I need to nourish the souls of others

I have now concluded that not only do mental thoughtforms and ideas have an existence of their own, but so do relationships. As with ideas, relationships can be discovered as well. And I don’t just want to read people’s words or hear their thoughts — I want a relationship with them. Indeed, that is how I approach Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. I want a relationship with them, and through them, with the universe and all beings in it. It has gotten to a point where purely mental gymnastics seem meaningless, empty and draining for me. I need my soul to be nourished, and I need to nourish the souls of others. This psychic love is absolutely crucial for the straight, sunlit path that Sri Aurobindo and Mother invite us to walk. Without it, we are bound to fall back into the temptations of power (rather than the power of love) that the vital being loves to indulge in. Posted by ned. the stumbling mystic Filed under Contemplations.

M. Alan Kazlev takes up the cudgels

In Australia Wilberism is insignificant as a "new age" movement. with only a relatively small number of followers. But the situation with Integral Yoga is even worse. Apart from myself and one or two others, Aurobindonianism is totally non-existent! 9:53 PM

Sri Aurobindo on Integral Realisation By alan kazlev Nor should we just follow Sri Aurobindo in a literalist sense, saying atht every word and punctuation mark is true for all time. To me, that is bad as following a religion. Rather, the above words - or any other that is inspirational ...Open Integral - http://www.openintegral.net/blog

An Integral Gnostic Community By m alan kazlev (m alan kazlev) I have yet to see anyone do a better job at pointing the way than Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. What Wilber fails to do, philosophically, spiritually, esoterically and occultly, they succeed in doing. ...Integral Transformation - http://integraltransformation.blogspot.com/

Total participants in the Conference were 3122 Delegates

THIS SIDE AND THAT SIDE OF SRI AUROBINDO STUDY CIRCLE CONFERENCE AT MATRUBHABAN, CUTTACK FROM 4TH TO 7TH APRIL,2007 – Prasad Tripathy (Babuli Bhai)

1. Annual Examination of the +2 students of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Higher Studies & Research, Matrubhaban, Cuttack started on 4th April. In between the Conference was also held. Morning session of the Conference was from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm and the examination of the students was also from 7 am to 1.30 pm. There was no problem in conducting the examination and also no disturbance in holding the conference. Everything is possible…
2. Apprehending that there will be shortage of space for staying/sleeping in the night arrangements were made in a nearby place by cutting a few trees and cleaning the area. Arrangements for overhead tarpaulin and fans were also made by investing a good sum, but no body stayed there. Whereas a good number of people had taken rest in the meeting space and there was also some space vacant in the roof top.
3. As per our estimate in a room which was to accommodate 25 persons at best, we found in the night that 40 persons were sleeping there and that too comfortably. I had the feeing as if the rooms were getting stretched in the night to be big in size!
4. For the Senior Citizens or comparatively aged persons special counters were opened in the dining. Ground floors were also made available for staying. There was a lot of encouragement amongst the Senior Citizens. It is expected that in the years to come more Senior Citizens will be interested to attend the Conference.
5. Total participants in the Conference were 3122 Delegates. But many Delegates were having 2/3 children with them. At the time of dining this used to be known. If the children were also taken as Delegates the number would have touched 4000 mark.
6. In the last day of the Conference suddenly rain came. Gradually its intensity increased and then stopped. In between Nirakar Bhai completed his speech. Impact of the rain was not felt. Mother has said Rain is Divine Grace. In fact, it was felt so.
7. This time the Sales centre stalls were arranged at a distance towards the back side. Many had the apprehension that no much sale would be there. But all the stalls had surpassed their previous year’s sale – how baseless are human apprehensions.

- Source : Matrubhaban Patra – April, 2007 From: sarojpatnaikrourkela@indiatimes.com

The life of Sri Aurobindo

The museum at Checkpoint Charlie was both inspiring and sad. To see what people had spent their energies doing, and to see how others had spent their energies resisting it. Well, it made me want to read the biographies of Gandhi and Aurobindo, if nothing else. Posted by Xzar at 5:51 PM

Child prodigy is set for keyboard concert

Also a composer, he has one project under his belt - Avar Parvai: Avar Punnagai, a collection of eight songs on Aurobindo and the Mother, is awaiting a sponsor.Sathya is a disciple of mandolin maestro Padmashree U Shrinivas since February 2004. Despite his busy schedule, Sathya goes to school - he is a Class 6 student of the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan in Chennai.For his Doha concert Sathya will be accompanied on the violin by Ananthakrishnan and on the mridangam by Suryanarayanan Raju. Details on MLG membership and pass for the event can be had from Murali on 4996513/5210324. Posted by TKB at 2:09 AM

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Sri Aurobindo corrected Vedanta’s overemphasis on otherworldly concerns

Some Favourite Contemplations 25 Apr 2007 by ned He is a mystical Christian, whose approach to the Divine seemed to match Sri Aurobindo’s very closely when I met him online — think Jacob Boehme. He had never read Aurobindo at the time.) Okay, now for the meditation. ...The Stumbling Mystic - http://naqsh.org/ned

