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- The Role of Work in the Sadhana of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 27, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a famous story in the Upanishads which illustrates both the role and the power of work in spiritual practice and realisation. A youth approached a teacher to learn the spiritual truths of existence. The teacher handed over to him 2 head of cattle and said that he would take him up as a ...
Views: 549 - Human Motives and Divine Motives in Action - by Submitted on May 26, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a difference between action undertaken with the usual motives in the normal course of human life, and actions undertaken by the spiritual seeker attempting to achieve spiritual growth and realisation of the Divine. The outer form of action, in and of itself, does not make an action ...
Views: 509 - The Nature and Practice of Karmayoga in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 25, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe frequently hear about the practice of ‘karma yoga’ in connection with feeding people, or providing medical care and support. These and other ‘good works’ are clearly beneficial to the social body and to the numerous individuals who receive real and substantial benefits from them. These ...
Views: 500 - A Change of Consciousness Is Necessary for Solving the Issues of Human Existence - by Submitted on May 24, 2021 from santosh krinskySince the Renaissance, the Western world has put its faith in, and based its goals on the power of the human intellect and vital drive to uplift humanity and solve the problems we face. Tremendous changes have taken place and humanity has made progress in fields as diverse as atomic physics, ...
Views: 839 - The Process of Establishing Equality in the Being - by Submitted on May 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyAs Sri Aurobindo has indicated, the practice of yoga is a science of applied psychology. The normal and habitual patterns of response that we exhibit need to be both understood and modified, energies redirected, and new forces allowed to intervene and exert their influence in our lives. ...
Views: 523 - Developing the Inner Poise of Equality in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 22, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe more reactive we are to people and events, the more dispersed our awareness is and this draws away from the ability of the practitioner of the yoga to create and maintain the inner connection to the spiritual force that is pressing to manifest the next phase of the evolutionary development. ...
Views: 467 - The Nature and Power of Equality in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe usually think about the term ‘equality’ in relation to society or the economy. Sri Aurobindo uses the term to describe an inner psychological state that keeps the practitioner of the yoga focused on the inner being and its spiritual practices, rather than having the attention drawn out to ...
Views: 440 - The Need to Remain Undisturbed by Outer Circumstances - by Submitted on May 20, 2021 from santosh krinskyOne of the great obstacles to the reception and activation of the higher forces of consciousness are the pre-existing habits of action and reaction in the mind-life-body complex. We are constantly pulled in one direction or another, we react to events and circumstances from our narrow ...
Views: 475 - The Power of Wideness in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 19, 2021 from santosh krinskyWhen an individual being is under extreme pressure, whether through illness, emotional or mental distress, stress of living in the society or dealing with events and people, the natural reaction at the physical-vital-mental level is to contract, to curl up, to close off, to withdraw into a ...
Views: 467 - Understanding the Concept of Wideness in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 18, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe Vedic Rishis spoke of Satyam, Ritam, Brihat, ‘the truth, the right, the vast’. These represent psychological states into which the yogic practitioner can enter in order to embody the truth of the Brahman. The vast consciousness takes us out of the human egoistic standpoint into an awareness, ...
Views: 438 - Understanding the Concept of Wideness in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 18, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe Vedic Rishis spoke of Satyam, Ritam, Brihat, ‘the truth, the right, the vast’. These represent psychological states into which the yogic practitioner can enter in order to embody the truth of the Brahman. The vast consciousness takes us out of the human egoistic standpoint into an awareness, ...
Views: 468 - The Silent Mind Prepares the Receptivity for the Advent of the Higher Consciousness in the Being - by Submitted on May 17, 2021 from santosh krinskyAn important principle for the practitioner of yoga is to recognise that the old habits and ways of acting and reacting need to be removed in order to open up the capacity to receive the new powers of consciousness that are in the process of manifesting. Yoga is more or less a process of applied ...
