Sept. 1, 2025
The Mental Purusha: the Witness Awareness of the Mind
reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pg. 163This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/08/30/the-mental-purusha-the-witness-awareness-of-the-mind/
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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 --> 00:00:03,440
As the seeker attempts to
achieve the separation of the
2
00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,480
witness consciousness from the
external nature of the being
3
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,640
which is comprised of the body,
the vital being and the mind,
4
00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,560
the first phase is generally the
separation of the mental
5
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,680
awareness from the body.
This brings forth the awareness
6
00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,960
of the mental Purusha.
This stage is intermediate to
7
00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,400
the complete experience of the
separation of the Purusha from
8
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:31,440
the Prakriti, as the individual
still tends to identify with the
9
00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:36,680
mental being, but shows that the
awareness is becoming sensitized
10
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,200
to the different aspects and
parts of the being and can begin
11
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,920
to distinguish them.
A certain amount of distance
12
00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,720
arises between the mental
awareness and the physical
13
00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,880
experience, Sri Orobindo notes
quote.
14
00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,400
Thus disciplined, the mind will
gradually learn to take up
15
00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,200
towards the body the true
attitude of the Purusha.
16
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,360
First of all, it will know the
mental Purusha as the upholder
17
00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:10,680
of the body and not in any way
the body itself, for it is quite
18
00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,520
other than the physical
existence which it upholds by
19
00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,480
the mind through the agency of
the vital force.
20
00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,440
This will come to be so much the
normal attitude of the whole
21
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:25,400
being to the physical frame that
the latter will feel to us as if
22
00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,480
something external and
detachable, like the dress we
23
00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,600
wear or an instrument we happen
to be carrying in our hand.
24
00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,120
We may even come to feel that
the body is in a certain sense
25
00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:43,280
non existent except as a sort of
partial expression of our vital
26
00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:49,120
force and our mentality.
These experiences are signs that
27
00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:53,120
the mind is coming to a right
poise regarding the body, that
28
00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,080
it is exchanging the false
viewpoint of the mentally
29
00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:01,640
obsessed and captured by
physical sensation for the
30
00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,480
viewpoint of the true truth of
things.
31
00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,680
End Quote.
Reference Sri Orobindo and the
32
00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,960
Mother Looking from within,
Chapter 5.
33
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,320
Attitudes on the Path, page 163.
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,440
As the seeker attempts to
achieve the separation of the
2
00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,480
witness consciousness from the
external nature of the being
3
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,640
which is comprised of the body,
the vital being and the mind,
4
00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,560
the first phase is generally the
separation of the mental
5
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,680
awareness from the body.
This brings forth the awareness
6
00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,960
of the mental Purusha.
This stage is intermediate to
7
00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,400
the complete experience of the
separation of the Purusha from
8
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:31,440
the Prakriti, as the individual
still tends to identify with the
9
00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:36,680
mental being, but shows that the
awareness is becoming sensitized
10
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,200
to the different aspects and
parts of the being and can begin
11
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,920
to distinguish them.
A certain amount of distance
12
00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,720
arises between the mental
awareness and the physical
13
00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,880
experience, Sri Orobindo notes
quote.
14
00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,400
Thus disciplined, the mind will
gradually learn to take up
15
00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,200
towards the body the true
attitude of the Purusha.
16
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,360
First of all, it will know the
mental Purusha as the upholder
17
00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:10,680
of the body and not in any way
the body itself, for it is quite
18
00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,520
other than the physical
existence which it upholds by
19
00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,480
the mind through the agency of
the vital force.
20
00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,440
This will come to be so much the
normal attitude of the whole
21
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:25,400
being to the physical frame that
the latter will feel to us as if
22
00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,480
something external and
detachable, like the dress we
23
00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,600
wear or an instrument we happen
to be carrying in our hand.
24
00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,120
We may even come to feel that
the body is in a certain sense
25
00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:43,280
non existent except as a sort of
partial expression of our vital
26
00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:49,120
force and our mentality.
These experiences are signs that
27
00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:53,120
the mind is coming to a right
poise regarding the body, that
28
00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,080
it is exchanging the false
viewpoint of the mentally
29
00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:01,640
obsessed and captured by
physical sensation for the
30
00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,480
viewpoint of the true truth of
things.
31
00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,680
End Quote.
Reference Sri Orobindo and the
32
00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,960
Mother Looking from within,
Chapter 5.
33
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,320
Attitudes on the Path, page 163.
