In this extensive four-part interview with himself, Roy Posner President of Growth Online considers what our evolutionary destiny might be; as individuals, and in our collective existence. Created May 2002

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What if humanity was not the final rung of evolution? What if there was the possibility of a new evolutionary individual, emerging out of the human, as different from us as we are from the primate? Is there such a possibility, and if so, what good would it serve? And if there were a good reason for such an emergence, what would this evolutionary individual be like and act like? Finally, if we wanted to join in a journey to become this new being, what would be the path that takes us from what we are now, our current human functioning, to this new evolutionary individual with a spiritual supernature? 

Part 1: A Vision of the Future Evolutionary Existence
Part 2: The First Signs of Our Ascent 
Part 3: The Path From the Present to the Evolutionary Future
Part 3: The New Evolutionary Individual and Divine Life on Earth

Go directly to main points

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PART 1: 
A Vision of the Future Evolutionary Existence

Myself: Welcome again to the Growth Online interview series.

RP: Thanks. It has been a while since our last discussion.

Myself: So now we're going to take a peek into the future, at our future existence. How can anyone know what the future holds?

RP: That's a very good question! Most of the predictions about the future are always off base. Who would have dreamed up an Internet, let alone the decoding of the genome, or the idea of having little nano-robots fix our internal organs and structures? Of course, there are always a few who see into the future; perhaps they are having an illumination, a vision of what is far ahead. In that case they themselves are becoming evolutionary beings (!), because they are having illuminations and intuitions that are probably going to be an important part of individual human existence in the future.

Then again many predictions, even scientific ones have not come to pass. Remember flying cars? (laughter)  Well it still could happen. 

(pause) But what I'd like to address are the internal changes of consciousness, of being of the individual, even of the society. The outer inventions will take care of themselves! Actually the more internally connected we are, the more we are in touch with the spirit, the Force, the more we are connected to the infinite powers of the universe that are there just below the surface. When we make connection with these forces, then new ideas, new possibilities, new inventions, new products, new forms of matter just pour into our minds! We open the floodgates to the new, at 100 times the level we are now developing the new. 

So if we want to become great materialists we must become great spiritualists (!), because it is in the realm of spirit that we unlock the infinite potential of matter. After all matter is just a form of spirit. The creation is just a form of the Creator. The more we are touch with the essence of the spirit, the Divine Reality, the more we have power over life, over matter; to create the new, to unleash the new in its infinite perturbations and possibilities.

Myself: So a spiritualized man is the future man?

RP: Yes, it is true. And yet this spiritual man is very different from any current conception. Let me explain: When we normally think of a spiritual person we think of someone who lives a separate life, a cloistered existence somewhere. Perhaps he is the sannyasi of India who has touched upon the infinite spirit in his being, and is in a state of timeless peace and rapture. Most likely he has decided to live outside of this world to enjoy his bliss and rapture. He is one with Divine, Brahman, the Absolute, and wishes to remain fixed there. He experiences what is called moksha, or liberation, in India. This experience goes back perhaps 7000 years or more. In the last few thousand years it has expressed in the philosophies of Shankara and later Buddha. In Buddhist practice one sees the problems of the world; the cause of suffering and pain; and then meditates or goes within and separates from that falsehood of life and reaches a state of inner peace known as Nirvana. Yet Nirvana too, like Shankara's philosophy and the retreating moksha, and liberation of the Indian saddhu, are all movements away from life, not toward and embracing life. In such a condition how can one develop great new evolutionary products!

This same separation from life exists in the Western tradition, as seen by monks who live in the abbey or monastery separate form the community.

All of these ideas of separation from life have reached their end. They have served their purpose to invoke and connect with spirit apart from life, but now they are anachronisms. We must learn to connect with spirit in life, wherever we are, in all aspects of our daily existence. We must bring spirit into our thoughts, our acts, our work, our inventions, our ideas, our communities, and our institutions. Then we can use the creative Force that is there in the spirit that releases the infinite potential of every thing. Instead of retreating with spirit like the sannyasi or the monk, we bring spirit into every act in our busy modern lives. In such a way we play an evolutionary role for ourselves, for the community and society, even for the universe itself.

Myself: So is this how we become the new evolutionary being? 

RP: I think it's far more astonishing and rich than this! Actually it’s utterly fantastic, beyond our normal human comprehension! What I have just discussed is understandable for most people. After all, we believe in spirit; we are aware that we can become people focused on spirit, and we can utilize spirit in our lives. Of course, maybe one in a 100,000 actually does it. 

But what I hope to get at goes much further, is a bit more startling, more "futuristic" if you will, than what I have just described. It is the replacement of the current human individual existence and collective life for something radically different.

Myself: How Do you mean? 

RP: Well it's hard to explain! After all how can you explain something that doesn't exist? Or how can you explain the future evolutionary existence with our minds when the experience of this future being is beyond mind? But I will give it a shot!

(pause) Let's start with something practical. There is a conflict between two parties; they are at odds with one another. From their individual perspective they are right from their own side. What they each perceive as a truth is of course really only a partial truth at best. Perhaps one side's truth is greater than the other; still each side sees only their side, a very small part of the overall truth. 

Now the man or woman who has touched the divine deep within his soul, living a life of continuous bliss, may witness this conflict, and feel the utter futility of the conflict. Rooted in spirit, he may sense its absurdity and falsehood, sensing that they are simply stuck in their narrow egos. Experiencing the infinite spiritual Divine, he leaves the conflicting parties to their misery. That's about as far as he perceives the parties. In this way he does not really partake in the processes of the world. He’s just a witness; a profound witness who might feel spirit in all, yet is somehow disengaged and not truly tuned in.

The future evolutionary spiritual person will have a considerably different view of the situation, even though he too is firmly anchored in the bliss of spirit. He looks at the situation, and instead of seeing illusion and falsehood, he sees the positive in the negative occurrence. He knows that only through this conflict will the deeper truths come out for each of the parties. He is aware of a process that is unfolding between the rivals. It is in fact a spiritual process. 

He senses that each party is aware of something that the other side is ignorant of; and that it is only through their conflict that each side can know their own folly and falsehood and find their respective missing knowledge! And what's so fascinating is that the knowledge each side is ignorant of is only known by the other side; thus the absolute necessity of their interconnection and conflict, which will in the end reveal the truth that the other side is missing! This is an astonishing insight born of having a profound evolutionary spiritual consciousness. He has many such insights and perceptions in the world. We call this particular insight "contradictions are complements." The evolutionary spiritual being continually sees the conflicts of the opposing parties in the world in their necessary unity and oneness.

Thus, at any moment this evolutionary spiritual individual who is watching the conflict has the knowledge of the true truth, the full truth in all its myriad of details, and in that perception also experiences the unity and oneness of this situation and all of life that in this case on the surface appears to be a contradiction and conflict. He has the inner subtle sense to see the weakness that each side has, the necessary relation that exists between the two that enables them to overcome their limitations of character, all the while sensing the place that the overall situation is moving. He has a knowledge of integral truth of the moment.

In this way the evolutionary spiritual being senses the true and full truth of everything that is unfolding around him. Where others are unaware or oblivious, he perceives the subtle interdependent relationship of all things he comes in contact with. Thus he is integrally unified with all he comes in contact with; he is one with his environment, as well as one with all those around him. And in that subtle vision of unity he senses the wider truth that are unfolding around him; the higher harmonies that are emerging at any moment. 

He is not a being connected to spirit disconnected from life, but a being deeply connected with everything; in its wholeness and in its detail. He has a complete identity with the current and emerging knowledge and truth in that moment. He is not a passive observer or a disconnected spiritualist, but is instead intimately involved in the unfoldings of life; fully engaged and ready to participate. This evolutionary spiritual individual has fully embodied a unitarian consciousness; he has in essence developed a future evolutionary supernature.

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Myself: But is he really spiritual, like the monks and sannyasi you mentioned before. That is, does he really experience spirit? 

RP: Yes, very much so, and in ways that go far beyond our traditional notions of the spiritual life.

This gentleman (or gentlewoman) perceives that spirit exists not only through the transcendent Divine beyond this outer life, but it exists in this earthly life as well. In fact, he experiences all of the universe, the world, the society, his life, himself, all things as spirit. In other words, he sees and feels that everything is God. He doesn't just have the eternal Transcendent spiritual consciousness of the saddhu or monk, but he has also this new element, this Truth consciousness. This spiritual essence that he feels enables him to experience, in his active working life, a profound integral harmony with his environment and with others; the true truth at any moment; the exact right actions at any moment in time. 

Such an individual is obviously quite different in his functioning than the monk or wanderer who is lost in his bliss in the transcendent Divine. He is a future evolutionary being, steeped in the bliss of spirit, but also engaged in life, rooted in this new evolutionary spiritual consciousness, this new truth consciousness power of the Divine spirit.

Rooted in the delight of spirit this evolutionary individual sees everything in its oneness. He senses and experiences it in all things; in all its diversities and multiplicities; even in what appears to others as conflicts and contradictions. He always knows the deeper relations between the parts, between the conflicts and the conflicting parties. His life is one of essential, spontaneous, and inherent unity with everything. 

As you can see this is not easy to explain. This spiritualized future person is quite different from our usual concepts of a spiritual existence and life.

(pause) And yet I have explained but one aspect of this new evolutionary spiritual being!

Myself: But you do say that he experiences spirit. It's not exactly clear how he is "spiritual," in the sense that he is connected to his soul, some higher power,  or God.

RP: Yes, we need to explain why this evolutionary being is a spiritual being; how he connects to or uses spirit. 

(pause) As we said to be able to perceive the oneness of existence and also have the complete knowledge of the truth, in all its detail at any moment, is very different from the blissful sannyasi who sees God everywhere, but has no direct knowledge of the true truth. And yet our individual of truth consciousness is fully anchored in spirit. In every moment in his life he is connected to the Divine Reality. In fact it is because of that connection to that Divine Force, that Divine Truth Consciousness that he is able to be an instrument of it in his active life. 

Thus he is not just one with his environment and the people around him, and lives in that unified truth, but he is one with the Divine spirit, its Force, and Truth Consciousness. In fact, it is only because he has this connection to this Force, that he is the way he is.

Myself: So there's some sort of mother ship of truth consciousness from which he gets his consciousness which enables him to live the way he does in that state of oneness?

RP: That's an interesting way of putting it, but yes, in a way that is true! 

Myself: But how is that connection to God any different than any person connecting to God, such as the athlete in the film Chariots of Fire who says that he runs to experience God's pleasure?

RP: (pause) Yes, it is somewhat different; and it's different because I am speaking of a new power on earth that has never been there before. You could say in a way that it's a new manifestation or extension of God. Or perhaps we can say that God has evolved! He (or she or it) now has a new aspect and power, or at least one that we never recognized and were in contact with before. And that new power, or rather his many new powers (only a couple of which I have thus far discussed) is what the new evolutionary individual will manifest; can and will become in all aspects of his being in the future. 

Myself: Please explain!

RP: Yes, this is very different indeed. 

What I have described as a person having a truth consciousness that enables him to be one with the environment and people around him, one with the emerging and total truth of the moment, and have perfect knowledge and insight on what is right to do at any moment, which action to take at any point, and many other attributes to be explored, is a person who has evolved from our normal human consciousness to a supra-mental consciousness, utilizing the evolutionary supra-mental power of the Divine. 

I use the term "supra" to indicate that it is above mind; thus supra-mental. It is a power, a spiritual power that he has acquired by rising above the sense-bound and rational planes of mind proper, and onto the spiritual planes of mind. At these spiritual planes of mind one experiences ideas and knowledge very differently that in mind proper. There one gains knowledge and insight by being in a state of silence; or higher still as a light that comes into one, as illuminations, as visions, and higher still as intuitions of the knowledge simply descending into the being. Highest still one emerges into this supra-mental plane of existence. There the knowledge he seeks is simply there inside him! He knows and is the knowledge! He not only experiences an identity of oneness with knowledge, but identity with everything, including his environment, the people around him; and with the emerging situations and circumstances at any moment in time.

In the supramental consciousness we don't acquire the knowledge of something by thinking, by inquiring about the object of the knowledge. We simply know it at any moment in time. And we know it because it is not external to us, it is simply in us to begin with! Now that is truly a mind-boggling concept!  In this consciousness when we want to know something that would seem to be external to the normal mind, something that needs to be found out through inquiry, there is no thinking effort to acquire it because it is already inside us a priori! 

And to make it even more interesting, we are not only the instantaneous knower of the knowledge, but we are simultaneously the creators of the knowledge we wish to know!  I'm not sure I will even attempt to explain this. It defies all of our concepts of logic; and yet this is the supramental functioning of the future evolutionary being.

Myself: How come we haven't heard of such an idea in the spiritual or evolutionary literature before?

RP: This Supramental consciousness is new on earth. It has only in the last half century that it has descended from the Divine provinces into the earthly plane, and is now beginning to be available to humanity, to the individual who calls it into his being. 

We should note that this is a power and force that we can now use in our every day lives, no matter what our level of consciousness; without necessarily having to evolve to a much higher level of consciousness or the ultimate evolutionary being. One can call open to this Force at any point, at any time, before any situation, circumstance, event, or act. The result will be that thereafter everything will tend to go right. Life will cooperate, positive events will transpire, things will work right, people will show up just at the right time; everything just turns out perfectly. 

It is complete marvel. To experience it but once can change a life forever.

Let me tell you about an experience I had that illustrates the use of this power. I was doing a training class about ten years ago. In the class things were going poorly during the morning session part of the course. Students were agitated and unhappy, people came late, the answers I gave were poor or incorrect; everyone was generally miserable! So I opened myself to this Force; that is, I consecrated the event just before the start of the afternoon session. Thereafter, every conceivable thing went right. The lessons flowed smoothly, I was able to explain things clearly, people understood clearly, no one was late or hurriedly walked in and out of the room; all of life seemed to cooperate. It was an absolute marvel, a profound miracle really.

Plus, and this is a special quality of opening to this power, there was a deep peace and calm that permeated that room for the rest of the day. It was if we were doing meditation as we were simultaneously learning. In the end utter confusion was turned into an utter marvel. That is the great power of this supramental, truth consciousness; this new active, dynamic power of the infinite Divine, of God.

Myself: That's a wonderful story! So had you become this future evolutionary person in that moment?

RP: Well, I had opened myself for an instance to the evolutionary power. I had not actually become the evolutionary being based on this power. That would require me to live in such a state in every moment of my active life! Could you imagine that marvel existing every moment in your life? It would be beyond overwhelming! Living in such a way at every moment is the way this supramental individual would live. I had but a momentary taste. It was but one humbling experience. 

To actually become this truth consciousness spiritualized being permanently we would need to embody this power in all aspects of our being; in our thoughts processes, in our emotions, and in our bodies. We would need to rise to that plane of consciousness above us, and call it into these three aspects of our being, until each of the three levels were transformed and supramentalized.

(pause) This interest in the Force is there in the imagination of society. When we hear the expression "may the Force be with you" we are in essence opening to the dynamic action of the Divine consciousness. It's not just a force hat we can open to, but it is a force that brings with it stunning results. You might remember when Luke Skywalker in Star Wars opens to the Force, everything thereafter goes right for him. We see clearly that his space battle with the enemy planes suddenly turns to his advantage. Also, interestingly, things simultaneously start working better for his comrades on the planet who have their hands full wit the enemy as well. This shows a dynamic interconnectedness of life that the Force can effect when opened to. When he opens to the Force it affects not only his own fortunes but it also affects others on the great invisible web of life that binds him to others who he is related to in purpose and intent.

However Luke does not embody the Force yet; he is just using it at a moment of crisis. He is consecrating an event in a moment of great peril. On the other hand, his master Yoda was actually beginning to embody the force in his very being; in his thoughts, in his emotions, and in his cells and psychical body. In fact we discover in the film the Phantom Menace that those who embody the Force have a peculiar reading in their blood cell count indicating that they are filled with Force. Perhaps one day those who have embodied the supramental consciousness will have something similar that can be measured!

No, one surely needs to go through a lengthy process, a yoga, a radical transformation of the being in relation to this consciousness to embody its power in one's thoughts, in the mind, in the emotions, in the psyche, and ultimately in the bodily organs and functionings, to become the supramental being.

Myself:  So the Force is both metaphor and real in the world now. But why wasn't this Force available to humanity in previous eras? There were many spiritual experiences in the past, many inner experiences, occult experiences, miracles, and so forth. But why wasn't this new power you speak of available back then?

RP: From our side of the coin we could say that man in his evolution had to rise to a certain level of consciousness to perceive it. From the other side perhaps we can say that the Divine in life is evolving and so it was the right time for it to evolve further to the point that this supramental power could now descend and be available in the earthly realm.

