Richard Hartz is an Ashram archivist

by Rich on January 29, 2007 11:00AM (PST) Richard Hartz is an Ashram archivist, he has been in the Ashram since 1979 and during this time has done invaluable work in ensuring the accuracy of Sri Aurobindo's texts, in detailing the record of the writing of Savitri (its vision and revision) and in bringing out the Record of Yoga. He is also quite a capable scholar in presenting the relevance of Sri Aurobindo's message to us at this particular juncture in World History.

Re: Re: The Forgotten September 11 and the Clasp of Civilizations (part 2) by Richard Hartz Rich Thu 01 Feb 2007 06:34 PM PST
I met Richard at the Av conference where he also presented Turns out he's a "homeboy", in that is his family lives about 75 miles as the crow flies from me in Bellingham WA, which sits in the shadow of beautiful Mt Baker which one sees perfectly on a clear day. Richard has other articles he wishes to contribute and of course he would be welcome as an editor, but I think his internet connections are limited and he remains pretty busy with his work in the Archive. His perspectives are certainly welcome rc

Parallel and perpendicular streets without zigzag turns

Pondicherry has a lovely beach that stretches from the edge of Ambour Salai to the far end Uppalam. Clean roads, a small parapet wall, sitting benches, all make the beach an enjoyable place to visit. You could find most people of Pondicherry on the beach during holidays, weekends, and evenings. Visitors throng this place for such a quieter experience. Gandhi status is an attraction in the beach and there is always one exhibition or the other that entices the visitor. People walk on the beach in the mornings and some in the evenings. I have also seen people jog. A clean place and municipal workers clean it to keep it litter-free.

The Ashram founded by Sri Aurobindo and expanded by the Mother attracts visitors from all over the world. People come to stay in the Ashram and pray the Mother for blessings. Ashram has property in and around to cater to other activities like school, publications, other social activities. Serenity transcends around you in that locale, which is characterized by parallel roads and calm surroundings. This part of the town, called the White town and built by the French, consists of parallel and perpendicular streets without zigzag turns. venkatesh2007.rediffiland.com/ Sunday 28 January, 2007 Permalink

Not in ashrams but in our hearts

From: "M Alan Kazlev" To: "Tusar N. Mohapatra" tusarnmohapatra@mail.com CC: Subject: Re: Aurora Mirabilis : unexpected-communion-with-his-rather Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 15:52:21 +1100

Thanks Tusar!
very interesting!
The comment about the ashrams being like "mausoleums" (because of lack of successors), made me think, perhaps these great Teachers and Avatars are to be realised not in ashrams but in our hearts? alan

This utopian heaven where people live in unity

Saturday, January 27, 2007 Madurai to Auroville
We were quite excited about leaving Madurai; mostly because the destination was Auroville. During our research of India we came across this utopian heaven where people live in unity, where religion and nationality is of no importance, where everyone is welcome, where sustainability is a core principle and where everyone is equal.It does sound too good to be true, and, as it turned out, it was. We actually ended up spending almost a month in Auroville, which is a long time, but we wanted to get to the bottom of what this place is about. The next few blog posts will be about Auroville and our experiences there, and it will be about the application of the glorious principles mentioned above...

We arrived, after the fastest rickshaw ride ever, at Atithi Griha Guest House. It is a good place to start a long stay in Auroville, and it is well guarded. pundabee # This entry was posted by pundabee, on Saturday, January 27, 2007. You can leave your response.

