Mothers Path

8/8/2019 Mothers Path

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So we must eliminate all egotistic movements including expectation, impatience,assertion, greed, irritation, vindictiveness, jealousy, disappointment, etc. Instead we

must move toward positive feelings, such as feeling happy at a colleague's promotionand congratulate him, instead of feeling jealous about his advancement. Mother's

Way is for is to become patient, tolerant, open, concerned, and giving.

Take disappointment. We are disappointed in life because we anticipate results.Instead we should do the work on hand and concentrate on it, and think less andless about the results. In that sense the aphorism "the journey is the reward"

explains this. We would paraphrase it as "the Inner journey is the reward."

One must also develop a sense of calm and equality in all situations. If e.g. you are

not promoted, if someone betrays you in work, one must not react. One must calmlyaccept what is and move on. One must see things not from the perspective of the

ego and one's wishes and preferences, but from the perspective of the unfolding oflife, that there is a Divine purpose and Will in that unfolding in your life. In that way

we view the world not from our ego-sense, but from our higher sense, the Divine'sWill, the way of the Divine Mother.

The best way to begin the journey towards non-ego is to move inward away from thesurface of life into the deeper parts of our being. From the Silence that emerges

there, from the detachment from the surface bubbling of life when stationed there,the self-assertiveness of the ego-sense is reduced, enabling one to interact with life

through greater unity and connectedness rather than ego and separateness.

If the ideals set forth here seem too high and one feels he cannot attempt it, he can

make a small but significant beginning that will lead to the goal in time.

In this light here are a few specifics we can follow:

1. As a first step, it must be possible to drop jealousy, hatred, offensiveness,selfishness, etc. One can make a full-throated effort, at least, with one of them.

2. As a second step, try to take another man's point of view, train yourself tolisten, be pleasant and try any such attitude.

3. At the physical level of action, punctuality, orderliness, regularity, etc. will helpthe efforts above.

4. At a higher level act on faith.

If you are not able to follow any of these with full significance, at least start following

the external physical versions of them in behavior.

Doing the Work in the Right SpiritWork for Mother is a field of greater yogic effectiveness than meditation. Mother says

one can make a greater progress in yoga by doing the work in the right spirit than

by meditating. By right spirit Mother means taking interest in the work that comes to

us instead of seeking to do the work one likes. It looks simple, but this is one of the


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most difficult disciplines in any yoga. A boy who loves cricket can agree to stopplaying it during study period and sit at his table for hours preparing for the

examination. He unbends himself from play and bends his energies to work. This isto do one's duty. This is admirable. By the above discipline Mother wants this boy to

derive the same joy in doing his lessons as he derives from cricket playing. Normallythat capacity is not within the reach of the boy. At least he can suppress his

enthusiasm for cricket, disregard his dislike for study and do his duty. This way hegives his energies to duty. This is good and Mother approves of it. Now what She

asks for is that the boy should enjoy his studies as much as he enjoys playingcricket. That is ordinarily beyond human capacity. (MSS)

Accept Mother as Center of Our Lives

The greatest attitude on the path is to accept The Mother, the Divine as the centralfocus, purpose, and meaning in our lives.

Doing Work for the Sake of The Mother, the DivineWhen a man takes to yoga, accepts Mother, adores Her, loves to do Her bidding,

feels the privilege of working for the Divine Mother and sees his reading assomething he does for the sake of Mother, joy begins to issue from reading. Within

the limits of this act, this is a process of divinisation, transformation, a process ofraising man from sensual pleasure to psychic joy. To know that we are doing the

work in right spirit, Mother gives an index. After completing a work if one feels joy,

he has done it in the right spirit. If one feels tired after a work, he has done it in theold human way. Almost as a rule when a man joins the Ashram the work that falls to

his lot is one that he has detested all his life. He has to learn to transform his dislike

into enjoyment. That is one aspect ofsadhana.

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The Children of The MotherThe future belongs to Spirituality, not religion, says The Mother. The time of religion

is over according to Her. Religion is many following the inspiration of one enlightenedperson. Spirituality is each one seeking his own illumination. As Protestantism

removed the priest between Man and God, Spirituality will enable each man to seekhis own God, seated inside.

The Mother was in Japan during the First World War. She recorded her Prayers and

Meditations everyday, which was later published. As a preface to that publication,She wrote that there are those who give their souls to God, and others who give

their work. Some give their wealth. A few others give their lives to the Divine. There

are the rare few who give their souls, wealth, work and lives to the Divine. Theyalone are the true children of The Mother and all others are valuelessciphers for the Divine Work.

In Her scale of values, it may be impossible for us to become even valueless ciphers.Why? Is She a taskmaster and a disciplinarian? When China threatens the borders of

India, the Indian leader needs nerves of iron and can no longer indulge in the luxury

of non-alignment. Not all people can lead a nation in war. Divine Work embraces theuniverse where one has to organise new ways of life suited to the Higher


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Consciousness. For that, one cannot be attached to his work or life. Therefore, SHElaid down Her requirement but never persuaded anyone to take to it.

In Her Agenda She describes the yoga of the body She tried and said how horrible it

was. She said She would NOT recommend this yoga to anyone. I ask people toinvoke the Spirit for a better life, not for yoga. A life of utter Truthfulness brings

one into the atmosphere of Her Force that is active on earth since 1956. Shesaid that that Force had organised itself in the consciousness of a person. Yoga is for

the evolutionary adult. A life of higher consciousness is for the aspirant of Truth inlife, where he can express his own higher values. (Karmayogi)

All Work is Opportunity for Growth, Transformation(under development)

Moving in the Right Direction for Future Employment

According to Karmayogi, creating a new opportunity for yourself throughentrepreneurial spirit is the method of the True Individual who will be emerging in

the 20th century.

Those who are able to self-determine their lives in that that spirit will be rewardedgreatly, as long as they are practical.

Taking up the initiative through constant consecration, one will be guided every step

of the way.

Sometimes Mother will give employment through others instead, because it is best

for one's growth (and may also help related devotees and relations).

Having the subtle sense to see where Life/Mother is pointing is very helpful.

Also, speaking with others with an open mind is useful for determining one'sdirection.

Consecrating one's entire future life is infinitely helpful for garnering Her directionand guidance. I.e. it will become the subtle signs.

Skill in WorkA man derives joy from a work when he has great skill in it. He who has high skill in

a work can be seen taking pride in it and enjoying it. Several such aspects in thephysical, mental expression of a work help one enjoy it. An attempt is made to

explain these aspects below.

Values in Work

Values are lifelines. They have great power. In business one value everyoneappreciates is the quality of the product. Every businessman as well as every

customer knows fully well the value of quality. If you look at any company and find itis making steady progress, certainly it will be adhering to values. If two companies in

the same industry are making small and great progress, surely the latter companywill be following higher values. Even one great value fully followed can give

extraordinary results. Some of the values that are meaningful to business are:


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safety, security of job, family feeling, constant progress, reliability, honesty, efficientafter-sales service, maximum use-value of product, courtesy, friendliness, ideals in

work, trustworthiness, quality product and loyalty.

-Punctuality, regularity, orderliness, cleanliness, etc. are essential disciplinesto accomplish a work. We can say that if the value of punctuality alone is acquired by

Indians to the level of European punctuality, it can transform the nation from a poorto a rich one. All of us know its value. It is enjoyable when we possess it. It is very

productive. Regularity and other qualities in the list above are more valuable. In1920 Mother started teaching sadhaks how to keep books in an orderly way.

-Maximum utilisation of energy, materials, money, water, electricity, etc. is

a cardinal principle. In other words, elimination of waste of every description is avalue. A company in USA went bankrupt. It was a small company with Rs.5 croresales. Another man bought it. The first thing he did was to apply a scale of utilisationvalues he had evolved in his own business. He worked out the percentage of

expenditure on every item such as electricity, advertisement, etc. He applied those

norms here and found the electric bill was 2.5 times higher than it should have been.He took action to bring down all expenses to within his norms. In three months, the

new acquisition became an economically viable one, even profitable. Mother followedall these principles, which would be understood as economy in Ashram life. She used

to re-use envelopes by turning them inside out.