In the end it Sri Aurobindo was the individual who became the nexus between the human ascent towards this power and the divine descent of this power. At some point he made the connection, sensed this dynamic, infinitely-creative unitarian consciousness descending from "above," and spent he rest of his life trying to bring it down more tangibly into the earth consciousness. Shortly before his passing it was clear that he had had considerable success, and it was in fact believed that by the 60s and 70s this Force was fully available for any one in the world who opened to it. Now individuals can open to it far more easily, and at any moment experience, in any circumstance and situation experience its wondrous workings.

Myself:  But this is not the same as becoming an evolutionary being who is an embodiment of the Force.

RP: No, it is not the same thing as establishing a spiritualized Gnostic individual and divine life on earth. That was Sri Aurobindo great vision, to which he devoted his life. Still, establishing the Force "under our radar screens" was a great step in the spiritual history of the world. Now we are able to open to this Force in our daily lives and experience it's great effects. It is also the power that is the basis of the supramentalized spiritual existence.

By the way just to throw something else at you. This supramental power is actually the power that created our universe! It is the instrument that the Divine extended itself into to enable the universe to emerge from the Divine Reality. But that is a story for another day!

Myself: So I assume you have gotten most your ideas from Sri Aurobindo and his followers. Is that right?

RP: Yes, it is based on the direct insights and experience of the Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo, who was the great spiritual pioneer who opened the landscape to this new power and the possibility of a new evolutionary divinized future human existence.

His belief was that humans may not be the final rung on the evolutionary scale. That we might witness the emergence of a new species, one that is above and beyond the present human race as we know it. Or, perhaps we could say that it is perhaps the same human species, but that is evolving to a new level that appears very different in functioning, inwardly and outwardly, from the current humanity. Different emotionally, mentally, spiritually -- even one day physically!   

Sri Aurobindo believed that if we could make the ascent to overcome our limiting nature, if we could further rediscover the hidden spirit in life, if we could come in contact and open ourselves to this Truth Consciousness, then we can change life as we know it. If we can change our own nature by making a concerted effort to overcome our limiting attitudes, opinions, prejudices, and other weaknesses, by connecting with our inner being and soul, and opening ourselves to this Force, we will see the beginnings of a dramatic, unprecedented change in our nature. This change will not only enable our own infinite capacities to blossom, but will release the perfection, oneness, and infinite capacities of the world around us to emerge; including our families, friends, associates, businesses, institutions, and the communities and nations we live in.

So he invited us to take a journey on a path from our current human functioning to a vastly different superfunctioning that opens he doors to infinite accomplishment, success, and happiness in life.

Myself: That is a quite a powerful vision! 

RP: Yes, it really is. It is a first glimpse into a new future spiritualized individual, and a new collective life of such individuals. Fortunately, Sri Aurobindo also gave us many clues about how such an individual would live and function in life.

Myself:  Speaking of which; do you have any other indicators of how this new evolutionary individual would actually live?

RP: Well in one sense we have discussed the way this future person would live in terms of his mental outlook. For one he would in essence at any moment know the full and total truth of things. It would be something akin to hovering over a scene in a Shakespearean play and perceiving at any moment in time the motives, wills, and attributes of each of the characters; and completely know in full the environmental influences of the scene. This individual would in essence have this total knowledge at any moment in time. He would have an integral knowledge of everyone and everything around him. 

But, as you suggest, there must be other aspects to such an astounding existence. We've kind of focused on his nature in terms of mind and perceptions and knowledge; we can also consider such an existence in terms of his feelings and emotions. 

First of all such an evolutionary being would have evolved out of his egocentrism. He no longer acts for his own power; for the satisfaction and enjoyment of his own vital ego. It would be just the opposite. He perpetually feels that the interests, feelings, and needs of other individuals are as important as his own self. He would feel deeply that they are his own. At that point his emotional center has shifted from himself, his separate self, his ego-orientation, to a state of complete identity and harmony with those around him; with their wills, their needs, their actions, and their feelings. The other selves he interacts become part and parcel of his own self. Their essence of being is felt as a part of or an extension of his own essence. At that point he moves from being an ego-centered self to becoming a universal self. This is obviously an astounding reorientation of human consciousness. 

(pause) We think that the goal of life is to fulfill our individual needs. Instead our real goal is to find our true inner spiritual self, and find our extended self. One of the things Sri Aurobindo often speaks of is that man will inevitably evolve to the point where he has a triple status  -- the status of realized individual self where he moves from his ignorance and falsehood to a perfection and integration of his own personal self; a universal self where his own identity is bound to the forces and currents of other people, to the environment, to the collective, to the world and even the universe itself; and a transcendent self, in which he is one with the will and workings of the transcendent Divine spirit. This triple status is in his view the ultimate evolutionary destiny for the individual. 

Myself: But is there any kind of feeling and emotion in this existence, or is it just some kind of peaceful, non-emotive harmony?

RP: When we talk of feeling and emotion, we are really talking about what we call the vital aspect of the individual. This evolutionary individual would have had a transformed vital, just as he would have had a transformed mental makeup and ultimately a transformed physical makeup. In this new status his vital would now be calm, peaceful, pure, open, free, joyful, and filled with an interminable delight. This would replace the normal human nature of intense, up and down feelings, bridled attachments, the hot and cold showers of intense changing emotion, the wanting attitudes, the unshackled impulses, and the and the slavery to our normal animal instincts. 

He would share and commune with others in his delight, as he would take great pleasure in their delight. Their successes would be felt as his own; their joys of achievement would be his. He would feel an endless goodwill towards others, a continuous gratitude, and other feelings of harmony and oneness with others. 

Take the idea of love. Love for this evolved individual will not be the normal self-centered, selfish human love of today. Instead he will experience love simply through the interaction with other beings. This new man will have a Christ and Buddha-like love consciousness by simply being in contact with other individuals. From that interaction he will derive great inner satisfaction and pleasure.

Perhaps his greatest source of pleasure will be the intense delight, joy, and even bliss he will experience by being continually connected with the Divine spirit. He will feel this connection inside him, in all he experiences around him, in everything he perceives, he does; in every action he takes, and in all the results that follow. In that way he experiences an endless pleasure and delight of being; an "ananda" as they call it in India, an ecstatic inner bliss and joy of existence. 

And he will know that when he experiences this delight, he will be fulfilling the purpose for which the Divine created this universe, us -- for the discovery of the delight of our higher nature.  

Myself: Such bliss seems as much physical in nature as emotional. Are there any other physical changes that this individual will experience?

RP:  Yes, there can be a great change in the body of the individual; of the very matter and substance that he is made up of. But this is likely to occur much later on in the process of his transformation. It would likely occur after the essential psychological, mental, and emotional transformations has been made. 

(pause) What he will become physically is hardest to know or envision. What we are assuming is that his mental and emotional nature will have been transfigured, it will have been filled with the supramental power, transforming these aspects into their higher functioning. Then at some point this truth consciousness power, this evolutionary power of the Divine, of God, somehow effects his very cells in some manner, enabling them to change and function in a different way. This then effects a change to the organs, fluids, nerves, bones, and other structures of the body; and we begin to see the emergence of what we could call a new species of individual.

Myself: That's pretty wild! What will this person be like; are we going to run into alien-like creatures with big brains?!?

RP: Who knows, maybe we will! (laughter)

Sri Aurobindo has a number of general observations about the physical makeup of a future evolutionary being. First, he suggests that his body would have great strength, plasticity, and flexibility. There would be a general bodily happiness, a sense of living at ease. Second, he would be liberated from all the bodily suffering that we experience now. All of the pains, injuries, diseases, and other falsehoods of the body would be a thing of the past.  Third, we may very well see changes in the functioning of the body as I mentioned earlier. For example, we might see an end to, or a big change from the current methods of digestion, breathing, procreation, and circulation. 

As a result of such changes this individual would be able to live as long a he wishes to live.  

Finally, we could see major changes to the outer structure of his body as a result of these other changes. 

The partner of Sri Aurobindo, known as the Mother, had a number of future visions of the physical makeup of this ultimate evolutionary future individual. In one vision she said she saw a slim individual, taller than the current human, with no breasts, no sexual organs, a reduced abdominal area, amongst other changes. She also said that a light seemed to emanate from within this individual. Instead of light shining on us to enable our color, the being would radiate his own light!

I mention The Mother being because she spent most of her life attempting to become this ultimate supramental being. She was perhaps the first person to attempt the physical transformation of her body into this new evolutionary body. She constantly spoke of how the supramental power was piercing the very cells of her body and was giving her body new qualities and dimensions. How she was able to see with eyes closed, hear others when they spoke little or at all, and could feel other bodies inside her body to name but a few. This was the great adventure in consciousness she undertook in the last twenty years or so of her extraordinary life. 

The story of how she did this makes for astonishing reading. Her life was really an endless marvel! This epic transformative adventure of hers is captured in the fascinating 13-volume book called The Agenda. It is in essence a ongoing twenty-year interview with her, where she explains hundreds of her subtle spiritual experiences and realizations. In the end we can say that her own physical body had become the great laboratory experiment of human transformation.

Myself: This is very interesting; and yet one must ask an important general question, which is why should humans move and evolve in such directions at all? Why wouldn't we simply develop in an entirely other way? I mean what indicators or markers along the way in our evolution in the last 100,000 years would suggest that in the future we become this evolutionary being? 

RP: Yes indeed, what are the indicators that would suggest such an arc of progress? 

(pause) To answer that we need to evaluate the past changes and movements in human evolution. Then we would need to understand the transitions that enabled him to move from each aspect of his being to the next highest one. Yes, that understanding is critical.

On first glance what Sri Aurobindo has envisioned and what I have just described seems so far-fetched as to border on the absurd. Yet, from his vantage this future evolution is a natural extension and projection of our current makeup and existence. 

Let me explain, with a little evolutionary history. Let's consider the progression of how life evolved in the universe. As life in the universe has evolved from physical matter to animated life to conscious being in mind, so too the human's development mirrors this progression. The physical matter of the universe has essentially become our bodies; the animus of life in the universe has become our life force, and our emotional and psychological being. As for mind, well we are in essence the embodiment of thought and mind in the universe, unless there are also other self-conscious beings somewhere else. 

In this progression we can say that mind is our highest functioning in our evolution so far. Our minds is what separates us from other animals, particularly in its higher functionings. In fact, our powers of reason, logic, and self-conception are unique in all the world, a step upwards from the lower species on earth. It is our crowning quality and achievement.

It is not too difficult then to conceive of the fact that there can be a yet higher functioning of mind than even the current highest functioning of mind. Rather than the current limited mind, which is primarily focused on the inputs of the five senses, or the higher ideative processes of logic, reason, and the development of new ideas, we can envision the emergence of new functionings of mind, new ways understanding or absorbing knwo3eldge, new ways of perceiving the world.

Sri Aurobindo calls such new higher functionings of beyond the current functionings of mind spiritual mind. In spiritual mind the knowledge that we try to pursue at any moment comes into our field of awareness not primarily through the inputs of our senses of the current mind, not through the hard thinking processes of scrutiny and ideative logic of the current mind, but through subtle means. For example, if we are calm and peaceful, then thoughts arise in our minds in our silence.  Higher still, knowledge enters our minds not through a complex thinking process but as illuminations of knowledge that enter our minds as vision and light; or even higher still as pure intuitions and descents of the complete object of knowledge into our minds without any thought at all. There is simply a descent of the entire object of knowledge that we wish to know into minds. It simply drops into our minds! 

At these pinnacles of spiritual mind we are no longer restricted to what we know, or have absorbed, that are there stored in our own mental data banks. Instead we open ourselves to knowledge that is there in the subtle realms around us, that are there unseen in the universe. We are in essence open to descents from the universal mind, where all knowledge is "stored," which we can access at any time, descending as needed into our being as visions, illuminations, and thought-less intuitions. 

Many people have had such openings to these higher spiritual planes of mind. "Eureka, I've got it" is an example of an illumination and vision that has come into a man's mental awareness as light, that is, knowledge as light. Others have had similar experiences by going within into a meditative or contemplative or other higher state of consciousness. Actually, most of us have these experiences from time to time, though we are rarely aware of it, since we live too close to the surface of life to sense its subtlety. Naturally as human grow and evolve the frequency and intensity of such experiences will dramatically increase. After awhile for some it will become a settled realization, where knowledge enters our mind's in ways very different from the current thinking processes of mind proper.

Then finally there is the ultimate evolutionary status that we are addressing in this discussion. At this highest level of spiritual mind there isn't even an object of knowledge! Or rather the object of knowledge we are trying to perceive no longer exists in the universe and descends into our being as intuitions. Instead we ourselves are the object of knowledge! This is the ultimate super-mind, a plane of consciousness that the evolutionary spiritual individual will embody in all aspects of his being.  

Myself: This is fascinating, but a little fuzzy. Do you have a practical example that can help us better understand these levels? 

RP: Yes, let's take an example. 

(pause) Let's say that I am a financial professional who wants to give the best answer to his client's inquiry. If I am a person centered primarily in the lowest consciousness of the human being, the physical consciousness, then I am not even interested in giving him an answer! the physical is inert, fixed, and unresponsive. If I am centered in the next highest level, in the vital/emotional consciousness, then I'll give him an answer if I feel like it, if I am moved to do so emotionally, if I am enthusiastic about doing it. The emotions are up and down dependent on one's feelings. If I am centered at the mental level, then I think about the possible solutions to the problem by accessing my storage bank of information and ideas using in my mind, and by the mind's thought processes of logic and reason.

Now let's see how the spiritual mind would handle coming up with the solution for the client. If I am in the first level of spiritual mind, the higher mind, I would be calm, and would be more likely come up with the a solution by working from this silent state. In my silence all of my mental functionings seem to work at their sharpest; there is less waste in thought, more of a tendency through my thinking to get at the solution. I am less distracted by the sense orientation of mind proper. This is higher mind. 

At the next highest level of spiritual mind, the solution to the problem does not come through the normally heavy thinking and ideative processes, but come as a ray of light, an illumination, or as a vision. Suddenly I say "yes, now I've got it." It just comes into my mind. This is illumined mind. 

Higher still the complete object of knowledge with all of its details simply enters my brain as intuition. The solution to the clients problems in its myriad of details simply comes into my mind "from the outside." There was absolutely no though involved. The knowledge with all of its needed details is dropped into my head; the object of knowledge simply descends into me as intuitions. This is intuitive mind.  

At the highest supramental level of consciousness, above even these three levels of spiritual mind, the solution I seek is simply in me! The client asks for a solution; and I know it instantly in all its details without any thinking. In this case there  is no descent because the object of knowledge is already part of me, even if I have no skills or knowledge in the field the client is asking questions about!  I just know. Since the object of knowledge doesn't descent into me as it does in intuition, then I must instantaneously be creating that knowledge even as I know it. This is an astounding concept, indicating that I am getting the answer and creating the answer simultaneously! When the client asks his question (on any topic in the universe) I simply know because I create the object of knowledge from seemingly out of nowhere! There is no division between subject and object. He is at once the creator of the knowledge and the perceiver of that which he has created. 

One of the conclusions we have come to is that this supramental way of knowing is precisely the way that the Divine or God "knows." He is not just the knower but the creator of the knowledge that needs to be known! After all it was through this supramental power that the Divine created the universe; and we can use that same power to be both creator and knower of the object of knowledge that is within us. 

This is but one example of the astounding ways that the supramental evolutionary being experiences reality.

Myself: I think I get it. It is rather overwhelming. It is beyond the wildest science fiction. It is .. well.. it's hard to explain ... yet it's remarkable!

So at that point you actually become the ultimate evolutionary individual? 

RP: Not quite. We can have any of these experiences for a moment or two. However, that fleeting experience is very different than living that way, embodying it in our lives on a permanent basis. In other words, having an experience is not the same as a realization. A realization is something permanent and integrated in one's being.

Also, what I have described is but one aspect of this supramental existence. There are other extraordinary aspects of this evolutionary individual that are beyond the mental aspect, the integral knowing. There is also how it expresses in the emotions and psychological nature, as well as the effects on the physical body, the effects on action and results in life, and so forth.

Myself: I see. But still I don't quite have the picture of how these levels relate to our ultimate evolutionary destiny? 

RP: I am mentioning these levels of spiritual mind only to point out that there is an ascending evolution that the universe and later the human race has been and is going through; which began as matter, evolved further as the animus of life, and further developed to the current mental functioning of the human mind. Our spiritual destiny then is to rise to up through these ascending levels of silent, illumined, and intuitive spiritual mind, and then move onward still to this ultimate supramental, truth consciousness level of mind.

