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"Reality Omnipresent"
(Book 1 Chapter IV)
Introduction
In the last
chapter Sri Aurobindo explained how we can rise in consciousness and reconcile
the contradiction we see between Spirit and Matter. We do that by rising to
a unitarian consciousness (later called the supramental truth consciousness)
from which we can perceive an ultimate Reality; one that includes both Spirit
and Matter, and their integration.
When we perceive the true nature and Oneness of the Reality, we resolve the contradictions, divisions, and dualities of life (including experiences of pleasure and pain; war and peace, etc.), overcome our divided nature, and fulfill our human aspiration.
Sri Aurobindo explains that the omnipresent Reality (Brahman in the East, the Absolute in the West) is the highest conception of existence afforded to Man. He also explains how that Reality extended itself from an Unmanifest Supreme Conscious Being to a Manifest universe of forms in planes of Life/Energy, Matter, Vitalized Life, and Mind. To know the Reality then is to know the unity and integration of the Unmanifest and the Manifest, Spirit and Matter, the One and the Many, the Being and the Becoming.
But we can only have this ultimate perception, this Vision of Brahman by rising to the highest unitarian (supramental, truth) consciousness. [That, as he will later reveal, can only happen when we forge a deeper consciousness within and come upon our Evolving Soul, Psychic Being within, which enables us to rise to the spiritualized mental heights.]
When Man reaches his highest unitarian
consciousness and makes the soul connection, he can experience the original calm and
passivity of the Unmanifest Brahman in his own life, enabling his ultimate
perfection in his Manifest existence.
Here are the main points in greater detail:
The Omnipresent Reality
Reconciles the Contradiction of Spirit and Matter
In life we view Spirit and Matter as two different realms. They appear separate,
even in contradiction of one another. The reconciliation of Spirit and Matter
takes place when we see that both make up the ultimate Reality -- which
Sri Aurobindo calls the Omnipresent Reality (also known as Brahman in the East,
and the Absolute in the West). The Reality (Brahman, Absolute, God) is both
Spirit and Matter. Perceiving the ultimate, Omnipresent Reality
as both spirit and matter enables us to see
the Oneness of life, which enables us to attain a spiritual nature, where
contradictions are overcome, enabling us to fulfill our Human Aspiration.
Our Consciousness and
Perceiving the Reality
We normally see Spirit and Matter as distinct and separate as a result of the limitations of
our instruments of perception [i.e. our minds and the influence of the lower
planes of our being]. The spiritual Being and the manifest universe are in fact
one; they make up an intimate Oneness.
[This fusion of an essential Oneness of existence, in Brahman we can know when we rise to the unitarian consciousness, i.e. the supramental consciousness. We perceive the unmanifest and the manifest as opposites because we live in the lower planes of the physical, vital, and the sense-based mind. However, we can come to see that they are One and inexorably related. As we rise in consciousness, we perceive their unity; i.e. we have the true insight into the unity of this dual aspect of Brahman, the Omnipresent Reality; of the Creator and the Creation, of Spirit and Matter. of the Unmanifest and the Manifest, of the One and the Many, of the Infinite and the Finite, of the Being and the Becoming. This make us whole, overcomes our Ignorance, and enables us to fulfill our spiritual destiny.)
[-We can think of Brahman as a cosmic Egg. Within it are two
interwoven aspects, the Spiritual Reality and the Creation. To enable the
interwoveness of Spirit and Matter is to perceive the true nature of Brahman, the omnipresent Reality.
-In simple terms, all of life is One. We, however, rooted in our lower
consciousness, see life divided, in conflicting pairs, such as pain and pleasure.
When we attain the highest supramental consciousness, we see the Oneness again,
which radically changes how we relate to life since we now see the unity of all
things, including the Oneness of the Spirit and Matter. We see the Oneness when we move within to the Soul and when we rise
above to the unitarian consciousness of supermind; the former enabling the
latter.]
Original Status of the
Omnipresent Reality
Brahman began as spiritual Being. The Supreme Conscious Being then extended
Itself to Life and Mind, houses Itself (its spiritual Being) in them, and uses
them as Its instruments. This is how the divine Being fulfills itself through it
manifestation. Life, on the other hand, fulfills itself when it lends its
energies to ever-new forms and activities of the Divine.
[There is thus a complementary
purpose and fulfillment.
The universe can in this way be thought of as the body of the Divine, the means
through which the Spirit can be embodied]
Silent Source of Brahman that
Man Can Emulate
The freedom and omnipotence issues from the original Silence, the eternal
passivity. Man likewise becomes perfect when he has found the Calm and
Passivity
of Brahman that enables a free and inexhaustible activity.