Moving Beyond Good and Evil

0:00 Friedrich Nietzsche held that the superior man could not be bound by ordinary morality or ethical concerns about abiding by what is considered good versus what is considered evil by society. His view was that the customary definitions were developed to control the mass of humanity, but that they could not apply to those who had a superior insight and understanding. He touched upon an important truth. It was, however, misapplied to the egoistic personality rather than to the true spiritual self which sees the truth of existence.

0:41 His philosophy was construed, particularly at the time of the Third Reich in Germany, as supporting the declaration of supremacy that treated other people as animals and justified their destruction in the name of uplifting the human race. The Holocaust was one result of this misapplication. This same mistake as repeated in other circumstances as well. Fyodor Dostoevsky, in his novel Crime and Punishment, explored this concept from the point of view of an individual who took a similar stance, asserted to himself his superiority, and thereby justified his actions to steal and eventually kill an individual to achieve his own financial support needs.

1:34 The individual, however, soon found that he was actually still bound by the ordinary morality considerations. He became mentally disturbed and physically I'll from his attempt to escape the pangs of conscience that arose after he committed his heinous crimes. Morality, and the conscience that enforces it, is defined within the framework of a particular society and thus is neither universal nor perfect in its application. In one society, morality is defined by certain dress codes. In another society it may be defined by sexual preferences. In yet another, those who have acquired wealth and status are considered above normal considerations and are treated vastly differently than everyone else. Concepts such as might makes right, all's fair in love and war, discrimination against one group or another, or the treatment of women as property, and the excusing of immoral means of acquiring wealth and power through deceit or through enforcement by brute force illustrate the limits of traditional framing of morality.

2:57 What is considered moral or ethical also tends to change over time. Slavery, once considered moral and ethical, is now generally condemned as abhorrent. Morality more often than not becomes a weapon to control a populace rather than the application of a universal truth, and the concepts of morality in any particular society program the conscience that applies in that society. For those who are not under the guidance of the voice of the soul, a framework that defines good and evil is generally better than having a society governed by brute force, violence, and self dealing at the expense of everyone else.

3:43 Morality, ethics, and conscience have a positive role to play in the development of human relationships and society, particularly if they try to bring about results that mirror those that the soul and its spiritual linkage favors. The concept of moving beyond good and evil finds its truth only when it is not attached to the ego personality but to the psychic being which automatically knows the truth, the right, the vast and responds to that. This does not justify the violation of morality or ethics for the needs and desires of the ego for self aggrandizement or advancement of any sort. The soul has no need for these guardrails of behaviour simply because it would not consider those actions in the 1st place. A disciple asks.

4:40 Sweet Mother, Sri Robindo says that the voice of the ordinary conscience is not the voice of the soul. What is it then? The Mother responds, quote. The voice of the ordinary conscience is an ethical voice, a moral voice which distinguishes between good and evil, encourages us to do good, and forbids us to do evil. This voice is very useful in ordinary life until 1 is able to become conscious of 1's psychic being and allow oneself to be entirely guided by it. In other words, to rise above ordinary humanity, free oneself from all egoism, and become a conscious instrument of the divine will.

5:27 The soul itself, being a portion of the Divine, is above all moral and ethical notions. It bathes in the divine light and manifests it, but it can truly govern the whole being only when the ego has been dissolved. End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu and the Mother the psychic being soul, its nature, Mission and evolution. Section 1. Meaning and Nature of the Psychic Being, pages 32 to 33.