Views: 458 - The Basis for Developing the Silence of the Mind - by Submitted on May 16, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn today’s world, we tend to value those processes of mind, life and body which focus on the elements of success in the outer life. We educate children to remember facts of the past, to learn basic mathematics, and rules of grammar and spelling. We train students on how to utilize and implement ...
Views: 479 - The Creative Power of the Silent Mind - by Submitted on May 16, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor most people there is never a moment of silence in the mind. A constant churning of thoughts, ideas, desires, plans, wishes, concerns, feelings, emotions, perceptions, and needs keeps mental activity of one sort or another always going. We seem to actually fear the silence, so if the inner ...
Views: 536 - The Nature of Inner Peace - by Submitted on May 14, 2021 from santosh krinskyMost of us, when we reflect on the quality of “peace” think about finding an external situation that is quiet and isolated from the activities of the social body, whether it be politics, the economy, or inter-personal relationships. Peace for us is something that exists through the absence of ...
Views: 607 - The Nature and Power of Sincerity in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor spiritual practices that seek a solution outside the life in the world, it is possible to try to “cut the knot” and simply abandon, or at least minimize, the active engagement of mind, life and body in the world. For a spiritual practice such as the integral yoga, however, which aims at a ...
Views: 449 - Distinguishing Between the Qualities of Quiet, Calm, Peace and Silence in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyNear the top of the “wish list” for most spiritual aspirants is achieving “peace”. This is generally understood however in a very personal sense to alleviate the turmoil, dissention and conflict that invariably arises in our normal circumstances living in the world. It is rarely appreciated ...
Views: 525 - The Power of a Calm Mind - by Submitted on May 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyIf we observe our mental space for some time, such as when we sit for meditation, the first thing to be noticed is that the mind tends to jump around from one thought, idea or perception to another, seemingly randomly and impacted by sensory data coming to us through our sense organs. Some call ...
Views: 467 - Understanding the Quality of Sincerity in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 10, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe general definition of sincerity as understood in society is the quality of unifying one’s intention with one’s words or actions. This definition is a good starting point for understanding sincerity in the yogic sense. The major difference between the two is the level of inward review and ...
Views: 462 - Understanding the Nature and Role of Spiritual Experiences in the Yogic Process - by Submitted on May 09, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe bring to the spiritual quest all kinds of mental ideas, emotional expectations and preconceived notions about what is supposed to happen, how it is supposed to happen and what it signifies. All of these things, however, are based in the mind-life-body complex and act as limiting factors in ...
Views: 464 - Realisations in the Development of the Yogic Sadhana - by Submitted on May 08, 2021 from santosh krinskyMany who take up the practice of yogic sadhana find that they receive some signs of encouragement either prior to starting consciously down the path, through some kind of experience that opens other dimensions and opportunities for growth for them, or through some spiritual experiences in the ...
Views: 462 - Patience and Perseverance Are Need for the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 07, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe live in an age that expects instant success, immediate gratification and results that occur with a minimum of effort. It is difficult, therefore, to appreciate that the spiritual path, whether the integral yoga, or any other path that assumes a change to human nature or a redirection of the ...
Views: 449 - The Nature and Action of Faith in the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on May 06, 2021 from santosh krinskyOne of the great reported examples of faith in the spiritual path is the inspiring story of Tibet’s great yogi, Milarepa. Briefly, his family was cheated out of their inheritance when his father died, and put into a condition of extreme suffering. He left to learn Black Magic to take his revenge ...
Views: 523 - The Necessity of a Luminous Faith in Following the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on May 05, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe long-standing debate between science and religion pits the rational intellect with its demand for facts, proof, and logical inference, along with rigorous testing to achieve reproducible results to dispel doubt against the religious conviction based on faith. Science looks down on faith as ...
Views: 450 - Developing Aspiration Without Admixture of Desire - by Submitted on May 04, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe Bhagavad Gita devotes considerable focus to the operation of the three gunas, qualities of the action of the nature, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. The Gita indicates that all actions are modified and controlled by the action of the gunas. This includes the practice of spiritual sadhana. Rajas ...