There is then a natural upward ascent, curve, and movement among these levels; from mind proper that we now have and utilize, to spiritual mind, and then onto the supramental consciousness, where we experience and live a oneness and identity with everything, where there is the true truth; which becomes the foundation for this ultimate human existence.

(pause) Still, we can better understand this arc if we understand the current functionings of our minds; of mind proper. That will clue us into the subtle changes that occurred in mind; that are there between the lowest sense-based part of mind proper and the highest rational part of mind proper. Then we can see even more clearly the curve of the arc of our ascending evolution.

Myself: So your now talking about the normal mental functioning of the typical person that he uses on a daily basis?

RP: Yes. 

(pause) First we should acknowledge again that we are fundamentally a physical body. From that matter in our bodies has emerged an animated aspect, an energy-driven aspect which we experience in our feelings and emotions. This is the vital level. Of course, all sentient life forms have various vital capacities. What makes us uniquely human however is our developed mental functioning. This is the plane that evolved out of the vital, as the vital organized itself to deal with the pressures and force of life.

Let's then focus on this normal functioning of mind so we can better see this arc and curve of our evolutionary possibility. At the lowest level of mind proper the mind functions primarily as an interpreter of the inputs of the body's five senses. At this level of mind the mind is performing more of an automatic function, not unlike a computer; processing, organizing, systemizing of the physical, natural, and practical facts of information that are being absorbed by the five senses; and turning them into understanding, comprehension, and knowledge, which can later be used for decision-making, action, and accomplishment in life. 

At a slightly higher level of mental functioning we utilize, develop, and give meaning to these inputs of data we get from the senses. We evaluate the information, tinge it with our vital sentiments, and develop it into meaningful personal values and ideals that we believe in. At this middle level of mind proper we in essence gain a knowledge of life's workings and color it into a settled belief system. This is where the practical organized knowledge and comprehension of facts that we gained from the senses in the previous lower level is imbued with our emotions and feelings, which turns these organized facts into our own interests, sentiments, values, and ideals.

Though it exists in each person, few people have their center of their being and consciousness art this level, though there are some who are highly developed here. Certainly as we develop as people, we will move from our emotive, emotional, separative, ego-based vital center below mind, and the fact-gathering sense-based lower mind to this middle region of mind. In other words, our values, sentiments, and ideals will become more defined for more people in the future. Now this is not the case for 75% or more of the people of the world.

I think that all of the emerging values we see in the world, such as freedom and democracy are examples of values and ideals that are developed at this level. We also develop our own personal values at this level, such as believing or valuing tolerance, openness, commitment to the customer or to high level of products in a business; not to mention our moralities, philosophies, social values, and deepest beliefs.

Then we come to the highest part of mind proper. It is here that we enter into the realm of logic and pure thought; where we also conceive new ideas, new possibilities, including new possibilities in the future for our own selves. At this level we not only think rationally, logically, and objectively, but we can envision, self-conceive the world; self-conceptualizes our own possibilities and potentials; we begin to become master of that which he wishes to become. That is a big change in human consciousness, and a great turning point in human evolution! 

At this level of mind we move from the mere automatic gathering and sorting of information, of the reflexive interpretation of this data from the sense mind, and come to the doorway of true thinking, understanding, and conception; including our own self-conception. We begin to become conscious of who and what we are, enabling us to vision our future possibilities and potential. We begin to become self-conscious beings, sensing that we can in fact determine our own future destiny, and as a result, we begin to march in the direction of our own self-conception and vision. We are thus able to grow, develop, and evolve.

Myself: But few of us live at this level.

Yes, only a very few individuals are centered in their normal day to day being at this highest level of mind proper, where logic, pure thought, and self-conception reign; though more and more of us are moving in this direction. It's surely our destiny as we become more learned, educated, aware of possibilities.

Theoretical scientists, mathematicians, metaphysicians, and programmers use logic and reason primarily indicating that they are centered at this level. Perhaps the currently popular Self-Help movement is an indication of the emergence of the self-conceptive element of this plane; of how we can conceive our higher level of personal growth in the future. Again also, if we look out into society, we can see how this level is reflected there. Such disparate phenomenon as the great discoveries in science, or the emergence of the Internet, or the understanding of impassioned negotiating in world conflicts, or the logical though processes that go into thinking about economic and social development are in various ways reflections of man's ascent toward the logic, rationality, pure thinking, and self-conceptive aspects of this highest level of mind proper.

Myself: So that's then the pinnacle of how we use our minds in life?

RP: Well, that's the pinnacle of mind proper. Further still, beyond these normal levels of mind, we come to the doorways of the spiritual mind that we discussed earlier. At those centers of consciousness, we move beyond the hard thought and ideative process of mind. Here we gain the object of knowledge, we know the object of our inquiry more directly through silence, illumination, vision, and intuition. At these levels knowledge just pours into our being, rather than going through the hard mental processes of logic and thinking of mind proper.

Beyond that we move into the highest realm of mind, beyond spiritual mind to the realm of the pure truth consciousness, the supramental plane of consciousness. There we know things directly, we are one with the object of knowledge, of the object of our inquiry. The object of knowledge, the thing we wish to know, whatever it is, is simply there in our being. When we wish to know something we simply know it!

Planes of Consciousness
(vertical scale)

Supermind* (truth consciousness)

Overmind

Spiritual Mind -Intuitive Mind -Illumined Mind -Higher Mind

Mental  (Mind proper) -Pure Mind -Emotional Mind -Physical Mind

Vital

Physical

* -Above the plane of Supermind is the Divine existence and consciousness; the Divine Omnipresent Reality; the Satchitananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss) of the East; the Creator of the West. Supermind is the intermediary between this ultimate Divine plane and all that is below it.  
-For of the nine levels of our (non-spiritual) mental, vital, and physical makeup, click here.  For an explanation of the levels of spiritual mind and above, click here. For more info on the Supramental plane and consciousness, click here.

And its not limited to this; this truth consciousness existence extends to other aspects of life. As we are enveloped by this supramental power we are not only one with the object of any knowledge we seek to know, but we also are in identity with, are one with all and everything in the world; one with the environment, one with all of the individuals we interact with; and one with the situations and circumstances we are engaged in. In that way we are completely and integrally connected with everything around us, giving us a great knowledge, insight, truth, power, and harmony in life. At any moment we become integrally aware of the myriad of outer and subtler forces, energies, needs, and unfoldings around us. This gives us an integral knowledge, that enables us to know the full and integral truth of each moment, enabling us to see all the possibilities around us, including the possibilities for action. Then we are able to take the exact right actions since we are aware of all the best potentials and possibilities. So everything we do tends to end perfectly, to be perfectly executed with the greatest efficiency that enables the greatest results to come about in the shortest period of time with the least effort expended.

Also, in that status we become open to the infinite potentials of life. Endless new possibilities come into our field of vision; a plethora of ideas enter our minds, such as outburst of new concepts, new products, inventions, ideals, ways of living, and others. Over time we begin to move away from our acceptance of the finite nature of life around us -- that what life presents is only what is possible -- to a point where we are able to make life endlessly blossom. At that point we become the great creators of new life. We perceive the vast multiplicities that are there as potential, and enable them to come into being from seemingly out of nowhere. Thus, we become God-like in our capacities to unleash the infinite in life.

Myself: It sounds like you are describing some sort of magician who pulls a rabbit out of hat, who enables things to appear out of nowhere.

RP: Yes, that "nowhere" is the infinite potential of life that we come directly in contact with when we embody the supramental consciousness. We in essence are able to mimic the Divine consciousness that extended to and utilized the supramental power to create the universe in the first place. In that consciousness we are able to gain access to that same power; to engage the infinite potentials and possibilities that exist at the spiritual plane, and turn them into infinite manifested realities. Thus, we become God-like creators in life.

(pause) So in living this extraordinary existence we are able to abridge space and time. When we open and embody this Force we gain the results in a few days, hours, or even seconds what would have taken months or years to attain if left to the natural order. Because we have insight and integral knowledge in any given moment, we are able to take the absolutely correct inner or outer action that enables life to instantaneously and abundantly respond in kind. In that way we are able to replace the finite that we originally perceived with the infinite that we now helping to manifest.

Thus we see two extraordinary developments. We are able to overcome time by making the future occur in the present, and we are able to manifest the infinite in the finite. We have overcome the shackles of space and time, and have opened the portals to the infinite, enabling it to pour into life. In that way we have become Divine-like, becoming, in essence, the Masters of Life.

Also, as a result of this timeless and infinite existence, we experience life as never-ending marvel; We experience great joy, an endless delight of being. At that point we truly fulfill the purpose of life, the purpose for which the Divine manifest this universe; which is to enable the forms in the universe it created, including us, to discover our higher nature, to find spirit, to enable spirit to release the infinite potential of life, and, as a result, for us to experience the infinite delight of being.

I should point out that we not only experience this delight as a result of releasing the infinite potential of life in the timeless present, but also as a result of our experiencing the oneness with all existence; by living in identity with the objects of knowledge, and by being one with the environment and other individuals around us. That oneness also reinforces this great delight of being.

Ultimately, however, the greatest contributor to this ecstatic experience of continuous joy, delight, and bliss is our relationship with the spiritual source of all in the universe, with the spiritual Divine Reality. Our delight is that we are not only experiencing a Divine connection, but that we are following, living out, driven in all our actions and deeds by the Divine will and purpose.

(pause) So now we see this entire spectrum, this arc and curve of man's ascent. He is born with a body and a vital/emotional being, and a partially developed mental being. In the current evolution he rises to become a fully mental being; that is, he rises from utilizing mind for mere fact gathering and idea development, but rises uses mind for the development of his sentiments, values, and ideals, and then higher still to pure reasoning, where he can also self-conceive his future existence.

Then he emerges even beyond mind proper, into spiritual mind, where knowledge simply descends into his being without thought, in silence, as illuminations, as visions, as intuitions. Then he begins to encounter the truth consciousness where he is the creator and knower of the knowledge he wishes to know; where he embodies this supramental power in all parts of his being, enabling him to discover, control, and release the infinite potentials of life; where he becomes one with all around him, and becomes an instrument of the Divine will in every action he takes, in every breathe he takes And in that existence he continually experiences the delight and ecstasy of being, fulfilling the purpose of the creation.

This then is the arc that Sri Aurobindo has inscribed for us. It is one that traces the past evolutionary change, accounts for our present human status, and points to a future evolutionary possibility, to a new type of spiritual evolutionary being and existence.

(End of Part 1)

---

PART 2 
The First Signs of Our Ascent 

Myself: So how do we get from here to there; from us poor human to the pinnacles of this future evolutionary existence?

RP: Sri Aurobindo said that life, what we call "Nature" was on a path headed towards this evolutionary existence. Nature's progress would one day lead us there. Unfortunately, left to Nature itself, it could take 30,000 years to reach such an existence! However, Sri Aurobindo believed that though our own human self-conception and aspiration towards that aim, we can now set out on that path, not wait for Nature, abridge time, and make it happen in perhaps 300 years. 

I believe we could in fact see major inroad towards such a life in even the next 30 years. 

Myself: What makes you think that?

RP: Well, already we see a vast acceleration of the higher mental capacities of man. For example, we have seen in the last half-century a rapid increase in logical, rational thought divorced from senses in such diverse areas as new mathematics, developments in science and theoretical physics, in software programming, in economic and social development, in strategic planning, in decision-making, and in many other areas and fields of life. In these fields and in many other aspects of our daily existence we see a distinct acceleration towards the higher aspects of mind proper. For example, people in their work are better at organizing, systematizing, planning, and logical decision-making.

Likewise, we see how people are using the higher aspect of mind proper to come up with new ideas in their work and elsewhere in their lives. In recent times there has been a plethora, rather a torrent, of new ideas, new theories, new forms of logic, even new ways of thinking. 

Then there's the ability for us to be aware and self-conceptualize that which we want to become. This aspect of mind is reflected in many ways such as the acceleration and interest in self-help groups, of personal growth as in this Growth Online site, and in many other ways where people want to become something greater than what they are, both inwardly and outwardly.

So despite the unbelievable ignorance and falsehood that we as a species are steeped in, we see that the power of rationality, higher thinking is on the rise! These are distinct signs that man is awakening. 

Likewise, we see a social awakening as well. As a result of greater global communications and media, we see a distinct awareness of our interconnectedness. From that we are able to rationally perceive the plight of others, the ways to solve problems that effect us all, and so forth. This also indicates a slow, but steady movement towards higher states of harmony and unity, reflecting our evolving social awakening and progress. 

Both of these trends, the individual's higher mental development and the emerging social awareness, come together today with the advent of the Internet. The Internet is an embodiment of both the higher mental consciousness of the individual and the emerging social consciousness of society.

Myself: The Internet?

RP: Well, the Internet is a complex system that is in one sense is an extension of the ever-growing, rapidly developing capacities of the human mind. It's a reflection of all aspects of mind, from fact-gathering sense-based mind to the mind of sentiments, ideas, and values to the highest aspect of rational thought, new ideas, and self-conception of who we wish to be and how we can improve ourselves. The Internet is in that sense an external embodiment of all of these higher aspects of mind. 

The Internet surely gives us plenty of fact-based information, unloading the burden of the lower part of mind which is engaged in fact and idea gathering based on the input of the senses. With this information in hand we can move towards the higher aspects of mind proper where we develop our sentiments, values, and ideals, and higher still where we engage in rational thought, where we extend the information and values to new possibilities for the world and ourselves.

The Internet is then a reflection of our own aspiration to move towards the middle and higher aspects of mind, and away from fact gathering. Let's let the Internet do that so that we can engage in our higher mental functionings!

Plus the Internet is a reflection of the forces and powers that are emerging in society, such as a movement to closer connections between the people of the world, as well as new emerging values, such as freedom, democracy, individual self-reliance, the interrelations of cultures, the inter-relation of various fields of work in life, the belief in individual fulfillment in one's lifetime, and so forth. So the Internet is also a reflection of movements towards higher unity, harmony, and oneness of society. And these social developments are reflections of the individual's movement to fulfill himself in his lifetime, to conceive that which he wishes to be. So the Internet has emerged as a reflection of all of these forces, powers, drives, and aspirations. I have spoken at great length on this topic in another interview called The Internet is Mirror of Our Evolution.

Myself: And yet this state of the individual and society you are describing seems pretty far away from the ultimate spiritual evolution that we have been taking about.

RP: Well, yes and no. No it's not the obvious inner oneness and identity with others, with the environment, of the experience of the true truth of things that we envision for this future evolutionary existence. It's not even directly the first small psychic or spiritual experiences that would indicate or be a forerunner of a spiritual transformation. And yet such developments as the movement toward higher functionings of mind and outwardly the Internet are important steps along the way. 

Still your question is valid. If you think of it, from one perspective, the Internet is a kind of subtle, even magical system of organizing and disseminating information and knowledge. We do a search on the Internet and we are connected to a universe of information. The results come instantly and abundantly. If we are fortunate, we also get integrated information that has predigested facts that have been formulated into ideas that are very useful to us. This suddenness and integral detail of knowledge, is really a kind of miracle at work. The laws of space and time are seemingly overcome. This surely must indicate some sort of subtle or spiritual functioning is at work!

Also, the way information is linked, related, and unified on the Internet are also a sign of a hidden unity and harmony that is emerging; in the being of individuals, even in the society. 

If in one incredible system you capacities that overcome laws of space and time, and also suggest higher emergences of unity and oneness behind, you have something that seems suspiciously spiritual in nature! (laughter)

Myself: You have then a rather interesting definition of the term "spiritual."

RP: Yes, spiritual is the movement to the higher aspects of mind to spiritual mind and above. We are surely seeing man moving into the higher aspects of mind proper, and is beginning to have experiences that suggest he is also peeking into the spiritual mind. In addition, any movement towards unity, harmony, and oneness is spiritual because Oneness of being is one of the great properties and outcomes of spiritual connectedness and consciousness.

Also we can see even the Internet itself is spiritual in nature.

Myself: The Internet is spiritual?

RP: I think so!

I think the Internet is spiritual because it is non merely gross-material, outer, obvious in its functioning, but subtle and inner in its workings. We type in something in a search and we get responses from all fields of life, from all disciplines, from any place on earth, and it all comes instantly in a bundle. That sounds a little bit like the supramental functioning where an individual knows the object of knowledge the instance he wishes to know knowledge. For this individual it occurs within him, whereas in the Internet it occurs outside and he needs to make an effort.

So the Internet seems to have qualities that seem to take us in the direction of inner, hidden, infinite forces and powers of life. It's not that Internet is spiritual in full; it's just that it has this subtle capacity that borders on the spiritual.