-To approach a work from another man's point of view is a powerful principle

for success in life and work. To approach it from our own point of view only willgenerate conflicts and produce low results. To approach the same from another

man's point of view is generative of harmony, producing maximum results. I shallgive one example.

A contractor of sugar mill waste known as pressmud was in business for 17 yearsand was fairly successful. But over the years his business accumulated outstanding

from the farmers to whom he supplied on credit. He had a thick bundle of 200promissory notes due to him for the last 17 years, periodically renewed. Each yearhe supplied more, collected a little, lent more and so on. The outstanding remained.

-Anattitude of "work first, anything next"must be the guiding line.

-To have a good control of speech is a yogic discipline but will yield great resultsfor anyone in any walk of life. The total amount of talking must be brought down to

the minimum necessary level. The tone must come down to an audible whisper.These two efforts are very difficult. In business low voice produces great profits.

When an industrialist with Rs.10 lakhs annual sales came to Mother, he mentioned

his one major industrial problem was a harassing manager who irritated him beyondmeasure by his umpteen repetitions, which occupied all his time. Among many ideas,he practised low voice and was relieved of the harassment from the manager in one

day. His sales rose to Rs.50 lakhs in three years.

The voice comes from our life centre and therefore carries a life-power. Conserving

the energy through low voice will have desirable results in life. In business, it first ofall makes the entrepreneur effective and happy. He functions in a relaxed way. If


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anyone follows this in business, he will discover that there is no better way to makemoney. Voice lowered is money conserved.

-Systems for every individual item of workare essential.

-Mother was great as an organiser. Whatever She did, she functioned through a

system.

-Personal power must be replaced by the impersonal authority of a system.

Ordinarily man carries the weight of his work on his nerves and it gives tension,making people look older than their years. Often we hear, "There are a million

details. If I forget one thing, it is not done. I feel like going mad." This is so becausethis man does not resort to systems. Once you create a system, the work is done

well and your nerves are free. A system does the work of 10 or 100 or 1,000 men.That is the value of a system.

-If systems are valuable, coordination of systems is powerful. Suppose there are

25 systems in a company with a minimum of coordination and they are allcoordinated to a maximum extent, the same staff can accomplish twice or thricemore. To give a simple example, in a college if the timetable of the dozen

departments is not coordinated, i.e. if each department has its own time table, thetwo year course will extend to five years and twice as many classrooms must be

built.

We can see one expression of this at home when there are three cycles for use and

five of us are using them. Without coordination, two more cycles must be bought andwith coordination, one or two cycles can serve the purpose instead of three.

When individual power is exercised, accomplishment is low. If impersonal authority is

used through systems, the same man can manage twice the amount of work. (MSS,somewhat modified)

Attention to People, ThingsEverything in life responds positively to attention. People, objects, stocks of

inventory, and money are but a few examples. For example, the best way to giveattention to money is to account for it very accurately and promptly. Keeping

accurate and up-to-date accounts of money is a powerful mechanism for attracting

more of it from life.

There are endless examples we have witnessed demonstrating this power. Here'sone:

One small business owner decided to give attention to his accounts, balanced eight

months of back bank statements, and miraculously received $5000 from nowherethe next day.

If you bring your personal or business accounts fully and accurately up to date, you'llbe able to watch the money flow to you!


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Money is not the only thing that responds to attention. So do ordinary objects and

things. Consider this example:

A businessperson was unable to make any substantial sales. He was told that he

should give attention to and evaluate his remaining current stocks, and then make a

full effort to sell them off. After making an effort of selling but a few of the minimalstocks, an order arrived equal to six months of normal sales!

We have often seen this phenomenon where a business owner concerned by lowsales or cash made the effort to sell off remaining unsold stocks, and life responded

by bringing more sales. This is a powerful example of the power of attention to

objects and things.

One way we give attention is by adopting the personal value of maximizing the way

you use your current resources, such as money, materials, and time.

So all sorts of things respond to attention; animate and inanimate!

Finally, let's not forget to mention that people also, of course, respond toattention. Every person wants to be attended to and be the object of others

attention. When you give deserving people attention, they can blossom in front ofyour eyes.

Education and TrainingThe required level of education for the work of every employee is essential.

Education expands the mental horizons. An educated person is better for hiseducation. Each level of work requires a minimum education. Workers, supervisors,

clerks, managers, accountants, etc. should have the education necessary for them.That makes the work enjoyable for them and productive for the company. The idea

of accomplishing a higher work through a less educated person may be successful inthe exception, but as a rule it hurts the work.

Full essential training for the work is important.

Education is the base, training is the top dressing. Regular systematic training,though costly in the beginning, pays rich dividends in the long run. Generally we let

our workers be trained during work. We expect them to be trained by experience. As

a rule this training is slow, partial and expensive. One bad result here is that theyacquire a wrong training.

One company in Holland followed the first principle of recruiting people andexpecting them to acquire training through service. Another recruited trained people.

Though both were of comparable endowments in all respects, in five years thesecond company rose to the 3rd position in the industry while the first company was

ranked 21.

Perfect skill is of permanent value.


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Skill in works is yoga, says The Gita. To see that everyone in the company acquiresperfect skill in what he does will raise any company from the bottom to the top. It is

the duty of the owner of the company to constantly raise the skills of his workers.That makes the workers happy and labour relations smooth. A company with 50

workers had at least 25 labour problems in two years and was closed for fivemonths. The proprietor agreed to take very special steps to give complete skill to all

his workers. The situation reversed and the labour trouble disappeared. (MSS)

ResourcefulnessResourcefulness is always a great value. In business it pays rich dividends. Mother's

devotees can find their minds becoming more and more resourceful as days pass. Adetermination to be resourceful helps it to flower. Simply described, resourcefulness

means to find a use for every resource and to find a solution for given-up tangles.

A milk society was continuously losing money, and the co-operative departmentconsidered closing it. One low level officer expressed the opposite view. They asked

him to try. In six months, he turned it into a profit-making society and even

purchased a delivery van. Pleased by his resourcefulness, the department askedwhether he could start a co-operative bank. He did. In the first three years, hisperformance record was top-most in India. He was a simple man who retired at a

non-gazetted post. But he was resourceful. At the silver jubilee of the bank, theyhunted out the man from his retirement and gave him an award. (MSS)

Endless ProgressTo have constant endless progress as a goal enlivens a business organisation.

When a sugar mill was founded, the owner sought Mother's blessings. She wrote "For

endless progress". He registered 1,500 acres of cane for the first year crushing. The

average per acre yield in the adjacent factory area was 28 tons. This factory fixed ahigh average of 45 tons an acre, since initial cultivation gives higher return. Mother's

endless progress reached the fields too. The fields yielded 85 tons an acre, whicheven touched 110 tons in exceptional cases. The factory kept on crushing the first

year's cane for two full years.

Mother herself blesses her devotees with endless progress. If endless progress is

accepted as a conscious goal, the company does progress endlessly.

If a devotee starts a company, endeavours along these lines seriously and meets

with a fair level of success, his company will have several characteristics that can beobserved.

There will be an atmosphere of hope and joy in the work.

Public image will be one of admiration and approval.

Individuals in the company will be sought after by everyone from everywhere.

Expansion, not mere growth, will be endless.


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No difficulty will ever arise(MSS)

CourageCourage in crisis is a great endowment. Intelligent risk in seeking opportunity brings

reward.

To advise one in a crisis to have courage is easy, but to give him courage is not so

practical. Granting that a company faces a crisis, the entrepreneur finds himselfhelpless and it leads to panic. But there are people who in a similar situation do not

get panicky and who are courageous. About 15 years ago, a Rs.150 crore companyfaced a market situation in which it became clear to all that it was only a matter of

time before the company would have to close. Employees at all levels were filled withterror. The situation was in nobody's hands. The proprietor was courageous and

calm. He was the one who would lose the most but he did not lose courage. In a fewweeks, there were several unexpected developments and the crisis blew away.

Today the company's assets are worth Rs.1,000 crores. Anything could havehappened. It is the courage of one man at the top that saved the situation.

