The Need for the Power of Discernment in the Spiritual Sadhana

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There are many powers at work in
the world.

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Physical powers, vital powers,
mental powers, spiritual powers.

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They are native to their own
sphere, but in many cases they

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are active here in our world,
trying to assert themselves and

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thrive here.
Many of these powers are

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conscious and act with
intentionality.

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Some support the development of
consciousness and represent the

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spiritual forces that are
beneficent, helpful and

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compassionate.
Others oppose this development

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and try to either maintain a
status quo within which they

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have considerable influence or
destroy the work of those

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seeking to move the evolution
forward.

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This poses a unique challenge
for the spiritual seeker.

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Powers descend into the seeker
and they may in some cases take

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on the appearance of forces of
light or progress, while they

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may actually be hostile or
contrary forces.

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In the modern world of
artificial intelligence, the

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Internet, Photoshop we learn to
be careful, even suspicious of

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whatever is presented before us
so we can avoid being scammed or

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subjected to what are called
deep fakes.

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Jr.
Ark Tolkien in his epic tale The

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Lord of the Rings makes a
statement that quote all that is

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gold does not glitter.
End Quote.

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Which is a corollary to the well
known proverb that all the

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glitters is not gold.
The spiritual seeker needs to

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exercise a similar discernment
when it comes to the powers that

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seek to influence and act upon
them and through him.

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Many seekers, particularly
novices on the path, confused

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the concept of surrender to the
divine power with the absence of

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any form of discernment,
believing that everything that

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comes to him must be what he is
intended to receive.

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In his book, The Mother, Sri
Aurobindo distinguishes active

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effort from a misplaced reliance
on the Divine doing everything

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for him.
Quote Note that a Temasek

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surrender, refusing to fulfill
the conditions and calling on

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God to do everything and save
one all the trouble and struggle

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is a deception and does not lead
to freedom and perfection.

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End Quote.
He expands with a warning.

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Quote If you open yourself on
one side or in one part to the

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truth, and on another side are
constantly opening the gates to

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hostile forces, it is vain to
expect that divine grace will

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abide with you.
End Quote.

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The seeker eventually must find
a way to distinguish the true

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divine force and those that
represent something other.

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This discernment comes from the
psychic being's inner sense of

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rightness as it experiences the
energy and potential

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consequences, powers that bring
any kind of rajasic desire,

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ambition or grasping where those
that lull 1 into indolence and

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dullness are to be rejected.
Sri Orobindo writes quote.

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It is dangerous to think of
giving up all barrier of

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discrimination and defence
against what is trying to

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descend upon you.
Have you thought what this would

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mean?
If what is descending is

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something not in consonance with
the Divine Truth, perhaps even

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adverse?
An adverse power would ask no

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better condition for getting
control over the seeker.

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It is only the Mother's force
and the Divine Truth that one

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should admit without barriers.
And even there, one must keep

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the power of discernment in
order to detect anything false

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that comes masquerading as the
Mother's Force and the Divine

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Truth, and keep too, the power
of rejection that will throw

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away all mixture.
Keep faith in your spiritual

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destiny, draw back from error,
and open more of the psychic

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being to the direct guidance of
the Mother's light and power.

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If the central will is sincere,
each recognition of a mistake

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can become a stepping stone to a
truer movement and a higher

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progress.
End Quote.

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Reference.
Srioro Bindo, Faces of Yoga,

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Chapter 4 Desire food Sex page
73.