Facing Difficulties and Transforming Them at Their Source Is the Path of Integral Yoga

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There are implications for
anyone excepting the mission to

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work toward the evolutionary
change of human nature, speeded

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up by the yogic process.
We think we should somehow have

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amazing spiritual experiences
and live in a world of peace,

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sunshine, and joy.
The reality is likely to be far

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different.
What does it mean to change or

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transform human nature?
It means we need to confront and

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address the difficulties
inherent in the current state of

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human nature.
In his epic poem Savitri, a

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Legend and a Symbol, Srioro
Bindo states the issue plainly.

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Quote He too must carry the yoke
he came to unloose.

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He too must bear the pang that
he would heal.

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Exempt and unaffilted by Earth's
fate, How shall he cure the ills

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he never felt?
End Quote and quote.

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He carries the suffering world
in his own breast.

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Its sins weigh on his thoughts.
Its grief is his.

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Earth's ancient load lies heavy
on his soul.

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Night in its powers beleaguer
his tardy steps.

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The Titan adversary's clutch he
bears.

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His March is a battle in a
pilgrimage.

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Life's evil smites.
He is stricken with the world's

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pain. 1,000,000 wounds gape in
his secret heart.

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He journeys sleepless through an
unending night.

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Antagonist forces crowd across
his path.

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A siege, a combat is his inner
life.

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Even worse may be the cost direr
the pain.

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His large identity and all
harbouring love shall bring the

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cosmic anguish into his depths.
The sorrow of all living things

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shall come and knock at his
doors, and live within his

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house.
A dreadful cord of sympathy can

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tie all suffering into his
single grief, and make all agony

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in all the world's his own.
End Quote.

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The fact that someone has chosen
the path of transformation means

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that he accepts facing and
addressing all the weaknesses,

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limitations, resistances,
obscurities and obstructions

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that the long habits of Earth
nature present.

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This is the work to be done.
It is new ground that needs to

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be explored, the exploration of
the depths of inner space,

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deeper human psychology, and the
very roots of that psychology in

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the development of matter, life
and mind itself.

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The more advanced the seeker is
along the path, the greater the

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challenges he is asked to
tackle, the mother notes quote.

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Difficulties are sent to us
exclusively to make the

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realization more perfect.
Each time we try to realize

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something and meet with a
resistance or an obstacle or

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even a failure, what seems to be
a failure, we should know, we

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should never forget that it is
exclusively, absolutely, so that

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the realization may be more
perfect.

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So this habit of cringing, of
getting discouraged or even

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feeling uncomfortable, or of
abusing yourself and telling

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yourself, there again, I have
made a mistake, all that is

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absolute foolishness.
Simply tell yourself we don't

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know how to do things as they
ought to be done.

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Well, they are being done for
us, come what may.

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And if we could see to what
extent all that seems to be,

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yes, a difficulty, a mistake, a
failure, an obstacle, all that

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is just to help us so that the
realization may be more perfect.

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Once you know that, everything
becomes easy.

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End Quote.
Reference Sri Aurobindo and the

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Mother, Looking from Within,
Chapter 4, Ordeals and

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Difficulties, pages 74 to 75.