It's also subtle because it enables individuals to have from an outer source somewhat of an integral knowledge. For example, an individual who has a particular illness can search the Internet, and by the end of the day have more knowledge about his illness than any doctor could have provided him! we call this a subtle power because it defies our normal perceptions of logic and space and time as expressed in the outer gross-material plane of existence. Instead we move into the hidden, inner, cosmic subtle powers of existence that humans are just beginning to come in touch with. The Internet has this subtle aspect that defies space and time, and can enable full, integral knowledge in the blink of an eye.

The subtle, and further still the causal plane of the supramental consciousness, are aspects of existence that we are beginning to touch in our lives. If the spiritual is the sum of everything that is gross-material, subtle, and physical, then by touching the subtle and causal we are touching spirit to a far greater degree. When we move to the higher aspects of mind proper we become somewhat more subtle; when we move to spiritual mind we become vastly more subtle. When we open to the Force or when we embody the force as supramental spiritual evolutionary beings then we become causal, enabling life to respond infinitely and abundantly in a moment in time.

So Internet is the ultimate form of complex organization reflecting the higher developments of mind in the individual, and perhaps even of something subtle and spiritual in the mind of men. The Internet is subtle in that it gives sudden information, defying the laws of space and time; and it is subtle because it gives deeply insightful, full, integral knowledge. These are all indicators of something very special, that some special inner forces, powers, call it spiritual if you wish, are at work.

Myself: So there are many currents indicating some kind of emergence.

RP: Yes, it's happening at the level of the individual and at the level of the society. More specifically we can see that it is an indicator of this evolutionary emergence toward the subtlety of higher spiritual mind.

The Internet, instant global communications and media, freedom, democracy, greater higher education, rise in logical and rational thinking, the rise of deep logical thinkers like programmers and theoretical scientists, are all signs of the movements toward the higher statuses of mind; where one thinks rationally and logically, where one self-conceives the world, with new ideas, new possibilities; where one conceives one's own potential in life, where one utilizes one's own higher mental power to envision what he wishes to become, to envision his total self-fulfillment of his potential; and where one begins to experience the world as subtle intuitions of knowledge. 

Through the utilization of the emerging powers of mind we are beginning to control and redirect the slow, meandering course of Nature. It seems like all of these developments are indications that we are beginning to take control of life; of not waiting around for Nature to take her interminable conflict-filled course. These are surely early indicators that man through his developing consciousness is moving on a path toward a new higher status. 

An associate of mine said that the last few centuries have been dominated by trade, economics, and our material well being, but that the 21st century will be the century of the emerging spirit. We are now in that transition between the two, with all of these developments being the indicators of this great change.

Myself: And with all of these wonderful, even subtle developments, with our greater utilization of our mental capacities, things don't seem particularly spiritual out there. If anything, things seem cold and quite material. 

RP: Yes, you are right, these do not seem to be clearly the spiritual movements that Sri Aurobindo and others conceived of. And yet they are clear indicators of an emerging subtlety, whether in the higher movements of mind in individuals or in the emergence of new technologies and social bridges between people that do seem to border on the spiritual.

On the other had, there are many direct signs that there is an acceleration of spiritual-type experiences, events, and situations that are probably the indicators and harbingers of a new spiritual evolutionary individual and collective world to come.

Myself: How so?

RP: (pause) People are beginning to become conscious! They really are! For example, say something unusual happens at the office that seems to suggest that there is something non-linear or non-logical at work, and the other person exclaims, "Boy, you must be psychic." This is an indication that people are becoming more subtly aware. They are increasingly having synchronistic experiences of all types that they are really aware of and are acknowledging, and are not simply ignoring and dismissing as mere coincidence. Another example: one person says to another "I can't believe you just called, I was just thinking of you at that very moment." This is an overt recognition of the subtle forces at work.

Of course, many have experienced a profound spiritual experience in their lives in the traditional sense of the word "spiritual." A communion with God, a profound sense of one-ness, a severe illness or near-death experience, an answer came to a prayer when there was a difficult situation. Such experiences have always been there, and continue to be so. 

Then there are those who are aware of the inter-relationship and connection between one's inner consciousness and life and the outer world around us. There are a number of individuals who for example changed an inner perception or attitude, or took a particularly new approach or action, and then were amazed when life seemed to suddenly and abundantly respond on the outside in kind. If they even a little bit conscious, they are able to see the relationship between their inner change of attitude, perception, value, action, and the way life suddenly responded kind in a positive way. Such experiences are dramatically on the increase. I get emails all of he time with people's experiences. They feel overjoyed and energized by the experience, and are happy to share it. Plus, they see how life really works, and how they can control their lives from a change in their own consciousness. It's a revelation.

Myself: Do you have some way of classifying this particular phenomenon?

RP: At Growth Online we call this phenomenon "life response," and it is perhaps the most astounding process and functioning of life that we present at the site. For instance, one businessperson changes a bad attitude, and then suddenly gets a call from out of nowhere offering him a big contract! This is, in effect, life responding positively to his change of inner status and consciousness. In life we don't normally perceive such connections, but there is in fact a total connection between these two seemingly disparate entities; between the inner status of the individual and the sudden, sometimes instantaneous outer positive results that follows. This demonstrates the connection between the inner to the outer, itself a reflection of the ultimate unity and oneness of life. 

These are only a few of the types of subtle experiences that people are increasingly having. Everywhere people are sensing such phenomena more and more in their lives. They are acknowledging it; even as they mock it or joke about it on the surface. It shows that the spiritual power, as expressed in this connectivity between the inner and the outer, in non-linear outcomes, in experiences that defy our normal perceptions of logic, of cause and effect, of space and time, is really emerging in life. Or, perhaps we should say that these conscious individuals have risen to a level of knowledge of and awareness of such things spiritual, and are thus more likely to acknowledge it and respect it when it occurs. Though a serious interest in such forces and powers is not really at the center of most of these individual's lives, the awareness of such phenomenon in people's minds is beginning to get organized. It's definitely a start.

Myself: But what's the connection between these experiences and the different levels of mind and consciousness that lead to our evolutionary spiritual being?

RP: It is the first signs of the movement beyond the rational, logical mind; of mind proper. It is a movement into the higher capacities of mind, which we have called spiritual mind. They are experiences of the subtlety that that is there in the hidden dimensions of life that come from momentary experiences from the spiritual plane of mind.

As we said, in spiritual mind we experience knowledge and the world around us in a different way. If we are calm and silent, then we seem to understand better; our thinking processes work better, and ideas, logical thoughts more readily come into our being in silence. This is higher mind, the level up from mind proper. At a higher level still of spiritual mind, we move beyond the hard thinking processes, and instead ideas, knowledge, understanding, insights comes as illuminations of light and visions. Beyond that still the object of knowledge comes as intuitions, where we no longer have to think hard to come up with an answer; instead the object that we now searching for simply comes into our minds as a descent of intuition. We simply know the object of knowledge that we seek. At that point we have completely dissociated ourselves from the sense mind of mind proper. This is intuitive mind. Beyond that is supramental mind or supermind, where we are the object of knowledge; where we are in complete identity with the environment, others, the true truth, and the transcendent Divine consciousness, God.

All of these early experiences of man are subtle movements toward and connections with these spiritual levels of mind. 

(pause) Perhaps we can also say that these experiences of subtle life phenomena and the like are also a reflection of some type of inner capacities that reside in the deeper recesses of our being; in what we call the inner mind.

Myself: An inner mind?

RP: Let me explain. We can kind of think of two simultaneous evolutionary movements in the individual. One is the movement that ascends from matter to life to mind to spiritual mind to truth consciousness mind, and beyond where we connect to pure Spirit. Perhaps we can call these the "evolutionary steps" that leads us to our spiritual nature. It's a movement upward from matter to pure spirit; to the Divine. This is the ascent along the vertical scale of human consciousness. We experience knowledge in silence as vision, illumination, and intuition of the object of knowledge without thought at all from these ranges.

But there's another movement, a movement from living our lives at the outer surface of life to living it centered in the very most depths of innermost consciousness. In this evolutionary movement we make the effort to withdraw from our outer surface connections with life, which is the way we normally engage life and the cause of many of our problems, and instead move within into our inner consciousness. In essence we move from the surface of life to the depths of our being; "from the surface to the depths" as we say. When we connect deeper within ourselves in this way, whether it be through concentration, meditation, or just by being still and focused within, we withdraw from the surface consciousness of outer life, and touch our inner consciousness of stillness, of calm, of wideness, of wisdom, and ultimately our spiritual self. 

As we move ourselves from the surface of life, we move into the depths of our being; from the outer physical, mental, and vital consciousness to an inner consciousness, including the inner mind that is more in touch with the truth of things. This inner mind constantly throws up signals and information to our surface consciousness. Generally these are of a very high and positive nature. This subtle mind is in direct touch with universal forces, and universal mind itself. The inner consciousness can see behind the things we are experiencing; it is aware of the play of forces involved at any moment; personal or universal. So our surface being constantly receives something, inner touches, communications, and influences from this region. These reflect in our psychic experiences, our human intuitions, and other types of subtle experiences we occasionally have in life.

At the greatest depths we are in touch with the inner, personal soul, the psychic being. There we are open to the greater cosmic, universal forces, with its greater truths, understanding, wisdom, power of effectivity. There are few who have connections with this region, but for those who do one's life is very different from the normal human functioning, and is a distinct step towards the evolutionary spiritual being that is the subject of our inquiry.

The thing I am trying to bring out here is that individuals are having more and more experiences that originate in the subtle mind and perhaps the personal soul, just as they are having experiences that relate to mind proper, and spiritual mind and above.

Myself: So it seems that there are two tracks to our growth and development.

RP: Yes, the journey is not only to the pinnacle planes above mind proper, but into the depths of the inner being. We can rise to the powers of spiritual mind to supermind to the transcendent Divine, or we can dive within and find the psychic being, the spiritual Self there. People have had all sorts of profound experiences as a result of an opening above and plunging deep within. We even occasionally have experiences from these realms when we live in our normal vital and mental consciousness.

So we can say that the individual can rise to the heights in the vertical scale of consciousness that spans matter to the Divine. Or he can move to the depths of the horizontal scale of consciousness that exists from the surface of life to the depths of one's being in the subliminal being, culminating in the inner personal soul, in our spiritual guide within.

Horizontal Scale of Human Consciousness

< DEPTHS (inner)

SURFACE (outer) >

 

DEPTHS (inner)

Subconscious (mostly negative) Subliminal Being (mostly positive) -Inner Mind, Vital, Physical -Psychic Being (Personal Soul)

(pause) And yet for the most part people have had only fleeting conscious experiences of the inner being and personal soul, or fleeting moments of illumination and perhaps intuitions of the object of knowledge. these are one-time experiences; they are not however permanent realizations. And that's the key issue (!): how to make these experiences permanent. Or rather, how to transform the various parts of our being so there is a decisive and permanent change. That will be the central issue in any attempt to bring about our new evolutionary spiritual nature.

Myself: So how do we do that?

RP: Sri Aurobindo examined all of the techniques of the East and West, all of the philosophies, all of the yogas, all of the practices, and traditions, and religions. He wondered how we can make the change permanent; how we can permanently be transformed into higher functioning individuals, where such experiences are never-ending; where they are embodied in our essential make-up. This would essentially enable the establishment of the future evolutionary spiritual being.

Myself: So did he have some sort of technique or roadmap to make things permanent, to enable this evolutionary future being?

RP: Yes, he did. But that's for those individuals who want to make this great leap; who aspire to dedicate their lives to becoming this future spiritualized evolutionary being. To change their nature into a new radically different supernature rooted in this new supramental consciousness that he pioneered. I don't know many such people (!), though I believe there will be many in the coming century, if not much much sooner.

Myself: And for the rest of us who aren't so ambitious?

RP: For the rest of us, he gave a great technique too; far less ambitious, but very effective. And this technique can also be the stepping-stone for those who wish to undertake the great transformation to the new evolutionary being.

Which brings us back to Star Wars and "remember the Force, Luke." In the film we are asked to open to the Force, to enable good things to happen. In the film The Force is explained as something that "binds the universe." It is also a Force that if opened to, as Luke opens to it in the films, and we open to it in our lives, has the power to suddenly and profoundly alter life's circumstances. 

Sri Aurobindo asked his followers as a minimum to do the same; to aspire for, and open themselves to this Force. That was the minimum he asked of us. If we weren't ready to move on to the vastly more difficult transformational journey to the new evolutionary being, we could at least open to the Force; to use it in our lives and see its dramatic results.

I know a number of individuals who are doing this very thing as a regular part of their daily routine. And when they invoke the Force everything works out beautifully; life cooperates, it responds continually, instantly, abundantly and miraculously in kind.

So there is a very simple method. Just before you engage in any important act, you open yourself to this Higher Power, to this Force, and offer the current situation or circumstance to it. Then you go about your work. Thereafter, you will be utterly amazed, stunned really, how life suddenly and abundantly in kind shortly or even immediately thereafter. Some of these colleagues, have literally experienced this power and the corresponding miraculous results dozens, hundreds, even thousands of times in their lives. in their lives. In fact, we have documented many of these experiences throughout the Growth Online site, including at the site for our Life Response Project as well as at our page on "consecration", which is simply another name for this technique of opening to the Force.   

Myself: But when you open to the Force, what ware you really opening to?

RP: When you open to this Power you are in essence opening to the new, dynamic, evolutionary power of the Divine consciousness. This Force is in essence this supramental, truth consciousness plane and power that has descended in the earth's atmosphere in the last three or four decades. This power has never been there before as it is now there. Or at least we did not recognize it, or had not risen high enough in our consciousness to make contact with it until recently. Now it is available to anyone, anytime, any place! We welcome all of our readers to try it out before some significant event or circumstance or happening in their lives. It can even be a routine or a work that one is now engaged in.

(pause) By the way the more intensely you call in this power before the act, the greater its effectivity. If there is more intensity and emotion then there is greater results. I'm not exactly sure why, but that seems to often be the case. For example, let's say that I am about to do a training class. I remember the Force, and then offer the class to this Higher Power, to the Force. That's one level of intensity. it's essentially a thought, based perhaps on a belief in the effectivity of the power to ring results. At another, more emotive level -- assuming you can conjure up the sincere feeling -- I express myself  by saying something like "Oh Divine power, please fill this event with your Force so that it will work out as you will. I feel deeply the truth of this power for great results." Or, something along these lines. We have seen that the more intense the feeling, the greater the results.

Also, in the rare instances where there are no results thereafter, where no obvious positive life response is experienced, there is likely to be another element that has come into play. In essence there is no response because the Force is waiting for you to first change a corresponding limiting aspect of your behavior or character or nature before it will act. Often it is a corresponding bad attitude that relates to the current situation that must be eliminated for the Force to act and enable a response. Once you shed the corresponding limiting or wanting part of your being, such as the corresponding poor attitude that the situation points to, tlife responds instantly, fully, abundantly, and dramatically.

Myself: Please tell us more about the responses themselves.

[Editing point]

RP: Yes, that's the magic part. This great response to a consecrated act or even to a change in attitude or action, inner or outer, is what we call  "Life Response." It's action is usually positive, sudden, abundant, and dramatic. It brings results from places that seem to defy all logic, that defy all of the normal laws of cause and effect, and space and time.

By the way when you open to the Force and practice consecration before an act not only do you usually gain the stunning results, such as things working more smoothly, or money coming, or more work coming, or people showing up at exactly the right instance, but you also experience spiritual results. Which means that you experience more or more spiritual properties such as a deep peace and calm, or a deep insight and wisdom and integral knowledge, or a deep feeling of delight or bliss, or a sense of Oneness with everything around us, or a feeling of Love, or of Beauty, of Truth. peace, Knowledge, Bliss, Oneness, Beauty, Love, and Truth are all spiritual results that can come when one opens to the Force. This is above and beyond all of the other benefits of good fortune.

Needless to say such life response experiences can change your life forever. Not only in the fact that you have experienced the miracle of response, but in the deep awareness and feeling that life is quite different than you original imagined! That there are forces and powers that are there in life that that are so great, that your entire world view begins to change. And as a result you begin to see the world with new eyes. You begin to develop a new perception of life. You sense the possibility that there is a new and different and better way of living and functioning in life.

(pause) And yet despite the benefits you receive from opening to the Force -- such as sudden good fortune, higher accomplishment, higher success, greater joy and delight in life, and spiritual results -- these are only isolated experiences, not permanent realizations. Though you might engage in opening ot the Force for awhile, life somehow catches up to us or takes us away from our inspiration, and we soon forget to open to the power.  We begin to lose the edge of connectedness. We fall back and start living our lives just as before.