Well, he was one endowed with courage. What about ordinary mortals who getpanic-stricken? Of what use is this advice to them? Knowledge that courage is a

saviour brings some courage. If one is a devotee and prays for courage, Mother

grants plenty of it. (MSS)

StrengthStrength is one of the important determinants of a person's overall character and

capacity for accomplishment in life. Just as one can admire another person'sgoodness and compassion, we can also admire their strength of character. A person

of both great goodness and great strength can rise to unlimited heights of joy,

happiness, and accomplishment in life.

One of the interesting ironies we have observed along the way is that we can oftenlearn a lot from "bad" people. Many bad people have something that many of us lack

-- strength. These individuals may nor be using their strength for a good cause, yetthe fact is their strength advances their cause. On the other hand many "good"

people lack strength in life, and could probably learn a great deal from anyone (goodor bad) who has it in abundance.

One of the keys to personal growth is the taking of the initiative to increase one's

strength in life. One particularly interesting phenomenon we have observed is that if

a person who lacks strength makes the effort to increase and assert his strength at alevel higher than he/she is used to, life outwardly can respond with great reward.

Strength At Various LevelsStrength can manifest as physical strength, vital strength, and mental strength. At

the physical level one can of course be a physically strong person, though even asmall person can have the physical strength of endurance or good health. It can

even show itself as physical courage. At the vital level strength can show asdetermination, courage, perseverance, toughness, and willingness to confront life's

difficulties head on. Mental strength can show up as the ability to maintain intense,


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keen interest in something, such as the details of policies or the formation of alogical argument.

We can take an individual, such as the character of the Count in the Count of Monte

Cristo, and evaluate the person in terms of strength at these three levels. (MSS:) He

had physical strength due to his life as a sailor and enduring hardship in prison. He

had vital strength negatively born of suffering and the urge for revenge, positivelydue to the enormous wealth he acquired and the social position it gave him, and hehad mental strength derived from the wonderful education given by Abbe Faria.

Similarly strength can show up at these three levels of physical, vital, and mental for

social entities, such as teams, organizations, businesses, institutions, and nations.

For example, Israel has shown great strength in its fortitude in the face of beingsurrounded by enemies. Similarly many poor countries show great resiliency and

strength to exist despite their difficult realities. Or in the social arena such as sportswe see how a team can show great strength, despite limited talent, and succeed far

beyond their physical capacities. On the other hand, another team can have greattalent but not succeed in the decisive games because there is not an inner toughness

or strength.

Taking ResponsibilityThroughout our lives we are confronted with external pressures that bear on usgreatly. It is how we react to these pressures that determine to a large extent to

what degree we accomplish in life. Those who take responsibility, see their ownweakness as it relates to the problem, grow and accomplish. Those who blame

others or ignore the pressures, stagnate and achieve less. For example, in the book

Pride and Prejudice the main hero Darcy is confronted by great pressures in life,

many of which he created in the first place. Fortunately, he responds positively tothe pressures by taking personal responsibilityfor his actions. He does this by

acknowledging his character flaws and misdeeds. This acknowledgment and

acceptance causes him to solve a very difficult problem, which sets in motions aseries of even more positive events for others and for himself. It also and enables

him to grow as an individual, which leads to his ultimate achievement in the story,his marriage to Eliza.

We see how magnificently life responds to taking responsibility in life. On the other

hand another individual confronted by the same great pressures of life fails to takeresponsibility, blames others, and doesn't grow or accomplish in life as a result.

When life bears down on us and exerts pressures we can respond positively ornegatively. Those who respond positively, who take responsibility rather than blame

others or be in different, grow as individuals, and set the stage for great positive

responses from life, and great achievement and happiness.

Higher AttitudesWe are filled with attitudes that we acquire from our family, our friends, and ourenvironment. They are also in the very fiber of our being, inherited through our

genes. Many of these attitudes are quite good, while others are less than stellar.


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However, if we can identify a bad attitude, and make an effort to change it, we willfind that life will suddenly respond and bring us good fortune.

There are three basic types of attitudes that we can identify; attitudes about

ourselves, attitudes towards others and things around us, and attitudes towards lifeitself. Examples of attitudes about ourselves is having high or low self-esteem, or

great or little self-confidence. Examples of attitudes about others are our ability tohave goodwill or bad will or goodwill towards others; trust or mistrust of others,concern or indifference toward others, and so forth. Attitudes about life might be

include the feeling that good things will always come our way, or a faith that difficultsituations and circumstance will always turn out for the best. The opposite is that life

always treats us bad, and we are doomed to difficulty and failure.

A positive attitude can overcome a negative situation, and enable positive

circumstances to suddenly emerge, e.g. where objects like machines suddenly workbetter. We also see how people respond better to this shift in attitude, as in this

case, where another individual is suddenly elevated to a new position in life. As aresult of shifting one's attitude, life suddenly, abundantly, miraculously responds in

kind; defying all of the normally accepted rules of logic, defying all of our normalperceptions of cause and effect, and space and time.

Negative Expressions Attracts Negative ResponsesWhereas we see that positive improvements in attitudes attract positive responses

from life, sudden negative attitudes attract the reverse. For example, if one speaksnegatively about another person or about a situation or circumstance, it tends to

suddenly attract negative things from life.

The best approach is to avoid all negative expressions towards others, things, and

situations. Negative expressions are reflections of a wanting attitude, habit, or

opinion, which has the tendency to suddenly attract negative responses from life. Itcan even destroya work.

Inner-Outer Correspondence

The spiritual experience often leads to an awareness that the things that occuroutside of ourselves and the things within us have a direct correlation and

relationship. The mind says they are divided, are of two different worlds, and cannotpossibly have a direct relationship. For example, how could changing an attitude

possibly relate to a positive circumstance happening to you a few moments after berelated in any way. Our minds suggest that such a relationship lies beyond the

normal bounds of causality, space and time. Yet, that is precisely what occurs.

Our conclusion is that everything that is happening around you is a reflection of

innermost thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. If something is wrong on the outside, youfind the corresponding negative inner perception, change it, and watch life respond

positively in kind. This in turn leads us to the understanding that we can and shouldtake responsibility for everything that is happening around us, and can make inner

changes to effect the world around us.

Interestingly, we have witnessed that if people take this approach, they can bring

about an instant outer response from life. For example an individual changes anattitude about someone at work, and instantly gets a call thereafter that a new


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project has been agreed upon that that person is to lead; or a man cleans somethinghe was reluctant to clean before and instantly finds out that he has run into some

expected money. This is called a Life Response.

If your attitudes and opinions are reflected by the circumstances around you, then

we can make an effort to change the world on the outside by making a change on

the inside; by changing our attitudes, opinions, and habits, or taking a specificaction. Under certain circumstances life on the outside can instantly respond to yourinner effort. If you can look at every positive and negative circumstance and match it

to a corresponding attitude, value, or habit inside yourself, you will be well on yourway to understanding the character of life, and gain the ability to master life.There

is no faster way to change the world around us than by acting from a positive inner

poise.

Life ResponseNormally, we believe that taking an action on our part brings about a corresponding

result in life. This is of course true. There is also a secret knowledge that certain

special actions we take and certain attitudes we have can instantaneouslyevoke apositive response from life from seemingly out of nowhere. We call this dramaticphenomenon a "life response."

For example, let's talk about money. We are all aware of the importance of

intelligence, hard work, social position, skill, organization, and other forms ofstrength and power to create wealth. There are, however, a few hidden strategies to

creating an immediate response from life concerning money. For one, keepingaccurate and up-to-date accounts of money is a powerful mechanism for attracting

more of it from life. One small business owner decided to balance eight months ofback statements in a weekend and received $5000 from out of nowhere the next

day. This is an example of a life response. It is virtually instantaneous, and appearsto come from seemingly out of nowhere; thus the moniker "instantaneous

miraculousness."

There does not seem to be any obvious connection between the actions and theresults, yet somehow life responds to the initiation of this person. That is the case

because life is organized in ways far beyond our normal, i.e. outer perceptions of

cause and effect. There are also innerlaws of cause and effect that are in operations,which are mostly hidden from us, are subconscious or unconscious to us. The

example of attention to money and how it generates a sudden, abundant, instant liferesponse is but one example of this inner causality we have discovered over the

years.

