March 3, 2025
The Essential Nature of the Inner Attitude in Relation to Meeting the Challenges or Deciding on the Direction of One's Life
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YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 1, Looking at Life and Circumstances, pp. 8-9
This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/03/01/the-essential-nature-of-the-inner-attitude-in-relation-to-meeting-the-challenges-or-deciding-on-the-direction-of-ones-life/
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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
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:05,160
In the Bhagwad Gita, Arjuna asks
how one can identify a realized
2
00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,000
soul.
His question indicates there
3
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,880
should be some outward sign that
can be observed.
4
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:17,800
Sri Krishna, however, demurs and
indicates it is not by any
5
00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:22,120
specific outward action or
formation that such a soul can
6
00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,920
be recognized.
Everything depends on the inner
7
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:31,000
standpoint, or as the Mother
calls it, the inner attitude.
8
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,160
The mother observes quote.
There are very many things one
9
00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,520
does and about which one is not
in the habit of thinking
10
00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,880
beforehand.
When the circumstance comes, one
11
00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,680
obeys it, so to say.
And indeed these things, like
12
00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,600
almost everything one does in
life, are not important in
13
00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,000
themselves.
The only thing that matters is
14
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,880
the attitude with which they are
done, the fact that you do
15
00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,280
something because that action is
present there before you for one
16
00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:08,080
reason or another, and that you
are, so to say, always obliged
17
00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,800
to act as long as you are in the
outer life.
18
00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,240
All this has a certain
importance from the point of
19
00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,200
view of the management of life.
If these acts are liable to have
20
00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,600
far reaching consequences in
life, As for example, getting
21
00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,720
married, we're going to live in
one place or another, we're
22
00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,880
taking up one occupation or
another, these things are
23
00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:35,000
generally considered important,
and they are so to a certain
24
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,680
extent.
But even for them, from the
25
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,720
point of view of yoga,
everything depends much more on
26
00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,160
the attitude 1 takes than on the
thing itself.
27
00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:52,160
And so, above all, for all the
very small actions of daily
28
00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,960
life, the importance is reduced
to a minimum.
29
00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,800
One may try to find out what is
the truest thing to do, but it
30
00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,400
is not by a mental discussion or
a mental problem that these
31
00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,199
things can be resolved.
It is in fact by an inner
32
00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:13,800
attitude which creates an
atmosphere of harmony,
33
00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:19,640
progressive harmony, in which
all one does will necessarily be
34
00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:22,560
the best thing that could be
done in those particular
35
00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,280
circumstances.
And the ideal would be an
36
00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:30,720
attitude complete enough for the
action to be spontaneous,
37
00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,320
dictated by something other than
an outer reason.
38
00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,840
But that's an ideal for which
one must aspire and which one
39
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:45,120
can realize after some time.
Till then, to take care always
40
00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:50,240
to keep the true attitude, the
true aspiration, is much more
41
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,800
important than to decide whether
one will do gymnastic marching
42
00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,800
or not, and whether one will go
to a certain class or not,
43
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,240
because these things have no
real importance in themselves.
44
00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:07,240
They have only an altogether
relative importance.
45
00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,680
The only important thing is just
to keep the true orientation in
46
00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:17,120
one's aspiration and a living
will for progress.
47
00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:23,920
End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu
and the Mother Looking from
48
00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:27,040
within, Chapter 1.
Looking at Life and
49
00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,560
Circumstances, pages 8 to 9.
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:05,160
In the Bhagwad Gita, Arjuna asks
how one can identify a realized
2
00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,000
soul.
His question indicates there
3
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,880
should be some outward sign that
can be observed.
4
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:17,800
Sri Krishna, however, demurs and
indicates it is not by any
5
00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:22,120
specific outward action or
formation that such a soul can
6
00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,920
be recognized.
Everything depends on the inner
7
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:31,000
standpoint, or as the Mother
calls it, the inner attitude.
8
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,160
The mother observes quote.
There are very many things one
9
00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,520
does and about which one is not
in the habit of thinking
10
00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,880
beforehand.
When the circumstance comes, one
11
00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,680
obeys it, so to say.
And indeed these things, like
12
00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,600
almost everything one does in
life, are not important in
13
00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,000
themselves.
The only thing that matters is
14
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,880
the attitude with which they are
done, the fact that you do
15
00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,280
something because that action is
present there before you for one
16
00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:08,080
reason or another, and that you
are, so to say, always obliged
17
00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,800
to act as long as you are in the
outer life.
18
00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,240
All this has a certain
importance from the point of
19
00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,200
view of the management of life.
If these acts are liable to have
20
00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,600
far reaching consequences in
life, As for example, getting
21
00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,720
married, we're going to live in
one place or another, we're
22
00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,880
taking up one occupation or
another, these things are
23
00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:35,000
generally considered important,
and they are so to a certain
24
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,680
extent.
But even for them, from the
25
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,720
point of view of yoga,
everything depends much more on
26
00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,160
the attitude 1 takes than on the
thing itself.
27
00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:52,160
And so, above all, for all the
very small actions of daily
28
00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,960
life, the importance is reduced
to a minimum.
29
00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,800
One may try to find out what is
the truest thing to do, but it
30
00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,400
is not by a mental discussion or
a mental problem that these
31
00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,199
things can be resolved.
It is in fact by an inner
32
00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:13,800
attitude which creates an
atmosphere of harmony,
33
00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:19,640
progressive harmony, in which
all one does will necessarily be
34
00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:22,560
the best thing that could be
done in those particular
35
00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,280
circumstances.
And the ideal would be an
36
00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:30,720
attitude complete enough for the
action to be spontaneous,
37
00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,320
dictated by something other than
an outer reason.
38
00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,840
But that's an ideal for which
one must aspire and which one
39
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:45,120
can realize after some time.
Till then, to take care always
40
00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:50,240
to keep the true attitude, the
true aspiration, is much more
41
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,800
important than to decide whether
one will do gymnastic marching
42
00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,800
or not, and whether one will go
to a certain class or not,
43
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,240
because these things have no
real importance in themselves.
44
00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:07,240
They have only an altogether
relative importance.
45
00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,680
The only important thing is just
to keep the true orientation in
46
00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:17,120
one's aspiration and a living
will for progress.
47
00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:23,920
End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu
and the Mother Looking from
48
00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:27,040
within, Chapter 1.
Looking at Life and
49
00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,560
Circumstances, pages 8 to 9.