March 31, 2025
The Need for Patience and Perseverance
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YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 2, Looking at Oneself and Others, pg. 40This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/03/29/the-need-for-patience-and-perseverance/
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
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
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,280
In today's modern societies,
people expect instant results.
2
00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,360
They want things to be fast and
easy.
3
00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:12,560
They respond to ads claiming
they can lose weight easily in a
4
00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,360
few days time.
They want deliveries from stores
5
00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:21,640
to be overnight if not same day.
They would prefer to receive
6
00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:26,040
their enlightenment from a pill.
In many cases, we hear people
7
00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:30,200
who indicate that they tried
meditation or hata yoga but got
8
00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,920
nothing out of it.
When pressed, they will admit to
9
00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,120
trying it for a few brief
sessions on and off.
10
00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,840
When it comes to the adoption of
spiritual practice, then it is
11
00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,520
easy to understand the
frustration they feel when their
12
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,960
weaknesses and limitations don't
easily disappear and they are
13
00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,360
unable to have headline
experiences right away.
14
00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,000
Certainly they do not appreciate
the patience of the young seeker
15
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,480
of ancient times in India who
approached a teacher and asked
16
00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,200
to become his disciple to learn
about the Eternal.
17
00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,840
The teacher gave him to cattle
and told him to take them into
18
00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,320
the forest and return.
When they had multiplied to
19
00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:20,040
1000, the would be student went
off and spent years working on
20
00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,480
the task, learning how to find
food for himself and the cattle,
21
00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,720
ward off diseases and predators,
and otherwise dealing with the
22
00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:34,040
weather and other circumstances
that could potentially disrupt
23
00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:38,280
the process.
Eventually, after a number of
24
00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,920
years of efforts in this
direction, he returned to the
25
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,680
teacher with a herd of 1000
cattle.
26
00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,560
The teacher recognized that this
student had along the way
27
00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:56,840
learned from the sun, the moon,
the forest, the river, the
28
00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:01,720
animals, and had indeed achieved
enlightened status.
29
00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,720
The teacher vacated his seat and
invited the student to become
30
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,640
the teacher.
What we do not generally heed is
31
00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:15,520
the long history and embedded
traits that have developed
32
00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,240
within humanity, in our
individual being, and in our
33
00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,280
societal setting, which by
virtue of their deeply rooted
34
00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:28,760
nature and their long
repetition, have become habits
35
00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,720
or ways of responding that are
not so easily changed or
36
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,960
dislodged if it is taken many
thousands of years of
37
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,360
development for these habitual
patterns to.
38
00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,040
Develop how long?
Do we expect it will take to
39
00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,920
modify them sufficiently that
we?
40
00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:47,600
Can.
Say that.
41
00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,040
We have outgrown or gone beyond
them.
42
00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,480
By nature, we tend to be
conservative.
43
00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,320
Following and abiding by the
thoughts.
44
00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,680
Feelings and.
Ways of acting developed in the
45
00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,080
past it is this resistance to
change which.
46
00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,200
Confronts the.
Yogic Practitioner.
47
00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,800
When he seriously begins.
The quest to transform the
48
00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,240
nature of his being.
Sri Aurobindo.
49
00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:18,280
Points out that even in nature
change occurs, but it can take
50
00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,680
thousands of years to work
itself out.
51
00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:26,680
In the meantime, the habits and
atavistic behaviours assert
52
00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:28,960
themselves.
And reappear.
53
00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:34,280
At any instance, the challenge
then is whether this process of
54
00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:38,040
change can be aided and speeded
up by some means.
55
00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,600
It is through the focused
practice of yoga with patience
56
00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,080
and persistence.
The Trioral.
57
00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,200
Bindu advises that the conscious
participation of the.
58
00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:50,560
Seeker.
Can truncate the time.
59
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,200
Needed.
This does not mean that it is
60
00:03:54,200 --> 00:04:00,840
fast or easy within the context
of an individual's lifetime, but
61
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,160
that what otherwise might take
thousands of years may be
62
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,960
brought down to a span of
decades potentially.
63
00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,160
When the individual focuses the
aspiration and shifts his
64
00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,960
standpoint to the divine
consciousness, when he calls
65
00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,240
down the higher spiritual force
and opens his being with
66
00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,360
receptivity, when he steadfastly
supports the change despite the
67
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,040
pressure of the past habits and
the pressure of the society
68
00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,640
around him, he is able to
undertake what may otherwise
69
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:39,160
seem like a waste of time.
Sri Aurobindo writes.
70
00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:44,400
Quote One must not be distressed
or depressed by perceiving the
71
00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,280
weaknesses inherent in human
nature and the difficulty of
72
00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:52,240
getting them out.
The difficulty is natural, for
73
00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:55,480
they have been there for
thousands of lives, and are the
74
00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,480
very nature of man's vital and
mental ignorance.
75
00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:03,840
It is not surprising that they
should have a power to stick and
76
00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:08,480
take time to disappear.
But there is a true being and a
77
00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,520
true consciousness that is there
in US, hidden by the surface
78
00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:17,040
formations of nature, and which
can shake them off once it
79
00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,560
emerges, by taking the right
attitude of selfless devotion
80
00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:26,400
within and persisting in it in
spite of the surface nature's
81
00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,520
troublesome self repetitions
enables.
82
00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,480
This inner.
Being and Consciousness to
83
00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:38,840
emerge, and with the Mother's
force working in it, deliver the
84
00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:42,880
being from all.
Return of the movements of the
85
00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,880
old nature.
End Quote.
86
00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,080
Reference Sri Aurobindo and the
Mother.
87
00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:55,000
Looking from within, Chapter 2.