There are perhaps a dozen or so key human behaviors that can trigger such positive,

instant, abundant life response. E.g. in addition to the power of attention to keepingaccounts up to date to attract money, being as careful and prompt in paying debts as

in collecting what is owed to you attracts money.

Attention to finances and taking care of financial debts are in essence forms of higher

organization attracting money through the inner forces of cause and effect. Anotherexample of this inner power of organization is cleanliness. For example, we have

found that cleaning up and organizing an area around you brings about a veryfast

response from life.


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Just as organizing money accounts and paying debts on time attracts money andfortunate circumstance to you, so does cleanliness and organizing things around you

one level higher than they currently are.

Sometimes physical things, such as stored away objects or stocks of inventory in a

business are ignored or forgotten. If one makes an effort to give it a new level of

attention life can miraculously respond.

You can also change life's circumstances by overcoming a limiting or negative

attitude, habit, or opinion. This is perhaps the most powerful method of all!

Changing an attitude can make life respond. So can taking a positive decision,especially if it was something not taken before.

You can also make life respond by attempting to improve yourself, such as learning anew skill to improve your career.

Finally, you can make life respond by quietly wanting something (preferably

something that is necessary!) from within yourself, without expressing it outwardlyor demanding it. Some would call this "the power of mind over matter."

When we master the inner rules and laws of cause and effect, we gain an enormouspower over life that we didn't have before. This knowledge is one of the great secrets

of living one's life from our deepest self awareness.

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Moving the Collective

There are several approaches to affecting the collective. One Appa suggests is that ofthere is a problem around us we want to change, identify the corresponding element

in ourselves, agree to change it, and offer it to Mother, the collective will move.

We can also affect the collective by taking a great interest in the subject, studying it

and understanding it from all possible angles, and with great intensity offer it toMother. Usually the collective will respond.

Moving Conditions for Yourself

When Mother does not respond to a personal situation even though one's thoughtsabout Her are 100% positive, it usually means she is waiting for a wanting aspect of

our being to change first -- often a limiting attitude. If we recognize and change it,life will instantly move on our behalf.

Life Response and Divine LifeIf life response becomes a universally known wisdom, Sri Aurobindo's 'Divine Life onEarth' will be well on its way to becoming a reality.

Consecration (i.e. Opening to the Force)Perhaps the greatest secret that we reveal is a knowledge about a new power thatexists on earth. It is the power that when utilized can create instant success and


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We can try to understand this phenomenon from the metaphysical perspective. Wecan say that the universe emerged from God, the Absolute, the original Omnipresent

Divine Reality. The Absolute has always been there, is there now, and always will bethere. In order to manifest the universe from the Divine reality, It extended itself

through a new plane, which we call the Supramental plane. That plane was theintermediary between the Divine Reality and the universe that was created from out

of the Divine reality. The Supramental plane served to coordinate various aspectsbetween the Divine reality and the forms in the universe that would emerge from

that Divine reality. In that way this Supramental plane was the ultimate force of

creation, since is enabled the Divine to manifest into a universe of forms. That

ultimate power which enabled creation is also available to us so that we too canmanifest creative results in our own lives.

When the individual opens to, remembers this power before an event or an activity

that is about to start, the Absolute transfers its infinite powers through thisintermediary Force to the particular situation that the individual is about to engage

in.

Opening to the Force enables problems to be solved, solutions to appear out ofnowhere, harmony to be created, success to flourish, perfection to come about, and

joy to rise. As life responds abundantly, quickly, miraculously to our invocation of thepower, we will see that our normally accepted notions of space and time, cause and

effect are overcome and transcended. Even what we believe is possible, i.e. what weperceive is as finite is overcome, as the infinite potentials of life appear in what we

formally perceived as finite possibility. These are the results of the infinite capacitiesof the Force, the same force that was/is the power that enabled the universe to

emerge from the original Divine Reality.

The Force is the ultimate, dynamic power of creation in the universe; and that same

power is available to the individual. If an individual opens to this Force at anymoment, a connection is made that enables one or more of its attributes to directly

enter the act or event.

This power solves problems, resolves conflicts, dissolves dead habits and unwanted

traits, opens up new opportunities, generates freshness and enjoyment in everythingwe do, widens the personality, deepens our awareness, and reveals one's true inner

self.

This infinite, dynamic, creative power, sometimes referred to as "Truth

Consciousness," was first discovered or perhaps we should say rediscovered by theIndian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo in the first half of the 20th century.

We ask you to try this method and approach, and see if you experience the

extraordinary results. If you have the experience even once, it can change youroutlook on reality, giving you a whole new perspective on the nature and powers thatare available in life. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of individuals we know of have

had the experience of connecting to the Force, with stunning results in terms of theiraccomplishment, success, and happiness in life.

Solving Current Problems

It is also possible to take consecration a few steps further. For example, you can also
http://www.gurusoftware.com/GuruNet/Personal/Topics/Respond.htmhttp://www.gurusoftware.com/GuruNet/AurobindoMotherStart.htmhttp://www.gurusoftware.com/GuruNet/Personal/Topics/Respond.htmhttp://www.gurusoftware.com/GuruNet/AurobindoMotherStart.htm


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consecrate a current problem, and through consecration, overcome it; even turningit into an unexpected opportunity. Needless to say, such a change in fortune will

bring about a profound joy in one's life.

So consecration, or perhaps we can call it "offering up the problem" to a higher

power, to the Force, also solves problems. It solves them instantaneously,

miraculously, and in creative ways not thought of before. It even reveals to us newunthought of opportunities. It has the power to overcome negativity and it has a

creative power; giving us access to that same creative, dynamic power that enabled

the universe to manifest from the Divine reality. It is the ultimate power in life at ourdisposal.

Opening to Power Matched by Changing Corresponding Weakness

So you can overcome any problem in life; a conflict with the boss, a physical ailment,a money problem, or confusion on a programming job. All of life is in play when we

consecrate a problem.

There are however instances where you consecrate an act, event, past problem, etc.and get no results. This can of course be disconcerting for those who have faith inthe Force. There is a simple meaning to this outcome: It is that the Force cannot

move unless a corresponding limitation or weakness in our own selves is alsoovercome. When one invokes he Force, there are various parts of our being that are

at play. If there is no result from invoking the Force, then one or more of theseaspects in one's self are limited or negative, are blocking the action of the Force, and

need to be overcome or otherwise resolved for the power to move. Then, as soon asyou change that part of your nature, you will see an abundant response from life to

your earlier consecration.

For example, an individual opens to the Force concerning a difficult situation with hisboss. He offers with great intensity, but there is no results. It is only when he

overcomes his reluctance to meet with the boss and discuss the matter directly with

his boss, is his problem resolved. Not only that, but a very painful neck problem thathe had had for six months also simultaneously vanished. The combination of

overcoming one's limitation --whether it be a bad attitude, or a false opinion, or anegative past action -- in tandem with the Force, will enable wonderful life response

if an opening to the Force alone does not do the trick.

Overcoming Past ProblemsIn addition to consecrating an event that is about to take place, or a current

problem, you can also use the Force to overcome problems of the past, including theeffect of mistakes of the distant past on your current situation. In other words, one

can also consecrate any pastdifficulties or problems to change one's fortune in the

present.

You can consecrate past limitations and problems, which will dissolve them, resultingin positive, abundant, instantaneous opportunities and other changes in fortune in

the present. This is possible because the Force is beyond any limitations of time; ofpast, present, and future. That's the case because the source power behind the

Force, that which created the universe, is in touch with the timelessness of theDivine Reality.


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Spiritual Results TooConsecration not only brings great gross, material results, but it also brings spiritual

results as well - such as a deep sense of calm and peace, a feeling of harmony andunity of purpose with others or things around one in the environment, a deep

perception of knowledge and truth and wisdom, or even an inner feeling of spiritual joy, delight, and bliss. Let's return to our earlier example to show an example of

this:

Intensity of ConsecrationNormally, we make the connection with the spiritual domain through concentration

or prayer; calling to a Divine source or the spirit within us. In these instances, wehave usually withdrawn from the fervor of our emotions in order to make a

connection with the higher power. However, we have seen that the more intense theconsecration, the greater the results; i.e. the greater life responds.

