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"The Ascent towards Supermind"
(Book 2 Chapter XXVI)

 

Introduction
Now that Sri Aurobindo has explained the triple transformation (in the last chapter), the last stage of which is the supramental transformation, he discusses how we can approach this Truth Consciousness so that we can make that ultimate leap. (In the next chapter, he will explain the nature of the Supramental/Gnostic Individual Itself.) First he explains how we can only approach supermind through spiritualized mind, and that we can only move to spiritualized mind by moving in to the Soul. He also explains in details the various planes of spiritualized Mind. He says that we must follow these sequential steps to reach the Gnostic/Supramental consciousness.

Here are the main points in greater detail:

The Inner Change that Enables the Movement through Spiritualized Mind
He says that the great change takes place at the supramental level. What is it?  It cannot be understood by Mind, only by a spiritualized mind. Thus, it has not yet been mapped out.

But how can we move to the illuminations, intuitions, et al of spiritualized mind? Only by moving to the depths within. We can move first to the subliminal within, and it is a first step. But we have to go deeper still into the Psychic realm (i.e. the Personal Evolving Soul/the True Self), from there we open ourselves to universal forces so that the spirit can enter into us though spiritual mind and then Supermind.

Psychic Transformation Precondition --
There needs to be a central offering to the Divine in the parts of one's being. The mind must have given up its mental formations and judgments, et al. replaced with intuitions. The vital given up its emotions, feelings, and impulses. The physical given up its instincts, blind attachments, its fixidity. Even the inconscient and subconscient must have become conscious. [Mother mentioned this often.] There would have been a psychic spiritual working in us; a breakdown of the wall between the outer and inner being; an opening to the cosmic consciousness; the psychic entity unveiled, the higher Light, Power, Ananda, Knowledge penetrated into the being. Through the psychic being the spiritual force can act on the mental, vital, and physical, and give them a upward orientation. The opening in the inner being can mediate the descending power to the inconscient and subconscient of the being.

Attaining spiritualized mind does not only give us vast knowledge, i.e. integral knowledge, breaking the bonds of our essential Ignorance born of creation, but it also brings with it an idea force and power to enter us from these higher spiritual mind planes and the various parts of our being -- mental, vital, and physical. This is essentially the spiritual transformation that occurs after the psychic transformation, which in turn establishes the conditions of the possibility of the emergence of the Divine Gnosis into our being -- i.e. the supramental change; the descent of the supramental Force that transforms our nature into the ultimate Gnostic being.

Spiritual Transformation Precondition: Through the inner being it can enable the light to enter the inconscient, the subconscient, and mental, vital, physical; a higher dynamism (beyond the inner being) of the spiritual mind and overmind can thereafter fully intervene to enable the full spiritualization. 

[We can say that the ultimate movement within to the Psychic, enables the further movement up to spiritualized mind and eventually Supermind, enabling integral knowledge and the complete transformation of all parts of our being into the Divine Gnosis.]

Detailed Explanation of the Planes of Spiritual Mind
He then goes onto explain in considerable detail each of the planes of spiritual Mind; from Higher to Illumined to Intuitive to Overmind, which are previous to the attainment of the Gnostic individual of Supermind, i.e. the supramental consciousness and life (which is itself explained in far more detail in the next chapter.)

Higher Mind Attributes -- Capable of a multitude of aspects of knowledge. Dominated by thought. Luminous thought-mind. Spirit-born conceptual knowledge. The spiritual idea and the power of truth. It is the parent of our conceptive mental ideation. A mass ideation, a system or totality of truth-seeking at a single view. The relation of idea with idea, not in terms of logic but of the integral whole. It works on the mental, vital, and physical of the being through the idea-force. It brings a far greater consciousness into the m,v,p levels. The higher Idea of higher mind is greatly diffused and resisted by the limitations of the m,v,p planes. E.g. it is up against the massive formed ideas of mind.

 

Illumined Mind Attributes -- Not of higher thought. It is of vision; of spiritual light. Lightnings of spiritual truth. A fiery ardor of realization and a rapturous ecstasy of knowledge. A downpour of inwardly visible light. In the descent a greater dynamis of inner force and power; a swift, vehement, almost violent impetus of rapid transformation. Perceptual power of inner sight; of the seer. Seizes something of the substance of truth. Truth sight and Truth sight. Effect on m,v,p: Illuminates thought mind with direct inner vision and insight; brings spiritual sight into heart; brings a spiritual urge into the life force; a spiritual sensation.

