. When listening, keep mind quiet.
  • 3. In departing if someone turns back to look at you, it is a response to the consciousness. Take further initiative to contact him.
  • 4. When a work is a failure, a number of positive strands for future work will reveal. If taken up they lead to an ever greater success.
  • 5. Encourage tourism to India.
  • 6. Take initiative to complete any act left undone, any opportunity once available in business life, even if 30 years old.
  • 7. Take personal initiative to set right any discordant note (noise, light left on, disorderly items, etc.). Introduce any small right movement (order, cleanliness, etc.). Introduce small movements of perfection and harmony.
  • 8. At moments approaching completion of a major work all contacts with lower consciousness must be avoided and protected by consecration.

Comments

Was the above article written

Was the above article written in 1974 to a specific person in his specific context and stage for progress?  Or can it be taken as a general guideline for anyone who currently lives in the world (e.g. has a household, has work and function in the world, etc…), yet whose central purpose of life is to tread the path of Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga?

If the latter is the case, below are a few questions:

On item (16): “In yourself for each positive action, see the negative counterpart and vice versa. Try to station yourself at the core where positive and negative meet, consecrating both.” What is an example of the negative counterpart of a positive action and vice versa?

On Home, item (4), what does it mean “See relation of entire family to the business in practise and ideal. See the next possible step.”?

On Work, item (4), what do you mean by “WORK MUST BE CONFINED MAINLY TO CONSCIOUSNESS.”?

On Significant Small Items, Item (4), “When a work is a failure, a number of positive strands for future work will reveal. If taken up they lead to an ever greater success.”  How to distinguish/discern whether the failure of work is either an indication for future greater success or is a result of insufficient purity of consciousness in which the work was done or imperfect skill of execution?(In addition to use the strength of Sincerity )

Thanks.

 

The article is generally

The article is generally applicable to all those who want to practice yoga for spiritual progress or achieve highest accomplishment and fulfilment in yogic life according to the path of Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga.

"(16) In yourself for each positive action, see the negative counterpart and vice versa. Try to station yourself at the core where positive and negative meet, consecrating both." Whatever we are and whatever we do, we can always identify elements that are not aligned or are aligned negatively in contradiction to what we do and aspire for. A man who decides to be act generously with others may notice that even in the act of giving something in himself resents, resists or wants to curtail and is pleased when circumstances prevent the movement of giving. A person who decides to give freedom to others can feel the resentment rising up in him and silently communicating to others not to take his words to literally. A person who wishes well to others can feel the tinge of jealousy when news comes of another's success or good fortune. A person who aspires to serve Mother may feel resentment when his efforts or achievements are not considered important or taken seriously or recognized by others, even though these things will cancel out the service offered to Mother.

"Home (4): See relation of entire family to the business in practice and ideal. See the next possible step. Consecrate and progress." Business is a part of life which includes family, relationships, society in general. We cannot achieve perfection in work if there is dirt or disharmony at home. Cleanliness, Harmony and self-discipline at home are as important as they are in work. We cannot achieve prosperity in work if personally we do not discharge our rightful responsibilities to family, repay our debts, restrain our personal impulses. Ideal expression in work should be matched by ideal expression in relating to others personally. A successful businessman accepts that the customer is always right and should be pleased at all cost. The same attitude extended to family is much more powerful. 

"Work 4: WORK MUST BE CONFINED MAINLY TO CONSCIOUSNESS. Never give an occasion for dispute." The real work is inside, which means in taking the right attitude, arriving at the right understanding and consecrating each act to Mother. Action should only express what we have completed inside in the measure it is our responsibility to act or it is sanctioned by life. External disputes are signs of inner work left incomplete, inner conflicts unresolved. Do the work inside and wait for confirmation before acting outwardly. Discover the inner correspondence for every external difficulty and resolve it within oneself. Create new opportunities externally by giving a greater opening with greater faith internally. 

"Small Significant Items: 4. When a work is a failure, a number of positive strands for future work will reveal. If taken up they lead to an ever greater success."

Your Question: How to distinguish/discern whether the failure of work is either an indication for future greater success or is a result of insufficient purity of consciousness in which the work was done or imperfect skill of execution? 

The three are not independent or necessarily different from one another. When a work fails or does not get completed, there are multiple possible reasons for it. Insufficient aspiration, energy, organization, skill, wrong attitudes or actions may explain it . Identifying the insufficiency or wrong element and correcting it can convert failure into success. Consecration is the spiritual method for identifying the weakness and rectifying it inwardly by invoking Mother's Power and offering the wayward element to Her. Work gets completed when both inner and outer conditions are fully met. If an earlier work failed, consecration of it now will reveal the reasons and rectification of the deficiencies will either revive the past work or bring a greater opportunity now.

[Garry Jacobs]

 

Thank you very much for the

Thank you very much for the reply and it is clear and sound for application.

 

To do all these itself is a tremendous joyful endeavor and business; it also takes quite some time every day and evening, leaving less time and interest to engage in outer work/profession, especially in its old way. Moreover, to do it well requires single-spirited and singled-minded focus and concentration. The habit of old working life and old modes of nature is too strong to facilitate the transition of the inner change. Specially regarding your answer on Work item 4, ‘ do the work inside and wait for confirmation before acting outwardly’, for some tough cookies, the inner work will take longer than the outer work/job allows from client or other stakeholders' perspectives.  On the other hand, I am aware that Sri Aurobindo says that outer works are essentially needed for changing the nature. Therefore my question is ‘Would it be an idea for a starter on the path to take a break or sabbatical leave of half or one year from the current outer work/job in order to establish the right inner poise, and to first develop some inner spiritual mastery and skills in that year and then re-enter outer work and life with at least some basic inner skills and qualities to be able to withstand and transform the recoil of the old outer nature and outer work, and ultimately be able to do service for Him and Her?

 

There are a few more questions on the above article:

On Sadhana, item 4, how to ‘organize sleep and waking thoughts’ and around what?

On Work, item 6, What does it mean: ‘naming any establishment Sri. Aurobindo’?

On General, item 7, what are examples of such international institution? Like UN or European Commission, IMF, WHO, ICC, etc..? What is ‘token relationship’? Once such relationship is there, then what to do?

 

Thanks.

 

You have understood the

You have understood the spirit of the article. You are one who can achieve this goal. You see the need of 6 months of inner preparation which means you have fully comprehended the purpose of this wide conprehensive canvas. If you succeed in such a holiday, I suggest to read Synthesis of Yoga by Sri Aurobindo, where about 5000 such practical questions are raised in 1000 pages and answered with practical clarity. Even if you get a small portion of these holidays, it is a great beginning. What matters is inner work. It is consummated in outer work.

(Sadhana item 4) Our sleep is unconscious. Man goes to Sachchidananda in sleep and is recharged. Conscious awareness of the Mother  before going to sleep will do it.

(Work item 6) A family, company, club or organization is an establishment.

(General item 7) All these are establishments. Token relationship is to see the parallel between your thought and work and that of your company or country.

If you can read the novel Pride & Prejudice, you will find copious somments on this story on karmayogi.net explaining all these principles at great length.



story | by Dr. Radut