Looking at Oneself and Others,
88
00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:56,200
page 40.
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,280
In today's modern societies,
people expect instant results.
2
00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,360
They want things to be fast and
easy.
3
00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:12,560
They respond to ads claiming
they can lose weight easily in a
4
00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,360
few days time.
They want deliveries from stores
5
00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:21,640
to be overnight if not same day.
They would prefer to receive
6
00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:26,040
their enlightenment from a pill.
In many cases, we hear people
7
00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:30,200
who indicate that they tried
meditation or hata yoga but got
8
00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,920
nothing out of it.
When pressed, they will admit to
9
00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,120
trying it for a few brief
sessions on and off.
10
00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,840
When it comes to the adoption of
spiritual practice, then it is
11
00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,520
easy to understand the
frustration they feel when their
12
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,960
weaknesses and limitations don't
easily disappear and they are
13
00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,360
unable to have headline
experiences right away.
14
00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,000
Certainly they do not appreciate
the patience of the young seeker
15
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,480
of ancient times in India who
approached a teacher and asked
16
00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,200
to become his disciple to learn
about the Eternal.
17
00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,840
The teacher gave him to cattle
and told him to take them into
18
00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,320
the forest and return.
When they had multiplied to
19
00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:20,040
1000, the would be student went
off and spent years working on
20
00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,480
the task, learning how to find
food for himself and the cattle,
21
00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,720
ward off diseases and predators,
and otherwise dealing with the
22
00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:34,040
weather and other circumstances
that could potentially disrupt
23
00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:38,280
the process.
Eventually, after a number of
24
00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,920
years of efforts in this
direction, he returned to the
25
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,680
teacher with a herd of 1000
cattle.
26
00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,560
The teacher recognized that this
student had along the way
27
00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:56,840
learned from the sun, the moon,
the forest, the river, the
28
00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:01,720
animals, and had indeed achieved
enlightened status.
29
00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,720
The teacher vacated his seat and
invited the student to become
30
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,640
the teacher.
What we do not generally heed is
31
00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:15,520
the long history and embedded
traits that have developed
32
00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,240
within humanity, in our
individual being, and in our
33
00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,280
societal setting, which by
virtue of their deeply rooted
34
00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:28,760
nature and their long
repetition, have become habits
35
00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,720
or ways of responding that are
not so easily changed or
36
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,960
dislodged if it is taken many
thousands of years of
37
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,360
development for these habitual
patterns to.
38
00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,040
Develop how long?
Do we expect it will take to
39
00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,920
modify them sufficiently that
we?
40
00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:47,600
Can.
Say that.
41
00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,040
We have outgrown or gone beyond
them.
42
00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,480
By nature, we tend to be
conservative.
43
00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,320
Following and abiding by the
thoughts.
44
00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,680
Feelings and.
Ways of acting developed in the
45
00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,080
past it is this resistance to
change which.
46
00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,200
Confronts the.
Yogic Practitioner.
47
00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,800
When he seriously begins.
The quest to transform the
48
00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,240
nature of his being.
Sri Aurobindo.
49
00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:18,280
Points out that even in nature
change occurs, but it can take
50
00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,680
thousands of years to work
itself out.
51
00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:26,680
In the meantime, the habits and
atavistic behaviours assert
52
00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:28,960
themselves.
And reappear.
53
00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:34,280
At any instance, the challenge
then is whether this process of
54
00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:38,040
change can be aided and speeded
up by some means.
55
00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,600
It is through the focused
practice of yoga with patience
56
00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,080
and persistence.
The Trioral.
57
00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,200
Bindu advises that the conscious
participation of the.
58
00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:50,560
Seeker.
Can truncate the time.
59
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,200
Needed.
This does not mean that it is
60
00:03:54,200 --> 00:04:00,840
fast or easy within the context
of an individual's lifetime, but
61
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,160
that what otherwise might take
thousands of years may be
62
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,960
brought down to a span of
decades potentially.
63
00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,160
When the individual focuses the
aspiration and shifts his
64
00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,960
standpoint to the divine
consciousness, when he calls
65
00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,240
down the higher spiritual force
and opens his being with
66
00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,360
receptivity, when he steadfastly
supports the change despite the
67
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,040
pressure of the past habits and
the pressure of the society
68
00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,640
around him, he is able to
undertake what may otherwise
69
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:39,160
seem like a waste of time.
Sri Aurobindo writes.
70
00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:44,400
Quote One must not be distressed
or depressed by perceiving the
71
00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,280
weaknesses inherent in human
nature and the difficulty of
72
00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:52,240
getting them out.
The difficulty is natural, for
73
00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:55,480
they have been there for
thousands of lives, and are the
74
00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,480
very nature of man's vital and
mental ignorance.
75
00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:03,840
It is not surprising that they
should have a power to stick and
76
00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:08,480
take time to disappear.
But there is a true being and a
77
00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,520
true consciousness that is there
in US, hidden by the surface
78
00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:17,040
formations of nature, and which
can shake them off once it
79
00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,560
emerges, by taking the right
attitude of selfless devotion
80
00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:26,400
within and persisting in it in
spite of the surface nature's
81
00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,520
troublesome self repetitions
enables.
82
00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,480
This inner.
Being and Consciousness to
83
00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:38,840
emerge, and with the Mother's
force working in it, deliver the
84
00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:42,880
being from all.
Return of the movements of the
85
00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,880
old nature.
End Quote.
86
00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,080
Reference Sri Aurobindo and the
Mother.
87
00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:55,000
Looking from within, Chapter 2.
Looking at Oneself and Others,
88
00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:56,200
page 40.