Views: 545 - Aspiration, Spiritual Experience, and the Response of the Divine Force - by Submitted on May 03, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn his book The Mother, Sri Aurobindo concisely outlines the processes and steps of the integral yoga. The progress is based on a two-fold collaboration between the individual Soul and the divine Force, brought about through a tuning process for the human individual through what is called ...
Views: 536 - The Role of the Mental Will in the Spiritual Development of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 02, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe will power is a real and important part of the effort by the individual. Will power can be developed through exercise, just as we develop the physical muscles through exercise and weight training. In our development of the mental will, we frequently become frustrated when something we try to ...
Views: 462 - The Role of Aspiration in the Spiritual Development of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 02, 2021 from santosh krinskySri Aurobindo identifies aspiration as one of the important steps in the sadhana of the integral yoga. What exactly is aspiration? We can understand it by looking at the operation of a frequency tuner, such as a radio or television tuner. There are numerous channels available, and the tuner ...
Views: 473 - Finding the Balance Between Individual Effort and Surrender in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2021 from santosh krinskyPractitioners of the integral yoga are confronted daily with the task of balancing between the individual effort required, and the call to surrender to the divine force that actually is undertaking the changes in the nature that are required. We all start with the ego-consciousness and all of ...
Views: 472 - The Role of Free Will in the Surrender of the Ego - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2021 from santosh krinskyOur mental logic frequently stumbles over the apparent contradictions that lead us to adopt an extreme position over a more nuanced view of things. The debate about the role of free will in the processes of the yoga which involve the surrender of the ego to the action of the divine Force is one ...
Views: 464 - The Path of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe integral yoga relies on the action of a force of consciousness beyond the mind-life-body complex under which we ordinarily function. This involves a self-exceeding beyond the normal framework. Thus, it cannot be accomplished purely by the action of those powers residing within that ...
Views: 469 - The Surrender of the Ego-Personality to the Divine - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe ego-sense, in its attempt to be in control and glorify in its success, abhors the very idea of “surrender”. The connotation of the term in English is loaded with negative inferences, yet in other languages there are more subtle and deeper meanings to be unlocked. For instance, in Sanskrit, ...
Views: 464 - The Practice of Yoga Through Surrender, Self-Giving and Consecration - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe challenge faced by the aspirant trying to bring about the action of a new basis of awareness and action, is that continued reliance on the habitual means and methods of mind, life and body, inhibits the free active intervention of this new consciousness. The process of exceeding the ...
Views: 456 - Personal Effort and Surrender in the Sadhana of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe “either/or” limitations of the mental processes leads us generally to believe that spiritual progress either comes with individual effort, or alternatively, through ‘surrender’ of the ego and letting the Divine, or the Guru, bring about the progress. Thus, there are individuals who undertake ...
Views: 516 - Developing Receptivity to the Action of the Higher Force for Transformation of the Nature - by Submitted on Apr 24, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe turn our attention and focus normally to the needs of the body, the desires and ambitions of the vital being, the impact of perceptions and the thought processes of our minds. Even when we take up a spiritual path, we try to find a practice that may involve the body, the life-energy and / or ...
Views: 507 - The Way of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyMany paths of yoga teach a fixed method that everyone who takes it up is asked to follow in a precise and standardized way. Whether it is the use of a fixed set of asanas, pre-determined pranayama routines, set routines of prayer, mantra, japa, or devotional practices, everyone is given ...
Views: 464 - Opening the Being to the Divine Power and Presence - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyA yoga that focuses on opening to a new power of consciousness beyond the mind, and that does not abandon life, but acts to transform it, has to address the issues of the limitations embedded in the existing ‘status quo’ of mind-life-body. The limitations inherent in the operations of these ...