 

Intuitive Mind Attributes -- A power of consciousness nearer to knowledge by identity (as in supramental). The consciousness of the subject (the perceiver) meets with the consciousness of the object. It sees, feels, and vibrates with the truth of the object. It is the edge of the supramental truth; a modified and delegated supramental. It has a fourfold power: (1) Revelation; (2) inspiration; (3) immediate seizing of significance; (4) true perception of relation between truth and truth. It can change the m,v,p into the stuff of Intuition; into the will, feelings, emotions, life impulses, sense and sensation, the body consciousness.

 

Overmind Attributes -- By one's opening to cosmic consciousness one can experience the ascent to and the descent of Overmind. It is a power of universal consciousness. It is a delegated light of the supramental Gnosis. When it descends the ego-sense is subordinated, replace by the boundless universal self and movement. (Thought seems to originate from cosmic mind waves.) All that is revealed seems to come from the universal consciousness, not from one's self (even emotions, sensations seem to come from the cosmic consciousness.) All sense of individuality disappears; all is a play of cosmic forces. One senses the universe in one's self. There is the inclusion of other beings in one's self; their life as part of one's own life. A true individual self replacing the ego-self; one is one with the supreme Self, with the universe. All m,v,p workings are experienced as consciousness, delight, and power of the infinite existence. It is the final movement of the spiritual transformation.

 

Limitations of Overmind -- Its action is still of division and interaction; taking its stand in the play of multiplicity, of possibilities. It is not a power of dynamic transcendence like Supermind. Its descent would not transform the Inconscient, as would Supermind. [Sri Aurobindo told Mother early on that they wanted the Supramental descent and transformation, not the Overmental, to secure the Final Victory.] 
 

[DETAILS]

• The psychic and spiritual transformation are within our mental conception. The supramental transformation however is beyond our mental conception. The Supramental has a radically different awareness of things. Mentality cannot know its nature. It can only be known via the spiritualized mind.

• We have not yet mapped out the regions of Supermind.

• We can only begin to understand Supermind when we have connected to spiritual mind.

• Our personal endeavor and aspiration cannot reach Supermind; ours is the life of the Ignorance.

• The higher spiritual planes create their own formulations in the subliminal in the depths within us, but Overmind and Supermind have not been organized in the inner subliminal of the human. To know them too, the Supermind must descend into us.

• The Superconscient planes create their foundations in us in the subliminal, and from there influence the evolutionary process on the surface.

• To know Supermind, the planes Superconscient to us (e.g. spiritualized mind) we must first descend into our being.

• There must be at least this intervention from above from these higher planes, plus a submission and surrender of our current condition, to make it all possible for a supramental transformation. If this is established, the supramental transformation can occur rather quickly.

• In mind there is a limited consciousness and knowledge, not yet a luminous seeing which knows things by direct grasp, and arranges thins with great precision according to the scheme of their inherent truth.

• Mind's knowledge and will are constantly invaded, darkened, and frustrated by forces of the being, which are half-blind instruments of the mechanisms of Nature.

• If the individual has the intuitive capacity, he would be able to grasp things more directly. It would enable him to become master of his own existing energies and be a conscious partner, agent of the universal Consciousness-Force of the Cosmic Spirit. This is a step toward supramental consciousness.

• However, the intuition could not ultimately sustain itself as a fixed aspect of our being, because it would be overtaken by the Ignorance and Inconscience, the partial action of Mind, the ego, and influence of Nature.

• We must be able to connect to something higher that would take us beyond the influence of universal Nature toward a truer Truth. "In the place of the Nature of Ignorance with the individual as its closed field and unconscious or half-conscious instrument, there would be a Supernature of the divine Gnosis ..."

• The individuality would become more and more powerful and effective in proportion as it realized itself as a center and formulation of the universal and Transcendent Being and Nature. He would thus be above the limitation of personal mind, life, and body; replacing the Nature of (individual) Ignorance.

• To reach the supramental transformation the psychic and spiritual transformation needs to be near complete. 

• Spiritual Planes of Mind and Above -- There will be an ascent of consciousness from the mind upwards through a series of dynamic powers, which are higher mind, illumined mind, intuitive mind, overmind, to Supermind.

• The ascent among the planes is not simple, clear-cut, and successive, but a more complex movement, as the descending force of each plane gets diffused in the being. The same problem in the descent.

• Life emerges from Matter when it is sufficiently organized. Mind emerges from Life when it is sufficiently organized. [Question: What do we really mean by organized?] But (e.g.) Life can only receive its full organization when Mind can act on it. This same 2-way process is seen also between Mind and Spirit (and even ascending among the planes of spiritual mind.)

• There is this non-perfect integrative movement between the planes in the ascent and the descent. There is this 2-way complexity of movement as one ascends toward Supermind in the spiritual transformation.

• The Supramental change of the whole being takes place when the involved Supermind in Nature merges to meet and join with the supramental light and power descending from Supernature.