Male and Female He Created Him (Not Feman and Shemale) 25 Apr 2007 by Gagdad Bob Likewise, although Sri Aurobindo corrected Vedanta’s overemphasis on otherworldly concerns, he too was simply going back to the original message of the Upanishads: “To darkness are they doomed who devote themselves only to life in the ...One Cosmos - http://onecosmos.blogspot.com/index.html

Madhva & Aurobindo 4 25 Apr 2007 by Harish Kumar Aurobindo too gives a two-fold interpretation of the Vedas and he has stressed , very much like Madhva on the philosophical aspect over and above the ritualistic aspect as given by Sayana.He reveals this insight of his in his Magnum ...India Mystica - http://indiamystica.blogspot.com/index.html

8 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata: Darshan Day

ANNIVERSARY FUNCTION

April 24 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani; 6 pm: The Mother’s Darshan Day function features reading by Bimal Dutta, recitation by Debashis Mitra, talk by Diptyendu Bhattacharya and songs by Pramita Mallick. Darshan Day meditation around the shrine from 7.30 pm to 8 pm. Tuesday, April 24, 2007 Calcutta > Timeout, The Telegraph

Ahhh, Auroville!

Ahhh, Auroville! Auroville is a United Nations recognized "International Township." There are about 1,700 people living here, representing 30 different countries of the world. People here have the ideal to work toward "Human Unity". Auroville is based somewhat on the ideas of Indian Philosopher Sri Aurobindo, who was the first to unite the spiritual ideas of the East with evolutionary theories of the West. It seems to be based even more on the spiritual ideals of "The Mother," a french woman who was a close friend of Aurobindo.

Auroville has been visited by the Dalai Lama, the president of India, Ken Wilbur, and many other influential figures of our time. They have reforested hundreds of acres of land here. People do a variety of different things, from yoga, tai chi, dance, meditation, permaculture, alternative energy, new-age architecture, you name it. Auroville hosts the largest solar dish in the world and the largest crystal as well. Call it a cult, call it a sect, call it whatever you want. This place is both amazing and frustrating at the same time. Check out more at: http://www.auroville.org/

Oh, and for those of you who don't know, I lived in Auroville for 4 months in 2003 and it's one of my most favorite places in the world. There is definitely an interesting progressive energy here. At any rate, we arrived just in time for Earth Day 2007!! Yay Earth Day! Perhaps the most important yet most under celebrated day of the year. Earth Day for us entailed face painting, seed jewelry making, choir listening, electric car and bike watching and a comical "end of the world" play in the evening. A great way to spend the day on Earth Day. Looks like we'll be here for about 10 days before heading deeper into the south. Deeper into ancient India to explore the Dravidian temples of Tamil Nadu... Tags: auroville, chennai, hampi, kanartaka Posted on Apr. 23rd, 2007 at 05:20 am Link Leave a comment Add to Memories Tell a Friend

They could have told more about the life and works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother

After some R & R, we decided to first go to the Aurobindo ashram. I really don't know much about the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo apart from the fact that he was active during the golden period of the struggle for independence. Hence I couldn't really appreciate my visit to the ashram much. The overbearing sewaks didn't help much. It would have been good if during the tour they could have told more about the life and works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

We next decided to go to Auroville. I've never faced as much difficulty in locating any one place as I faced in locating the visitor's center at Auroville. I must have asked atleast a dozen people along the way. It almost felt like Auroville wanted to hide itself and didn't want any visitors. Since it was a Sunday afternoon, they were not issuing any passes to the Matrimandir and we had to content ourselves with a 20 minute video of Auroville and a glimpse of the Matrimandir from a closed gate. The mandir itself did look stunning. A pity we didn't get a chance to go in and explore. All in all I didn't feel positive about the experience. My overall impression was that of a community of mostly foreigners that wanted to guard its privacy and was more or less enjoying a relaxed life on public money and public land...posted by Gaurav Goyal at 5:16 AM Monday, April 23, 2007 Bike Ride to Pondy

Santnu Chakraborty on 24th April, 2007

CLASSICAL DANCE Bharatanatyam Recital by Santnu Chakraborty & group" On the occasion of Mother's Final Arrival - 24th April, 2007

Event Info : Santnu Chakraborty performs on the occasion of

MOTHER'S FINAL ARRIVAL TO PONDICHERRY,

with Varsha, Shikha,Tarunika & Shreeda,

composed & choreographed by Guru V Krishnamoorthi.
Time : 7:00 pm
Place : Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry Branch Delhi,

Adchini, Qutab Institutional Road, New Delhi. Posted by Rohit Malik

Sri Aurobindo's Record of Yoga

Thursday, April 19, 2007 Overmind Gradations to Mind
From Sri Aurobindo's Record of Yoga II posted by Pravritti @ 1:27 PM

Friday, April 20, 2007 Shakti Sapta Chatusthaya
From Sri Aurobindo's Record of the Yoga II
posted by Pravritti @ 10:01 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 This is Aurobindo's Sapta Chatusthaya (7 divisions of four.) Presented in the Record of Yoga, this was taught to the students of the Ashram. It also is worked into the Synthesis of Yoga

(http://www.aurobindo.ru/workings/sa/20-21/index_e.htm).