By "intensity" we mean that our ardor for the Divine help through the consecration is

intense, sincere, deep, and full. When one reaches this state, the intensity of the

nagging problem or difficulty is transferred to the intensity of the offering of thesituation or circumstance to the Divine. The transference of the intensity from the

situation to the offering (or, better yet, intense consecration supported by a soft andsimple mentalclarity of thought of the situation) evokes great positive response from

life.

Scale of Reference in ConsecrationFor the most part the consecration we have spoken consists of using the Higher

Power to create positive gain in one's own life, for one's own sake and benefit. Asone moves further on the path of personal growth, development, and evolution one

comes to the point that one begins to focus not only on one's own interests, but theinterests of others, of the community, of the society, and eventually the interests of

the Divine Spirit itself.

There is thus an ascending scale of reference that extends from the very limitingself-interest of the individual, filled with his poor attitudes, selfishness, self-interest,etc., to a higher level where one is free of these limitations and can invoke a

response to a consecration, to a higher level still where the scope broadens to theinterests of others, and then on to the collective, and finally to the Divine's Will itself.

The higher we are o that scale of reference when we consecrate, the greater itseffectivity, hence its results.

Say for example, you are a business person who wishes a great increase in sales foryour retail business. We can perform the consecration at these various ascending

levels of consciousness, each getting a corresponding higher and wider result. For

instance, at level one I consecrate so that my day's sales will be great in order tomake more money for myself. At a next higher level I consecrate to create greatsales so that others can benefit, such as my staff; or the customer himself. (More

customers can now have the product, including its benefit.) The same interest canapply to the communityand society, who can have great benefit and delight either

directly in using the products, or indirectly from other improvements that the productengenders. The result that comes will be commensurate with the reference of

consecration. At a higher level still I once again consecrate to create greater sales,but this time I do it for the Divine's sake. I do it as an offering and surrender to a


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Higher Will that can use our products or the fact of greater sales for its own higherpurpose. I again consecrate the need with great intensity and emotion, but now I

defer to, surrender to the Higher Intention; to accept what the Divine wants for itsown sake. Again, I may get a causal response that is stupendous; that moves the

individual or the institution one is involved with to a new level of success. This is theultimate form of consecration that leads to ultimate quantity and quality of results.

We should point out that as you move to the higher point of reference, i.e. higherpurpose, you touch on the universal forces that are there just beyond our normal

perceptions and levels of awareness. These universal forces and powers arethemselves connected more directly to infinite realities, enabling infinite possibilities

to enter into what we perceive as the finite at any moment in time.

To enable such vast possibilities, requires a fundamental change in one's nature. To

reference universal forces and powers one must live one's life from a deeper poiseand consciousness within; to come in contact with our Inner Being, culminating in

connecting with our own personal evolving soul. This begins the process oftransformation of the individual, which enables him to permanently connect to the

universal forces, including the divine Force that is the object of our consecration.When one invokes the Force from these deepest levels of consciousness, its

effectivity to create results is greatest. In that way one begins to have the ultimatepower of creation in life. When one connects to the Force from the deepest regions

within us, we gain the greatest powers of creation. We open the doors for infiniteaccomplishment and joy to enter our once perceived finite existence.

Grow by GivingPerhaps the single most powerful way to succeed in life is to have more concern forour fellow human beings. Normally, we are overwhelmingly concerned about

ourselves, driven by our own personal motives and ambitions. However, the

happiest people literally lose themselves in the feelings, thoughts, and aspirations ofothers.

Are you ready to "forget yourself" and be genuinely interested in the welfare of

others? Are you willing to be tolerant and kind to others, listen attentively and

silently to their words, and be non-judgmental and open to their opinions and pointsof view? If you are, you're an excellent candidate for great success in life, not to

mention an ever-increasing personal happiness and joy.

Try a little experiment. When you meet with others, immediately put yourself in theirshoes. Think only of what they want. Listen carefully to their thoughts and feelings,

and show genuine concern and empathy. Do this for the entire meeting. Now watch

how the interaction goes. Watch how the energy level of the other person increases.The other individual becomes more animated and involved.

In addition, if you watch closely, you may notice some interesting things starting tohappen. An unthought of point of view or perspective may be raised in the

conversation. New ideas or fresh new insights are suddenly revealed. Or, a newinteresting idea, project or event might suddenly come out of the discussion. This all

happens because you have shifted your concern toward the other person.


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But there's more. If you pay very close attention, you'll see that there might be anadded "response from life." For example, during the conversation, someone might

call in a great new project to you; or a dramatic new development might arise insome area of your work. This is life itself "responding" to your concern for another

person. It is a hidden power that we have witnessed dozens of times in the past.

Whenever you shift your perspective from yourself to others, your energy increases,conditions of accomplishment, success, and positive outcome reveal themselves, liferesponds suddenly, positively, and abundantly, and one feels a great joy. The more

real and heartfelt the positive feeling toward the other person, the greater theenergy, success, joy, and happiness.

Increase Gratitude

Gratitude is a very special quality in humans, a quality that can be said to border onthe spiritual. Some have even suggested that gratitude is a new form of goodness it

the world. If we look around us we can see that individuals with a "soft nature" have

a natural way of expressing their gratitude. A person who shows gratitude is inessence recognizing the goodness and rightness of the flow of events in his life;perhaps even subtly recognizing a Divine hand in things. Gratitude is a quality that

moves an individual from strife and bitterness to a higher emotion that borders onlove of life.

We have noticed that those who are capable of gratitude normally lead a pleasant,smooth, and generally trouble-free life. Those whose sense of gratitude is weak or

dull find all kinds of problems arising in their lives. Our conclusion then is that a veryeffective and powerful way to overcome a serious problem is to change our negative

feelings toward the problem to corresponding positive feelings of gratitude to thepeople and circumstance related to the problem. See the goodness and benefit of the

people and circumstance in your past and make your feelings positive with a sense of

gratitude. This approach can solve a serious problem very quickly!

AspirationWhen we are first in touch with the spirit, we have a desire to keep close to this

force in our lives. However, that aspiration usually wanes after our experience withthe spirit recedes over time. To rekindle our relationship to the spirit and its benefits

of peace, joy, light, truth, and infinite possibility, we need to make a continuouseffort to bring the spirit back into our lives. This effort must be constant, unending,

and should embrace all parts of our nature until a flame ignites and burns insideourselves as a constant Aspiration for union with the divine. By having aspiration for

the spirit, the divine in our lives, we make it the central part of our being, the light of

our existence.

-For transformation what is needed is aspiration, and the end of ego. To those whoare sincere in this regard will receive the divine help. (Paraphrase of The Mother)

-How many of us are serious about breaking the shackles of ordinary human life to

enable our true potential to shine through, to bringing the infinite into the finite, to

bring Delight to our souls, instead of living lives of ego, ignorance, and unhappiness.


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Most of us just want to live ordinarily, compelled to live a bit more extraordinarilyonly when the chips are down. That's a negative approach to consciousness. We can

do better. We can enable our personal growth through intense positive aspiration.

-The people who have the aspiration, the need to know, are the key in the evolution.

(Paraphrase of The Mother)

SincerityAt the beginning of each day we must ask ourselves if we are truly committed to

taking a step forward today, or if we are resigned to accepting our current status,

habits and preoccupations.

Faith

-The ultimate skill of the spirit is perhaps the acknowledgement that there issomething beyond any skills, beyond our knowledge, beyond even our spiritual

emotions that we can have ultimate trust in. That is faith. Faith is the mind's

intuition of higher spiritual truth. Faith is the knowledge of the soul within us oftruths we have not yet discovered.

We can have faith on occasion, when circumstances are difficult, or on an ongoing

basis. Ongoing faith in the spirit, the divine is an indication that spirit has becomethe foundation of our lives. From that poise anything we come to believe that

anything is possible for us. It opens us up to the infinite possibilities in life, and itbrings us into a closer relationship with the Divine spirit.

-Faith is the knowledge and experience of the soul. Therefore, when you discoveryour personal evolving soul at some point along the path, faith will be ever-present

and ever-lasting.