We also may fall back on changing our attitudes, or otherwise improving ourselves in life, causing our growth to stagnate. Likewise, we may stop having inner psychic connections in life, or experienced the influences of the inner mind and being, or we may stop having any visions, or illuminations or intuitions of knowledge.

Perhaps we can say that life pulls us back, or maybe we should say that it is our hard-wired negative physical and vital nature that pulls us back; with its fixidities, rigidities; with the push and pulls of life's allures, with our surface connection to the world. In essence we seem to be back where we stated. I'm not sure why but I am reminded of the film and TV show Stargate, where occasionally the protagonists enter the circular stargate space tunnel, a wormhole opening across the universe, only to have it suddenly close down, leaving you suddenly who you are, where you started, separate from the infinite potentials of a new evolutionary existence.

On the other hand, at the other extreme, there is this vision of what we can permanently become. There is this potential spiritual evolutionary being that we can become, who has traveled far beyond the occasional life response or intuitive experiences. He has not just had the periodic experience, but has realized and embodied those powers and planes in his being.  He has not just realized the Force but he has transformed his nature with the Force. he has not just had the illumination and intuition of great insight and knowledge, but has ascended to those planes and embodied them in his being so that such experiences are permanent.

He is a different type of individual; and yet he shares something with those of us who have had the occasional consecration life response experience. In both there is an opening to this evolutionary new aspect of God, this supramental Force and power that dynamically can affect life. The main difference is that this new evolutionary spiritual being has embodied the Force in all parts of his nature -- in his mind, his vital, and his body.

He permanently embodies and experiences the supramental nature, such as experiencing the true truth of things, having the total knowledge necessary in every moment, sensing the oneness with others and the environment, having the supreme wisdom of the best action to take, having the ability to bring the future into the present, being able to bring the infinite into the finite, connecting to and manifesting eh supreme Divine will, all enabling a supreme joy and delight of being.

(pause) So the big question still is how to become this being. If not through these occasional experiences of connection to the inner being, or via a consecrated event or act in life that leads to a wonderful life response experience or having a profound intuition or a deep inner, physic experience, then how? 

What is the path that enables us to become this permanently changed evolutionary spiritual being? What is the path to this astounding future?

(End of Part 2)  

 

---

PART 3 
The Path From the Present to the Evolutionary Future

Myself: So what's the path that will get us from what we are now to this new evolutionary individual?

RP: We have already discussed the nature of this new evolutionary spiritual individual; this supramental being whose functioning is very different from the current human. Still as you ask, how do we get there? We know what the human can become in this evolutionary change -- his makeup, and his nature; we also have the general understanding of this radical change of nature from his current functioning to this extraordinary superfunctioning; but we have yet to map a path from where we are now to that final destination. 

(pause) As I mentioned earlier one of the biggest problem in this metamorphosis is that though having experiences along the way are helpful, and perhaps are even a foundation for a serious effort toward the goal, they do not in essence create this new evolutionary being. Experiences are just what they are, one-time experiences, which occur from time to time, randomly, without any pattern or certainty. They are wonderful to have, but they are, in the end, unpredictable and ephemeral.

Unless, of course we decide to make it permanent; that through our conscious decision and effort we initiate the process that can bring about this new type of human.

Yes, it is true that through Nature's course we are moving in that direction, and in that sense it is happening on its own. However, Sri Aurobindo estimates that it could it would take Nature left to itself thousands of years to produce this new evolutionary individual, not to mention a collective of such individuals. Perhaps an exception to that would be if there were some unforeseen, dramatically new movements or circumstances that would push Nature along from her path of slow but steady evolution to something faster. Or, perhaps there could even be some sort of movement or action of the Divine spiritual Force itself that could enable an earlier manifestation and evolution of this new evolutionary individual. Maybe this Force could suddenly descend into our beings without much of an effort on our own part, and we could be transformed in this way without much effort on our part. But do we want to wait for some unseen event or some miracle or descent that we cannot fathom? Because if we do wait, it might never happen; which means that humanity would be left to what it is, stuck in its ignorance, falsehood, divisions and dualities, suffering, and pain.

Myself: But what about all of the great developments that are happening in the world today, and are coming soon. Couldn't they accelerate the movement to this new type of being and life?

RP: The metamorphosis we are envisioning here is so dramatic that even with all of the great outer changes we continuously see in the world, they do not suggest any great shift, because of their influence, to some new form of human existence . Even what we consider the big outer social developments, such as technological changes, even the vast increases in knowledge we see today, are small pittance compared to what humanity needs to alter in the very fabric of our being to enable this great change. With all of these outer changes, our fundamental nature, our great limitations of being are still with us. We still live in our ego and separateness, we still exist in a stupendous ignorance, part knowledge, and limited view and truth; we are overwhelmed by our senses, emotions, instincts, opinions, and bad attitudes; we are still trapped in the fixidities of our bodies, subject to disease, decay, and death; and in general we are stuck in division and duality, in conflict, and in evil. These certainly must be overcome and eliminated to enable this supernature that we envision for the future. I'm not sure there is much of anything in the world that can turn us to this decisive change. There are good things happening, no doubt; but enough to move us to this new status of being and life (?), I doubt it.

Myself: So what do we do?

RP: Well, Sri Aurobindo recognized this meandering, glacial-like movement and unfolding of Nature and life, and our inability to move away from our false nature, despite all the outer changes in the world. So he pondered the issue and came up with an approach; a path that could dramatically accelerate our progress from here to there. 

However, before he could offer the world a method, he had to do some work on his own, from his end. He felt that it was his job to first clear a path. It was his personal quest to make first contact with this new evolutionary Force, which he called the Truth Consciousness force, the supramental force. He saw the need to bring it into focus, or somehow reinforce it or magnify it for the world, so that its power would be available to the world.

By utilizing his yogic powers he was able to find, identify, and connect to this power. He then made the Herculean inner effort to call it down; to make it more accessible to us. He spent 30 years in absolute seclusions in this quest. Parsifal traveled Europe to find the grail; Sri Aurobindo sat in a chair to find the Supermental grail that could change life in the future.

After he passed on in 1950, he, from the heights, and his partner The Mother, continued in that effort. By 1967 The Mother claimed that this Force was available to the nations of the world. In the years that followed she felt this Force was more and more within the reach of the average person. In the years that have passed since then, it is clear that any individual can invoke this Force at any time to create instantaneous positive results in their lives. Not only has the Force descended so that it available to the individual's consciousness, but its effectivity in recent decades has been magnified by many degrees. It is a real power that is always at our disposal.

By the way, a number of people who have recently opened themselves to this Force have noticed that its power seems to be accelerating in the world, perhaps exponentially. It action when invoked seems to be more powerful than ever, indicating it has penetrated human consciousness even more deeply over the last decade or so. So perhaps I must reconsider, that the action of the Force might hasten the new evolutionary being. Or perhaps I should put it that the Force is available stronger than ever so why not make the evolutionary effort now!

Myself: Are their tangible signs of this acceleration?

RP: Yes, people are seeing vast results. Illnesses disappear, things that are lost suddenly reappear, jobs that seemed to hopeless to gain are suddenly gained, people at the lower end of the economic totem pole suddenly rise to unprecedented heights, and so forth. In each situation they are opening to the Force when there is a problem or they are hoping for some improvements, and the results are abundant, and fast.

We can also see it in the social and world arena. Some have in fact claimed that the end of the Cold War was brought about by individuals intensely invoking the Force, thereby ending a potential great conflict that could have ended all life on earth. The fact that a man like Michael Gorbachev could have risen to power in Russia and single-handedly ended their systems from within, without any bloodshed and conflict, is an event so great in the history of the world, that it could only have happened as a result of some great spiritual power. I believe the end of the Cold War came as a result of the invocation of the Force by individuals to stop the possibility of a world war.

Myself: These are remarkable achievements! Still, as you say we are left with life as is. Considering the limiting way that we are, this new world we are trying to get seems still to be a mirage on the distant horizon.

RP: Yes, we are still who we are, even though the Power is more within our reach. That opening to the Power will help. The emergence and the actions of this power is also a signal that we must get serious! It is perhaps Nature's way of saying, "What are you waiting for, the signs are out there to make this change?!?"

(pause) Still, what is the method of change to this new life that we can follow?

Well, as Sri Aurobindo called down the Force more powerfully into earth's atmosphere, as envisioned a future evolutionary possibility for individuals and society, he began to come up with an approach for us as individuals to get from here to this divine future. He describes a method and approach consisting of three successive stages that will enable us to make the metamorphosis, the transformation to this new evolutionary being.

The first stage is perhaps the key. If we don't do it, things will never get off the ground; we will never get beyond what we are now. We will be stuck in our ordinary nature for millennia.

Myself: So what is this first stage, and why is it so important?

RP:  The first stage of this Triple Transformation of the individual that Sri Aurobindo envisions -- to get us from here to the supramental there, from his current status of pain and suffering and ignorance and falsehood, to a future supernature -- he calls the Psychic Transformation.

He argues that we cannot possibly move towards this new evolutionary individual if we live our lives the way we do now. Even if we open to the Force, or make some basic changes to our way of living, or even make sincere efforts to change our character and nature, there will still be little change to our permanent human nature. We will in essence remain who we are. Stuck on the surface of life, driven by the pushes and pulls of the social environment, driven by our emotions, our passions, our needs, our overwhelming fixation on ourselves and our ego-sense. Thus he asks us to first break the chains that bind us to this ordinary existence that we have been experiencing for 100,000 years. To do this he asks us to make the Psychic Transformation.

Essentially the psychic change is to connect to our inner being, our inner personal souls, and establish that connection on a permanent basis. He calls the inner personal soul, the "psychic being", thus the need for the psychic transformation. Once we establish the permanent link with our inner being down to our personal soul, our psychic being, we have initiated the great change that moves us away from our ordinary nature toward our supernature. 

Myself: So how does one do this, how does one connect to one's soul?  And do we really have a soul to begin with? And if so what is it, and what do we do with it?

RP: Excellent questions! (laughter)

(pause) Let's me try to explain this with a real world example. Let's see-

A man is walking down the street. He sees the street, the sky, and the people passing by. He decides to withdraw inward into his inner being. Even as walks, he feels a connection in his chest, behind his heart, deep within himself. He has withdrawn from the surface, the normal outer connection to life, from the inputs of his senses; even as he walks vigorously along the way and is aware of his surroundings. 

At another point on this inner and outer journey he goes deeper still within. He thinks about the very purpose of his existence; why he came on this earth, why he is in this body he occupies. He remembers that he has an evolving soul deep within. He knows that in this soul being, this psychic being lays the purpose and connection of his purpose of being on this earth.

He then tries to make connection with his soul, his psychic being. Suddenly he feels some inner stirring, some subtle connection inside; something that he senses that is related to his very reason for being on earth. He senses a live essence of being, a driving influence stirring deep within. It is his soul being, there alive, stirring, influencing, guiding, providing the spark and foundation for his existence. He has made first contact with his psychic being, his personal soul and inner guide.

Over the next few days he periodically reconnects to his inner being and to his psychic, soul being. He notices that as a result of being centered there he has a very different sense of things; a totally different feeling within, and a very different perspective of things life around him.

For one he notices that he has withdrawn from the push and pulls of the surface workings of life, even as he is still fully engaged in that life and work. He also senses that he has withdrawn from his ego-sense and perspective that he normally experiences when he lives solely at the surface of life. There is less of a sense of an "I," of a "me," in which one tends to isolate one's self from life; where one experiences the world from a separative, me-orientation. As a result of moving away from this separative, ego-centered consciousness, he senses a wider and truer existence around him. He senses greater possibilities surrounding him because he is not wedded to the I that sees things from one side, one perspective, one truth. Instead he becomes aware of new perspectives, more truths, more sides of truths, more possibilities, more choices, and therefore more potential courses of actions. From moment to moment he becomes more aware too of the right choices, the best way to proceed, the best courses of action. Over time he begins to have a keener sense of things; he touches on the myriad of subtle forces and energies and powers that are in the atmosphere. 

At another point in his journey into his inner being, in these depths apart from the surface, he consciously experiences his psychic soul being acting as his guide and mentor. He notices now that whenever he does something wrong, takes the wrong attitude, or moves impulsively in the wrong way, he senses an instruction or insight from his inner guide, reminding him of his limiting way, and a better way to act or a better course of action for the future. In that way his personal soul is continually steering him in the right direction; giving him subtle nudges, suggestions, and indications of how he should change himself in the future.

Myself: So his soul being becomes a kind of moral compass?

RP: Well, he doesn't receive this soul guidance and influence as some sort of moral imperative; instead the guiding influence just wells spontaneously within him at just the right moment. The guidance is spontaneous, practical, and creatively insightful. As a result of the influence of the inner guide, over time he is able to see his strengths and weaknesses of character in a more illuminating light. He gains a new clarity and insight into his nature, and feels a glad compulsion to improve himself; to take steps to overcome his limitations in his nature.

Also, as we connect to our soul being, we begin to sense a wider existence than our own self. We begin to make connections with greater and wider currents of life. For example, we sense the environment around us differently, as an extension of ourselves, not as a separate entity. Likewise, we begin to feel that everything is a part of ourselves, and we are part of everything. This perception extends outward across space, as we feel a connection with the society, the earth, even the universe itself and its forces and powers. We might for example feel a deep kinship with the unfolding of human progress, world events, new developments on earth, or the destiny of the race. Perhaps we might begin to sense that the world's destiny is tied up in our own and visa versa. Or we might begin to understand the reason for this universe, for our own place in the universe, and the relationship between the two.

As a result of these associations we begin to shift our center of awareness from our ego-centered individual consciousness to being an individual with a more universal consciousness. 

Also, we increasingly experience the subtle hidden forces and powers of life. For example, we continually experiences synchronicities, have psychic experiences, see the interrelatedness of distant events with our own, and other such phenomenon. We more clearly perceive the connections between the outer existence and our inner status; how a change in the inner reflects in the outer, and how life continually responds on the outside to positive movements within us. As a result of this awareness of this correlation, we learn the subtleties, of action, of thought, of attitude, and emotion and impulse and judgment; and we see how their movements reflect instantaneously in the outer life. As a result we accumulate a great knowledge of how to act, and how to make life continually respond in a positive way. This invariably leads to the possibility of great success and accomplishment in life. We have then in essence opened the portals to the infinite potential to emerge into life. And ironically by living in the deepest depths of the soul being we are able to elicit the greatest responses from the outer life. From within we begin to become masters of the outer life.

Myself: So this psychic transformation is dependent on making this first contact and connection to his personal soul?

RP: Actually at some point in this stage of transformation he not has a connection not only with his inner being, his psychic soul, which is his real spiritual individual Self, but he also senses that he also has a connection with others, the environment, and the forces and powers and connections with the universe, the cosmos. Thus he begins to develop a universal Self as well.

Finally he also develops a deep connection with the transcendent Divine, with God. Not only does he find spirit in his inner personal soul; not only does he connect to the environment and the universe in a profound way; but he connects to and feels an intimate relationship with the source of all spirit; the Absolute, Brahman, the Divine consciousness, God. At that point he has begun to develop a third aspect of his self, his transcendent Self.

(pause) So when we live this way, when it becomes a permanent part of our nature, we would essentially have completed the first stage of becoming this new being. At that point we would have dramatically shifted our center of consciousness and awareness away from our normal human nature toward a the beginnings of a new supernature. We will have thus established the foundation for a potential future evolutionary spiritual existence. 

Myself: This does sound like quite a change. But still it is not clear why this psychic change is so necessary for the ultimate goal of becoming this evolutionary being?

RP: It's simple; without it, it can't be done! The psychic, inner soul change establishes the foundation for the much more radical change that can come after. What this change does is establish the necessary minimal reorientation of the individual. Unless he has this new orientation, outlook, perspective, foundation, he cannot possibly move onto the even greater changes that await him. It's just not possible! He would be viewing the world from his old ignorance and falsehood. Any attempt to become an evolutionary spiritual being with such limitations would probably be a disaster, or more likely just a non-starter. He would be continually be brought down to his lower nature, negating any of the powers and movements that await him at the next stage.

[Editing point]

Myself: So now he is ready to move on?

RP: Yes. But I should add that this psychic change and transformation can be attained by anybody, even for those who do not seek the ultimate supramental transformation, because after all that final evolutionary spiritual status of the individual is a very radical change, requiring a great effort, and very difficult for any human to go through. 

If a person were to try to make this psychic transformation he would be in the company of only a few dozen or perhaps thousand individuals on earth. Still, he would be among an ever-expanding privileged group who have set themselves off on an amazing inner journey to our evolutionary future.