When I put this up on my website it will have links to each bubble that will go into depth. posted by Pravritti @ 1:51 PM 2 comments

Sri Aurobindo on Vedic deities

Mukherji, Ramaranjan. Sri Aurobindo on Vedic deities.- 1st ed.- New Delhi: Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, 1995.- v, 149 p.; 22 cm.- SERIES: Silver jubilee publicationseries ; 11.- NOTES: Includes bibliographical references (p.148-149)

Key to the Vedas: Integral Hermeneutics

The book M. I. Mikhailov & N. S. Mikhailov, Key to the Vedas: Integral Hermeneutics, Minsk, 2005, 376 pp. is an authorial English translation of the First Part of the second enlarged edition of the "Key to the Vedas", which appeared first in 2005 in Russian.
The Russian "Key to the Vedas" in three volumes embraced Mikhailovs' twenty-year research of hidden secret mathematical codes in the Vedas, Mahabharatam, Bhagavadgitam, Ramayanam and the Vedic (so-called Harappan) script. The research is furnishing further hard mathematical evidence, proving the validity of the 'Key to the Vedas'.
The English translation has been made by M. Mikhailov for the benefit of all sincere English readers all around the world.
Consult my sites at * http://itved.com * http://key.itved.com Leave, please, your comment at my blog http://itved.blogspot.com/

Quantum physics in the light of Indian philosophy

Ulrich Mohrhoff teaches quantum physics in the light of Indian philosophy at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry, India. He is the managing editor of AntiMatters, a recently launched online journal (http://anti-matters.org) addressing issues in science and the humanities from non-materialistic perspectives. His home page is http://thisquantumworld.com.

koantum matters tags: ISIS Macroscopic Mae wan Ho Meaning of physics Mohrhoff Pondicherry interpretation Quantum mechanics Quantum physics Quantum semantics Quantum theory Sachchidananda Sat chit ananda Supervenience Vedanta Once a tag has been selected, EARLIER/LATER POSTS takes you through the posts with the same tag. Recent Posts
Beyond the Central Dogma of Physics
Do-It-Yourself Quantum Eraser
Humankind could have only four years of life left
Strange things in the sky
The Universe Isn’t Pointless
How to reduce cholesterol, with love.
The scientific method
Saturn’s bizarre hexagon
The Theory of Negligent Design (according to Stanislaw Lem)
The Sun’s new look

Pioneer of the supramental

Organiser Home > 2007 Issues > April 22, 2007 HINDUISM Karan Singh (Dr) Hinduism, New Dawn Press, 112 pp, Rs 99.00

He has talked of modern renaissance and how Hinduism rose from its lowest ebb after the Mughal rule. He has talked of Sri Ramakrishna (who proved that far from being a dying religion, Hinduism was an inexhaustible fount of spiritual inspiration), Swami Vivekananda (whose contribution was in the spread of Hindu thought abroad), Mahatma Gandhi (who called for the regeneration of Hinduism and the reform of Hindu society), Sri Aurobindo (who described as the pioneer of the supramental, the ‘integral yoga’), and Sri Ramana Maharshi (who believed in spiritual quest) and their efforts at revival of Hinduism. This book analyses the impact of Hinduism in the context of modern-day life and is very relevant to the fast-changing mores and values.

Annual endowment lecture in memory of Prof. K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar

Engagements - Chennai In Chennai Today Sri Aurobindo Society: Dr. K. Venkatasubramanian annual endowment lecture in memory of Prof. K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar, A.V. Balasubramanian speaks on `Dawn to Greater Dawn,' and B.R. Kumar speaks on `Bhagavan Shri Ramanar and Bhagavan Sri Aravindar,' Srinivasa Sastri Hall, Mylapore, 6 p.m. The Hindu Tuesday, Apr 17, 2007 ePaper

The catholicity of the Indian mind and spirit

Spiritual Content in TANTRA Tantras contain in themselves the highest spiritual and philosophical truths, not broken up and expressed in opposition to each other as in the debates of the thinkers, but synthetised by a fusion, relation or grouping in the way most congenial to the catholicity of the Indian mind and spirit. This is done sometimes expressly, but most often in a form which might carry something of it to the popular imagination and feeling by legend, tale, symbol, apologue, miracle and parable. An immense and complex body of psycho-spiritual experience is embodied in the Tantras, supported by visual images and systematised in forms of Yogic practice. The Renaissance in India, CWSA Vol. 20, p. 374

Wed, March 21, 2007 - 4:17 AM — permalink - 7 comments - add a comment back to Shiva » INSPIRATIONS

I consider Sri Aurobindo’s teachings so superior to all this

alan kazlev Says: April 17th, 2007 at 5:04 pm My reply, what KW calls horizontal enlightenment seems to be based on a literalist reading of the four states of consciousness in Advaita Vedanta, which are in turn derived from the Mandukya Upanishad. Vertical enlightenment seems to be based on a literalist reading of Wilber-Beck spiral dynamics. In both cases you have a limited perspectival approach. Ken’s assumptions are just as biased and limited to his own culture as that of Advaita is to its own culture... well, you can understand why I consider Sri Aurobindo’s teachings so superior to all this

Can there be a doubt in any one’s mind that he was indeed a saint?