Sri Aurobindo had a fascinating lifestory

Richard's Blog home blog photos goals ideas books quotes nursery profile my blog -my photos random photo my goals my ideas favourites new read planning wanted owned view lists add a book library favourites added nursery my bookmarks
01.04.2007 permalink Tribute to Sri Aurobindo
On my website I feel inspired to write about other Spiritual Master who have been a major source of inspiration in my spiritual life. Today I shall post about Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo had a fascinating lifestory. I wrote a short biography of Sri Aurobindo here:
Sri Aurobindo
“Love is the keynote, Joy is the music, Power is the strain, Knowledge is the performer, the infinite All is the composer and audience. We know only the preliminary discords which are as fierce as the harmony shall be great; but we shall arrive surely at the fugue of the divine Beatitudes.”
- Sri Aurobindo (1)
Sri Aurobindo’s contribution to spirituality in the twentieth century is hard to fathom and quantify. His life’s mission was to bring down a new spiritual consciousness or “Supermind”. Sri Aurobindo was also one of the most prolific writers of spiritual philosophy and spiritual poetry.
Sri Aurobindo’s poem Savitri is an epic of unprecedented scale and spiritual depth. Based on the ancient Indian tale of Savitri and her husband Satyavan it tells the story of their conjugal love story and Savitri’s battle with the forces of death. Sri Aurobindo weaves into this story a most powerful and striking explanation of spiritual forces and spiritual evolution. Sri Aurobindo continually refined Savitri over a period of 26 years. His revisions were a reflection of his own spiritual journey and spiritual experiences. Imbued in each line is poetry of the highest mantic quality.
“But Savitri answered meeting scorn with scorn,
The mortal woman to the dreadful Lord:
“Who is this God imagined by thy night,
Contemptuously creating worlds disdained,
Who made for vanity the brilliant stars?
Not he who has reared his temple in my thoughts
And made his sacred floor my human heart.
My God is will and triumphs in his paths,
My God is love and sweetly suffers all.” (2)
It is not just poetry but an expression of the highest spiritual consciousness. To read Savitri is to immerse oneself in the tale of the epic struggle of humanity to overcome the fear of death. The Mother said of Savitri that:
“Savitri alone is sufficient to make you climb to the highest peaks. If truly one knows how to meditate on Savitri, one will receive all the help one needs.”
The Mother on Savitri

The magnitude and scope of Savitri is so profound that to read it in its entirety requires the utmost dedication. Often it is enough to select a couple of passages and lines, which do not just express an idea of spirituality but also have a transforming effect. Savitri is a sadhana of its own.
“A lonely Absolute negated all:
It effaced the ignorant world from its solitude
And drowned the soul in its everlasting peace. “ (3)
For many years Sri Aurobindo lived in seclusion. He appeared only 4 times a year to give darshan to his disciples. However from his self imposed seclusion he answered many letters to his disciples covering a range of spiritual and philosophical questions. With good humour Sri Aurobindo patiently set clear guidelines, encouragement and inspiration to his disciples. Identifying with their weaknesses he explained a clear path of patient surrender to the higher power and will of the Divine Mother.
The writings of Sri Aurobindo are an immortal testament to his spiritual vision and unique spiritual realisation. They are a concrete testament to his spiritual mission. What is more difficult to appreciate is the inner workings of a spiritual master. Sri Aurobindo was a fully realised spiritual Master, through the Grace of the Supreme he went far beyond the realm of nirvana. His was a divinely ordained task for the transformation of the earth consciousness. Sri Aurobindo was an Avatar who embodied the consciousness of previous Avatars such as Krishna and Rama, and at the same time transcended their previous realisation.
A most significant part of Sri Aurobindo’s work was the spiritual force he exerted during the Second World War. It is an interesting paradox that in Sri Aurobindo’s early life he was a committed Indian revolutionary, who spent a year in a British jail, for his alleged involvement in a bomb plot. The spiritual experiences he had in jail convinced him to dedicate himself to his spiritual mission. On the outbreak of World War II he surprised (and angered many Indians) by declaring his full support for the Allied cause. In Nazi Germany he saw the operation of the Asuras or hostile forces. He said if Nazi Germany were to win it would set back human civilisation centuries of progress. Although the allies were not perfect by any means, there opposition to Nazism made them an instrument of the divine forces. From his private seclusion he sought to full his full spiritual force behind the allied cause.
“We feel that not only is this a battle waged in just self-defence and in defence of the nations threatened with the world-domination of Germany and the Nazi system of life, but that it is a defence of civilisation and its highest attained social, cultural and spiritual values and the whole future of humanity.”
In a letter to the governor of Madras; Sri Aurobindo 19-9-1940
Sri Aurobindo lived to see the allies win and then India to attain her independence on his birthdate of August 18th 1947. In he left the body so he would be able to more powerfully work for his life’s mission.
Sri Aurobindo Society Poems of Sri Aurobindo at Poetseers.org Sri Aurobindo - a Glimpse - A talk by Sri Chinmoy Tagged with: sri aurobindo, spirituality, spiritual teachers

Sri Aurobindo was the East Indian predecessor to Malcolm X

Aura Walker
is Navigating every moment with as much clarity as possible.
Title: Alchemist Gender: Female Age: Ageless Sun Sign: Pisces Chinese Sign: Earth Rooster Location: Culver City, CA About Me: I am on this site to make business connections. Please write to me if you would like to connect on that level. Thank you.

