A Podcast Featuring Sri Aurobindo Studies
Aug. 31, 2024

The Relationship Between the Development of External Power and Inner Power

The Relationship Between the Development of External Power and Inner Power

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Introduction, pp. xiii-xiv This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2024/08/26/the-relationship-between-the-development-of-external-power-and-inner-power/

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The US editions and links to e-book editions of Sri Aurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com

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Developing external power
through the use of technology

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has several unexpected or
unintended consequences.

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One of these, of course, is to
give us powers of observation

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and action that were not
available to us through the

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normal progression of physical,
vital and mental development.

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In order to develop such powers,
a corresponding inner

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development is of course also
required, as it requires a power

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of insight, intuition,
imagination, perseverance,

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reasoning, et cetera.
Thus, the development of any

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external power has a
corresponding inner movement

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associated with it.
At the same time, we tend to

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become reliant on these external
powers, and in some cases the

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acuity and natural capacity is
left to atrophy or erode.

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For example, with the
development of calculators and

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the development of powers of AI
in our phones and computers,

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much of humanity has stopped
trying to do mathematical

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calculation.
Mentally, the prodigious feats

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of mental math are very much
lost to most of us, as we find

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it easier to simply ask our
computer or phone to tell us the

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answer.
It can be reasoned that by

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taking away what is essentially
a basic and time consuming task,

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we are freeing up our
concentration and mental

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capacity to take on more
interesting or expansive tasks.

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At least we have the opportunity
to do so even if we fail to

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exercise it.
Doctor Delal cites a particular

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instance, the Development Tools
to enhance visual power with the

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corresponding weakening of the
eyesight.

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There may be a general
correspondence between the two,

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but not a causal relationship.
The microscope and the telescope

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provide visual powers into areas
that humanity was previously

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unable to explore fully, but it
is not the use of these things

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which has resulted in the
erosion of eyesight in the

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youth.
There are different factors that

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cause the diminution of
eyesight, such as increased UV

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ray exposure due to weakening of
the ozone protective layer, new

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forms of radiation, new demands
being made on the visual sense,

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including the use of computer
monitors, television sets and

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mobile phones, as well as
increased demands for the use of

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the organs of sight for fine
detail.

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As our lives become more complex
and a greater demand is placed

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on focusing the eyesight, the
two events occur at a similar

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time in our evolutionary cycle
but may be coincidental to one

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another.
Similarly, the rise of

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autoimmune diseases can be seen
to take place side by side with

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our increased ability to prevent
or treat disease conditions

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through development of
pharmaceutical drugs or through

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surgery and advanced therapies
that rely, for instance, on

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laser technology, radiation or
other means.

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In some cases, there may be a
direct causative relationship

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due to unintended or known but
unavoidable consequences of the

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treatment modality on the body.
Such is the case with the use of

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chemotherapy, for instance,
which is known to have serious

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side effects but is nevertheless
the best tool available to

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modern medicine to treat certain
forms of cancers.

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In other cases, we may again
find coincidence, but not

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causality.
Causality may be due to the vast

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increase in toxic substances in
the earth, air and water.

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The contamination of our
environment.

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Our increased use of radiation
in the world, including the

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residual effects of the nuclear
weapons testing that occurred in

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many parts of the world and
which is left behind.

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Residual effects and radioactive
energy, as well as the increased

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exposure to UV radiation from
the sun due to the

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aforementioned weakening of the
ozone layer.

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The development of synthetically
developed foods and the

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increased reliance on factory
farming, which uses growth

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hormones, antibiotics and other
chemical additives to create our

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modern, dramatically deficient
food supply which provides in

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many cases less bio active
nutrition while promoting

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obesity and dysfunction of
various internal organs.

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The climate change that humanity
has created as a result of the

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industrial revolution also has
as one of its impacts increasing

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both the range and potency of
various diseases and disease

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vectors, and our modern
worldwide mobility enhances the

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potential for the spread of
pandemic diseases.

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Add to this the increase in
stress with the enhanced speed

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of modern life and the demands
made on people, and we have a

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recipe for weakening immune
response that correlates in time

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with the increased technologies
to treat disease but is not

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necessarily causatively related.
The development of external

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powers has both its advantages
and its disadvantages.

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In terms of our inner
development.

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The challenge is to recognize
that all external power must

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proceed from and be controlled
by a corresponding growth in the

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inner power, and that is the
area of development we are

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called upon to understand and
undertake at the present time.

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It is also likely that as the
evolution takes place, we begin

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to place less reliance on the
external physical senses.

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The development of external
powers of observation based on

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technology corresponds to an
inner development of

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consciousness that can and
eventually must provide new

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methods of observation and
understanding, Doctor de Lal

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writes Quote.
Power can be derived from

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external things or from our own
being.

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For example, power for fighting
illness can come from the use of

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external means such as
medicines, or it can be summoned

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from within in the body's innate
power of resistance.

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Until now, humanity, in its
efforts for gaining more and

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more power, has endeavoured to
obtain power in different areas,

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predominantly from without.
Through technological and

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scientific developments,
development of the powers within

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us has received far less
attention, so that internal

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power has not only lagged far
behind external power, but has

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also deteriorated in some
respects.

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Thus, whereas great strides have
been made in combating disease

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with the aid of external means,
namely more powerful drugs and

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more advanced technology, there
is an increasing prevalence of

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diseases related to the body's
own immune system, such as

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cancer, arthritis, AIDS, and
others, indicating a

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deterioration of the body's own
natural mechanisms of healing.

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Apropos of the decrease in
personal power that has resulted

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with the increase in technology,
Joseph C Pierce writes in his

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book The Bond of Power,
publisher Dutton, 1981 quote.

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We have long spoken of our
technological devices as

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extensions of personal power.
In practice, though, every

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technological achievement really
undermines, erodes, even

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replaces in one way or another
our ability.

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It extends and enhances.
End Quote, Doctor Delal

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continues.
As an example, Pierce states

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that whereas we have extended
our powers of aided vision

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through technological devices
such as the telescope and the

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microscope, our own visual power
has deteriorated.

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Thus, in Texas in 1900, about
12% of children at the age of

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eight had short sightedness.
In 1962, even at the age of 6,

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approximately 80% of the
children were found to have

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short sightedness.
End Quote.

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Reference.
Srioro Bindu and the Mother.

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Powers within introduction
pages.

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Roman, 13 to 14.