Sri Aurobindo’s Plate Of Fried Chilli Rice “See what happens to Desabhakts in an occupied country…" Apr 17 2007 5:54 AM Tags: pondicherry indian freedom struggle aurobindo ghosh subramania bharathi british india narensomu.sulekha.com

Before we discuss the page from the book in continuation with the blogs I posted earlier, I feel a brief bio of Sri Aurobindo is in order. You can skip it if you are already familiar with his life story and please add any snippets from his life that you know ...
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was born on August 15, 1872 at Calcutta to Krishnadhan and Swamalata. Aurobindo Ghose had a privileged upbringing.
He was sent to a Convent School at Darjeeling when he was five. In 1879, Aurobindo Ghosh, was sent to England for higher studies. He completed his schooling from St. Paul's in London and in 1890, Sri Aurobindo got admission into Cambridge. Here, he distinguished himself as a student of European classics.
In 1893, Aurobindo Ghosh, returned to India, and became the Vice-principal of the State college in Baroda. He drew a salary of Rs.750/-. He was held in great respect by the Maharaja of Baroda.

Aurobindo was an accomplished scholar in Greek and Latin. From 1893 to 1906 he extensively studied Sanskrit, Bengali literature, Philosophy and Political Science.In 1906, after the partition of Bengal, he resigned his job and joined the Bengal National College on a salary of Rs.150/-. He plunged into the revolutionary movement. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was one of the pioneers of political awakening in India.

He edited the English daily Bande Mataram and wrote fearless editorials. He advocated the boycott of British goods, British courts and everything British. He was arrested in connection with the Alipore Bomb Case and for a year he was an under trial prisoner in solitary confinement in the Alipore Central Jail.

There he had a vision, about the divine mission ordained by God. During this period he studied and practiced of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Chittaranjan Das defended Sri Aurobindo, who was acquitted after a famous trial. During his time in prison, Aurobindo Ghosh, had developed interest in yoga and meditation. After his release he started practicing pranayama and meditation. Sri Aurobindo Ghose migrated from Calcutta to Pondicherry in 1910.

At Pondicherry, he stayed at a friend’s place. At first, he lived there with four or five companions. Gradually the number of members increased and an Ashram was founded. In 1914 after four years of concentrated yoga at Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo launched Arya, a 64 page monthly review. For the next six and a half years this became the vehicle for most of his most important writings, which appeared in serialised form. These included Essays on The Gita, The Secret of The Veda, Hymns to the Mystic Fire, The Upanishads, The Foundations of Indian Culture, War and Self-determination, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, and The Future Poetry. In 1926, Sri Aurobindo Ghose retired from public life.

Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy is based on facts, experience and personal realisations and on having the vision of a seer or Rishi. Aurobindo’s spirituality was inseparably united with reason. The goal of Sri Aurobindo was not merely the liberation of the individual from the chain that fetters him and realization of the self, but to work out the will of the Divine in the world, to effect a spiritual transformation and to bring down the divine nature and a divine life into the mental, vital and physical nature and life of humanity. Sri Aurobindo passed away on December 5, 1950 at Pondicherry at the age of 78.

***

We know that even though Puducherry was a French territory, the Government tried to curb the activities of Desbhakts by blocking their sources of revenue. Desabhakts like Aurobindo and Bharathi went through untold miseries at that time.

A leaf from the book “Mahakavi Bharathi”by Va. Ra….

“I was staying at Aurobindo’s place at that time…We [ young nationalists] used to take turns and cook. One day we had nothing to cook and we told Sri Aurobindo about the situation.
He asked us what was there left and we replied that we had some rice, some oil and dried chillies [The kind that is marinated in buttermilk , sun -dried and stored for a long time to be used as a particularly hot “pickle” [ after frying it in oil]..
“Cook rice, fry those chillies in oil and mix both! “He said and he didn’t seem to be perturbed at all…
He was the only one who ate his usual portion that day as Va. Ra. says they had a hard time with fried chilli rice…
“Can there be a doubt in any one’s mind that he was indeed a saint?” He asks about Aurobindo…

“See what happens to Desabhakts in an occupied country…the man who drew a salary of Rs. 750/- from Baroda college and he who was a scholar in many languages had to eat fried chillies with rice…the sort of fate that arranged that!”

[The elders in my family, whenever we talk about finances, compare gold prices of yesteryears to the prices today…they say even Rs. 500/-was a princely sum ["We could've bought so much gold!"] in the 60’s…imagine the sum Aurobindo was drawing as his salary before plunging in to the fire of the struggle for freedom…

Most of us eat more when a favorite side dish is present and eat less when we don’t like a dish. what Va. Ra. says about great souls to whom riches and adversity are all one and the same is a point to be noted.]

