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The Knot of Matter
(Book 1 Chapter XXV)

 

Introduction
In the previous chapter, Sri Aurobindo said that Matter is formulated as inertia, inconscience, and atomic aggregation, which limits Life and Mind. It is thus the knot and difficulty of Matter. In this chapter, he continues on this theme, focusing on the aspects of Matter -- Ignorance, Inertia, and Division -- that create this knot and influence on the planes above it. He concludes by saying that we can reverse the unconsciousness of matter, enabling its involved spirit and divinity to come forth through the action of the supramental power.

Here are the main points in greater detail:

Matter as Form and Body of Spirit
He begins by reminding us that matter if really a form of spirit. That Spirit is the soul and reality of that which we sense as matter. Or to put another way, matter is a form and body of that which we sense as Spirit; an objective aspect of the divine Existence with all of God ever present in it and behind it.

Matter's Negative Influence on the Planes Above It
And yet he reiterates because of Matter, the planes above it are restricted by it. Life is gross and limited, and stricken with death and pain. Mind is more than half blind. And it denies Spirit. This is the knot of matter.

Three Aspects of Matter that Create Its Knot
He then explains the three fundamental negative aspects of Matter that create this knot -- Ignorance, Inertia, and Division, which are the fundamental oppositions and restrictions to Life and Mind. The Ignorance, Inertia, and Division of Matter impose on the emerging vital and mental existence the law of pain, suffering, futility, and dissatisfaction.

1. Ignorance of Matter
The first fundamental opposition Matter presents to Spirit (and the planes below it) is that it is the culmination of the principle of Ignorance. Consciousness has lost and forgotten itself. [If knowledge is the integral truth of things, then Ignorance is the opposite. Because Matter is inconscient, unconscious, it is the underpinning of the unconsciousness and ignorance we experience in our mentality.]

2. Inertia of Matter
The second opposition that Matter offers to Spirit is that it is bound to mechanical Law and a colossal and obstinate inertia, obstruction, negation. Matter persuades Life and Mind that they cannot go further, and therefore cannot move to their progress, evolution, and final victory.

How then does Matter affect each of these?

In Life -- Life strives to enlarge and prolong itself and succeeds, but when it seeks utter wideness and immortality, it meets the iron obstruction of Matter, and finds itself bound to narrowness and death.

When the vital principle manifests its activities in Matter, it finds there thus basis only for all its activities and is compelled to bow before its yoke; it has to accept the law of death, desire and limitation and that that constant struggle to devour, possess, dominate which we have seen to be the first aspect of Life.

In Mind -- Mind seeks to embrace all knowledge, all light, the truth, to enforce love and joy; but there is the deviation, error, and grossness of the material life instead.

3. Division of Matter
The third opposition which Matter offers to the Spirit is that it is the culmination of the principle of division and struggle. Divisibility is its whole basis of action from which it seems forbidden to depart. It only know union through aggregation of units, or assimilation, involving the destruction of one unit by another. They both repose death and a constant struggle of divided units. [Since it is in essence an unconscious divided form separate from other forms, it casts that quality into Life and Mind. Life is divided (e.g. people act from their separateness, and Mind is divided because it only knows part of the truth, separate and divided from the whole truth; or has opinion and points of view divided from others or the full object of knowledge.]

The Transformation of Matter through Supramental Power
Sri Aurobindo says that despite the limits of Matter on Life and Matter, it can evolve and be transformed. In fact, the immortality and infinite Spirit has veiled itself in the dense robe of the material substance. He says that the spirit works in matter as a result of the supreme creative power of Supermind. It however permitted the reign of the material principle on the surface, involving spirit only as an initial condition for the evolutionary play of the One and the Many.

However, the involved spirit in matter can be reversed in the evolution through human rise in consciousness. E.g. take the evolution of the human body. In the human, a supramental being would also liberate the bodily existence from death, division, and mutual devouring. Man through his elevation of consciousness can enable not only a divine mind and life, but the divine body, where the descent of spirit has been made into the form. Thus, the material being can transfigure itself by accepting of a Higher Law than its own; which is actually latent within itself.

 

[DETAILS]

MATTER AS SPIRIT

-Spirit is the soul and reality of that which we sense as matter.

-Matter is a form and body of that which we sense as Spirit.

-Matter is only a form and objective aspect of the divine Existence with all of God ever present in it and behind it.

-Because of Matter, Life is gross and limited and stricken with death and pain.

-Because of Matter, Mind is more than half blind. And it denies Spirit. This is the knot of matter.

-[Now Sri Aurobindo explains the Ignorance, Inertia, and Division of Matter, which are its 3 oppositions on Life and Mind.]

 
IGNORANCE OF MATTER

-The first fundamental opposition Matter presents to Spirit is that it is the culmination of the principle of Ignorance. Consciousness has lost and forgotten itself.

-There is in Matter a heartless inconscience.

INERTIA, OBSTRUCTION, NEGATION, AND MECHANICAL LAW OF MATTER

-The second opposition that Matter offers to Spirit is that it is bound to mechanical Law and a colossal Inertia.

-Matter presents an obstinate inertia, obstruction, negation.

-Matter persuades life and Mind that they cannot go further; cannot move to their final victory.

-Life strives to enlarge and prolong itself and succeeds, but when it seeks utter wideness and immortality, it meets the iron (?) obstruction of Matter, and finds itself bound to narrowness and death.

-Mind seeks to embrace all knowledge, all light, the truth, to enforce love and joy; but there is the deviation, error, and grossness of the material life instead.

-When the vital principle manifests its activities in Matter, it finds there thus basis only for all its activities and is compelled to bow before its yoke; it has to accept the law of death, desire and limitation and that that constant struggle to devour, possess, dominate which we have seen to be the first aspect of Life.

-And when the mental principle manifests in Matter, it has to accept from the mould and material in which it works the same principle of limitation, of seeking without finding, ... and seems never to be final or free from doubt and denial ...

-The inertia that which Matter responds to the demands of the mind and Life, prevents the conquest of the Ignorance.

 
DIVISION OF MATTER

-The third opposition which Matter offers to the Spirit is that it is the culmination of the principle of division and struggle.

-Divisibility is its whole basis of action from which it seems forbidden to depart.

-It only know union through aggregation of units, or assimilation, involving the destruction of one unit by another. They both repose death and a constant struggle of divided units.

The Ignorance, Inertia, and Division of Matter impose on the emerging vital and mental existence the law of pain, suffering, futility, and dissatisfaction.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF MATTER THROUGH SUPRAMENTAL POWER

-The immortality and infinite Spirit has veiled itself in the dense robe of the material substance.

-The Spirit works in matter by the supreme creative power of Supermind, permitting the reign of the material principle only as an initial condition for the evolutionary play of the One and the Many. [Is this a statement that matter is only a temporary phenomenon in evolution in creation?]

-Like Life and Mind, a supramental being would also liberate the bodily existence from death, division, and mutual devouring.

-Man through his elevation of consciousness can enable not only a divine mind and life, but the divine body, where the descent of spirit has been made into the form.

-Here is the possibility of the material being transfiguring itself through the accepting of a higher law than its own; which is actually latent within itself.