The Effort of the Spiritual Seeker in Distinguishing the Action of the Divine Force from the Promptings of the Ego

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A constant concern for spiritual
aspirants is to distinguish the

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divine will from their own ego,
personalities, desires, or

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ambitions.
The vital nature has the uncanny

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ability to convince the mind
that what it desires is actually

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something that can and should be
justified, and once the mind

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adheres to it, the individual
spends his time fulfilling the

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desires of the vital nature
while feeling that he is

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carrying out the divine will.
In some cases, this reaches such

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an extreme state that the
individual is able to justify

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all manner of harm to others as
the fulfilment of a divine

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mission.
An individual recounted the case

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of a man who came to Europe from
the East and took on the role of

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a leader or guide.
Young people gathered around him

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and he began to justify not only
taking advantage of all the

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young women for his sexual
appetites, with the excuse that

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they were being given special
spiritual teachings not

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available to most people.
He separated wives from

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husbands, taking the wife into
his intimate circle with the

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excuse that the wife had a
special destiny and the husband

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was just a distraction to her.
He controlled the young men who

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gathered around him through
strict control of their sexual

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energies and then sending one of
his cadre of young women with

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the promise of sexual favors if
they worked, brought money and

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abided by this man's dictates.
He also justified various forms

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of theft from business people,
such as obtaining concrete or

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trees and then failing to pay
for them with the excuse they

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were just ordinary people who
would anyway misuse the money

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and he was serving a higher
purpose.

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He eventually was caught abusing
young children and sent to jail.

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History teaches us the lessons
of wars, pogroms, crusades,

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oppression, slavery, and other
terrors visited on humanity by

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people who believed they were
carrying out the divine will.

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It is no wonder that sincere
seekers question how they can

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know that they are truly acting
under divine guidance rather

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than through an exacerbated eco
demand generated by a feeling of

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special status in their chosen
spiritual or religious path.

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The seeker has a few ways to
understand the process of

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spiritual growth.
First, the spiritual

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evolutionary movement brings
harmony, understanding, and

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balance.
Attempts to aggrandize oneself

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and take advantage of others is
easily distinguished by the

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sincere seeker.
The results of the spiritual

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force include the advent of
peace, wideness, knowledge,

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harmony, innocence of devotion,
and aspiration.

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Feelings of jealousy, envy,
anger, greed, lust clearly are

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not part of this scenario and to
the extent they arise, they give

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the seeker the opportunity to
compare and contrast with the

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eventual goal of eliminating
these disruptive emotions,

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feelings, thoughts and forces
from their being as they work to

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increase the harmony of their
being over a longer period of

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time.
The seeker can compare how he

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reacted in the past to how he
reacts today to circumstances,

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situations, potential
difficulties or provocations.

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This view through the lens of
time and change can aid the

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seeker in his observation of the
direction of the changes that

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are taking place within him.
If he is becoming wider in his

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conscious awareness, if he is
acting with a deeper

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understanding and the deep sense
of oneness and compassion that

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comes with that, if he is acting
to be a benefit to the world,

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whether through outward signs or
simply through his inward

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responses to situations, then he
can use that understanding to

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continue to Orient himself to
the divine process taking place

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within him.
Sriorovindo outlines the

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conditions when he speaks of
calm, peace, equality, faith,

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aspiration and surrender.
Sriorobindo observes quote the

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conditions for following the
Mother's will are to turn to Her

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for light and truth and strength
to aspire that no other force

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shall influence or lead you to
make no demands or conditions in

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the vital.
To keep a quiet mind, ready to

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receive the truth, but not
insisting on its own ideas and

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formations.
Finally, to keep the psychic

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awake and in front, so that you
may be in constant contact and

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know truly what her will is for
the mind.

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And vital can mistake other
impulsions and suggestions for

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the divine will.
But the psychic once awakened

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makes no mistake.
A perfect perfection in working

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is only possible after super
mentalization.

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But a relative good working is
possible on the lower planes if

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one is in contact with the
Divine and careful, vigilant and

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conscious in mind and vital and
body.

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That is a condition besides
which is preparatory and almost

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indispensable for the supreme
liberation.

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End Quote reference Sri
Aurobindo Basis of Yoga Chapter

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2 Faith, Aspiration Surrender
page 34.