To be continued… Information on Shri Aurobindo's life was taken from the site at the link below . I have tried to condense it a bit and pasted the info here. http://www.iloveindia.com/indiaurobindo-ghose.html an-heroes/

Sri Aurobindo had prophesied that it would rest on India to provide spiritual leadership to the world

The Immanent is sublimated in the transcendental, and this takes place within the human being, as repository of Divine Will. From the individual, it should transmit to all levels of society. Sri Aurobindo had prophesied that it would rest on India to provide spiritual leadership to the world. That India has to be a spiritual India, comprising spiritual beings, united in their mission to rid the present-day world of ignorance, poverty and squalor. The combined energies of spiritual teachers and realised masters, past and present, should guide us all towards that goal. THE SPEAKING TREE: Seed of Contentment: The Beej Mantra Malay Mishra THE TIMES OF INDIA17 Apr, 2007

That’s where he saw the face of God

When my friend Swamiji (Schlagbyte, 9/20/04) was 25, he was working for his father in the family hardware business which left him unfulfilled and wanting some spark to light his inner fire. He went to the ashram in Pondicherry founded by the visionary yogi Sri Aurobindo. That’s where he saw the face of God who directed him to found a new teaching and healing community. Schlagbytes <<>

A great being, a great being

by diane on Thu 12 Apr 2007 04:14 PM PDT Profile Permanent Link I was so absolutely saddened when I opened my emails this morning to read of Satprem's passing. I still feel a sense of shock, a great being, a great being. Diane

by rjon on Fri 13 Apr 2007 09:54 AM PDT Profile Permanent Link Yes, I felt the same way, and continue to feel a sense of loss ... ~ ron

Gagdad Bob said... I am sorry to hear about Satprem. His book, The Adventure of Consciousness, is by far the best book on Sri Aurobindo, and is recommended to all curious Coons (although you should wait until the used prices come down). 4/13/2007 02:40:00 PM

Prof. Debashish Banerji is teaching classes on "The Life Divine"

Life Divine classes via Skype, by Debashish Banerji
by rjon on Fri 13 Apr 2007 11:00 AM PDT Permanent Link
Prof. Debashish Banerji is now teaching classes on Sri Aurobindo's opus "The Life Divine." You can listen to recordings of these classes here on SCIY at: Life Divine classes via Skype, by Debashish Banerji, Ph.D. Highly recommended!

Print Article Keywords: LifeDivine, DebashishBanerji, Debashish, Banerji

A concert on the border of India and Pakistan on Independence Day

Husn-e-Haqiqi, or ‘True Beauty’ April 13, 2007 • Sufism was considered by Sri Aurobindo to be a set of important “Mohammadan yogas.” Indeed, the Sufi immigrants to South Asia meshed in quite well with the local spiritual traditions, even writing treatises on yoga, and defending Hinduism from misinterpretations of it by conventional exoteric Muslims. This is an area that I don’t want to comment on in detail without having done a substantial amount of research...

I have recently found out about an initiative known as Friends Without Borders, a grassroots movement toward encouraging friendship between India and Pakistan (thanks to a new friend Manoj, who e-mailed me from Auroville to let me know about it after finding this blog). One of the projects they have in mind is a concert on the border of India and Pakistan on Independence Day for both countries in August this year. If the Independence Day India-Pakistan border concert does materialize — let’s hope that the ridiculous actions of certain extremist elements in Pakistan (more on this situation in a later post) do not get in the way of this — then I officially nominate Arieb Azhar and his gorgeous Sufi rock for it.

And while we are on the topic of Sufism and music, there was an excellent review of the book The Mysticism of Music, Sound and Word by Hazrat Inayat Khan published in an old issue of Collaboration - Journal of the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. In the words of Inayat Khan himself: “The whole of life in all its aspects is one single music; and the real spiritual attainment is to tune one’s self to the harmony of this perfect music.” Posted by ned on April 13, 2007. Filed under Inspiration, Music.

Satprem cannot die

The New Vision To change the earthly life to life divine. Friday, April 13, 2007

Satprem [30-10-1923 — 09-04-2007] This cannot be an obituary. I will not say that Satprem is no more! I cannot say that he has passed away! I will not write about his works and achievements and then forget him.

Definitely, he was an author. He wrote several beautiful books, the likes of which nobody has written. He has edited and organized Mother’s Agenda, which contain the seed of the Next Future, the Next Evolution. And not only that, he is a part and parcel of Mother’s Agenda. The possibility that there will be many more authors like him is rare. His writings are what he is! And he is unique, only one.

But Satprem is not only an author, he is an adventurer, following the footprints of The Adventure, and of The Creatrix. He wanted to break the habit of the body, the habit of death. He wanted to break into the realm of the supermen's world, the New World. Man has to pass into the becoming of the Superman. Man has to transform himself, individually and socially, so that the New Race will come into being on earth. The Supramental World cannot come on earth, unless there is some real endeavour for it. And that has to come as soon as possible. That is the only Solution before the humankind.

