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"The Two Negations  II. THE REFUSAL OF THE ASCETIC"

(Book 1 Chapter III)
 

Introduction
Now Sri Aurobindo discusses the strength and weaknesses of those who espouse the Spiritual view of life, of those who have sought and attained the Spirit, and how they can change and make a reconciliation with matter -- (further) enabling man to fulfill his human aspiration. 

He indicates that the sannyasins of the East and elsewhere have denied the material world. That they try to live apart from life, not apply Spirit to life. Likewise, the materialists deny the spiritual realm. Both are wrong.

He reiterates that we can truly perceive the reconciliation of Matter and Spirit, this universe and the Spirit Source that created it, when we rise to a cosmic consciousness, from which we overcome perceptions of duality, replacing them with an integrative cosmic view of things. (Again, from this higher consciousness, we develop the capacity to fulfill the human aspiration.)

Here are the main points in greater detail:

Sannyasins Experience of the Spirit that Denies the Material World
In the East, there are the spiritual seekers, which are called ascetics, or Sannyasins, who seek the spiritual reality. What they discover is the pure spirit. It is the very spirit from which this world has and is manifesting. And yet they perceive this spirit as being inactive in the world, and in our lives. In their perception of spirit, (which they see when they are apart from the world), and the world without spirit is unreal, an illusion. Thus, they deny the material world, and live apart from it, connected to the purity and bliss of the divine spirit that they have come in contact with.

Reconciling the Materialist and Ascetic Denials
Now we have two forms of denial. The denial of the materialist, tied to his limited, shallow sense-mind perception that only the material exists, denying spirit; and we have the ascetic, living in spirit, denying the reality of material existence. Somehow, there needs to be a broader and greater affirmation in life. To reconcile these two denials and affirm life, we have to acknowledge the reality of the spiritual in life. We have to acknowledge the reality of the descent of the Divine to embrace Its manifestation, not just Its unembodied existence separate from life. Thus, we must know the spiritual Reality in its functioning in the manifestation.

Reconciling Spirit and Matter
Ultimately, we need to reconcile spirit and matter; which we are able to do when we have the cosmic consciousness. In that state, we do not see spirit and matter as two poles in opposition, but as two aspects that are really one. E.g., Matter is made of the substance of Spirit; Spirit manifest as matter to enable its greater fulfillment in the deployment of the myriad, multiplicity, and diversity of forms in the universe. They are thus interwoven in a dynamic, integrated, unified Whole, which we can perceive as we rise to our highest consciousness.

[Ultimately Sri Aurobindo will suggest that we reconcile spirit and matter by suggesting we bring spirit into matter; in other words, bringing the spirit Being into the daily Becomings of our lives.]