I was born on the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, South Eastern Coastal “French” India, to a Malaysian mother and French Father who were helping to develop the then still new international eco-community (www.Auroville.org).

Sri Aurobindo was the East Indian freedom fighter, with initial liberation ideals much like the American Malcolm X. He was the predecessor to Mahatma Gandhi who later influenced Dr. Martin Luther King. He achieved “Supra Mental Consciousness” through his own Supramental yogic practices in the 1950's.

He died before I was born, but I hold some of his vibrational energy in my being. He was a master teacher who achieved higher consciousness before leaving this realm. I was named after him by his spiritual partner, The Mother, and I will walk with a purpose to increase awareness around me as part of his legacy. I grew up and was educated in the US from the age of 8 on. My family had travelled Asia extensiveley before moving to the US.

Now as an adult, I hold a masters degree in Transpersonal Counseling and Psychology from the Buddhist based Naropa University (1998, Boulder, Co). I am also a certified master level hypnotherapist (2006, Hypnosis Motivational Institute in Tarzana, CA). Previously, I spent almost 10 years working with and counseling: at risk children, emotionally disturbed teens, and adults in substance abuse recovery (and often sufferring from mental illness), as well as the elderly in hospice.

I have worked with people of all ages and various cultures, and focused my graduate thesis on Raising the Self-esteem of American Indian Men in Substance Abuse Recovery (1998). I currently have a private hypnosis practice in Mar Vista at the Oasis Healing Center ( www.Oasishealingcenter.com ). I am also honored to be mentoring young therapists who work with autistic children for the L.A. Unified School district.

In my spare time I love to develop myself, have fun, develop my work and have fun at that. You can also visit my website at: www.aurawalkerhypnotherapy.com or watch my online debut at: http://www.thestream.tv/watch.php?v=305 . I was a guest on the lighthearted online streaming show Green Health Live on www.Thestream.tv Its hilarious. So please check it out!

Through hypnosis I help people rid themselves of insecurities and past traumas (including child abuse, sexual abuse, unresolved grief, and unresolved relationships) with a 100% success rate. I aid my clients in achieving their own healthy relationships, as well as financial and other personal, career and health goals. I treat veterans to a free hypnotherapy session. Please refer veterans to me for an appointment. I will clear out their Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (310) 382-6313.

I have been on a journey since I was 22 years old (16 years!), to experience and understand ancient supernatural healing arts. It is my own goal to create easy to use products that will raise the self-esteem of individuals on an international level. I am looking for investors and people who can help me to produce this concept into a long-term achievement. I welcome people who are intersted in meeting with me to contact me directly, Aura Walker (310) 382-6313 aura@aurawalkerhypnotherapy.com or abwcontact@aol.com

Zaadzsters who love Sri Aurobindo

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It was an amazing experience for me to live in such a city

Monika cca PushPuller Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: chandigarh, india Posts: 21 Country [India] Auroville

Auroville is an international city in India, near pondycherry.I was living there for last six months. I was doing my internship under two architects. It was an amazing experience for me to live in such a city with toatally different social life culture and experiencing different architectural works which hv seen there. the pic below is of 'Matri Mandir'..main iconic building of auroville..[pushpullbar]2 > Architecture+Design Bar > World Photo Browser

Unexpected communion with his rather arresting eyes

Departed Spirits - Ramana Maharishi and Sri Aurobindo

Anand Rangarajan 01.17.2007 permalink

I decided (with the help of my cousin) to visit both the Ramana Maharishi and Sri Aurobindo ashrams. They are not that far from each other and so it was easy to first go to Tiruvannamalai, visit the Ramana Maharishi ashram, stay the night and then head to Pondicherry and visit the Sri Aurobindo (and The Mother's) ashram.

