Sept. 26, 2024
Controlling One's Imagination
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YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter III Imagination, pg. 30
This episode also available as a blog post at: https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2024/09/23/controlling-ones-imagination/
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are all available on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of Sri Aurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
1
00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:05,080
More frequently than not, the
spiritual aspirant has both a
2
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:10,280
great upward aspiration and a
corresponding not that he needs
3
00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,760
to work out which is the
counterpart to the upward
4
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,960
capacity.
It is the dynamic tension
5
00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,360
between the two that forces him
to persevere.
6
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,120
He will either give in to the
lower impulse or find a way to
7
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,640
work it out, dissolve it,
eliminate it, and realized the
8
00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,680
highest potentiality of his
being, the mother observes.
9
00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,400
Quote.
I have known people with such
10
00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,720
opposite sides in their nature,
so contradictory, that one day
11
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,960
they could make a magnificent,
luminous, powerful formation for
12
00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:51,160
realization, and then the next
day a defeatist dark black
13
00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:53,960
formation, a formation of
despair.
14
00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,400
And so both would go out.
And I was able to follow in the
15
00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,720
course of circumstances, the
beautiful one being realized,
16
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,040
and while it was being realized,
the dark one demolishing what
17
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,840
the first one had done.
And that is how it is in the
18
00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,880
larger lines of life, as in its
smaller details and all that.
19
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:19,240
Because 1 does not watch oneself
thinking, because one believes 1
20
00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,880
is the slave of these
contradictory movements.
21
00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:26,120
Because one says, oh, today I'm
not feeling well.
22
00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,880
Oh, today things seem sad to me.
And one says this as if it were
23
00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,120
an ineluctable fate against
which one could do nothing.
24
00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,840
But if one stands back or
ascends a step, one can look at
25
00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:44,680
all these things, put them in
their place, keep some, destroy
26
00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,520
or get rid of those one does not
want, and put all one's
27
00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,200
imaginative power.
What is called imaginative only
28
00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,320
in those one wants and which can
form with one's highest
29
00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,720
aspiration.
That is what I call controlling
30
00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,240
1's imagination.
It is very interesting when one
31
00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,360
learns to do it and does it
regularly.
32
00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,800
One no longer has time to feel
bored, and instead of being a
33
00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:16,360
cork afloat on the waves of the
sea and tossed here and there by
34
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,760
each wave defenselessly, one
becomes a bird which opens its
35
00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:25,680
wings, flies above the waves and
goes wherever it wants.
36
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,720
End Quote.
Reference Sriorubindu and the
37
00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,960
Mother Powers within, Chapter 3.
Imagination, page 30.
00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:05,080
More frequently than not, the
spiritual aspirant has both a
2
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:10,280
great upward aspiration and a
corresponding not that he needs
3
00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,760
to work out which is the
counterpart to the upward
4
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,960
capacity.
It is the dynamic tension
5
00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,360
between the two that forces him
to persevere.
6
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,120
He will either give in to the
lower impulse or find a way to
7
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,640
work it out, dissolve it,
eliminate it, and realized the
8
00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,680
highest potentiality of his
being, the mother observes.
9
00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,400
Quote.
I have known people with such
10
00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,720
opposite sides in their nature,
so contradictory, that one day
11
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,960
they could make a magnificent,
luminous, powerful formation for
12
00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:51,160
realization, and then the next
day a defeatist dark black
13
00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:53,960
formation, a formation of
despair.
14
00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,400
And so both would go out.
And I was able to follow in the
15
00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,720
course of circumstances, the
beautiful one being realized,
16
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,040
and while it was being realized,
the dark one demolishing what
17
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,840
the first one had done.
And that is how it is in the
18
00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,880
larger lines of life, as in its
smaller details and all that.
19
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:19,240
Because 1 does not watch oneself
thinking, because one believes 1
20
00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,880
is the slave of these
contradictory movements.
21
00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:26,120
Because one says, oh, today I'm
not feeling well.
22
00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,880
Oh, today things seem sad to me.
And one says this as if it were
23
00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,120
an ineluctable fate against
which one could do nothing.
24
00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,840
But if one stands back or
ascends a step, one can look at
25
00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:44,680
all these things, put them in
their place, keep some, destroy
26
00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,520
or get rid of those one does not
want, and put all one's
27
00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,200
imaginative power.
What is called imaginative only
28
00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,320
in those one wants and which can
form with one's highest
29
00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,720
aspiration.
That is what I call controlling
30
00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,240
1's imagination.
It is very interesting when one
31
00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,360
learns to do it and does it
regularly.
32
00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,800
One no longer has time to feel
bored, and instead of being a
33
00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:16,360
cork afloat on the waves of the
sea and tossed here and there by
34
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,760
each wave defenselessly, one
becomes a bird which opens its
35
00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:25,680
wings, flies above the waves and
goes wherever it wants.
36
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,720
End Quote.
Reference Sriorubindu and the
37
00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,960
Mother Powers within, Chapter 3.
Imagination, page 30.