April 15, 2025
The Status of Consciousness Where One Can See Things As They Are
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YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 2, Looking at Oneself and Others, pg. 51This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/04/13/the-status-of-consciousness-where-one-can-see-things-as-they-are/
Video presentations,interviews and podcast episodes are all available 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
00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,960
As long as an individual is
rooted in his own ego
2
00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,840
standpoint, he sees and
interprets things from that
3
00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,960
standpoint and cannot by
definition see things as they
4
00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,360
are.
In the wider creation.
5
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,360
There is the famous story of
five different observers of a
6
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,480
traffic accident, each one
observing from a different
7
00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,600
standpoint.
They came up with five different
8
00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,240
versions of what had happened.
Perhaps if there had been
9
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,759
another observer watching from
above and seeing the flow
10
00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,840
pattern of the traffic, the
timing, the circumstances as a
11
00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,960
whole rather than from an
individual standpoint, there
12
00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,160
would have been a coherent recap
of what happened, as well as an
13
00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:50,960
explanation for how and why the
five on the ground observers saw
14
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,880
things the way they did.
This alternative standpoint in
15
00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,800
terms of understanding the
forces at play in our lives is
16
00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,360
what we may call the divine
standpoint.
17
00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,360
From this standpoint, one can
see the comprehensive action,
18
00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,000
the forces at work and
interacting with one another, as
19
00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:16,520
well as understand, appreciate
and incorporate the Nexus of the
20
00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:22,160
individual and his standpoint.
It is only from the universal or
21
00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,360
divine standpoint that one can
see beyond the artificial
22
00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:31,080
segmentation of the process into
past, present and future and see
23
00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:35,280
the rolling out of the universal
creation as one whole, present
24
00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:40,200
and complete, yet appearing
before our individual view as
25
00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:45,720
sequential in nature.
The Mother notes quote in
26
00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:50,520
another aphorism, Sri Aurobindo
says I no longer remember his
27
00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,880
exact words, that sin is merely
something which is not in its
28
00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,400
right place.
In the perpetual becoming
29
00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:02,800
nothing ever repeats itself, and
there are things that disappear,
30
00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:07,240
so to speak, into the past, and
when their disappearance becomes
31
00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,639
necessary, these things become,
for our very limited
32
00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:15,400
consciousness, bad and
repulsive, and we revolt against
33
00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:20,040
them because their time is over.
But if we had the overall view,
34
00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:25,160
if we could contain within
ourselves the past, the present,
35
00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:30,800
and the future all at once, as
it is somewhere above, we would
36
00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:35,200
see the relativity of these
things, and that it is above all
37
00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,080
the progressive force of
evolution that gives us the will
38
00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:43,680
to reject, and that wherever
they are in their right place,
39
00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:48,200
they are quite acceptable.
Only it is practically
40
00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,760
impossible to have this
experience unless you have the
41
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:56,000
total vision, that is to say,
the vision that belongs to the
42
00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,360
Supreme alone.
Therefore you must first of all
43
00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:02,640
identify yourself with the
Supreme.
44
00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:08,080
Then afterwards, with this
identification, you can return
45
00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:12,960
to a sufficiently exteriorized
consciousness and see things as
46
00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,360
they are.
But that is the principle, and
47
00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,240
to the extent that you are
capable of realizing it, you
48
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,280
reach a state of consciousness
where you can look at everything
49
00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:29,760
with a smile of total certitude,
but everything is as it should
50
00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:31,680
be.
End Quote.
51
00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,680
Reference Sri Aurobindo and the
Mother, Looking from within,
52
00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,120
Chapter 2.
Looking at Oneself and Others,
53
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:41,760
page 51.
00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,960
As long as an individual is
rooted in his own ego
2
00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,840
standpoint, he sees and
interprets things from that
3
00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,960
standpoint and cannot by
definition see things as they
4
00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,360
are.
In the wider creation.
5
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,360
There is the famous story of
five different observers of a
6
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,480
traffic accident, each one
observing from a different
7
00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,600
standpoint.
They came up with five different
8
00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,240
versions of what had happened.
Perhaps if there had been
9
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,759
another observer watching from
above and seeing the flow
10
00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,840
pattern of the traffic, the
timing, the circumstances as a
11
00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,960
whole rather than from an
individual standpoint, there
12
00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,160
would have been a coherent recap
of what happened, as well as an
13
00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:50,960
explanation for how and why the
five on the ground observers saw
14
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,880
things the way they did.
This alternative standpoint in
15
00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,800
terms of understanding the
forces at play in our lives is
16
00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,360
what we may call the divine
standpoint.
17
00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,360
From this standpoint, one can
see the comprehensive action,
18
00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,000
the forces at work and
interacting with one another, as
19
00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:16,520
well as understand, appreciate
and incorporate the Nexus of the
20
00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:22,160
individual and his standpoint.
It is only from the universal or
21
00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,360
divine standpoint that one can
see beyond the artificial
22
00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:31,080
segmentation of the process into
past, present and future and see
23
00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:35,280
the rolling out of the universal
creation as one whole, present
24
00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:40,200
and complete, yet appearing
before our individual view as
25
00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:45,720
sequential in nature.
The Mother notes quote in
26
00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:50,520
another aphorism, Sri Aurobindo
says I no longer remember his
27
00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,880
exact words, that sin is merely
something which is not in its
28
00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,400
right place.
In the perpetual becoming
29
00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:02,800
nothing ever repeats itself, and
there are things that disappear,
30
00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:07,240
so to speak, into the past, and
when their disappearance becomes
31
00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,639
necessary, these things become,
for our very limited
32
00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:15,400
consciousness, bad and
repulsive, and we revolt against
33
00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:20,040
them because their time is over.
But if we had the overall view,
34
00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:25,160
if we could contain within
ourselves the past, the present,
35
00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:30,800
and the future all at once, as
it is somewhere above, we would
36
00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:35,200
see the relativity of these
things, and that it is above all
37
00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,080
the progressive force of
evolution that gives us the will
38
00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:43,680
to reject, and that wherever
they are in their right place,
39
00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:48,200
they are quite acceptable.
Only it is practically
40
00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,760
impossible to have this
experience unless you have the
41
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:56,000
total vision, that is to say,
the vision that belongs to the
42
00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,360
Supreme alone.
Therefore you must first of all
43
00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:02,640
identify yourself with the
Supreme.
44
00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:08,080
Then afterwards, with this
identification, you can return
45
00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:12,960
to a sufficiently exteriorized
consciousness and see things as
46
00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,360
they are.
But that is the principle, and
47
00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,240
to the extent that you are
capable of realizing it, you
48
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,280
reach a state of consciousness
where you can look at everything
49
00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:29,760
with a smile of total certitude,
but everything is as it should
50
00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:31,680
be.
End Quote.
51
00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,680
Reference Sri Aurobindo and the
Mother, Looking from within,
52
00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,120
Chapter 2.
Looking at Oneself and Others,
53
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:41,760
page 51.