For those not in the know, Ramana Maharishi was an Indian mystic who is famous for his ”Who am I?” self inquiry approach. You can always gauge your progress in meditation (and spirituality) by trying to discover what Ramana Maharishi meant by his statement “That which does not occur in deep [and dreamless] sleep is not real.” Since nothing whatsoever occurs in deep, dreamless sleep, what could this statement mean? Since I've never had this experience, I can only conjecture that Ramana Maharishi wants us to maintain awareness in deep, dreamless sleep. Maintaining awareness during waking hours leads to awareness of thoughts and feelings, maintaining awareness in REM sleep leads to lucid dreaming, but maintaining awareness in deep sleep leads to ???? You know that you have some ways to go if you have never had a moment of awareness during deep sleep - assuming that such a state of mind is even possible.

The ashram in Tiruvannamalai is well maintained. It has two meditation halls - a big hall with a shrine and a smaller one which is more intimate. The place was packed when we went there and had a mix of about 50% Indians and 50% foreigners. Unfortunately, while the ashram is quiet and serene, Tiruvannamalai is a mess. Too many people living in squalor and in unhygenic conditions. The roads are dirty and littered. It looks like the leadership of the ashram has made no attempt to extend their disciplined habits to the village beyond their borders. We did the 13km walk around the Arunachala mountain - a GiriValam - and while I tried to maintain awareness during the trek, I cannot say that I felt any subtle energies . However my chronic racking cough (due to a dust allergy) did subside. Was that due to the endorphin releasing walk or the subtle energies of Mount Arunachala or both? Who knows?

Sri Aurobindo was a contemporary of Ramana Maharishi and was also an Indian mystic. He is well known for trying to integrate evolution and consciousness along lines similar (but not identical) to Teilhard de Chardin. Aurobindo and Ramana died in the same year - 1950 - but never met since Aurobindo could not leave Pondicherry - a French colony - at that time. (He would have been arrested and imprisoned by the British if he had.) The crucial extra element that Aurobindo brought to Indian philosophy/mysticism is a collective aspect of spirit. While he describes communion, union and identity with Spirit in a manner that is similar to Vedanta, he later articulates the descent of the Supermind along with the creation of a new Man and a new advanced society. The Mother (Mirra Alfassa) attempted to carry out this program and helped found Auroville - a model for such an advanced society. In recent times, this theme has been further developed in a (constructive) postmodern direction by Ken Wilber and his followers.

The ashram in Pondicherry is also immaculate. Due to The Mother's influence, it has beautiful floral arrangements. In contrast to Ramana Maharishi's ashram, it has much smaller meditation spaces (at least public ones). Through some contacts, we managed to get passes to go to the upper floor of the ashram and observe the living quarters of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother since these have been preserved. You're greeted by the exhortation “Cling to the Truth” as you climb the stairs. I tried to meditate while sitting in the presence of Aurobindo's portrait and was rewarded with an unexpected communion with his rather arresting eyes when I opened my own and looked up after the meditation. The area surrounding the ashram is very well kept and maintained - in sharp contrast to the squalor in Tiruvannamalai - and this is no doubt due to the “descent of the Supermind” community-centric philosophy and The Mother's influence. The meditation areas left much to be desired though.

In conclusion, and on a somewhat downbeat note, I felt that these spirits had really departed. Both ashrams have a mausoleum-like feel and no new leaders with anything close to these personalities have emerged. Tough act to follow I must admit. I'm going to check out Auroville the next time I'm in India. Tagged with: Ramana Maharishi, Sri Aurobindo, The Mother, Mirra Alfassa, Tiruvannamalai, Pondicherry, Supermind, Auroville, meditation, awareness, evolution, de Chardin, Ken Wilber

Arabinda Basu at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan

discussion January 25 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan; 6 pm:

Arabinda Basu will discuss on Deb Jiban.

The Telegraph Calcutta Thursday, January 25, 2007

Manoj Das Chasing the Rainbow

Manoj Das presented Sahitya Akademi fellowship

KalingaTimes Correspondent Bhubaneswar

Noted writer Manoj Das was conferred with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, country's highest literary honour, by the Sahitya Akademi at a function held here on Thursday. Das, who has authored of over 70 books written in English and Oriya, is amongst few best storytellers in the world.

Presenting the citation, Gopi Chand Narang, President of Sahitya Akademi, said Das was a prolific writer who could narrate a story without losing the Indian charm and ethos. 'He could be the best storyteller after R. K Narayan,' Narang said.

