Oct. 1, 2025
ncreasing Awareness, Detachment and Mastery Are the Requirements for the Practitioner of the Integral Yoga
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 1, Calm — Peace — Equality, pg. 12This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/increasing-awareness-detachment-and-mastery-are-the-requirements-for-the-practitioner-of-the-integral-yoga/
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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
1
00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:04,480
We have something of a conflict
in the way we tend to view the
2
00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:08,680
development of consciousness.
On the one side, we generally
3
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:12,480
try to minimize the distractions
and reactions to sensations,
4
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,720
impulses, feelings, thoughts
from outside while we attend to
5
00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,040
our meditation or deep spiritual
concentration.
6
00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,200
The stories abound of sages who
were so immersed in their
7
00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,080
internal meditation that they
did not react to anything
8
00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,880
external, in some cases having
anthills grow up around their
9
00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,960
bodies.
While awareness at the level of
10
00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,440
the spiritual consciousness,
increased, awareness of the
11
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:44,040
body, vital energies and the
mind were put in abeyance.
12
00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,560
If followed to the logical
conclusion, we wind up with the
13
00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:52,560
ascetic call to abandon the body
and the external life to follow
14
00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:57,360
the way of the spirit.
On the other side, we have those
15
00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,400
who believe that the spiritual
consciousness is unreal and we
16
00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,840
should focus on attending more
perfectly and completely to the
17
00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:09,120
needs of the external life.
These individuals may go to
18
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,600
great lengths to improve their
ability to experience and
19
00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:18,320
respond to sensations, and they
undertake in many instances very
20
00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:22,520
intensive training regiments to
enhance their capacities to
21
00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:26,040
increase their coordination of
the incoming sense perception
22
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,080
and the responsiveness of the
mind and the rest of the being.
23
00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,280
Practitioners of the Integral
Yoga have an entirely different
24
00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,200
object in view.
They neither seek to abandon the
25
00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:43,720
external life nor become
immersed in it to the exclusion
26
00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,800
of their spiritual growth and
development.
27
00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,040
Thus, they cannot simply walk
away from the sensations,
28
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:55,320
impulses, feelings, suggestions,
emotions, and thoughts that come
29
00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:57,600
with involvement in the external
life.
30
00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,320
They're actually asked to become
more aware, more conscious, more
31
00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,880
sensitive to the forces and
energies at work that impinge
32
00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,479
upon them and provoke them to
respond.
33
00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:16,200
The issue then is not to become
less aware, less sensitive, less
34
00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:20,920
conscious, but to find a way to
gain a greater awareness while
35
00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:25,520
simultaneously stepping back to
avoid being pulled in and
36
00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:30,120
immersed in these impressions
and sensations without doability
37
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,800
to filter them, accepting those
that are helpful, rejecting
38
00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,360
those that are not, modifying
where possible for anything that
39
00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,840
can be made useful.
Srioro Bindo writes quote.
40
00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,720
This is due to an acute
consciousness and sensitiveness
41
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,760
of the physical being,
especially the vital physical.
42
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,920
It is good for the physical to
be more and more conscious, but
43
00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:01,840
it should not be overpowered by
these ordinary human reactions
44
00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,000
of which it becomes aware or
badly affected or upset by them.
45
00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,640
A strong equality and mastery
and detachment must come in the
46
00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:16,160
nerves and body as in the mind,
which will enable the physical
47
00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:20,840
to know and contact these things
without feeling any disturbance.
48
00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,320
It should know and be conscious
and reject and throw away the
49
00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,600
pressure of the movements in the
atmosphere, not merely feel them
50
00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:31,880
and suffer.
End Quote.
51
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:37,400
Reference Sri Aurobindo, Bases
of Yoga, chapter 1.
52
00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,840
Calm, Peace and Equality, page
12.
00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:04,480
We have something of a conflict
in the way we tend to view the
2
00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:08,680
development of consciousness.
On the one side, we generally
3
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:12,480
try to minimize the distractions
and reactions to sensations,
4
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,720
impulses, feelings, thoughts
from outside while we attend to
5
00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,040
our meditation or deep spiritual
concentration.
6
00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,200
The stories abound of sages who
were so immersed in their
7
00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,080
internal meditation that they
did not react to anything
8
00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,880
external, in some cases having
anthills grow up around their
9
00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,960
bodies.
While awareness at the level of
10
00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,440
the spiritual consciousness,
increased, awareness of the
11
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:44,040
body, vital energies and the
mind were put in abeyance.
12
00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,560
If followed to the logical
conclusion, we wind up with the
13
00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:52,560
ascetic call to abandon the body
and the external life to follow
14
00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:57,360
the way of the spirit.
On the other side, we have those
15
00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,400
who believe that the spiritual
consciousness is unreal and we
16
00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,840
should focus on attending more
perfectly and completely to the
17
00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:09,120
needs of the external life.
These individuals may go to
18
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,600
great lengths to improve their
ability to experience and
19
00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:18,320
respond to sensations, and they
undertake in many instances very
20
00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:22,520
intensive training regiments to
enhance their capacities to
21
00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:26,040
increase their coordination of
the incoming sense perception
22
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,080
and the responsiveness of the
mind and the rest of the being.
23
00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,280
Practitioners of the Integral
Yoga have an entirely different
24
00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,200
object in view.
They neither seek to abandon the
25
00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:43,720
external life nor become
immersed in it to the exclusion
26
00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,800
of their spiritual growth and
development.
27
00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,040
Thus, they cannot simply walk
away from the sensations,
28
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:55,320
impulses, feelings, suggestions,
emotions, and thoughts that come
29
00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:57,600
with involvement in the external
life.
30
00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,320
They're actually asked to become
more aware, more conscious, more
31
00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,880
sensitive to the forces and
energies at work that impinge
32
00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,479
upon them and provoke them to
respond.
33
00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:16,200
The issue then is not to become
less aware, less sensitive, less
34
00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:20,920
conscious, but to find a way to
gain a greater awareness while
35
00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:25,520
simultaneously stepping back to
avoid being pulled in and
36
00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:30,120
immersed in these impressions
and sensations without doability
37
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,800
to filter them, accepting those
that are helpful, rejecting
38
00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,360
those that are not, modifying
where possible for anything that
39
00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,840
can be made useful.
Srioro Bindo writes quote.
40
00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,720
This is due to an acute
consciousness and sensitiveness
41
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,760
of the physical being,
especially the vital physical.
42
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,920
It is good for the physical to
be more and more conscious, but
43
00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:01,840
it should not be overpowered by
these ordinary human reactions
44
00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,000
of which it becomes aware or
badly affected or upset by them.
45
00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,640
A strong equality and mastery
and detachment must come in the
46
00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:16,160
nerves and body as in the mind,
which will enable the physical
47
00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:20,840
to know and contact these things
without feeling any disturbance.
48
00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,320
It should know and be conscious
and reject and throw away the
49
00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,600
pressure of the movements in the
atmosphere, not merely feel them
50
00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:31,880
and suffer.
End Quote.
51
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:37,400
Reference Sri Aurobindo, Bases
of Yoga, chapter 1.
52
00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,840
Calm, Peace and Equality, page
12.
