"The Eternal and the Individual"
(Book 2 Chapter III)
Introduction
In this chapter Sri Aurobindo indicates that we can move out of
our essential ignorance, expressed through limitations of rational mind, and
supported by ego by coming in touch with our True Self and Soul. As a result, we
realize that we are not only an individual being, but a world being; an eternal
individual capable of transcending all limitations of unconsciousness, ego,
division, and ignorance.
Sri Aurobindo refers to this
evolved, universalized person as a "True Individual." He is in touch with an
individuality that includes a wider, universal and eternal existence. In that
way, he lives through himself, as well as others; and perceives the deepest
being, the Soul and experience of Transcendence not just in himself but in others.
Furthermore, because the individual is Eternal in essence he has the potential
to evolve his being to its ultimate potential, including his material being and
become immortal.
Here are the main points in greater detail:
Our Essential Ignorance
vs. Integral Knowledge
Sri Aurobindo begins by describing the difference between
our essential Ignorance and the Integral Knowledge we can move towards. He
says we need to discover the nature of our essential Ignorance,
and the Knowledge that must replace it. That through our inward and upward
self-unfolding of consciousness, we discover that Knowledge.
Utility and Limits of
Logical Mind and Our Ignorance
He then focuses on the fact that the logical mind is
helpful in breaking the Ignorance, but is limited. He says that it is
helpful for overcoming the essential Ignorance by the partial understanding,
intellectualization, et al of normal mind, but itself cannot arrive at the
Knowledge we are seeking. He says that it is more a guardian against
error than a discoverer of truth; that its propensities to make distinctions
are stumbling blocks on the road to Integral Knowledge.
Limits of Reason Caused by
Ego, Preventing Integral Knowledge
Sri Aurobindo then addresses why the reason of Logical
Mind is so limited. He says that the main problem is that the reason
identifies the individual self with the ego, and the exclusions of
consciousness that arise when we are absorbed in ego. He then explains what
the problems of ego are. In particular, that our ego tends to centralize the
activities of Nature in ourselves. That we have experiences that distinguish ourselves from the
rest of being, and that is what we think of as our nature, but is really ego in
action. Thus, this sense of individualization, this ego-sense is the crux of
the problem.
Thus, if we are to move out of the Ignorance and towards Integral Knowledge, we need to somehow move out of ego. To do that, we have to see beyond this individualization of ego to our greater self and world being. We have to come to see that this self of our individuality is not only an ego self, but one that embraces the whole world and all other beings.
Moving Our of Ego and
Ignorance through Soul Connection Key
Now we come to the crux of the chapter. How do we move
towards this wider self, this individuality that embraces the whole of
existence beyond ego. He says when we move to the soul and Self, we move
towards this wider existence. He says that this Self and Soul connects us to
other souls, individuals, and the cosmic. This is the unity of being; in
Self. Thus there are two becomings of the Self, our individualization and
the world, the individual and the cosmic. Moreover, these two becomings are
always related to one another and are mutually dependent. For the liberated
soul who comes in contact with the transcendent perceives that all is in
each and each is in all and all is in God and God is all.
Perceiving our True Individuality as Both Individual and World Being
Key
Thus we must consider we can move from our individual
status to becoming the True Individual. This person is not the ego, and yet
who has a relationship with other individuals. The true individual is a conscious power of the being of
the Eternal in his power of individualizing self experience; living in unity
and mutuality with others.
The true Individual is contained in the world-being and dwells in the
Transcendent. This is the key point of the chapter. He enjoys
the transcendence through himself and in others.
Utility and Power of the Negative
Now Sri Aurobindo focuses on several particular ways it expresses its Ignorance.
One has to do with how we see the positive and negatives of life. He says that
rather than look at the negatives as we normally do, we should understand that
they are packed with force, teeming with power of existence, full of actual or
potential contents. He says that the negatives bring in the rest of the possibilities
of the Absolute that the positive does not allow for. E.g. A great war may seem negative from one view, but from
another may clear the way to great possibilities it may have not have had
before.
From here Sri Aurobindo goes on to say that that everything has the Eternal in it, including the negative. I.e. the Absolute includes all and everything. That it is not bound to the limits of the positive.
Seeing Contradictions as
Complements through Higher Consciousness
Sri Aurobindo then says that all dualities, contradictions in life can be seen
for what they really are, as complements, complementary pairs when we rise to
our highest consciousness. On the other hand, the human reason sees
contradictions. Sri Aurobindo concludes that from this highest consciousness we
perceive that all meets and all principles, all
persistent realities of existence stand in a primary relationship to each
other in a free, not an exclusive unity of the Absolute.