-Faith in the Divine comes as knowledge of one's soul. When we connect to our

personal evolving soul (the psychic being), faith increases. In that way we come tofaith in Joy, instead of coming to it by being tested through the despair of serious

problems.We must learn to move from faith in life's institutions; e.g. law if we are involved in a

law case, medicines if we are sick, etc.; even to the miraculousness of life responseitself for faith in the working of the divine Force, the divine Mother. This is the true

faith.

----

Negative vs. Positive Faith in Mother (as expressed in a situation of someone'schronic illness)

"In our [Indian] tradition, illness is understood to be the result of past karma. A ladywas suffering from asthma for over a decade. In an affectionate family, illness is an

occasion for attention. People overcome their resistances and offer unusual help. Inother families, where no one feels any emotion for another, it becomes an occasion

for the patient to develop immeasurable endurance. Occasionally, someone at homewill attribute motives to the sufferer. This lady was one of extraordinary politeness


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and was so independent that she would seek no help from anyone except herchildren.

Hospitalisation was an annual phenomenon. It sometimes prolonged for weeks or

months. To her, the physical suffocation was unendurable. During one such visit tothe hospital, the doctors found it a hopeless case and refused to attend on the

patient. The faith the patient had in the divine Mother that SHE would save her lifeand spare her the pain gave way. She could no longer pray to save her life. She

shifted in her mind. She thought of praying that she should no longer suffer. Shesent for her children, removed the IV tubes, and refused further medication. To the

children she made a profound declaration, ''I can't live anymore. Mother will protectyou both. Have faith in The Mother.'' They broke out in a wail. A weight was off her

mind. She fell asleep.

When she woke up, there was no suffocation. Her face was bright. Her voice wasclear. To the nurse attending on her it was a wonder. The nurse ran to the doctors

and reported. They were unbelieving, and rushed to the patient offering to revive the

treatment. The lady preferred to go home. In the next fifteen years hospitalisationwas rare and far between. This is negative FAITH. She prayed to die. Mother gave

her health and life. A positive faith, though it sees no response, will imply one. Ittakes the attitude, ''I have done my best. The pain is unrelenting. No prayer toMother will be in vain, even if the results are NOT visible. My duty is to exhaust my

prayer of faith and not despair. The best will happen to me.'' Such a faith will givethe same results but in a higher fashion. No recurrence will ever be there.

A positive Faith brings the positive opportunities of health and the society. A

negative Faith wards off the existing problems. One who relates to the Spirit has agreater chance of developing a positive FAITH." (Karmayogi)

A Dialogue on Mother's Power and Life Response

I wonder how many a times, help lands when it is the last minute without which we

can not live. It can be money or medical help or anything that becomes crucial. Onereason this occurs is that it is at these (desperate) times that our aspiration

is most intense, and so Mother more readily heeds the call.

Many a times, I also wonder how we misinterpret certain events which appear

unfavourable but turns to be favourable (totally) when looked in reality after

developments in near future. Negatives are positives in disguise; a moreintense form. Often they are the greatest spur to our progress. Sri

Aurobindo says that as we rise in consciousness, we see the divisions thatthe lower consciousness perceives as not being so, including positive and

negative. We instead see oneness and progress everywhere.

Mother's way of blessings is something, I feel one need to realize and experience andit just takes a form of a miracle every time. We are blessed to constantly

witness her miracles. Think how few perceive such things even once in theirlives.

When our thoughts grow to higher levels of consciousness , we can realise the

presence of spiritual guidance in all our life in all events. Yes, well put.


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I always shiver with fear at times when life takes a roller coaster turns - but only to

laugh at myself - mother's force like life belt holds me strongly and landing becomessmooth.

I make mistakes and take wrong decisions, but when surrendered and even on

thought of reversing it , immediately depending on the faith levels prevailing at thattime, I have seen results. This is wonderful.

But pity human beings like me after all experience develop same doubts and fear as

the life presents similar experience situations. That is why He and She advocateour evolution towards a divine life on earth. The current state is terribly

unconscious, filled with duality, fear, and ignorance.

Call it a life response or call it Mother's blessings (obviously mother is the only forcewhich I know brings all good things in my life.) , I see many a times, that Mother has

blessed those who have just shown some interest in knowing about her and her

teachings,.(my friend have got many blessings in reality though he is not a strongfollower). Any, even the tiniest connection with Her, evokes her Grace.

Sometimes a person who barely knows her will receive the biggest changeof all because the energy differential between her current, old status andthis small opening is so fast. Mother rushes in there.

Roy Sir, Life response is something fabulous which brings instant miracles and

happiness which we can create for ourselves with Mothers principles and thoughtsand kindly clarify as to whether this will work even for those who are in reality not

mother's followers. Life response is a universal power of life. It is constantlyhappening all of the time. It even occurs negatively. Sri Karmayogi has

pointed out hundreds of instances of it in just one book, Pride andPrejudice. Mother's disciples also have conscious access to Her Force which

adds causal power. Still anyone can evoke a life response at any moment by

raising their consciousness relative to that instance and circumstance.

Her Causal Power that Transcends Problems in Society

My own experience has been similar; that in times of economic crisis or recession,etc., there is no impact on those who open to Mother. Positive results invariably

come from out of nowhere. I.e. life responds in our favor. Let me explain.

Life response normally comes through subtle power. I.e. we are able to access the

right conditions of life through inner, subtle, invisible means -- e.g. through inneraspiration, and change of attitude. Still it might be influenced to a degree by the

general condition of society, such as economic slowdown. The subtlety of that innerability to attract is there, but the energies are the composite of what is in the

environment, which we may be subject to (unless our reversal of consciousness --e.g. changed attitude -- is intense enough).

Opening to Mother is however super-subtle, often called 'causal,' as new

unprecedented conditions are created in the world that never existed before. Thus,

Her power is not dependent on existing conditions, and therefore the energies andforms in the environment that we can attract. We can say Her power bypasses that

subtle plane through her super-subtle, causal Capacity.


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This in turn enables us to feel a great trust and faith in Her. Sometimes however, anew problem arises, and we have to have even greater faith in Mother's causal

power. In that sense, all negatives are positive in disguise, as they provide us withthe opportunity to develop a richer, longer-term trust in Her influence and power.

The negative helps us grow spiritually, and next time we know just what to do insimilar intense situations. I.e. surrender to Her more fully.

Connecting with the Psychic Within (One's Personal Evolving Soul)What is the soul? A commonly accepted definition is that the soul is a portion of, a

"spark" of the Divine that each person has within him at birth. This soul is in the

noblest person, as well as the most wretched. In one sense we can say that the veryreason we are born is because we have manifest a spark of the universal spirit within

us. Just as the universe exists as an extension of a Divine reality, so too we each

exist because we have a soul spark of this Divine reality within us.

Now consider the fact that each of us actually has two souls! As an individual begins

to live a life of progress, or lives an inner life, or connects to the spiritual Divinereality, something interesting starts to occur deep within. The spark of the Divine,

this soul within us, starts taking on a new companion aspect that has anindividualized,personalcharacter. The Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo calls this

personalized soul the "Psychic Being." (Not to be confused with having "psychicexperiences.") When we grow as individuals, when we touch the inner consciousness

in the depths of our being, when we connect to the Divine reality in our lives, webegin to manifest a new personalized soul space, the Psychic Being.

Next to the unchanging soul spark of the Divine, the personal evolving soul, thePsychic Being is dynamic. It is dynamic because it reflects each person's

individuality, including changes in growth and development of the individual;whereas the "first" soul, the universal soul, the soul spark of the Divine is the same

in essence in everyone; a part of, an eddy of the changeless, infinite, timeless,

spaceless, unfathomable Divine. The Psychic Being is also dynamic because it is anevolving entity. It evolves through the accumulated positive experiences of the

individual it inhabits. This individualized personal soul at any point has a certain level

of spiritual substance, essence, and Wisdom; and seeks to enhance these throughthe growth and progress of the individual human it inhabits. As the individual in the

course of his life grows, develops, and evolves his capacities, attitudes, habits,opinions, sentiments, values, and other aspects of his being, the Psychic Being

absorbs those essences from the individual's experiences and realizations that areuseful for its own further evolution. In other words, when you evolve, itcan evolve!