Born in Balasore district of Orissa, the writer is presently based in Pondicherry and teaching English in Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. His works includes Temples of India (1970), Stories of Light and Delight (1970), Tales from Many Lands (1972), Persian Tales of Wit and Delight (1972) and A Bride inside a Casket (1981). His latest publications include 'The Escapist', 'My Little India', 'The Lady Who Died One-and-a-half Times and Other Stories' and 'Chasing the Rainbow'. He has received many prestigious awards including Padma Shri, Saraswati Samman, Sarala Puraskar and Utkal Ratna and D. Litt from a number of universities.

The talk was on forgiveness

Auroville 2007 (Latest 10 entries) (Calendar) (Friends) (User info) Navigate: (Previous 10 entries) Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:34AM

Another day in Auroville, and another set of new experiences and things to wonder at. I didn't realize that Auroville would be so conducive to change; each day, I barely have time to process one event before something new starts unfolding. Anywhere else, this process would take me so much longer...Today was basically normal--or at least as normal as anything in Auroville seems to us. Yoga, breakfast (especially incredible today, thanks to Kalsang's genius), service learning (for me, Solitude farm where I spent a very calming three hours weeding), lunch at the Solar Kitchen (I loaned my bike to Leanne and walked both ways, which made me miss all the walking I do in Seattle), then class, which only lasted an hour so that we could participate in one of the most incredible discussions I've ever experienced. The talk was on forgiveness, led by two people--one whose daughter had been killed on the other's orders during apartheid in South Africa. Both of these people were so incredibly strong and courageous, and by the end of the two hours, the room was thick with the energy of the engaged listeners, everybody putting their ideas and feelings forward for the group.I was struck recently by the genuine goodness of our group dynamic. We were all walking somewhere and I realized something about how I was reacting to our surroundings, and immediately turned to whoever was next to me and said it. It was only until later that I realized how fantastic it was that I didn't care which of our groupmembers I spoke to. This is, of course, only a tiny indication of the love and respect I feel towards everybody right now (must be all the chocolate I just ate). I really feel that this trip is only getting better and better...Very Hopefully, Sarah Posted by Sarah at 9:26 AM

The law and wheel of (my) life

Sri Aurobindo, his Ashram and his teachings have nothing to do with religion, dogmas, religious rituals and rites (Know 'SP Mittal Vs. Union of India, 1986?) but believes in the evolutionary experiment of life, not only in the realization of the self, god or soul but also in the progressive development of the self, the soul in the perfection of the energies of the mind, emotion, and the physical body. [coconut-curri]

Divine Grace is just another word for this

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 The Divine Grace

- complete text online I'm so thankful to find this..
(http://www.booksite.ru/fulltext/Aurobindo/journals/98_2-3/98_2_e.htm)
God, essence, Divine, All, Oneness, Consciousness...

Divine Grace is just another word for this. It is a story, to take what helps you find you, and leave the rest..jonjan

The idea was a city with no money

And from there to Pondicherry, a small state in Tamil Nadu, from there we visited Auroville on a scooter, 10km from there. The city of the future founded by the Mother, spirituall companion of Aurobindo (may be you've heard of him) The idea was a city with no money, that belongs to no one or the whole of humanity, with the purpuse of personal and spiritual growth... we just went for a visit so we didn't really get to know what is really going on there. posted by juli & tina @ 1:10 PM

He invited us to take a journey to a vastly different superfunctioning

'Realisation' - based (in a sense) upon Sri Aurobindos teachings; which I have been reading about on and off for 2 years or so now. Sri Aurobindo believed that if we could make the ascent to overcome our limiting nature, if we could further rediscover the hidden spirit in life, if we could come in contact and open ourselves to supramental truth 'Truth Consciousness', then we can change life as we know it. He invited us to take a journey on a path from our current human functioning to a vastly different superfunctioning that opens the doors to infinite accomplishment, success, and happiness in life. Posted by Andy at 03:00

The ocean air of Pondicherry is heaven

Monday, January 22, 2007 Pondi with a cherry on top well here we are in a tiny piece of France. An Indian flavored French crepe. We arrived on a bus via Chennai (Madras) which we saw only from the rickshaw window. I think we were a bit big-city-pollution-drained. At least I was, having developed a cough that I'm sure is dirty air related.