And that is what Satprem has been doing. Satprem, along with Sujata, concentrated exclusively to the transformation of the cellular consciousness of the body and to the realisation of the next evolution, from Mind to the Supermind. They were / are in search of the great journey from manhood to supermanhood. And all this is the Work of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Satprem described Sri Aurobindo as The Adventure of Consciousness. He wrote :

“The age of adventures is over. Even if we reach the seventh galaxy, we will go there helmeted and mechanized, and it will not change a thing for us; we will find ourselves exactly as we are now: helpless children in the face of death, living beings who are not too sure how they live, why they are alive, or where they are going. On the earth, as we know, the times of Cortez and Pizarro are over; one and the same pervasive Mechanism stifles us: the trap is closing inexorably. But, as always, it turns out that our bleakest adversities are also our most promising opportunities, and that the dark passage is only a passage leading to a greater light. Hence, with our backs against the wall, we are facing the last territory left for us to explore, the ultimate adventure: ourselves.”

He further wrote :

“There is no more room on the teeming beaches, no more room on the crowded roads, no more room in the ever-expanding anthills of our cities. We have to find a way out elsewhere. But there are many kinds of "elsewheres." Those of drugs are uncertain and fraught with danger, and above all they depend upon an outer agent; an experience ought to be possible at will, anywhere, at the grocery store as well as in the solitude of one's room--otherwise it is not an experience but an anomaly or an enslavement. Those of psychoanalysis are limited, for the moment, to the dimly lit caves of the "unconscious," and most importantly, they lack the agency of consciousness, through which a person can be in full control, instead of being an impotent witness or a sickly patient.

Those of religion may be more enlightened, but they too depend upon a god or a dogma; for the most part they confine us in one type of experience, for it is just as possible to be a prisoner of other worlds as it is of this one--in fact, even more so. Finally, the value of an experience is measured by its capacity to transform life; otherwise, it is simply an empty dream or a hallucination. Sri Aurobindo leads us to a twofold discovery, which we so urgently need if we want to find an intelligible meaning to the suffocating chaos we live in, as well as a key for transforming our world. By following him step by step in his prodigious exploration, we are led to the most important discovery of all times, to the threshold of the Great Secret that is to change the face of this world, namely, that consciousness is power.”

Following the footprints of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Satprem himself became an adventurer. His existence is a dedication to the Cause of passing on to the Next Evolution, for creating the New World, where there will no more of any death or decay, any old age, any disease, any defeat for man. He endeavoured for translating this dream onto the reality. He was preparing himself for the great leap beyond ordinary humanity.

Satprem cannot die. I feel his presence, without any vacant feeling. He will be there, till the Work he has undertaken is done! If he dies, along with him dies the human hope and the human dream. He is a hope for all of us — the dreamers. He is a hope for all of us — the rebels. He is the hope for all of us — the adventurers towards The New Horizon, The New World.

He is the Spirit that can never die. The spirit will conquer death and let others conquer death, in the Way led by The Light and The Force. His name will shine for ever at the Feet of The Master and The Mother. He will be present in the New World, among the New Race!

{Also published in Barin Chaki, Barin's Blog and barin chaki's blog simultaneously.) Barindranath Chaki Posted by Barin at 4:50 AM Labels: Auro, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Satprem passed away at the age of 84 on April 9th

Thursday, April 12 Satprem passes by Rich on April 12, 2007 11:09AM (PDT)
This is to inform the community that Satprem, who worked closely with the Mother on various books and later compiled the Mother's Agenda, has passed away at the age of 84 on Monday, April 9th of this year. more » Comments (1) Permanent Link

following note which appeared today on AV's intranet:

Satprem (IRA) has left his body by massbulletin

::: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 ::: 07:50 PM ::: 14 This is to inform the community that Satprem, who worked closely with the Mother on various books and later compiled the Mother's Agenda, has passed away at the age of 84 on Monday, April 9th of this year.

Join us as we talk with Dave Hutchinson

Sri Aurobindo and A New World

“Sri Aurobindo was an exceptional yogi of the last century, as well as a poet and revolutionary. Along with The Mother, he pioneered the Integral Yoga, a path that aims for the complete transformation of the individual, society, and the world.”

Sri Aurobindo, a spiritual teacher during the first half of the 20th Century, wrote and taught about the coming new world. Join us as we talk with Dave Hutchinson, a long-time devotee and scholar of Sri Aurobindo. Dave has written several articles and summaries of Sri Aurobindo’s major works. Dave has a background in nursing and presently works at the UC Davis Health System. Dave has studied and practiced yoga for 30 years, is past president of the Shri Aurobindo Association and has been the editor for the journal, Collaboration. He currently resides in Sacramento, California. Be sure and listen as Dave gives you valuable insites into the teachings of Shri Aurobindo. For more information about the life and teachings of Shri Aurobindo, go to: www.miraura.org