If the individual stops growing relative to the needs of an evolving Psychic Being, It

will begin to withdraw from that person, searching for new opportunities for greatersustenance for its further development. It normally withdraws by leaving the

individual, and merging with the higher realms of consciousness not of this world. Ifthe right vehicle is found, the Psychic Being then enters that new individual in its

quest for further nourishment of consciousness, i.e. to further evolve. This is whatwe mean by the term "rebirth."

If we are able to help the Psychic Being evolve, how can it help us? If we learn toconnect with the Psychic Being that is there in the depths of our being within, then

life will move in a decidedly different direction for us. The first major effect that theevolving personal soul can have on us is that it helps us live our lives in the best


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possible way. It does this by "watching over us," insuring that we act in the rightway, do the right things, and take the right actions in life. For example, when we do

certain things or take certain actions, it subtlely lets us know if it is the right orwrong thing to do. It also watches over the movements of our emotions, reactions,

thoughts, habits, attitudes; and subtly suggests, intimates which movements aregood and which are deleterious and harmful to us, to be avoided in the future. In this

way our personal evolving soul, this Psychic Being becomes our Inner Guide in life.

A second result of our connection to our evolving soul is that we start experiencing

everything around us from a very different perspective. By living in the deepestdepths we start to move away from and are less influenced by the surface activities

around us. We are no longer overwhelmed by the input of the surface life, absorbed

through our five senses, which deleteriously affects our feelings, our thinkingprocesses, and our actions. As we withdraw from the surface of life, we are less

likely to act from our ego-sense, from our intense and over-wrought individuality andseparateness. As a result we see all of life around us in a new light. We open to the

greater possibilities that are always there in the atmosphere around us. We open to

wider the influences and possibilities that are emerging at every moment. Wewithdraw our own will and needs and desires in favor of the will and needs and

requirements of others. We sense what the truth of the moment is; what is right,what is the correct action to take (or not to take). In this way we enable a greater

harmony, unity, and oneness of purpose with all and everything around us.

Also, as our field of awareness, insight, and consciousness expands beyond our own

selves, we begin to sense that we are not only an individualself, but that we are alsoa universalself and being. We begin to sense that the universe and its forces and

powers are really an extension of our own individual self. We sense that theconsciousness of the universe is intimately connected to our own consciousness. At

that point we begin to develop a cosmic consciousness within us, as we sense that allthe forces, powers, and subtleties of the universe are there at our disposal.

Then there is the effect of touching the Psychic Being on one's knowledge in life.Normally we know things through our senses, mixed with the thinking faculties ofmind. When we want to know something we might need to undertake an

investigation, or learn something new, or find it out from others, or simply thinkdeeply on it. The process is long-winding and time consuming. However, there are

greater powers of mind higher that one can utilize in one's life; where answers come

directlyand instantly, without having to go through a long process of investigation,learning, or even thinking. In this way knowledge simply comes, descends into our

minds as sudden flashes of light or illumination, as visions or revelations, or as greatdescents of the object of knowledge and inquiry, complete, in toto, into our minds as

intuitions. As a result of our connection to the universal consciousness and mindthrough our association with the Psychic Being, these experiences of light,

illumination, vision, and intuition begin to happen more frequently.

This descent from the universal is greatest when we have descents of complete

intuitions of knowledge. If, for example, we wanted to know the solution to a difficultproblem that would normally take weeks if not months of inquiry, it would simply

descend into our minds, without any thought, giving us future knowledge today; e.g.abridging months of hard fought mental inquiry into literally a few moment of time.

Needless to say this can totally change our effectivity and efficiency in life. We


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become the masters of time and space; we bring the infinite future into the finitepresent.

As we touch the evolving soul within we not only develop experience illuminationsand intuitions of future knowledge in the present, but we also start developing a

most astounding new perception of the world; a unitarian consciousness. What does

that mean? Well normally we perceive the world in terms of conflicting opposites;good and evil, pleasure and pain, and other divisions, dualities, and opposites of life.In the unitarian consciousness we no longer view these conflicting opposites, but as

necessary complements to one another needed in order for life to progress. The goodcannot get better without the bad; I cannot improve myself except through my rival

or the conflicts, challenges that life presents to me; the nation cannot progress

except through its conflict with others. In this unitarian consciousness, we begin toperceive that the contradictory and conflicting parties are necessaryto one another

to enable higher harmonies to emerge. Pairs of opposites is Nature's way ofprogress. Moreover, as we see the complementary nature of opposites that need one

another for each to progress to a higher harmony, we actually become instruments

and enablers of that higher harmony. By seeing the complementary nature of relatedconflicting pairs, we sense where they are moving towards, and thus have a glimpse

of their future direction. From that point we can develop strategies that help themget there withoutconflict! Connecting with the evolving personal soul enables us to

extend out to have a glimpse of this unitarian truth consciousness.

Perhaps most rewarding in connecting to the Psychic Being within is when we

experience the Delight of existence; the joy of being and living in life. Perhaps thesingle great reason this universe emerged from a Divine Reality was so that we who

dwell here could experience the delight of the Divine spirit. The divine created theuniverse for delight, and when we touch our evolving soul being, our Psychic Being,

we uncover that hidden delight in creation. In the Psychic Being of the individual isburied the great hidden Delight that emerged from the Creator in creation.

When we connect to the Psychic Being we experience our inner personal guide,experience great awareness of the environment around us, open the doorway to theuniversal consciousness and its forces and powers, open to descents of light, vision,

and intuitions of complete knowledge and integral knowledge, experience theoneness, purpose, and emerging harmonies of life beyond the dualities and conflicts

of existence that we see on the surface, and enter the pathway of bliss and delight.

To experience the Psychic being even once in our life is one of the greatestexperiences a human being can have. To make it a permanent realization is to open

the portal to the infinite potentials and delight of existence.

Surrender

-The roadmap to our evolutionary destiny passes through these milestones. Webegin by offering acts and activities and problems of life to the Divine Force; which in

turn enables us to make a link our inner being within, which guides us to our truernature and behavior, opens us to the descents of intuition and revelation, and

connects us to universal force and powers; which leads us deeper within to our TrueSelf, our personal evolving soul; which leads to a realization that we should now live

our lives completely dedicated to the Divine Will and Purpose, which is a life ofsurrender; which opens the portals to infinite possibilities in life, and establishes the

foundation for the ultimate transformations to our supra-human functioning.


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-Concentration is a movement away from living on the surface of life, where thesenses dominate, to a focus within. Consecration is to defer all action in life to a

higher consciousness [i.e. the Force] rather than our self of ego. Surrender is thewilled decision to move one's entire life in a whole different direction; that direction

being a never-ending life of self-giving and surrender to the Divine Will.

The psychic [the personal evolving soul] is engaged when there is consecration. Itbegins to flower when surrender begins, and its is in full bloom as surrender unfolds.

-Surrender of one's self to the Divine enables the spirit Being to enter the lifeBecoming, which enables the infinite potentials of life to rush into the present as

miraculous sudden, abundant, responses from life.

-Surrender seems less to do with acts, events, problems, but a general or overall

movement of giving ones self to the Divine's Will, not personal will. The personal selfbegins to be left behind; though it enables the real Self.

-No surrender is possible without the psychic emerging. Surrender is done through

the psychic. (We consecrate so that we reach the psychic.)

-Once one has discovered the personal evolving soul, the method of Surrender to the

divine will emerges as a possibility.

-Consecration, though not easy is for the beginner devotee; while surrender is for

those whose very lives are committed to progress and spiritual evolution.

Surrender to Mother, Joy, and Money

Consecrating an activity such as money to Mother's Force, will attract it. To feel

Mother's joy to attract money takes more than ordinary consecration, butsurrendering to Her essence. It requires a different orientation to life; one that is

consistently inward and thereupon open to Her Being. It is surrender that produces joy. It is a soul movement.

It takes dedication to such an effort, -- we can even call it Yoga -- but it producesultimate results, including vast monetary reward that is nothing less than Her Grace

in action.

Truth

-We need to move our center of consciousness from what we call the sense-basedmind to a higher status of mind, where we are using the more logical, rational part of

mind. From that higher rational, conceptual status of mind we are more objective,more likely to see the varied sides of a truth, which enable us to get at most of the

facts that lead to insight.