Views: 481 - Integral Yoga: Answering the Call - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor many, the idea of Yoga is physical postures and breathing techniques, to attain fitness and flexibility. This is not the whole story, however. Hatha Yoga, which has been popularized world-wide over the last 50 years or so, is one element of the much larger understanding of Yoga which we find ...
Views: 509 - The Divine Grace and Spiritual Realisation - by Submitted on Apr 20, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe pivotal role and importance of Divine Grace in the spiritual realisation comes about because all humanity is essentially locked into the framework of our normal mental-vital standpoint and thus, cannot truly transform the consciousness without something intervening from outside this ...
Views: 534 - Divine Grace and the Action of the Laws of Nature - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2021 from santosh krinskyDue to the nature of the mind, which always seeks for “black and white” solutions and answers, it is easy to fall into the idea that everything depends on one’s own efforts, or alternatively, that one’s efforts do not matter as the Divine controls what occurs. In actuality, there is no real ...
Views: 556 - The Action of Divine Grace - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe difference between our human understanding and effort, and the action of Divine Grace, is the standpoint from which the result flows. The human ego standpoint tries to evaluate everything in reference to itself at the center, and thus, looks to “my effort”, “my results”, “my progress” and ...
Views: 514 - Understanding the Concept of Divine Grace - by Submitted on Apr 17, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe human mind likes to have a logical reason for events, and therefore we search for a causal relationship between an event and some precursor. We call this “cause and effect” or “causality” or “dependent origination” or “law of karma”, or “law of nature”. However we describe it, we are trying ...
Views: 549 - The Mother’s Force to Effectuate the Change of Consciousness - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2021 from santosh krinskyPractitioners of Yoga speak of the opening of the Kundalini and the energy rising up from the base of the spine, through the various chakras and issuing out of the 1000 petalled lotus at the top of the skull. The experience of the rising of the Kundalini is a core development in many yogic ...
Views: 466 - The Mother: Supreme Nature That Manifests All Existence - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe Supreme Divine is “One without a second”. Yet we can still make mental distinctions between the Transcendent, the Universal and the Individual aspects of the Divine, as that is the nature of the mental consciousness, and we can focus on one or another of these aspects without forgetting the ...
Views: 504 - The Divine Mother — the Consciousness-Force of the Divine - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn his book The Mother, Sri Aurobindo writes: “In all that is done in the universe, the Divine through his Shakti is behind all action but he is veiled by his Yoga Maya and works through the ego of the Jiva in the lower nature.” The Divine Shakti, the creative force of the universe, the power ...
Views: 612 - Overcoming Doubt, Fear and Depression Which May Arise During the Practice of Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe changes sought in the integral Yoga are of such magnitude and detail that they will naturally take a considerable time to work themselves out in all the levels and aspects of our being. Along the way, there come periods of difficulty which may challenge one’s faith or determination, what is ...
Views: 448 - The Divine Force Active in the Practice of Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe all generally understand the concept of force at the material level. Our entire world is driven by this force as the sun energizes the planet, as the wind, the water and the power of fire in the depths of the earth create our material environment. We understand the concept of force at the ...
Views: 555 - Hidden Powers in Life and Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is an interesting contradiction in the way humanity deals with unseen, or invisible forces at work. We believe wholeheartedly nowadays in gravity, electricity, wireless communications, magnetic transportation vehicles, and, despite the fact that all of these represent invisible forces, we ...
Views: 594 - Invisible Forces in Our Lives and in Our Evolutionary Growth - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe do not consider, for the most part, the reliance we have for all things in our lives in the world, upon invisible forces that are at work. We basically take these things for granted, give them names and treat them as a reality that we do not have to think about or reflect upon. No one can ...
Views: 569 - Specific Incarnations of Gods and Their Powers in the Hindu Tradition - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn spiritual and religious traditions around the world, we see a proliferation of names and personalities of God. This has engendered much confusion for people who talk about monotheism versus polytheism. When one looks deeper into the question, however, it becomes clear that in most cases, ...
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