Nov. 24, 2025
The True Foundation of the Yoga
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 3, In Difficulty, pp. 43-44This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/11/22/the-true-foundation-of-the-yoga/
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#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #soul #psychic being
1
00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:06,000
We are generally so tied to our
external ego personality that we
2
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,360
identify with it as what we
consider to be our self.
3
00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,960
We then refer to this body,
life, mind complex as our
4
00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:18,000
reality and we say that we have
a soul.
5
00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,600
The reality is far different.
The reality is that the soul,
6
00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:27,960
the psychic being, takes on a
particular existence for its own
7
00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,200
purposes of experience and
growth.
8
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,000
The difference in viewpoint is
profound and has far reaching
9
00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,800
implications.
If we identify with the external
10
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,800
personality, we believe that the
thoughts, emotions, feelings,
11
00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:49,920
reactions, responses, moods and
physical action belongs to us,
12
00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:55,440
is an essential part of who we
are, and thus we neither have
13
00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,080
the needed distance from it to
see it clearly and
14
00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,280
dispassionately, nor do we
realistically have the power to
15
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,560
excise the movements that we
recognize need to be changed or
16
00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:11,240
eliminated.
Pretend then to try to suppress
17
00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,880
these reactions, which only
makes them stronger through the
18
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:20,360
factor of compression, or else
we acknowledge our failure and
19
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:24,840
fall into depression because we
cannot succeed in our yogic
20
00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:29,200
endeavour.
On the other hand, if we look at
21
00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,480
the external body, life, mind
complex as something that the
22
00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:36,960
soul chooses to inhabit for its
own purposes in the divine
23
00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:41,800
manifestation, similar to
putting on a suit of clothes, it
24
00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:46,440
is much easier to gain
perspective and to reject or
25
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,160
change reactions or habits as
not belonging to anything
26
00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:55,120
essential to oneself.
Srioro Bindo writes quote.
27
00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,400
In your dealing with your
difficulties and the wrong
28
00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,960
movements that assail you, you
are probably making the mistake
29
00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,120
of identifying yourself with
them too much and regarding them
30
00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:12,800
as part of your own nature.
You should rather draw back from
31
00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,280
them, detach and dissociate
yourself from them, regard them
32
00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,840
as movements of the universal,
lower, imperfect and impure
33
00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:25,640
nature forces that enter into
you and try to make you their
34
00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:27,760
instrument for their
self-expression.
35
00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:33,200
By so detaching and dissociating
yourself, it will be more
36
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,640
possible for you to discover and
to live more and more in a part
37
00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:40,920
of yourself.
Your inner or your psychic being
38
00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,680
which is not attacked or
troubled by these movements,
39
00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:50,280
finds them foreign to itself and
automatically refuses assent to
40
00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:55,640
them and feels itself always
turn to or in contact with the
41
00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:59,840
divine forces and the higher
planes of consciousness.
42
00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,360
Find that part of your being and
live in it.
43
00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,320
To be able to do so is the true
foundation of the yoga.
44
00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:14,160
End Quote reference.
Srioro Bindo, Bases of Yoga,
45
00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:19,120
Chapter 3 in difficulty, pages
43 to 44.
00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:06,000
We are generally so tied to our
external ego personality that we
2
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,360
identify with it as what we
consider to be our self.
3
00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,960
We then refer to this body,
life, mind complex as our
4
00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:18,000
reality and we say that we have
a soul.
5
00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,600
The reality is far different.
The reality is that the soul,
6
00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:27,960
the psychic being, takes on a
particular existence for its own
7
00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,200
purposes of experience and
growth.
8
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,000
The difference in viewpoint is
profound and has far reaching
9
00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,800
implications.
If we identify with the external
10
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,800
personality, we believe that the
thoughts, emotions, feelings,
11
00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:49,920
reactions, responses, moods and
physical action belongs to us,
12
00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:55,440
is an essential part of who we
are, and thus we neither have
13
00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,080
the needed distance from it to
see it clearly and
14
00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,280
dispassionately, nor do we
realistically have the power to
15
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,560
excise the movements that we
recognize need to be changed or
16
00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:11,240
eliminated.
Pretend then to try to suppress
17
00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,880
these reactions, which only
makes them stronger through the
18
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:20,360
factor of compression, or else
we acknowledge our failure and
19
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:24,840
fall into depression because we
cannot succeed in our yogic
20
00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:29,200
endeavour.
On the other hand, if we look at
21
00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,480
the external body, life, mind
complex as something that the
22
00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:36,960
soul chooses to inhabit for its
own purposes in the divine
23
00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:41,800
manifestation, similar to
putting on a suit of clothes, it
24
00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:46,440
is much easier to gain
perspective and to reject or
25
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,160
change reactions or habits as
not belonging to anything
26
00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:55,120
essential to oneself.
Srioro Bindo writes quote.
27
00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,400
In your dealing with your
difficulties and the wrong
28
00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,960
movements that assail you, you
are probably making the mistake
29
00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,120
of identifying yourself with
them too much and regarding them
30
00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:12,800
as part of your own nature.
You should rather draw back from
31
00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,280
them, detach and dissociate
yourself from them, regard them
32
00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,840
as movements of the universal,
lower, imperfect and impure
33
00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:25,640
nature forces that enter into
you and try to make you their
34
00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:27,760
instrument for their
self-expression.
35
00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:33,200
By so detaching and dissociating
yourself, it will be more
36
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,640
possible for you to discover and
to live more and more in a part
37
00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:40,920
of yourself.
Your inner or your psychic being
38
00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,680
which is not attacked or
troubled by these movements,
39
00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:50,280
finds them foreign to itself and
automatically refuses assent to
40
00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:55,640
them and feels itself always
turn to or in contact with the
41
00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:59,840
divine forces and the higher
planes of consciousness.
42
00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,360
Find that part of your being and
live in it.
43
00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,320
To be able to do so is the true
foundation of the yoga.
44
00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:14,160
End Quote reference.
Srioro Bindo, Bases of Yoga,
45
00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:19,120
Chapter 3 in difficulty, pages
43 to 44.