Hall of Divine, Sri Aurobindo Society

Event Info : Sri Aurobindo Institute of Mass Communication Delhi (SAIMC), a unit of the world-renowned Sri Aurobindo Society Pondicherry invites you to a panel discussion on : ' How distant is Indian Cinema from World Cinema'.
Panelists : Mr. Anurag Kashyap, Filmmaker and Script Writer. He is also on the advisory board of SAIMC.
Mr. Ashvin Kumar, Filmmaker
Ms. Aruna Vasudev, Film Critic and promoter of Cinema Culture and Festival director, OSIAN Cinefan Film Festival.
Mr Bhuvan Lall, President (Global), MCORP Global Entertainment Division
Ms. Namrata Joshi, (Moderator) Film Critic, Outlook
Santosh Desai, COO - - Future Brands & Columnist.
Time : 1:45 pm, Place : Hall of Divine, Sri Aurobindo Society ( Near Turquoise Cottage ), New Mehrauli Road, Adchini, New Delhi. Posted by Rohit Malik for Thursday, April 12, 2007

The tool used was dreamcatching and co-creating

Tuesday, April 10, 2007 My tour update....Auroville alive: First of all, my Auroville trip.....
It was supposed to be a break from a hectic life but hardly turned out to be the same. Had a busy but awesome sched, had great (est) people for company, had the world's best place around me....Quite a heady concoction....The studio was great,,,we were working on co-creating a Health Centre for Auroville, bringing together its various alternative health therapies and allopathies under one roof...

The challenge was to come up with a design in a group and the tool used was dreamcatching and co-creating. The catch line : The outcome should be a synthesis of ideas based on the highest common factor and not the lowest common denominator. We had some really talented people working together and I had the most amazing two weeks of my life. We came up with some promising solutions very much appreciated and its really difficult for me to summarise the essence of it. I dont really want to. Being selfish about it seems nice.

I have to say something about the place we were living in. The ILC building in Auro. One of the best I've seen. Full of spaces worth every blessing I've spelt ever. Not exaggerating. Watching and feeling the space, mornings, noons, nights, the ponds, the skyscape, the invisible chimes, it was nothing short of a divine experience. I love that place. I'll consider myself an honest architect if ever a building done by me would evoke that response. I call the ILC poetry in action. The yoga sessions early morning, the wilderness walks late night, the koffee krunch icecream breaks, the heavenly bakery treats, the silent conversations.........I cant stop thinking,,,but I need to. hmmppphhhhhhh....I wanna go back, live it again. posted by navisa @ 12:02 AM Name: Navisa Jain Location: Hyderabad, AP, IN

Sri Aurobindo University: Submission of the synopsis

SRI AUROBINDO UNIVERSITY
Towards her, our knowledge climbs-- Sri Aurobindo

At: Sri Aurobindo Shreekshetra, Dalijoda, Po: Karanji, Dist: Cuttack-754022
Phone: (0671) 2343307, 2344338, 2340718, 2873405. cell: 9437023407, 9437120220.
E-mail: ctk_matrubha@sancharnet.in

A guide to learners on Research Methodology:

Research means in deapth study of a given subject / given area of a subject in order to bring into light the hidden Truth within it for the benefit of others. One who accepts such project has to delve into it , to discover the aspect of Truth that the subject represents.
Research under Sri Aurobindo University aims at a systematic study of the vast literature and work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It may lead to a spiritual ascent of a Sadhak of integral Yoga.
Those who have opted to be the honorable learners of Sri Aurobindo University should always keep in mind that research here is carried out not for any material gain nor academic degree, but purely from spiritual point of view as a medium of yoga.

The subject of Study and Research:

The subject should be one of the topics from the list prepared by Sri Aurobindo University or a similar topic relating to the writings / work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It should be chosen with care keeping in mind the subject of interest and motivation of the learner. It will be advisable to the learner if he/she could consult an expert in the field, preferably the counselor, while choosing the topic. There should be a time limit chosen by the learner to complete the work. Once the topic is chosen the learner has to design the study of the subject and a brief review of related work and prepare a synopsis of the topic.

The Synopsis:

The synopsis is a systematic planning of the project and it is prepared by the learner in consultation with the counselor.
The synopsis must contain:
(i) An introduction on the topic.
(ii) Study design with regards to methodology to be adopted in various phases.
(iii) Preparation of a working bibliography.

(i)The Introduction:

The introduction includes a survey / review of literature. It means a summerisation of previous work done by different authors on the topic and writing the gist of those in brief in a systematic and chronological manner. While doing so the learner must give footnotes in every page which indicates the source from which the contents are collected. In the end the learner has to clearly express the aim and objective of his work which should be the continuation of the previous work. If the work includes some observations and collections of data, then it should be indicated in the introduction and the learner has to commit that the data / observation will be properly analysed and interpreted to arrive at a conclusion.

(ii) Chapterisation:
Chapterisation means scanning of the entire project taken up by the learner. The subject of the project is to be divided into different parts, arrange them in a systematic way and mention which aspect of the work will be studied in which chapter. It should be so planned that one chapter will seem to be a continuation of the previous one. The last chapter will contain an analysis of the data / facts collected in the previous chapters and interpretation of the same to arrive at a conclusion. The conclusion will indicate to what extent the objective of the learner has been fulfilled.