Bangalore was a wonderful place to catch up on western culture, remember your love/hate relationship with malls and eat Pizza Hut. But the air is thick with exhaust and burning trash and the smell of different types of excrement and at times I tried not to breath at all. So in contrast, the ocean air of Pondicherry is heaven.

We've found an ashram on the beach that is only $1 a night. The view from the front is jutting rocks and endless ocean. Unfortunately we were placed in a room named "politeness" which has a balcony over a gas station. I think its moniker is meant to prevent you from complaining.. since when I asked the man at the front desk if we could switch rooms he looked at me sternly and said they were all full far in advance. I think this meant I haven't gotten to the right level of purity- since the picture of "the mother" and the other guy that stare at me in bed make me feel slightly guilty for some reason...

Pondicherry is known for its delicious French food and leftover culture that has remained since its colonial days. The children all call to you "Bonjour!" and the gentlemen pass a polite "Bonsoir.." on the tiny streets of the French section which is along the ocean. The colors are french blue and yellow everywhere- including some of the rickshaws and the school uniforms of the children. We are off to Auroville today, a holdover from the 60s ashrams- a giant community of people who believe in world unity founded by an Indian man and a French woman called The Mother. They are both dead, but the community still goes on.. We are going to indulge our hippy-ness today and see what it's all about. There are floaty looking white people swathed in Indian prints all over Pondicherry who seem to have found some sort of inner helium, maybe we will too...Posted by eliza & gregg at 8:50 PM

5-day orientation to life in this beautiful, experimental community

on january 21, i flew from Kochi to Chennai and made my way immediately to Pondicherry, about two hours south (by car). i wasn't aware that the French had much of a presence in India, but Pondicherry is the former capital of French India and bears an unmistakable gallic imprint, including the neatly laid out grid of french-named streets with a central (and now completely foul) canal. in pondi, i've indulged my comfort on an even grander scale, though i'm still in a skirt. i wanted to stay in one of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram guesthouses, but they are completely full, so i opted for the opulence of the Hotel de l'Orient. (i move to less extravagant digs tomorrow morning...)

yesterday, i took what i thought was going to be a tour of the ashram in the morning, but it consisted only of a disturbing, 1960-ish video of the life of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in the Bureau Central, then a series of stops at the various cottage industries in which the ashram offers opportunities for people to work (papermaking, silk-printing, scent-making), all of which are sold all over Pondicherry. i was disappointed that it was a shopping excursion. in the afternoon, i took the Auroville tour. Auroville excites me. i can't really say anything about it. i'm that excited. i've been able to secure accommodation there for 10 days commencing january 28. i've timed it for a 5-day orientation to life in this beautiful, experimental community...posted by allan at 11:31 PM

The backwater of Pondicherry was another astonishing site

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 Mission Pondicherry … After a long planning and little preparation, we were all set to start off another voyage and this time the destination was Pondicherry. However, unlike previous trips, there was no big group and Vikram was the only one to accompany me. Reaching late night at the bus stand, we decided to book an accommodation before dining and managed to find a room, I would say not very decent, in a nearby hotel. Exhausted, we called day off and fell asleep, undecided about the next days plan.

Day 1 Refreshed by the sound sleep, we got ready in no time to commence our Mission Pondicherry. Energized by the breakfast, we went in search of a bike rental and with in an hour, we were riding a Hero Honda Passion that had just reached the 65K mark. Auroville was chosen to be the first place and it took us 45 minutes to reach the milestone. Auroville is famous for its rich history and is home to 1800 people from 35 different countries. It was fun watching French and English riding Indian Mopeds and bicycles. As peaceful as can be, it was an amazing site engulfing a society with no dominant caste or religion. Another famous landmark at the place was Matri Mandir, a dome shaped structure providing an ideal ambience for meditation.

Thereafter, we returned back to the city to fill our stomach and had a satiating lunch. As food settled down, we recovered our power and headed for the Auro beach which is one of the biggest beaches in Pondicherry with a coastline ranging from 1.5-2 km in length. We were soon to be found submerged in water playing with high tides and waves, diving, leaping, swimming, jumping and having fun in all ways we could. Tired after a while, we relaxed at the beach, dried ourselves and commenced back to the city for the more exciting part. It was evening already and the sun was to set as we bought a few cans of beer and set off for the Pondicherry beach which is now covered with hefty boulders and stones. We found a good place to settle there and ended our day sipping beer on the rocks (lying on the rocks ;)) chilling out in the warm night.