-To go against the falsehood that lies in the family, to stand aloof from the falsehood

inherent in society, and to overcome the falsehood that is surely there in ourselves,is the adventure of the seeking of Truth, i.e. of Spirit in life. (Paraphrase of MSS)

-We must give up our morality, our ethics, our social conventions, our worshiping,

our rituals, our faith in limited material, scientific knowledge of the surface, and


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aspire for one great thing -- Truth. Only this will rapidly bring the future into thepresent.

Mental BentOn the other hand for many these approaches may not be suitable. For those with a

more mental bent, there are solutions as well. For example, one can simply try toanalyze the problem in a wider context so as to arrive at a fuller understanding of

the problem. This can reveal solutions not perceived before.

A Calm and Equal BasisWhichever approach you use it is important that you remain calm and equal

throughout the situation. The first rule in dealing with any problem is that you needto be still and not overwrought by the problem. In an atmosphere of anger, fear, and

worry, the problems only get exacerbated, and the power of these techniques arereduced. In addition, having a general positive faith that one way or the other the

problem will be overcome is also very helpful. That includes accepting that whatcomes as a result of utilizing the above methods is for the best, even if it is not what

one expected or even likes.

There are some instances where one simply needs to completely forget the problem

to solve the problem. For example a person who is completely overcome by asituation may need to completely forget the problem before taking any action.

Sometimes just by ignoring the problem, the problem will ease.

If you are sincere in using any of the techniques suggested here, you will be able tosolve any problems in your life. Furthermore, you might find that dissolving the knot

of the problem also opened new doors for you and propelled you to new levels of

happiness and success in life.

Equality

-A great foundation for growth and accomplishment in life is endless patience (aquality of soul), perfect Equality (i.e. indifference of reaction to what appears

enjoyable or unenjoyable, good or bad; a quality of infinity), and a decided andconstant cheerfulness.

-Patience is the attitude of equality. Equality is the consciousness of infinity.

-The spiritual way is to be the detached beholder of life, which enables many sided

knowledge, truth, and right action. Our normal lives are the opposite of this.

-A great foundation for growth and accomplishment in life is Equality. Equality is the

indifference of reaction to what appears enjoyable or unenjoyable, good or bad,fortune or problematic. It is quite powerfully demonstrated in this incident. It is a

spiritual quality of the Infinite.


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PeaceAnother way force acts is as Peace. Peace is a state of utter calm and stillness from

which all successful outcomes in life must begin.

One of the first steps on the journey is to establish Peace in our physical nature. We

must quiet the body and the nerves to seek that which is beyond our surface being.

Spiritual peace comes by self-discipline and calling down the higher vibration into thebody, whose nature vacillates between dullness an action. This is an essential firststep in any spiritual path. Once physical Peace is established we must learn to free

ourselves from the influence of our mind whose lower nature is one of analysis anddivision and establish the abiding mental Peace to augment the physical Peace.

Calling Peace -- Here's one technique: Take any situation in which there is turmoil,confusion, or other negative circumstance. Try to find a point within yourself where

there is calm and peace. If you are unable to find that point call peace into thesituation. When you feel you are at the point of calm and peace resume your

activities. Our research indicates that by calling peace you can calm your thoughts,decrease pain, and attract positive circumstances around you. You can even help

stop a negative incident around, such as a riot.

Calling peace into yourself is also a way to reduce physical pain. When a pain occurs,

quiet your mind, and don't let it give sanction to the pain (i.e. don't give in to suchthoughts and feelings as "Oh no not again" or "Now I have to go to the doctor").

Then call in Peace into yourself for a few moments. Relax. Then watch the pain easeor even disappear. This is also a great technique for reducing stress.

Notes: Calling down Peace disperses a quarreling crowd, as well as calms down a

nation troubled by war.

SilenceMind is a great instrument, the greatest instrument we are endowed with. Mindbecomes destructive when it acts on its own. Mind becomes an instrument of

creation, a great instrument at that when it subordinates itself to its ORIGIN, theSpirit. Relying on the Mind, insisting on our ideas, on our capacity to plan is our

undoing. Mind's ideas are powerful, its planning is effective when they are sanctioned

by the inner Spirit and fully endorsed in its validity.

It is NOT Reason that achieves, but Spirit through inner Silence. Cease to Reason,you will end in Spirit. Ceasing to Reason, you are ushered into Silence, which is the

atmosphere of the Inner Spirit. Spirit is the seat of true everlasting Power.

(Karmayogi)

Perfection

Mother devotees are not often aware that even small perfection can bring greatresults because Mother is there in the background. A small softdrink company

competing for the franchise of a big corporation secured that franchise due to theneatly typed and folded letter that the consultant for the company sent to that

corporation. He himself was amazed when the head of that corporation told him thatit was the neatness and perfection of that letter that convinced him to allot that


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franchise to this small company overlooking giants in the field.

The car driver of a past chief minister of Karnataka provided Indira Gandhi withsome interesting information about the then C.M which pleased her so much that she

gave him a ticket to contest an M.P election. He won the election and went on thebecome a cabinet minister.

Big corporate deals are sometimes finalised not on the strength of the product

offered but on the fineness of the hospitality shown to the visiting clients.

If this is true the reverse is also true. If a businessman spills coffee on his shirt whilenegotiating a contract worth crores of rupees, that simple coffee spill may cost him

20 or 30 lakhs when the other party suddenly reverses and bargains stiffly for ahefty reduction because he has noticed the coffee spill and that tells him something

about the seller's personality.

Only a few people are allowed to enter my father's floor. These few people including

myself have to be very careful when we are there. If in opening the door to the innerhall where my father sits if we cause a little noise by letting the door close fast he

says his work for the whole day has been cancelled because of that noise. It isdifficult for us to believe that a little noise can cancel an important work of his. Butfor him that is real because the atmosphere in his floor is very sensitive. Similarly a

single grace flower we receive from him can bring us a luck out of all proportion tothat single flower because the consciousness in his floor is very powerful and it

magnifies the result of the single grace flower to a great extent.

So let us devotees not forget that when we are moving in Mother's sensitiveatmosphere great accomplishments can come due to nice little small

perfections in details which in ordinary life would scarcely matter. (N. Asokan,MSS)

Identifying and Overcoming Our Negative PropensitiesAs I mentioned in the last reply, one needs to know all the negative qualities of man

(that block Mother) to prevent one from taking to them in the first place. We don'twant to become aware of these problems only after we are struck down by them.

Hence, we need to know these even as much as we know Mother. Maybe more so, asthey block Her action.

I suggested the booklet The Mother as a starting place because in the section on

Rejection, Sri Aurobindo lists out all of the wanting propensities of Man, includingmoney and many other matters. To consciously know what we are made up of, our

limitations as human beings (ego, ignorance, etc.), and what we should do to avoidthem is fundamental to a life of progress, let alone yoga.

What good is Mother if we are doing things in so many areas of our lives to block Her

Force, and going through rounds of endless suffering?

We need to know who we are, our limitations, and build a new being and basis out ofthis, with Mother's infinite support.


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We can see the limitations of Man, of who we are, and what we can do to overcomethem at three levels:

1. That which Sri Aurobindo outlines as all the things we need to reject in our nature

in the booklet The Mother, including all versions of desire, attachment, ego, money-taint, power, sex, ignorance, falsehood, evil, etc. This is the basis from which we can

evaluate ourselves so we can avoid all problems in life.

2. The items Sri Appa continuously implores us to adopt: accept the current givensof life before us (i.e. do the work at hand); move away from selfishness and be self-

giving, keep the mind silent and take the other person's point of view, being honest,overcoming lack of cleanliness and orderliness, etc.

3. The fundamental blockages for success in life, including overcoming psychological

weakness; avoiding all negative attitudes towards others, self, and life; overcominglimited energy; not having a clear direction in life, not having the will and

determination, not being organized at all levels, wanting motives and values, etc.

etc.

When you have begun to master these, then Mother's influence will have themaximum effect.

Life is constantly responding negatively to our lack of capacity in these many areas.That's why if we know what these human limitation areas are, and where we are

lacking, we will know what to do in any difficult situation. Moreover, we will haveavoided then in the first place through our new knowledge and right consciousness!

All negative conditions that come to you ar

Mothers Path

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