Dec. 26, 2025
Dealing With Material Possessions in the Spiritual Practice
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 4, Desire — Food — Sex, pg. 64
This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/12/24/dealing-with-material-possessions-in-the-spiritual-practice/
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More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #sadhana #asceticism #materialism
1
00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,000
Material possessions are always
an issue for the spiritual
2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,520
aspirant as they tend to
distract the focus and lead to
3
00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,600
vital reactions that are not
helpful to overcoming the pull
4
00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,560
of the external world and its
measures of success which is
5
00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:21,320
attached to the acquisition,
holding and use of the
6
00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,120
possessions.
Dealing with objects directs the
7
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:30,040
attention towards those objects
and thus away from the spiritual
8
00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,120
sadhna.
They also tend to breed
9
00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,040
interpersonal conflict as an
individual works to acquire
10
00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:42,360
possessions and others respond
with counter attempts or forms
11
00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:47,000
of jealousy or envy, anger or
dissatisfaction when they are
12
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,640
faced with what appears to be an
imbalance or unfair relation
13
00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,640
between the possession and the
person of the possessor.
14
00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,320
Many religious and spiritual
traditions have treated wealth
15
00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,920
and material possessions at the
individual level to be a serious
16
00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,440
distraction and thereby harmful
to the seeker.
17
00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,560
Thus has arisen the idea of the
vow of poverty or the
18
00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,880
development of an austere
lifestyle that reduces
19
00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:19,440
interaction with material
objects to a bare minimum.
20
00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,400
This does not solve the
underlying tensions between
21
00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,640
spiritual focus and living and
acting in the material world,
22
00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:34,840
but simply avoids the solution.
In his book The Mother, Sri
23
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,880
Aurobindo describes the role of
money, which can be seen as a
24
00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,040
symbol for material possessions,
as follows.
25
00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,000
Quote.
You must neither turn with an
26
00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,240
ascetic shrinking from the money
power, the means it gives, and
27
00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:55,000
the objects it brings, nor
cherish A rajasic attachment to
28
00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,960
them, or a spirit of enslaving
self indulgence in their
29
00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:03,920
gratifications.
End Quote and quote.
30
00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,600
The ideal sodic in this kind is
one who, if required to live
31
00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:14,000
poorly, can so live, and no
sense of want will affect him or
32
00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,200
interfere with the full play of
the divine consciousness.
33
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:23,120
And if he is required to live
richly, can so live and never
34
00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:28,560
for a moment fall into desire or
attachment to his wealth, or to
35
00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:34,160
the things that he uses, or
servitude to self indulgence, or
36
00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,400
a weak bondage to the habits
that the possession of riches
37
00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,960
creates.
The divine will is all for him
38
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,720
and the divine Ananda.
End Quote.
39
00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,240
Working out the details of this
ideal of the right relationship
40
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,240
to possessions implies inner
work to deal with issues of
41
00:02:54,240 --> 00:03:00,680
attachment, desire, demand and
any signs of upset, anger,
42
00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:06,600
resentment, jealousy, envy or
self dealing, any falsehood or
43
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,840
dissimulation that is part of
the external life for the normal
44
00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,560
acquisitive vital impulse, Sri
Robindo observes.
45
00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,720
Quote The necessities of a sodic
should be as few as possible,
46
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,600
for there are only a very few
things that are real necessities
47
00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,720
in life.
The rest are either utilities or
48
00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,040
things decorative to life or
luxuries.
49
00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,640
These a yogin has a right to
possess or enjoy only on one of
50
00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:42,200
two conditions, 1.
If he uses them during his
51
00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,760
sadness solely to train himself
in possessing things without
52
00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:50,720
attachment or desire, and learns
to use them rightly in harmony
53
00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,720
with the divine will, with a
proper handling, a just
54
00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,320
organization, arrangement and
measure.
55
00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,640
Or two, if he has already
attained a true freedom from
56
00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:07,240
desire and attachment and is not
in the least moved or affected
57
00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,240
in any way by loss of
withholding or deprival.
58
00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:17,760
If he has any greed, desire,
demand, claim for possession or
59
00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:22,720
enjoyment, any anxiety, grief,
anger, or vexation when denied
60
00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:27,520
or deprived, he is not free in
spirit, and his use of the
61
00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,480
things he possesses is contrary
to the spirit of sadhna.
62
00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,080
Even if he is free in spirit, he
will not be fit for possession
63
00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,840
if he has not learned to use
things not for himself, but for
64
00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:46,560
the Divine will as an instrument
with the right knowledge and
65
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:51,320
action in the use for the proper
equipment of a life lived not
66
00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:55,760
for oneself, but for and in the
Divine.