Day2 Sunday morning was an ideal time to visit the Aurobindo Ashram and an auspicious way to begin the day. After few hiccups, we found the way to the Ashram and took a stroll inside to witness the historical place where Swami Aurobindo spent the golden years of his life. The Ashram was not as big as I thought but it offered a serene and peaceful ambience that set the tone for the day.

Done with self realization, we headed to our next and final destination - the backwater of Pondicherry which was another astonishing site. A short boat journey through a river took us to a small island that separated the river from the sea. The beach at the island was something I could not take my eyes off of. India surely has very few of such clear beaches to offer. Walking alongside the beach we reached the point where the river was draining into the sea through a narrow channel. It was a picturesque view, something I had never seen before. We spent sometime collecting varieties of oyster shells as our souvenirs from the place.

Unfortunately, the weather was extremely hot and we had to find a place under a shed in wait of the boat to drop us back to the other side of the river. It was time to go back to the city for lunch and we could not resist taking a nap at the hotel after being imbued with a hefty North Indian Thali. After helping India to register a win against the West Indies in the 1st one day, we left our room again to fulfill the rituals. We opened the beer cans again, and cheered for the beautiful evening sitting and sipping beside the gigantic body of water celebrating the end of another breathtaking trip. posted by Abhishek @ 1:51 AM 0 comments

You can savour the flavour of bhavas (emotions) and share them with your companions

January 23 Rasa
A Rasa Savouring workshop
All are welcome to a free tasting of Emotions Banquet
Dates: Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 January
Venue: Mitra (behind the Town Hall) Auroville
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
To book a place please email ZOnE-www@hotmail.com
We welcome and appreciate donations which will go towards Unity Pavilion’s work with human unity and peace The essence of everything is its rasa. The sweetness “in” a ripe plum is its rasa or sthayi bhava and the experience of “tasting the sweet” is also rasa. Just as your eyes perceive food and your ears hear the sizzling of dishes. As your nose smells its aroma and your mouth waters in anticipation. As your hands touch and convey the food to your mouth and you chew, savour and swallow the prepared food mixed with different condiments and sauces and you enjoy its flavour, likewise you can savour the flavour of bhavas (emotions) and share the “taste” of the rasas or flavours of life with your companions
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Gen-x explosive history writing

A certain Aurobindo Bose who well before his Auroville days had been known to be one of the finest explosives supplier in this country shaking administrative buildings and English faith alike. Posted by contramental at 1/23/2007 04:50:00 PM The befuddled rambler