[DETAILS]
IGNORANCE AND INTEGRAL KNOWLEDGE
We need to discover the nature of our essential Ignorance, and the Knowledge that must replace it.
That Knowledge is concealed in the Ignorance.
Through our inward and upward self-unfolding, we discover that Knowledge.
LOGICAL MIND AND INTEGRAL KNOWLEDGE
Logical mind is helpful for overcoming the essential Ignorance by the partial understanding, intellectualization, et al of normal mind.
But the logical mind itself cannot arrive at the Knowledge we are seeking.
Logical mind is more a guardian against error than a discoverer of truth.
Logical mind's propensities to make distinctions are stumbling blocks.
EGO AS SOURCE OF PROBLEM WITH REASON OF THE LOGICAL MIND
[The origin of the difficulties of reason are now being addressed.]
The first problem of reason is that it identifies the individual self with the ego, and the exclusions of ego
Our ego tends to centralize the activities of Nature in ourselves.
We have experiences that distinguish ourselves from the rest of being, and that is what we think of as our nature. That is ego in action.
This sense of individualization is the crux of the problem: it is the ego-sense.
MOVING BEYOND EGO TO MOVE BEYOND LOGICAL MIND
We have to see beyond this individualization; to our world being.
We have to recognize the two terms of our existence. Our world being and out individualizing. consciousness.
We come to see this self of our individuality embrace the whole world and all other beings.
CONNECTING WITH SOUL OPENS US TO THE COSMIC AND BREAKS THE BOUNDS OF EGO
Key
The soul makes the world-becoming the material for individual experience.
The Self is the soul of the individual, the connection to other souls, individuals and to the cosmic. This is its unity of being; in Self.
The Purusha is aware of all other individuals as selves of himself.
Our individualization and the world are becomings of the Self.
The two becomings, the cosmic and the individual are always related to one another and are mutually dependent.
The One is the eternal unity of the Many differentiating itself in the cosmos.
The cosmos and the individual are manifestations of the transcended Self.
All is in each and each is in all and all is in God and God is all. (This is the experience of the liberated soul who comes in contact with the transcendent.)
THE TRUE INDIVIDUAL Key
There is a true individual who is not the ego, and yet who has a relationship with other individuals.
The true individual is a conscious power of the being of the Eternal in his power of individualizing self experience; living in unity and mutuality with others.
The individual exists in the transcended, but all the Transcendent is concealed in the individual.
He (who is "He"? The True Individual?) enjoys the transcendence, and the transcendence in others.
[Mind's habit of oppositions, of thinking by distinctions and pairs of contraries.]
For our intellectual rationality the aspects of our transcendent and its world manifestation are opposites. In the supramental consciousness if infinite Existence, they are unified, reconnected and one. [It is the Vision of Brahman.]
UTILITY OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
The negative is packed with force, teeming with power of existence, full of actual or potential contents.
The positive and the negative exist in relation with each other and by each other.
The negatives (of the Absolute) bring in the rest of its absolute possibilities that the positive does not allow for.
A great war may seem negative from one view, but from another may clear the way to great possibilities it may have not have had before.
In each pair - of infinite and finite, the conditional and unconditional, etc. - the negative conceals the whole power of the corresponding positive which is contained in it, and emerges from it.
The Absolute cannot be bound by the law of contradiction. It may be useful for living a practical life to make these various distinctions, but ultimately it has no inherent reality.
We get to the basis and enduring truth of material reality not by their distinctions, but that which is common to both; the energy that makes them the same.
Everything has the Eternal concealed.
Each thing is the Absolute.
Man is not just the individual human being, but all mankind. He is individuality and commonality.
SEEING CONTRADICTIONS AS COMPLEMENTARIES FROM HIGHEST CONSCIOUSNESS
We can only see such things [contradictions as complements; the negative as a positive, etc.] from our highest consciousness.
From there, the law of contradictions cease to be; as it turns into the law of complementaries.
The human reason sees contradiction, not complementary pairs, which the higher consciousness perceives.
There we see that all meets and all principles, all persistent realities of existence stand in a primary relationship to each other in a free, not an exclusive unity of the Absolute.
[The lower the consciousness, the more we perceive the separateness and opposition of things. The higher the consciousness, the more we see the mutuality, necessity, and unity.]
3 EXISTENCES: THE TRANSCENDENT, THE UNIVERSAL, AND THE INDIVIDUAL
There are three terms of one existence -- the transcendent, the universal, and the individual; each secretly containing the other two.