Every day would be one of astonishment, profound insight, endless creativity and possibility, and deep connection with others and his environment. He would be in a state of never-ending joy, happiness, and bliss. He would be fully alive; in ways he could never have previously imagined! So we invite do all of our readers to take this journey within; discover their inner being and soul, and view the world in this new way, with new eyes, guided by your guide and mentor soul. Life will surely be a wonder; it will cooperate with you in every way possible. Your level of accomplishment, success, and joy will increase by a factor of ten. You will experience a peace and joy that you cannot now measure or imagine. 

Myself: So that's the first stage toward the evolutionary being. 

RP: Yes. That's the first stage. Whether you want to go further on this great journey is up to you. I really believe however that any sincere and aspiring individual can reach this first level in a reasonable amount of time. Even within a few months. You will literally be condensing the progress of one or more lifetimes, of rebirths as it is called in the East, into a few years or less. It also takes the happiness, joy, and delight that you would experience only after many rebirths of progress into this life, beginning in perhaps a few months. The implications of experiencing such joy and bliss are profound. 

Finally, I should point out that this first psychic, personal soul transformation stage invariably connects with the second stage; to what Sri Aurobindo calls the spiritual transformation. In fact, already in the first stage one is having experiences that are traits of the second stage. 

Myself: How so?

RP: Well the second stage is really a movement upward along the vertical scale of consciousness mentioned earlier. It is an ascent upward from ordinary mind to spiritual mind and beyond. 

As you may recall as we rise from mind proper to spiritual mind, we begin to experience knowledge differently; first where thought is clarified as we work in silence; higher still when knowledge descends into our being as illuminations and visions; and highest when the object of knowledge simply descends into our being as intuitions. At this point all sense mind influence is gone. Well, in the psychic transformation, we already begin to have such experiences. For example, we begin to have intuitive descents of knowledge. The difference is that in this second stage of spiritual transformation, our aim is to make such experiences a permanent part of our lives. 

When we make the psychic change, then we will periodically have these visions, illuminations, and intuitions. After a while however these descents will start to occur more regularly on their own, not dependent solely on the earlier psychic change. As a result there is a continuous descent. Over time the higher planes just descend into us, till we reach the point where we are no longer centered in the ordinary mental consciousness, in mind proper, but in one of these higher spiritual planes. 

As a result a new spiritual-oriented consciousness begins to form in his being. He becomes now a spiritual being, centered in his psychic being within and simultaneously connected with the spiritual planes above and around us. As a result there is a continuous presence or power or stream of knowledge pouring in, as in waves or currents. There is a flood of bliss of ecstasy. 

Myself: why ecstasy? Aren't the descents more of pure thought and knowledge than anything related to feeling joy or bliss or ecstatic?

RP: That's a good question that I am not sure f the answer of, except to say this: Each of these planes are kind of shadow or reflection of higher planes above it. In one sense we can say that the intuitive plane is a reflection of the supramental plane; and the supramental plane itself is a reflection of the pure existence of the Absolute, the Divine. Well we know that the Divine has many attributes such as Peace, Oneness, Knowledge, Truth, Power, Beauty, and Love amongst others. One other one is Bliss. So as we rise in these planes we not only get more of the higher integral knowledge and truth consciousness, but we also experience this bliss and other attributes.

So let's complete this second stage: These higher spiritual experiences, of light, vision, and the direct descent of knowledge into the person as intuition, repeat until they become normal; to the point where he s centered in the highest spiritual plane; where that center effects all aspects of his being. So at that point he has completed the second stage, this spiritual transformation, he is well on his on the way to becoming this new evolutionary spiritual being.

Again, this stage, like the psychic stage, is also possible for anyone who aspires for it; who has the aspiration, the will, and is willing to make the sincere and serious effort to attain it. A number of individuals we know of have endeavored onto this path. 

And yet the stage beyond this, the third stage that will complete our transformation, is completely foreign to us. It is so mysterious, so unfathomable, that it is even difficult to explain what it is. The supramental transformation into a truth consciousness spiritual being is so radical a change that has no precedence in any spiritual literature, and requires of us a Herculean effort just to understand it let alone become it. And this radical change is the culmination of our endeavor. It is also the ultimate destiny of the human race.

Three Stages of Transformation to the  Evolutionary Spiritualized Individual
Stage 1 Psychic Transformation	Stage 2 Spiritual Transformation	Stage 3 Supramental Transformation
Living in the depths, at the level of the personal soul, the psychic being -- A. We connect to wider aspects of life B. There is an inner guide that shows us what is false and what is true C. We connect to universal forces D. We connect to the transcendent Divine	Truth Consciousness (Supermind) Object of knowledge created and known in self ^ Overmind ^ Intuitive Mind Object of knowledge enters into being. No thinking.  ^ Illumined Mind Knowledge enters as light, vision ^ Higher Mind Thought arises from silence	-Aspiration for Truth consciousness to descend into being -Descent of light, truth, and power of supramental into being -Total, undivided, integral knowledge. Truth consciousness. -Object of knowledge is in us. We are the perceivers, and creators of the this truth knowledge -Knowledge and will fused -One with personal soul, with Divine -One with all, the environment -Transformation of body (supramentalized body) -The evolutionary spiritualized individual

(End of Part 3)

---

PART 4 
The New Evolutionary Individual and Divine Life on Earth

Myself: So now we have come to the end of the line; to the final destination of this new evolutionary spiritual being.

RP: Yes. We have described the two stages that lead to this point; the necessary connection to the inner psychic, the soul, which enables one to have an entirely different perspective of life and dramatically changes one's internal makeup; and then the second stage where one makes the ascent to a higher status beyond mind proper, to the planes of spiritual mind, where one now continually receives the illuminations and intuitions of knowledge of these higher planes one has risen to.

So if he has gotten this far, he may be ready to go one step further; to become the new evolutionary spiritual being. If so, then it requires the undertaking of the final stage of this ascent, the supramental transformation. 

The earlier stages, the psychic and the spiritual transformations, were preparations for this stage. Without doing them, he cannot do or achieve the supramental transformation, because this third change is so utterly different from our normal human functioning. It would be the equivalent if Nature had evolving a human being directly from a rodent. As we know from evolution the rodent needed to become a primate first before he could evolve to a human!

Myself: So let's discuss this next stage. What does we have to do get there? According to the Growth Online charts and models we have seen it seems like all he has to do is go one level higher from the spiritual mind to supermind to become this new being. 

RP: Yes, beyond the spiritual mind is the supermind.  But this third stage of transformation is much more than just connecting to the plane; it is embodying this plane in all of our nature. This individual would embody the plane in all aspects of his being -- in his thoughts, if indeed he even thinks in the sense that we now think; in his feelings and emotions, which themselves have already changed considerably in their functioning; and in his physical body. The supramental transformation is a total change of the person from the old human functioning into a new type of existence and functioning. Perhaps we can say that it is into a whole new species beyond the human.

Myself: It sounds a bit like science fiction! 

RP: Yes, it does; though I don't think anyone writing science fiction could even conjure up a character such as this, because for one being seems to beyond even the wildest speculations I have seen in science fiction, and two, if it were conceived by film makers it would be so very difficult to portray such an existence. The writer might have to himself be centered in a higher state of consciousness, or made some significant personal change or have a special power of insight and intuition, to really have a sense of how such a being would function and then would have to somehow try to develop a reasonable plot around such a being reflecting what he truly is. If anyone in the audience knows of such writings I would love to hear about it!

The problem we run into is that this change is so difficult for us to fathom. Whereas the psychic and spiritual transformations can be understood even if we never developed at a level above mind proper, even if we never partook of such a change in ourselves, this supramental transformation defies our normal thinking processes, our foundations of logic in life, and our normal perceptions of cause and effect. It's just very difficult to conceive in our minds. 

In fact it can only be understood when we the reader somehow move beyond mind proper and absorb it from an inner silence; or, by letting the ideas wash over us, or "discover us" as illuminations and intuitions. In other words, we have to achieved a little of spiritual mind ourselves in order to really understand the supramental plane. If an individual starts living more of an inner life, then it will be much easier to understand. If not, it's not very easy.

Myself: Then how was Sri Aurobindo able to explain it in the first place? 

RP: In his personal yoga and development he had already progressed well into the planes of spiritual mind, and so he had the solid foundation of recognizing it and understanding it. Actually, he had also experienced the plane of supermind itself to a considerable degree, including its workings, nature, functioning, and processes. Thus it was without too much difficulty that he was able to explain it to us. In his epic work The Life Divine he explains a number of the ideas that we have discussed, such as the triple transformation, and of course this mysterious supramental consciousness and existence. 

Myself: So if we read Life Divine, we will understand this supramental existence?

RP: Only to a limited degree. Most people who read this book are in utter awe of it, find it to be a magnificent achievement, but also find it extremely hard to follow and understand. And that's because it was written it from a very high plane of spiritual mind that our normal minds cannot easily follow. Though the arguments are unbelievably logical and clear, the long passages and density of subtle terminology often are just too much for our minds to absorb.

One thing that is clear to me however is that you cannot read this book with the ordinary sense-bound mind. You must yourself have risen to minimal level of subtlety to absorb these ideas. One must at least be in the logical, rational, non sense-based mind, if not higher, to absorb these profound arguments, resolutions, and mystic discoveries. Unfortunately, most people who read the book, put it down after a brief attempt; of if they do manage to read it in full, they find it mostly too lofty, or too incomprehensible, even exhausting, because people don't have the mental strength to follow its extensive and yet profound metaphysical arguments. And yet the arguments, though long, are perfectly logical, rooted in the deepest of spiritual insights. In fact, I believe it is the most profound description of the spirit and the cosmos ever written. It as if the Divine had written its story of creation and evolution through the mind of Sri Aurobindo. 

So I would advise the individual who wishes to approach this book to have developed a minimal inner existence, to read from a silent space, and let the words wash over him. Also, read it slowly, even if only a few passages are covered. 

Fortunately we have been summarizing the chapters for our readers, making it much more understandable and accessible; make it much easier for the reader to absorb the central ideas the first time around. 

To return to this great transformation: When it comes to the supramental transformation Sri Aurobindo makes one thing obvious; to reach this transformation to the evolutionary spiritual being, the psychic and spiritual transformation needs to have been completed. There must be the submission and surrender of the individual's current way of living to a newer way of living, which he establishes in the psychic transformation; and there must be the intervention and descent from above, from these higher spiritual planes, as light, intuitions, etc, which we have described in the spiritual transformation. If these are established, then the supramental transformation can occur; perhaps even rather quickly. 

Let's review again the two stages that will enable the final emergence of the evolutionary spiritual being. First the psychic transformation needs to have been completed. As a result of this effort, there would be a breakdown of the wall between our outer being and life and the inner being. At that point we would be living predominantly from within, influenced continually by our personal soul. This psychic being would become our permanent guide, showing us continuously the falsehoods of our nature, enabling us to change from the old ways to our new ways. For example, the mind would have given up its excessive judgments and opinions, and shed its sense-based limitations and its ideative mental formations. The vital would have given up its excessive passions, attachments, sensations, impulses, and wanting attitudes towards others, life, and one's self. The physical body would have given up its instincts, blind attachments, and some of its inertia, fixidity, rigidity, and unwillingness to change. 

There would also be the opening to and attunement with the universal forces and powers that are there beneath the surface of life. He would be attuned to the deep connections amongst things, and to the hidden or occult patterns and tendencies of life. He would feel the close connection not only with his own personal soul, his Self, but his self as extended to the universe. Finally, he would have a continuous connection to the transcendent Divine.

Second, we said that the spiritual transformation would also need to have been completed for the supramental change to be possible. Initiated by the opening of the inner being and psychic soul, the light, knowledge, and truth of the spiritual mind planes would now continually enter the person as descents from these higher planes of mind. He would continually experience the world around him not as thoughts but as descents of vision, light, illuminations, and descents of the entire object of knowledge that he wishes to know directly into his being as intuitions. Eventually he rises higher along the vertical scale until his being is centered at the heights of spiritual mind. He accomplishes this even as he continues to live deep within in his psychic being, in the depths on the horizontal scale. 

At that point he has risen to be centered at the highest levels of spiritual mind in the vertical scale of consciousness and also anchored in the deepest depths within, in the soul being, in the horizontal scale of consciousness.

Myself: So now he has the foundation for the ultimate transformation.

RP: Yes, now these changes establish the foundation for this individual's potential transformation into the spiritualized evolutionary being. Eventually, if he so chooses he can rise beyond the planes of spiritual mind to a yet higher plane, which Sri Aurobindo called Overmind, and above that to the final goal of Supermind. At Supermind he can call in its Force into all aspects of his being, beginning the process that enables the final and decisive change into the future evolutionary being.

It should be pointed out that earlier on, as he completes the first two stages, he has contacts with this highest supramental plane, making the effort to call in its powers, this Force into all aspect of his being. In addition, at some point the supramental plane and powers descend of themselves into his being. 

So there is a two-way movement, from the individual's side an ever-deepening aspiration, will, and calling in of the Force into all aspects of the being, and a from the heights as descending force and power that enters him, transforming all parts of his nature into a supramental, gnostic nature and status. 

Over time the power enters him in full. When it is accomplished, he, in essence, has reached the maximum perfection and transformation possible for an individual. He has brought in the greatest powers of the supreme consciousness into every part of his nature and being. In essence this Gnostic individual would be the culmination and completion of the spiritual man.

Myself: But how is he really different?

RP: We discussed these a bit earlier, but since it is hard to understand, because its qualities and attributes are not easy to fathom, let's take another shot at summarizing some of the more compelling aspects. To take a few at random -- 

-The Supramental individual would see everything in its oneness. He would perceive this oneness in all things; in the greatest multiplicity and diversity of things; in the uniqueness of each person and thing; even in what appears as contradictions or conflicting elements. He thus sees everything in their right relation to one another and to the whole, the One.

-He would have a complete self-knowledge, an integral knowledge. This integral knowledge would extend to all things, all people, all moments, all situations and circumstances. He would have the integral, total, full knowledge of what the situation, circumstance, or event involves, and what are the myriad of potential courses of actions to take if any. He would have the complete will to see it through as necessary, and with that will energizing him he would take the exact right course of action. Thus knowledge, will, and result of action are fused together in a oneness and unity, allowing for an integral solution. This enables the greatest efficiency of life, which is the ability to create the greatest result with the least effort in the shortest period of time.

-He perceives the truth of all, and the truth of each thing.

-In his existence the inner, what's inside him, and the outer, what's outside him in the world, would be one. He would continually live and see this inner-outer correspondence of life, again providing him the ultimate efficiencies of life; enabling the infinite possibilities to arise where there was formally only finite possibility.

-All other individual beings would be felt as his; would be experienced as his own selves. Their feelings would be his own. His being would extend out to others. He would sense the spirit in everything, including others, which would be the binding element that enables this sense of oneness.

-He would be one with the forces and powers beyond his individual self; of the forces in the environment, the community, the society, the world, and the universe. He would experience the interrelationship of all forces, outer and occult across the cosmos. He would also sense that in his new status he was fulfilling not only his own purpose, but the purpose of the existence of the universe.

-His existence would be one with the universal and transcendental Self and Spirit. His actions would originate from and obey the Supreme Self and Spirit's divine governance of Nature. He would feel the pressure of the Divine in every center of his consciousness, in every vibration of his life force, in every cell of his body. The actions he takes (or withheld) would be based on the Truth of the Divine Will.

-He would become not only an integrated, realized individual Self, but also a universal Self, as well as a transcendent Self, thus fulfilling the role of the individual in the creation and in the All, the Absolute, Brahman.

-His mind would be transformed as he would know all things in its oneness, and have the object of knowledge inside him. He would be the knowledge. His emotions would be of love and oneness with others. This individual's body would have great perfection. He could live as long as he wishes; he would be liberated from all suffering; and all of the pains, injuries, diseases and other sufferings would be a thing of the past. We would see a dramatic change in his body functionings, shape, and the possibility of his ability to live as long as he wishes.

-He would live in state of ecstatic happiness, joy, and bliss. He would at every moment, in every endeavor, in every meeting with others and connection with his environment, in every action he takes, experiencing a great delight of being.

-He is constantly evoking positive life responses, enabling him to accomplish at 1000 times or more the level of the normal human being. 1000 times even in a single moment in time. Because of his complete oneness and integral knowledge at any moment, he knows exactly what action to take, enabling vast instantaneous and abundant results.

-He understands the process of creation that enabled the universe to emerge from the Divine. As a result he knows how to apply this process in his own life, releasing the infinite potentials of life. He gains this God-power in his own life because he is fully aware of the stages of the process. He also has complete understanding of other such processes in life.