Sri Aurobindo Supreme Secrets

Aim - Ananda - Aspiration - Awareness
Base - Battle - Basic Requirements - Being Conscious - Birth - Body - Body Nature - Bondage - Business
Call - Central Vital - Chakras or Centres - Chakra Muladhara - Centres Opening - Circumconscient - Complex Personality - Concentration - Conditions - Consciousness - Cosmic Consciousness - Creation
Dangers - Dangers of the Inner Ranges - Dangers of Passivity - Death - Delight of Existence Depression - Desire - Desire and Action - Desire and Tamas - Desire Soul - Desire World the Subtle Physical - Destiny - Detect - Discrimination - Divine - Divine Consciousness - Divine Gnosis - Divine Love - Divine Plan - Divine Presence - Divine Will - Divinisation - Dynamic Mind
Earth's Boon - Education the first principle - Education the second principle - Education the third principle - Ego - Ego and its Nature - Ego's False Freedom - Egoism - Egoism-its Understanding - Egoistic action of Mind, Life and Body - Ego's Disappearance - Emotional Vital - Equality - Everything - Evolution - Exaggerated Ego - External Nature - Externalising Mind
Faith - Fall - Fear - First step - Forces - Forces of Darkness - Foundation - Free Heart - Freedom
Glimpses - Gods and Goddesses - God's Purpose - Golden Age - Good and Evil - Guidance - Guide - Three Gunas
Happiness - Hathayoga - Harmony in Progress - Hatred - Heart Lotus and the Thousand Petalled Lotus - Higher Consciousness - Higher Mental Opening - Higher Mind - Higher and Lower Nature - Hostile Forces - Human Nature - Human Relations - Human Spirit's Destiny
"I" - Ignorance First - Ignorance Cosmic Second - Ignorance Egoistic Third - Ignorance Temporal Fourth - Ignorance Psychological Fifth - Ignorance Constitutional Sixth - Ignorance Practical Seventh - Illumined Mind - Illusion - Immortality of the Body - Impulsive Force - Impurity First - Impurity Second - Impurity Third - Incapacity - Inconscient - Indispensable - Individual - Influences - Inner - Inner Experiences - Inner Mind - Inner Mind, Vital, Physical - Inner opening - Integralisation - Intense - Intermediate Zone - Intermediate Zone its false mixtures - Intermediate Zone its experiences - Intermediate Zone its confusions - Intermediate Zone its dangers - Intermediate Zone and more dangers - Intermediate Zone region of half-truths - Intermediate Zone its tempting suggestions - Intermediate Zone overmind - Intermediate Zone eagerness - Intermediate Zone the self assertions - Intermediate Zone the suggestions - Intermediate Zone and this yoga - Intermediate Zone calling others - Interruption - Intuition
Journey - Knowledge Liberated Soul - Life - Life-Nature - Light - Love - Love-Knowledge - Lower Vital
Mantra - Material Physical - Materialism and its Value - Materialistic Approach - Material World - Matter - Meditation - Mental - Mental Knowledge - Mental Physical - Mental Plane - Mental Vital - Mind, Life and Body - Mind, Life and Matter - Mental Nature - Money - Money and its Possessors - The Mother - The Mother's Personalities - The Mother Various Steps - Maheswari - Mahakali - Mahalakshmi - Mahasaraswati - The Manifested Powers Nature's Grip - New Consciousness - New Creation - New Species - Nirvana - Nirvana a Personal Experience Offering - Ordinary Consciousness - Other Yogas and Integral Yoga - Our Relationship with God - Ourselves - Ourselves and Others - Our World - Outer Man - Overmind
Parts - Peace - Perfection - Personal Greatness - Personality - Physical Being - Physical Energy - Physical Limitation - Physical Mind - Physical Reality - Planes - Planes and their Influence - Planes and Sub-planes - Possession by the True Self - Prayer - Preparation - Psychic Being - Purification - Purpose
Recognising Nature - Rejection - Religion and Yoga - Repel - Revolution - Right Functionings - Right Thought
Sachchidananda - Sacrifice - Sadhana - Samadhi - Samadhi and its Development - Samadhi from Inner to Outer - Sat-Chit-Ananda - Satisfaction - Science of Appearances - Self - Self-will - Sense Mind - Service to Humanity - Seven Planes - Shakti - Shakti's Work - Sheaths - Silence - Silencing the Mind - Sincerity - Soul - Soul's Liberation - Soul-Nature or Purusha-Prakriti - Spirit - Spiritual Experience - Spiritual Man - Spiritual Mind - Spiritual Sight - Spirituality - Spiritualisation - Splendors - Sri Aurobindo - Subconscient - Subliminal - Subtle Physical Plane - Sunlit Path - Supermind - Support - Supramental - Supraphysical Faculty - Supraphysical Worlds - Supreme - Supreme Personality - Supreme Working - Surrender - Symbols
Tamas - Temporal Manifestation - Thinking Mind - Thoughts and Feelings coming from outside - Time Travel - Training for Intuition - Transcendental - Transformation - True Mind, Vital, Physical - True Vital - Truth - Two beings in us Universal - Universal Forces - Universal Love - Unmanifest to Manifestation
Visions - Vital - Vital Mind - Vital Physical - Vital Plane - Vital Relation - Voices
The Way its Ambushes - The Way its Battles - The Way Immortality - Widening - Will - Wisdom - Withdrawal - Work - Worlds - World's Laws Yoga - Yoga-Shakti - Yoga of Nature and Integral Yoga - Yoga and its Stages - Yogi - Yogic Experiences in Sleep - Yogic Vigilance - Your Psychic - Your Success

http://www.sriaurobindoonline.com/SriAurobindoSupremeSecrets.htm