Preparation of Working Bibliography:

It is the source of materials collected by the learner in order to supplement the study. The source may be books / journals / magazines / internet etc. In some cases it may be experimental data observations collected from field tours. If the source is a book / journal / magazine the reference should be indicated.
(a) Name of the book / journal
(b) Author
(c) Title of the article/chapter
(d) Year of publication/publishers and
(e) Pages(first and last)
(f) Internet: website and date when accessed.
If it is some other source, the details of the source should be given in the reference. In no case something heard from some body should be taken as a true reference, and such references should be avoided at all cost.
The references should be numbered as 1, 2, 3 etc. in order and to avoid jumbling of the references, it should be initially given as a foot note at the end of the page.
The collection of these references at one place at the end of all chapters becomes the working bibliography.
Once the synopsis is prepared and approved by the counselor, the work of the learner becomes easier and he / she has to take up deep and systematic study of the subject to develop each chapter to complete his project. While so developing, new references may come and it should be given as foot notes and collected at the end to complete the final bibliography.
Every learner has to prepare a synopsis of the project, get it approved by the counselor and then submit it to Sri Aurobindo University. Submission of the synopsis duly approved by the counselor is a necessary condition in order to allot a registration number to the learner.

From: "Gadadhar Mishra" ctk_matrubha@sancharnet.in

Harmony at any cost

The 4-day State-level Conference of Sri Aurobindo Study Circles being held at Matrubhaban in Cuttack (Kataka), Orissa comes to a close today. The theme of this Annual Conference – 2007 was ‘Harmony at any cost.’ [TNM]

Unique project that likes to connect eastern and western civilisation

April 06 Pondycherry & Auroville Hey everyone, here i am again! At the moment i'm staying in Pondycherry a former french influenced town to work as a announced assitent. Although i haven't any real responsibilities because everything is well organized from Shree (my leader :). We are sharing a double bed in our guest house and therefore i am able to learn more about indian youths. May be all of them are alcoholics because he's drinking whisky every evening (famous in india)? Despite that i read an article about their changing habits and characteristics. Mass mediums like cellphone, TV, Cinema or just increasing pubs and discotheks are getting more and more common in every city. That's a pitty!! It won't take a long time till they might forget their roots and become a part of the western lifestyle. Close to Pondycherry there is a place called Auroville. Perhaps, you heard about this unique project that likes to connect eastern and western civilisation at one unpropertied place. I visited Auroville last Sunday and would like to cite from my be loved Lonely Planet :)

Auroville: The international Vision - Auroville is the brainchild of the Mother, 'an experiment in interantional living where people could live in peace and progessive harmony above all creeds, politics and nationalities'. Designed by french architect Roger Anger, its opening ceremony on 28 February 1968 was attended by the president of india and representatives of 124 countries, who pored the soil of their lands into an urn to symbolise universal oneness. The geographical layout of Auroville was seen as a reflection of this striving for unity... In the words of the Mother, the founding vision of Auroville is that 'There should be somewhere upon Earth a place that no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of goodwill, sincere in their aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world...'.

Well, the workcamp members itself belong to Thailand, South Korea, Netherlands and France. Unfortunally we are only 6 in total and sometimes it seems for me like we wouldn't be really necessary, because the orphan school is well managed. Their might be around 60 children in the age between 4 and 22. Most of them are educated by a private school teacher and one of our tasks are to teach english as well as playing activity games or help to construct a third floor... Others go to the normal college which is paid by different NGO's or donaters. Up to 18 they can decide if they want to leave the hostel or not. At the moment it's the 4th workcamp for them. So, their are used to foreigners but still with typical indian behavior (What's your name? Which country?). I hate it! At the weekend i will travel to Madurai (8 hours journey) to see one of the most famous temples in whole south india. It's not that i am addicted to travel but in Pondicherry is nothing more to discover and weekends can be very boring, when you have nothing to do despite watching TV or go for a walk :) many greets Alex

An amazingly peaceful place, complete with twittering birds and huge palm fronds

Sunday, April 1, 2007 Aurobindo Bhavan on Busy Theatre Road I used to go to the Aurobindo Bhavan on Shakespeare Sarani (Theatre Road) for the children's library. Actually, my grandfather had suggested that I become a member there, once I hit class 5 and the school syllabus required me to come up with all those fancy 'projects' etc. So, while my brother had been a member at the British Council library across the street, it was li'l ole Aurobindo Bhavan for me. :)

Of course, the place is not about just the library! It's the focal point of the Aurobindo Society in Calcutta. The building is this really lovely old heritage structure, and also houses a theosophical library, an apiary, meditation centre, shop for handicrafts and tribal products, etc. It's an amazingly peaceful place, complete with twittering birds and huge palm fronds. Very nice if you want to be in a quiet place. Yes, yes, I know the library seems like a mini-jail, with all the barred windows, but this is really the place where I discovered Enid Blyton and al the rest! :) Posted by livinghigh at 11:40 PM

A divine life in a divine body is the formula

FEATURED IN THE APRIL 2007 ISSUE OF DNA MONTHLY
1. Review of Michael Murphy's The Future of the Body, by Brandon Peele

Posted on Apr 1st, 2007 by Leigh