Addressing Obstacles, Weaknesses and Limitations Through the Connection with the Divine Power

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There are so many obstacles and
difficulties that confront the

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spiritual seeker precisely
because the work of transforming

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human nature in each element
involves dealing with endless

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numbers of embedded habits,
instincts, trained responses,

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etcetera.
It is virtually a constant

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effort to address each and every
one of these concerns as they

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arise, because the seeker
generally starts from the

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standpoint of the ego.
He tends to treat these things

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as personal failures or
weaknesses, and he then tends to

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become fixated on addressing
them with his own efforts

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through exercise of willpower or
other means he has at his

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disposal.
He soon finds out, however, that

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these issues are larger and more
deeply entrenched, being part of

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the general development of
nature in the world then his own

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unaided effort can solve.
The more he focuses on and

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fixates himself on these
weaknesses, limitations, and

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difficulties, the more they tend
to overwhelm his efforts and he

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can quickly sink into a state of
despair of ever finding the

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solution.
The solution lies therefore, not

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in trying to accomplish the
result using human powers, but

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through moving his focus away
from this fixation and shifting

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his attention to the divine and
his connection to the divine.

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Through identification with the
psychic being, he can get in

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touch with the deep aspiration,
consecration, devotion, faith

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and dedication that links him to
the divine power, which then can

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work in him to accomplish what
he cannot do on his own,

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Sriorobindu observes quote.
While the recognition of the

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divine power and the attunement
of 1's own nature to it cannot

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be done without the recognition
of the imperfections in that

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nature, yet it is a wrong
attitude to put too much stress

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either on them or on the
difficulties they create, or to

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distrust the divine working
because of the difficulties 1

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experiences, or to lay too
continual an emphasis on the

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dark side of things.
To do this increases the force

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of the difficulties, gives a
greater right of continuance to

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the imperfections.
I do not insist on a coistic

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optimism, although excessive
optimism is more helpful than

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excessive pessimism.
That coyism tends to cover up

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difficulties, and there is
besides always a measure to be

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observed in things.
But there's no danger of your

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covering them up and deluding
yourself with too bright an

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outlook.
Quite the contrary, you always

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lay stress too much on the
shadows, and by so doing thicken

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them and obstruct your outlets
of escape into the light.

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Faith, more faith.
Faith in your possibilities,

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faith in the power that is at
work behind the veil, faith in

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the work that is to be done and
the offered guidance.

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There cannot be any high
endeavour, least of all in the

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spiritual field, which does not
raise or encounter grave

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obstacles of a very persistent
character.

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There are both internal and
external, and although in the

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large they are fundamentally the
same for all, there may be a

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great difference in the
distribution of their stress or

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the outward form they take.
But the one real difficulty is

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the attunement of the Nature
with the working of the Divine

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Light and power.
Get that solved, and the others

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will either disappear or take a
subordinate place.

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And even with those difficulties
that are of a more general

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character, more lasting, because
they are inherent in the work of

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transformation, they will not
weigh so heavily because the

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sense of the supporting force
and a greater power to follow

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its movements will be there.
End Quote.

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Reference.
Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga,

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Chapter 3 in difficulty, pages
47 to 48.