Myself: It is an astonishing vision.

RP: Yes, it is a marvel. The marvel, of a future evolutionary existence.

(pause) You know it should be pointed out that this is not just a hypothetical existence, but is based on Sri Aurobindo's and other's insights and actual experiences and realizations of this existence. 

From such a perspective he was able in the course of his life and writings to put the whole picture together. Steeped in his profound realizations he was more easily able to perceive the arc of evolution that we have discussed, and trace forward the process by which this gnostic spiritual being could emerge in life. After all, he had tried the triple transformation himself

I believe he actually did in the end achieve the entire triple change, at least up to but not including the physical transformation. After he passed in 1950 he left it to his partner The Mother to try to attempt the last part of the supramental change, the supermentalization of her physical body. I believe she succeeded in many ways there, though it can only be considered a partial success. Her story makes absolutely riveting reading, captured in the 13-volume The Agenda (of the Supramental Action Upon Earth). 

Finally, Sri Aurobindo has also said that one day he would return with a supramentalized body! I cannot really fully imagine the implications of that remark!

Myself: So if a person goes through these earlier stages and then calls in the Force, this supramental plane fully into his being in the third stage, and then it descends and completely changes him into his radically new nature with its extraordinary qualities and functionings, he will have become this future being?

RP: Yes, that is it precisely! He will have achieved the ultimate destiny for which individual human beings have been put on this earth.  He will continually experience the ultimate delight of existence. 

As Sri Aurobindo explains that it was after all for this delight that the Divine, God manifest this universe in the first place. When we as individuals find our higher nature, when we discover the spirit in us, that is, the spiritual Being in the Becoming of our daily lives, we experience ultimate delight of existence. This is the same delight that the Divine was "aspiring" for when it spun off this universe of matter and forms. Thus, when we individually experience our higher nature, we fulfill the reason the Absolute enabled the cosmos -- delight of being. 

When we reach the supramental consciousness and status fully in our being, that is, when we have made the supramental transformation, we experience the ultimate delight of our existence, fulfilling in total the purpose for which the Divine manifest the universe. In our discovery of our highest consciousness, we fulfill God's original aspiration for creating the cosmos. 

The Divine Reality manifest a universe to fulfill its own aspiration for delight of existence. The Divine created forms in the universe so that those forms could discover and then experience a level of delight that exceeds even the delight and bliss that the transcendent Divine had before the universe came about. So when as individuals we discover our complete spiritualized evolutionary nature, we in one sense exceed God (!), or perhaps we can say that we help God, the All, Brahman evolve further!

Actually, to take it to its logical conclusion, we can say that for the universe to be truly and completely fulfilled, all of humanity would have to be supramentalized. That would in turn be a further step in the supermentalization of the universe itself, which would enable the complete fulfillment of the Divine's purpose in creating the cosmos.  

Myself: That's too much! 

So now we have explained the whole purpose of existence, and how we can enable this fulfillment. 

RP: Yes, precisely!

Myself: But going back to us, does that mean that everyone on earth must undertake this spiritual transformation to achieve these ultimate goals?

RP: Well this brings us to the final topic in our discussion; perhaps the ultimate topic; which is this: Is there a possibility that a number of individuals could undertake such a change, leading to a whole new form of collective existence; a divine life on earth?

Then the issue has shifted from the transformation of single individuals to some form of a collective existence, some sort of association and relationship of a number of these transformed supramental individuals.

Myself: But what makes you think we can really change the course of Nature as you call it? Why wouldn't life just go in its merry way as it has always done?

RP: Well, let's back up a bit and think about the necessity for any future evolutionary change for humanity. Why should we even want to change any aspect of our future existence? Perhaps, as you say, we should just let Nature continue on in her present course, let us go where we are supposed to go, and whatever happens happens. Perhaps in that way Nature will somehow be dynamically creative, and hopefully we'll all end up making all the necessary progress.

Of course, the other side is that since we are conscious humans who can conceive and envision this dynamic evolutionary future, we can reshape our future in the image of our vision. We can qualitatively improve the future, enabling it to occur in dramatically reduced time. However, to enable this conscious effort, we ourselves must become conscious by connecting with our highest spiritual capacities in life. We now have this capacity at our disposal if we make the sincere and determined effort to evolve ourselves, or, if we are really ambitious, we can completely transform ourselves.

Let’s not forget that one of the things that makes us human is our mental capacity to self-conceptualize our future and then become it. In that way we can rapidly accelerate the timeframe of human evolution; not waiting for Nature to shape its course, which could take centuries or millennia, if at all; but to take life in our hands and mould it into that which we wish to become. 

This idea that as modern mental-based humans we can consciously reshape the future instead of waiting for Nature to do it is one of Sri Aurobindo's important arguments for this evolutionary change, for the real possibility of the emergence of this new evolutionary individual and collective existence. He also adds another. He argues that man has created a system of civilization which has simply become too big for his limited mental capacities; that is too dynamic in its unfolding to be handled by our moral structures and rules; that is too powerful and dangerous to be left in the hands of man's blundering ego and his false physical and vital energies. He argues that instead the world needs a wider, deeper basis of life, a profounder basis of truth to enable it to deal with the world's complexity, dynamism, and unfolding, ever-increasing power. It needs a higher basis of consciousness to harmonize the disparate and conflicting forces, powers, issues, and parties. And that higher basis will be the evolutionary spiritual power and force that is now beginning to emerge in Nature through man.

In his view the power of mind has served a great purpose in the past, moving us away from our rigid, fixed, brutish physical nature, and our vital, egotistic, desirous vital nature. Still mind, with its powers to organize information, its capacities for higher sentiment and ideals and values, and its ability to think logically and self-conceptualize the world, cannot by itself deal with the complexities of the emerging world, let alone harmonize the energies of our own individual human mental, vital, and physical nature. 

He says that it is only the intuition and self-knowledge of an awakened spirit that can provide this foundation, that can guide it, that can help it move along, perfect it, and turn its infinite possibilities and potentials into harmonized realities. It's only through a total spiritual foundation that the human race can be transformed in such a way that it can deal with the changes in the world and the changes in man's individual nature.

Myself: But what about social entities, like science or religion; can't they organize and be responsive to these enormous changes in the world?

RP: The life that is emerging is so vast that no social structure or approach can even begin to deal with this emerging, ever-changing, ever-accelerating world. It is too vast for our intellect to perceive; too subtle to be fully understood through some scientific formula, or some form of perfected economic society, or some type or structure of governance. They simply cannot adequately deal with the changes that are emerging. 

Also, over time they have had little or no significant impact on the basic limitations of our human nature; on our inherent ignorance, when great knowledge is needed; on our inherent falsehood, when compared to the vast truths that are needed. They have had no impact on our limiting attitudes, our fixed and foolish habits, our self-justifying opinions and judgments; and on our suffering, our pain, and our mortality. They may help us cope, but they have little impact to overcome their fundamental nature of limitation. That can only come about as a result of the emergence of this profound evolutionary spiritual basis.

Only a total spiritual direction can transform the race; only a full emergence of soul, of spirit, of supramental Supernature can bring about this evolutionary miracle. And this itself can only occur as a result of a radical change in the fundamental nature of the individual. 

In essence, we need a radically new foundation; and that can only happen through the profound spiritual change in the nature of the individual. Then at some point thereafter this change can extend to a larger group of such individuals, which can lead to some form of a collective existence. With such a spiritual foundation in society, it will have the strength, energy, and power to deal with all of the emerging complexities of civilization.

Myself: So how is this collective spiritual life to come about?

RP: The first necessity for the emergence of this evolutionary divinized life on earth is the discovery amongst a good number of individuals of the spirit, the divine reality within themselves. This is what we have spoken of; people connect with the Divine reality and bring its powers fully into their lives via this conscious transformation. That is the basis of any future collective evolutionary existence. When a number of such individuals have integrated this new spiritual nature into their beings, they can then begin to work together, near or apart, aware or unaware of one another, to create a new common life. Once there were a critical mass of such spiritualized individuals there could be the foundation of a new social life and order; a divine life on earth.

Myself: How would things be different in this new common life?

RP: (pause) First, let's consider what of the old life would be eliminated by this change; and then let's consider how this new spiritualized collective life would function in its place. 

First of all in this new life most of the old ways of life would disappear. For one, all of our normal mental conceptions would evaporate. The same with our rigid, fixed constructed principles and systems. There would be an end to our conflicting beliefs, sentiments, values, and ideals; an end to our normal reactions in life; to our success and failure, of vital joy and grief, of peril and passion, pleasure and pain, and the vicissitudes and uncertainties of fate and struggle in life. Our vital life and body, with its passions, attachments, needs, instincts, and so forth would no longer dominate nine tenths of our existence for their satisfaction as they do now. 

Second, there would be an end to war, political strife, and all the negative that issues from it. 

Myself: And this would be replaced with what?

RP: When one becomes this spiritualized evolutionary being, one feels a oneness with everything; with the environment, with other individuals, with the Divine. To reconcile our individual life and our existence in the collective life, we need a unifying and harmonizing knowledge. These are the principles in life of oneness and integrality. These principles are the very ones experienced and lived by individuals who live in the supramental consciousness. Thus, they are ideally suited to initiate this collective life.

Myself: Oneness and integrality sounds like the essential bond, but how would such individuals experience one another on a more practical level?

RP: Being a part of a collective and being an individual are two seemingly opposing positions. That is in fact what many of us struggle with in our daily lives, as we try to harmonize our own needs with the needs of others, of society and the world around us. It is difficult to know when to assert one's own self, or when to defer to other's purpose, or the larger purpose of the group. For the most part we are ego-centered, separative individuals who are more focused on the needs of ourselves. The collective around us is but an afterthought, or, at most a tool to satisfy our own needs.

In this collective divine life, based on the principles of harmony and integrality, he would feel a complete oneness between his individuality and the collective purpose. For example, he would know how and when to lead or rule; or, as necessary, how and when to subordinate himself to the needs of the group. This will be a creative, spontaneous action because he is centered in this truth consciousness that knows the true Truths and experiences the oneness of all at any moment.

What is interesting here is that he would take as much delight in subordinating himself as he would in taking the initiative and the lead. His pleasure thus extends in both directions. That is true because he feels the essential unity and connection with all; because he feels the commonality of spirit, even of substance between himself and others. He is, in one sense, an extended being. Perhaps we can call him a universalized individual. Needless to say that's a very long way from our current human functioning! How many of us take as much pleasure in other's actions as our own, or other's success as our own?

What really connects such supramentalized individuals into a bond of essential harmony, unit, and oneness is that each individual feels all selves to be an embodiment of a single self. This single self is the physical and soul experience that we are all in essence of the same spiritual Reality, each playing a role in a symphony of Divine unfolding. We feel that same spiritual essence within ourselves, with the environment, and with others. It is a spiritual bond that translates not only as a spiritual connection but as a deep emotional bond; perhaps even a physically sensational bond.

Myself: But wouldn't this life sort of breed sameness and conformity?

RP: On the contrary. as we said, living in this supramental consciousness engenders great unity and harmony of purpose. But harmony itself is a principle and law that is a consequence not of sameness and conformity, but of multiplicity and diversity. There would thus be a great unity expressing itself as great diversity. The entire gnostic evolutionary life would be an expression of what Sri Aurobindo calls "unity in diversity." 

We could also explain it this way: The Divine created a universe of forms, each to express in its own unique way the delight of being. When individuals live this supramental collective life and connect to the divine spirit and force, they sense the purpose of their own unique existence, and therefore unique experience of delight. The individual experiences his own unique existence, even as he interacts with others who feel the same. It becomes a kind of symphony of multiplicity and diversity, expressing their uniqueness in their individual delight of being! It is hard to express, but I hope you can sense what I man.

Ultimately, it's the individual's changeover from a human nature to a new supernature that enables the spiritualized collective life to from and function. That supernature is rooted in the supramental consciousness that now, as a result of the tripe transformation, makes up the very fiber of his being. From that foundation one discovers the ultimate oneness, unity of consciousness, delight of existence in this new collective life. He joins with others in pioneering a new supra-human functioning, culminating in a divine life on earth.

Myself: Thank you Roy.

RP: It has been a great pleasure for me to share this vision of an extraordinary future evolutionary existence with our viewers.

 

 