67
00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:01,800
End Quote reference.
Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga,
68
00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:06,680
Chapter 4.
Desire Food Sex page 64.
00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,000
Material possessions are always
an issue for the spiritual
2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,520
aspirant as they tend to
distract the focus and lead to
3
00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,600
vital reactions that are not
helpful to overcoming the pull
4
00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,560
of the external world and its
measures of success which is
5
00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:21,320
attached to the acquisition,
holding and use of the
6
00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,120
possessions.
Dealing with objects directs the
7
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:30,040
attention towards those objects
and thus away from the spiritual
8
00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,120
sadhna.
They also tend to breed
9
00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,040
interpersonal conflict as an
individual works to acquire
10
00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:42,360
possessions and others respond
with counter attempts or forms
11
00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:47,000
of jealousy or envy, anger or
dissatisfaction when they are
12
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,640
faced with what appears to be an
imbalance or unfair relation
13
00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,640
between the possession and the
person of the possessor.
14
00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,320
Many religious and spiritual
traditions have treated wealth
15
00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,920
and material possessions at the
individual level to be a serious
16
00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,440
distraction and thereby harmful
to the seeker.
17
00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,560
Thus has arisen the idea of the
vow of poverty or the
18
00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,880
development of an austere
lifestyle that reduces
19
00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:19,440
interaction with material
objects to a bare minimum.
20
00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,400
This does not solve the
underlying tensions between
21
00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,640
spiritual focus and living and
acting in the material world,
22
00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:34,840
but simply avoids the solution.
In his book The Mother, Sri
23
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,880
Aurobindo describes the role of
money, which can be seen as a
24
00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,040
symbol for material possessions,
as follows.
25
00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,000
Quote.
You must neither turn with an
26
00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,240
ascetic shrinking from the money
power, the means it gives, and
27
00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:55,000
the objects it brings, nor
cherish A rajasic attachment to
28
00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,960
them, or a spirit of enslaving
self indulgence in their
29
00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:03,920
gratifications.
End Quote and quote.
30
00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,600
The ideal sodic in this kind is
one who, if required to live
31
00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:14,000
poorly, can so live, and no
sense of want will affect him or
32
00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,200
interfere with the full play of
the divine consciousness.
33
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:23,120
And if he is required to live
richly, can so live and never
34
00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:28,560
for a moment fall into desire or
attachment to his wealth, or to
35
00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:34,160
the things that he uses, or
servitude to self indulgence, or
36
00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,400
a weak bondage to the habits
that the possession of riches
37
00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,960
creates.
The divine will is all for him
38
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,720
and the divine Ananda.
End Quote.
39
00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,240
Working out the details of this
ideal of the right relationship
40
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,240
to possessions implies inner
work to deal with issues of
41
00:02:54,240 --> 00:03:00,680
attachment, desire, demand and
any signs of upset, anger,
42
00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:06,600
resentment, jealousy, envy or
self dealing, any falsehood or
43
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,840
dissimulation that is part of
the external life for the normal
44
00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,560
acquisitive vital impulse, Sri
Robindo observes.
45
00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,720
Quote The necessities of a sodic
should be as few as possible,
46
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,600
for there are only a very few
things that are real necessities
47
00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,720
in life.
The rest are either utilities or
48
00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,040
things decorative to life or
luxuries.
49
00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,640
These a yogin has a right to
possess or enjoy only on one of
50
00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:42,200
two conditions, 1.
If he uses them during his
51
00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,760
sadness solely to train himself
in possessing things without
52
00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:50,720
attachment or desire, and learns
to use them rightly in harmony
53
00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,720
with the divine will, with a
proper handling, a just
54
00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,320
organization, arrangement and
measure.
55
00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,640
Or two, if he has already
attained a true freedom from
56
00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:07,240
desire and attachment and is not
in the least moved or affected
57
00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,240
in any way by loss of
withholding or deprival.
58
00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:17,760
If he has any greed, desire,
demand, claim for possession or
59
00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:22,720
enjoyment, any anxiety, grief,
anger, or vexation when denied
60
00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:27,520
or deprived, he is not free in
spirit, and his use of the
61
00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,480
things he possesses is contrary
to the spirit of sadhna.
62
00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,080
Even if he is free in spirit, he
will not be fit for possession
63
00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,840
if he has not learned to use
things not for himself, but for
64
00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:46,560
the Divine will as an instrument
with the right knowledge and
65
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:51,320
action in the use for the proper
equipment of a life lived not
66
00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:55,760
for oneself, but for and in the
Divine.
67
00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:01,800
End Quote reference.
Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga,
68
00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:06,680
Chapter 4.
Desire Food Sex page 64.