MAIN POINTS Contradictions are Complements -- This is a fundamental observation of the Indian visionary Sri Aurobindo. That is, that all things that seem to be in conflict, opposition, depend on one another for the other's progress and evolution.  In fact, the progress of each side is buried in the makeup, aspect, needs, destiny, and evolution of the other side. The things that seem to conflict or contradict are really complements to each other's progress. Thus contradictions are complements. This principle applies between individuals, to an individual in a social context, between social entities like businesses, between nations, and so forth upwards to the earth and the cosmos itself. Delight of Being -- The ultimate purpose of life is to discover the delight in existence. We reach that delight when we discover our higher nature. The highest nature we can discover is our spiritual nature. When we discover our highest spiritual nature we experience delight; the very reason that the Divine created this universe of forms, for even greater delight. Spirit in Life, Not Apart From It -- The old spiritual teachings ask us to experience spirit and its delight apart from life. The new spiritual understanding is to bring spirit into every moment into life, in every act, releasing its infinite potential, and enabling us to experience the infinite delight of existence. Delight at Three Planes -- We can experience this delight and fulfillment in all aspects of our being -- in our minds, in our vital/emotional centers, and in our physical bodies. Discover our Higher Nature -- Minimally we can discover our higher nature by overcoming our limitations; such as our limiting attitudes, opinions, habits, and capacities. We can make this change on our own, through our sincere and persevering effort to change our selves. If we do this, life will respond instantly, abundantly, and miraculously in kind. Opening to the Force -- If we wish to go further still, we can utilize the spiritual powers that are there at our disposal. We can open to the spiritual Force that is there in the atmosphere. If we open to it before commencing an act, life will respond even more abundantly and suddenly in kind. This Force can transform the nature, enable falsehoods to evaporate, create knowledge where there is ignorance, sets problems right, gives the full truth and knowledge, reveals solutions that create unity for multiple parties simultaneously, enables infinite possibilities that transcend our normal notions of logic, and space and time, etc.  In addition, we will experience a spiritual response in the form of spiritual properties, including a sudden peace, calm, feeling of bliss, higher knowledge, wisdom, truth, power. This opening to the Force before an act we call "consecration." It is the great secret of life. It is the key opening to releasing the infinite energies and potentials of life. For those who make an effort to overcome their personal limitations as well as open to this Force, will accomplish, succeed at 10 or 100 or 1000 times their present level, and in a very relatively short time period. Life Response -- "Life response" is the way life suddenly, mysteriously, abundantly, miraculously responds to an inner change on our part; such as an inner change of attitudes, or our opening deeply to the Force. The positive response to our new initiative can come from any where in the world and happen in a blink of an eye; defying all our views of logic, and space and time.   Greatest Efficiency of Life -- Our efficiency in life is our ability to create the greatest results in the shortest period of time with the least effort. Changing our nature, such as our attitudes and other limitations, and opening to the Force, creates great efficiency of life. Becoming the new evolutionary being enables the greatest efficiency of life.  Sri Aurobindo's Vision of Future Existence 1 -- Even if we make changes in our lives or open periodically to the Force, life will itself remains as it is; filled with ignorance, evil, falsehood, suffering, division and duality. Sri Aurobindo envisioned a world where this is no longer the case. He longed for a solution to the world's suffering and our own pain. He embarked on a spiritual path on which he discovered the power needed to change the world on a permanent basis. In his spiritual development he uncovered a new evolutionary aspect of spirit, an extension for the Divine which he called the "Truth Consciousness" or "Supramental Consciousness" because it is a power above and beyond mind. He said that to truly transform human nature and life on earth beyond its current limitations one could open to this Force and transform all of the limiting parts of one's being; from mental falsehood and misunderstanding to vital/emotional passion and attachment to physical illness, pain, and death itself. Sri Aurobindo's Vision of Future Existence 2 -- Sri Aurobindo said that humans may not be the final rung on the evolutionary scale. That we might witness the emergence of a new species, one that is above and beyond the present human race as we know it. Sri Aurobindo believed that if we could make the ascent to overcome our limiting nature, if we could further rediscover the hidden spirit in life, if we could come in contact and open ourselves to this Truth Consciousness, then we can change life as we know it. He invited us to take a journey on a path from our current human functioning to a vastly different superfunctioning that opens he doors to infinite accomplishment, success, and happiness in life. Path to Evolutionary Spiritual Being -- For those who wished to undertake the effort, Sri Aurobindo laid out a path from our current human functioning to a new evolutionary spiritual-based functioning; rooted in this new supramental consciousness aspect of the Divine, God. Instead of merely opening to the Force to bring about sudden, abundant life response, one could also open to it to totally transform our mental, vital, and physical nature into their higher counterparts. The Involution -- Sri Aurobindo recognized that this Force that we can open to consecrate an event or to be the basis for the evolutionary change was the same power that enabled the Divine, God to manifest the universe we know. The original Divine Reality in its desire to create a universe of forms (for the purpose of experience of delight of existence) spun off the supramental power to enable the planes of time, space, mind, life, and matter. This process, that began with a Real Idea of the Divine that that enabled the universe, the cosmos to arise (in essence what led up to the Big Bang) is known as the involution. The Evolution -- Beginning essentially with the Big Bang or something similar is the manifestation of the universe. The universe is the body of the Divine, a form of the Divine in embodied matter and life. The universe essentially began as energy at rest, becomes energy that moves, and eventually coagulates into forms of matter (plasma, galaxies, etc.), further evolving on earth (and elsewhere) as vital animus of life, and culminating in humans (and perhaps other intelligent life forms) as mind. Man continues this evolutionary process by rising to his higher nature above mind and within through sprit. When he touches Supermind and the pure spirit above in all aspect of his being he has completed the evolutionary purpose. This entire process is the evolution. Man utilizes the same spiritual supramental power that enables the Divine to manifest the universe to aid in our own ascent from vital and mental-based humans to spiritual and supramental truth consciousness evolutionary beings. This is the culminating of the evolution. The spiritualized evolutionary individual and collective existence fulfills the purpose of he universe, which is delight of being. Supramental in Involution and Evolution -- The involution then was from Divine spirit to the beginnings of matter. The evolution is from matter to life to mind to spirit. In both the involution and the evolution, the Truth Consciousness power of the Divine, the supramental creative power, is the instrument for further movement, development, and progress. Evolution is Reverse of Involution -- The involution, which is from spirit to matter, is reversed in the evolution; i.e. is a return to spirit from matter. The involution goes from the Real Idea of the Divine to manifest a universe for the delight of being, creates the planes of mind, life, and matter, and then hides them before creation; whereas the evolution is the reverse process where matter appears, where the plane of life emerges from matter, where mind emerges from life, and spirit from mind, and in that process enables man to discover the delight of being, the purpose for which the Divine manifest through Supermind the universe. Subprocesses in Involution and Evolution -- In the involution a process of self conception is used by the Divine to conceptualize the universe as a Real Idea, and through supermind converts that Real Idea into the planes of matter, life, and mind. Then thorough a process of self-absorption the Divine hides those planes just as the universe begins so that through the evolution man can discover the hidden spirit, Godhead in objects and experience the delight of existence. In the evolution matter emerges, and from matter life, and from life mind, and from mind, spirit. In that way Nature reverses the self-absorption of these planes as they emerge as realities. Also man similarly self-conceptualizes what he would like his own life to be to enable his own evolution, experiencing the delight of being for which the universe was created, culminating in his spiritual nature and the evolutionary spiritual being and divine collective life. Experiences vs. Transformation -- Having individual experiences, such as life response, psychic phenomenon, opening to the Force, is different than permanently changing our nature into realization and embodiment. Only if we change our nature permanently can the world be transformed out of its suffering.  Triple Transformation -- How to become this evolutionary spiritual being? To change into the supramental evolutionary being, who is utterly different from our current human functioning, we will need to first change the orientation of our basic nature, and then begin to shift our center of consciousness from our current vital and mental based center to a higher spiritual based center, above mind, in spiritual mind, and above that to the supramental realms of truth consciousness; and then open to the supramental Force in all aspect of our being to transform them into the supramental evolutionary being. At that pointy all of the limitations of the current human functioning would disappear. Sri Aurobindo calls this process the triple transformation. Psychic Transformation -- In the triple transformation one first moves away from the surface consciousness, moves into the depths within, and finds the inner personal soul. That will reorient his consciousness to the point that he is more open to life and its greater possibilities around him. He will be centered more deeply that enables him to have a greater calm, insight, knowledge, and wisdom. He will more in harmony with everything and everyone he interacts with. His connection to this personal soul will take over and become his guiding influence in life, showing him what should and should not be done; what part of his nature should be changed, etc.. Also as he goes deeper he will connect to universal forces and currents, opening him to still greater insights and wisdom. He will also open to the Divine transcendence consciousness itself. This is the psychic transformation, and is the first necessary stage for the transformational change. Spiritual Transformation -- As a result of the psychic transformation he begins to witness descents of forces and powers that are above his normal mental functioning. He begins to know things through his state of inner Silence. This is Higher Mind. he also begins to experience knowledge as descents of light, illuminations, and vision of the object of knowledge. This is Illumined Mind. Higher still the object of knowledge that he wishes to know simply descends into his being without any thought. he knows the object in all it myriad of details, and without any thought. This is Intuitive Mind. These are the planes of spiritual mind that he now begins to embody. This is the second stage of the movement towards this evolutionary spiritual being, the Spiritual Transformation. Supramental Transformation -- The final stage is the opening of the individual beyond spiritual plane beyond mind, culminating in connection with Supermind; i.e. the supramental consciousness. This plane descends into all aspects of his being; into his mind, his vital/emotional center, and his physical body, transforming them completely into a higher functioning, a supernature. Supramental Nature -- The supramental nature is very difficult for us to perceive. Here are a few aspects: -Supramental Action for Individual -- When one opens to the Supramental Consciousness, i.e. the Force, ]one lives, experiences all its benefits. It can transform the nature, enable falsehoods to evaporate, create knowledge where there is ignorance, sets problems right, gives the full truth and knowledge, reveals solutions that create unity for multiple parties simultaneously, enables infinite possibilities, possibilities that can transcend space and time, etc. -Perceives Positive in Negative -- The future evolutionary spiritual person sees the positive in the negative occurrences in life. He sees an unfolding positive, higher harmony developing from the negatives, or in any conflict. This enables him to constantly bring out the higher harmonies in life, helping the world around him evolve. (In reality to him there is no negative.) -Perceives Inner Oneness in Contradictions -- He sees the inner oneness of conflicts and contradictions. He knows that each side is in conflict with the other to bring our the negative in each other and turn it into the positive. It is only the opposing side who knows the truth that we lack. This is the reason fro the necessity for the conflict, for the evolution of both; it is only the other side that can bring out the negative of my side and provide the solution which the other side knows. Thus these contradictions are complements to one another. -The evolutionary spiritual being continually sees the conflicts of the opposing parties in the world in their necessary unity and oneness. -Has Integral Knowledge, Sees Full, True Truth -- The evolutionary spiritual being has an integral view in any given moment. He knows the true truth of things, in its myriad of sides and details. He has a complete identity with the current and emerging knowledge and truth in that moment. He has the integral Truth consciousness. Sri Aurobindo calls this the supramental consciousness, a consciousness that we are emerging towards from our current mental status. -This evolutionary spiritual individual has fully embodied a unitarian consciousness; he has in essence developed a future evolutionary supernature. -Spiritual Basis for His perceptions, His Existence -- He experiences all of the universe, the world, the society, his life, himself, all things as spirit. In other words, he sees and feels that everything is God. This spiritual essence that he feels enables him to experience, in his active working life, a profound integral harmony with his environment and with others; the true truth at any moment; the exact right actions at any moment in time. Rooted in the delight of spirit this evolutionary individual sees everything in its oneness. He senses and experiences it in all things; in all its diversities and multiplicities; even in what appears to others as conflicts and contradictions. He always knows the deeper relations between the parts, between the conflicts and the conflicting parties. His life is one of essential, spontaneous, and inherent unity with everything.  -Transformation of Mental, Vital, and Physical -- His mind would be transformed as he would know all things in its oneness, and have the object of knowledge inside him. He would be the knowledge. His emotions would be of love and oneness with others. This individual's body would have great perfection. He could live as long as he wishes; he would be liberated from all suffering; and all of the pains, injuries, diseases and other sufferings would be a thing of the past. We would see a dramatic change in his body functionings, shape, and the possibility of his ability to live as long as he wishes. -He is not just one with his environment and the people around him, and lives in that unified truth, but he is one with the Divine spirit, its Force, and Truth Consciousness. In fact, it is only because he has this connection to this Force, that he is the way he is. -Knowing, Being the Object of Knowledge --  In the supramental consciousness we don't acquire the knowledge of something by thinking, by inquiring about the object of the knowledge. We simply know it at any moment in time. And we know it because it is not external to us, it is simply in us to begin with. -Knowing is also Creating the Object of Knowledge -- When we are in the truth consciousness are not only the instantaneous knower of the knowledge, but we are simultaneously the creators of the knowledge we wish to know; mirroring the fact that the Divine when it created the universe through supermind created the world similarly from out of nothing. What it wished to “know” it simply created. -Connecting to Spirit in Life Releases its Infinite Possibility-- The more we are in touch with the spirit, the Force, the more we are connected to the infinite powers of the universe, then the greater the possibilities of new ideas, new possibilities, new inventions, new products, new forms of matter. -Infinite Life response, Accomplishment in Life -- The spiritualized evolutionary being is constantly evoking positive life responses, enabling him to accomplish at 1000 times or more the level of the normal human being. 1000 times even in a single moment in time. because of his complete oneness and integral knowledge at any moment, he knows exactly what action to take, enabling vast instantaneous and abundant results. -Ultimate Efficiency of Life -- The spiritualized evolutionary being lives the greatest efficiency of life; the ability to create the greatest results in the shortest period of time with the least effort. -Utilizes Process of Creation -- He understands the process of creation that enabled the universe to emerge from the Divine. As a result he knows how to apply this process in his own life, releasing the infinite potentials of life. He gains this God-power in his own life because he is fully aware of the stages of the process. He also has complete understanding of other such processes in life. Individual, Universal, Transcendent Self -- The individual in life has his individual self. The spiritualized evolutionary being becomes an individually realized Self, a realized universal Self, and a realized transcendent Self. Evolution of Universe and Human -- Life in the universe began as physical matter, evolved to the vital animus of life, and evolved further to mind. The individual human embodies the matter of the universe as his physical body, experiences the vital animus of life as his vital life force, energy, emotions, and feelings, and he is the highest embodiment of the plane of mind. Subdivisions of Physical, Vital, and Mental -- There is the physical, vital, and mental planes of the individual. Each of these can be subdivided into at least three more levels.  Levels of Mind Proper -- Then the mind proper consists of a first level where thoughts are processed into ideas, a still higher level where thoughts are turned into sentiments, values, and ideals, and higher still where he engages in reason, pure thought, and can conceptualize new ideas and that which he wishes to be.   Individual's Center of Consciousness -- Each individual lives at all of these nine levels simultaneously, though he tends to be centered at one; e.g. some people are more physical (e.g. rigid and of one mind), vital (emotional, passionate, energetic), or mental (cerebral, logical, etc.). Most people are centered in the vital of their needs and desires. Fewer are centered in the mind, though more and more are centered there. Fewer still are centered in the highest part of mind proper focused on reason, logic, and conception. A very few are centered in spirit, including spiritual mind. Vertical and Horizontal Scales of Consciousness -- The planes that go from matter to vital to mind to spiritual mind to supermind is the vertical scale of consciousness. The movement from the surface of life to the depths of life within culminating in connection to the psychic being, the persona soul is the horizontal scale of consciousness. When we evolve, we move up among the planes in the vertical scale and move deeper within on the horizontal scale. The evolutionary spiritual being has reached and embodied the greatest heights of the vertical, and the greatest depths of the horizontal. Three Stages of Social Evolution -- Just as the universe evolved from matter to life to mind; and the individual parallels that development in his body, his vital, and his mind, so too the society has evolved from a physical state of survival beginning say 100,000 years ago, to a vital stage during the middle of the last millennium, focused on trade, and interaction with others; to a mental stage that he is now currently emerging in which we see the emergence of freedom, democracy, higher organization, education, and individual self-fulfillment. Internet as Sign of Man's Development -- The individual's higher mental development and the emerging social awareness, come together today with the advent of the Internet. The Internet is an embodiment of both the higher mental consciousness of the individual and the emerging social consciousness of society. Internet is the ultimate form of complex organization reflecting the higher developments of mind in the individual, and perhaps even of something subtle and spiritual in the mind of men. The Internet is also subtle in that it gives sudden information, defying the laws of space and time; and it is subtle because it gives deeply insightful, full, integral knowledge, where an individual could for example know more of his illness than a doctor. The Gross, Subtle, and Causal Planes -- The material/gross plane is what we live in, including matter and life and partly mind as empirical facts. It is at this plane that we perceive cause and effect working in a fashion that our mind and senses perceives as logical. At the subtle plane there are forces, vibrations, energies that defy our normal perceptions of cause and effect, space and time, subjectivity and objectivity. There is a subtle mental, vital, and physical aspect to existence. We experience the subtle plane more readily through spiritualized mind. At the causal plane we enter fully the spiritual domain, where infinite possibilities can occur; where the inner and outer become one; where our inner intention, even without an action taken, leads to an outer result; where knowledge and will are fused; where the object of our knowledge exists within ourselves, not outside ourselves, where we are connected to the Divine, the Force, where infinite possibilities occur. We experience the causal plane by opening to the Supramental Force and living in the Supramental Consciousness. Signs of Evolving Human Consciousness -- The last 50 years has seen a vast development of the mental consciousness, surpassing the previous 500. Humans are ever more frequently having subtle and psychic experiences indicating a movement towards higher mind. The greater globalism, through greater economic development and dependency, increase in communications and media, indicate an accelerating  movement towards the outer oneness of life. Deciding Where We Want to Evolve to -- As individuals with the higher power of mind proper to self-conceptualize what we wish to be, we can determine to what level we wish to change and evolve. We can minimally change our limiting nature, such as our poor attitudes, limiting skills and knowledge, limiting ability to organize, etc. This is one level of change. Another is to open to the Force to enable even greater life response. We can also connect more deeply within into our inner being to experience life in its fullness and wideness. We can also undertake the triple transformation to become the new evolutionary spiritual being. In all cases, we start from where we are now, and decide that which we want to become. That is the process of individual accomplishment and creation. Spiritualized Collective Existence -- When a number of spiritualized evolutionary individuals appear they can come together and form a collative existence, the beginnings of what Sri Aurobindo calls a divine life on earth. Nature of Spiritualized Collective Existence -In this collective divine life, based on the principles of harmony and integrality, he would feel a complete oneness between his individuality and the collective purpose. For example, he would know how and when to lead or rule; or, as necessary, how and when to subordinate himself to the needs of the group. This will be a creative, spontaneous action because he is centered in this truth consciousness that knows the true Truths and experiences the oneness of all at any moment. -He feels the essential unity and connection with all; because he feels the commonality of spirit, even of substance between himself and others. He is, in one sense, an extended being. Perhaps we can call him a universalized individual. -What connects such supramentalized individuals into a bond of essential harmony, unit, and oneness is that each individual feels all selves to be an embodiment of a single self. This single self is the physical and soul experience that we are all in essence of the same spiritual Reality, each playing a role in a symphony of Divine unfolding. We feel that same spiritual essence within ourselves, with the environment, and with others. It is a spiritual bond that translates not only as a spiritual connection but as a deep emotional bond; perhaps even a physically sensational bond.

 

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Additional Information and Resources

-To learn more about using the Force in one's life, click here.
-For more on how to live more in the depths of one's being rather than on the surface, click here.
-For a detailed overview of the fundamental makeup of the individual, including our basic (non-spiritual) mental, vital, and physical makeup, click here. 
-For a detailed overview of the makeup of the human beyond mind proper. i.e. of spiritual mind and above, click here.
-For more info on the Supramental plane and consciousness, click here.
-For an article on the process of creation, by which the universe manifest from the Divine, i.e. involution and evolution, click here.
-For more on the four stages of social evolution in human history, click here.
-For information on the topic on the miraculous phenomenon of Life Response, click here.

-Many of the ideas here are taken from Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine. In particular we recommend Book 2 Chapter XXVII called The Gnostic Life which describes the supramentalized evolutionary spiritual individual; Book 2 Chapter XXV called The Triple Transformation; and Book 2 Chapter XXVIII called The Divine Life which describes the collective spiritual life on earth.

-For more information about Sri Aurobindo please visit our subsidiary site New Insights into the Life and Teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother by clicking here.

-To read an interview that covers extraordinary phenomenon in life, including opening to the Force and "Life Response", with many real life examples, click here.

-To read an interview on how the internet reflects on our human evolution, click here. 

 

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