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English >> Works of Other Authors >> Philosophy |
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The Spiritual Evolution of the SoulEssentials of Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy and Yoga— Larry Seidlitz
About The Spiritual Evolution of the SoulThis treatise on Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy and system of yoga summarises his essential ideas such as the nature of the Divine and its relation to the universe, the relation of the soul and nature, the concepts of karma and rebirth, and his theory of the involution and evolution of consciousness. It also examines the method and practice of the Integral Yoga, the psychic, spiritual and supramental transformations of consciousness, and the intermediary consciousness of the superman bridging the human and supramental beings. In the final chapter the author argues for the relevance of Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy and yoga in today’s world. Through all these chapters runs the main theme of the spiritual evolution of the soul, because at the core Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy goes beyond the mind: it is a philosophy of the soul and its union with the infinite Reality. REVIEW“But what is the meaning of it all and of our own life in it, where is it leading, and which direction are we to go? Ask any flower bud, it will know: Turn to the sun, soak in its light, open, and express your absolutely unique and perfect beauty.”
For Larry Seidlitz to end his latest endeavour – a comprehensive, yet compact introduction to and summary of Sri Aurobindo’s thought – with this passage in its poignant and aesthetic simplicity seems like a counterpoint to the preceding 200 pages of condensed philosophical, metaphysical and practical yogic considerations. In a kind of literary fractal this somewhat mirrors Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri in which its author concluded over 700 pages of epic mantric poetry, which, as the Mother stated, encompassed, in profound and elevated verse, the entirety of his vision, experiences and inner processes, with these lines: Awakened to the meaning of my heart That to feel love and oneness is to live And this the meaning of our golden change Is all the Truth I know or seek, O sage. If we can simply open ourselves to the light like blossoming flowers or turn golden by feeling and living the love and oneness in our hearts, maybe we don’t need to seek any other Truth or try to know anything else. For those of us whose minds still need some convincing, Larry Seidlitz’s “Essentials” provide an excellent overview of the elaborate case that Sri Aurobindo has made for this simple and beautiful Truth throughout the thought and vision contained in his many literary works. In ten chapters, accompanied by a glossary of relevant terms from Sri Aurobindo’s collected works, Larry Seidlitz takes us from the foundations of Sri Aurobindo’s philosophical framework, including his conception of the nature of reality and the relation between the Divine and the world, through the nature of the individual and the collective soul to its development over lifetimes and civilizational cycles. The later chapters delve into the processes of consciously hastening our incarnated souls’ developments through Integral Yoga. Seidlitz presents the transformative inner dynamics and stages of accelerated conscious evolution specified by Sri Aurobindo as well as looking ahead towards the future physical manifestations they are envisioned to enable. Finally, the author states his case for why both Sri Aurobindo’s philosophical views as well as proposed yogic practices still hold meaning and possibility for those who strive to improve themselves and the world around them today, and are not as “difficult” or even “impossible” to understand and put into practice as some might argue. Threading through these explorations of Sri Aurobindo’s thought and practical suggestions to make it effective in our lives are the author’s own reflections on history and the current state of the world. To him, engaging with Sri Aurobindo’s works is not an abstract intellectual exercise but rather it is “particularly in such a time of upheaval that Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy is so important and relevant, because it, perhaps more than any other, gives a comprehensive meaning and understanding to it.” Although Seidlitz considers this philosophy’s aid to constructive cognizance of the world around us as important, its positive effects are not limited to the mind: When considering and feeling the weight of the many difficulties and challenges facing humanity, this same faith in humanity’s bright future promised by Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy can lighten the load, give hope, bring solace, and provide a helpful support to carry on in our lives and move past the darknesses that sometimes appear overwhelming. In his own words the author describes his motivations for writing the book: It represents my understanding of the teachings of my spiritual teachers Sri Aurobindo and the Mother about the human being and its evolutionary journey toward a divine life on earth. I came across these teachings forty-four years ago, found them convincing, and have been studying them and doing my best to practice them ever since. Over these many years, my studies, my own inner experiences, and my discussions with others who have followed their teachings have further confirmed my convictions. I find the philosophy to be extraordinarily positive and inspiring, and while I understand that many would be sceptical of such an idealistic philosophy in our troubled times, it is congruent both among its parts and with other widely accepted narratives about the nature of human beings and our world. While those already familiar with Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy and instructions for the practice of Integral Yoga might not gain too many new insights from the first foundational chapters, in the latter part of the book, even seasoned readers of this field’s literature might see aspects of the substance it refers to in a new light. For newcomers to this field of study the first two chapters, “The Divine and the Undivine” and “Involution and Evolution”, provide an excellent introduction to Sri Aurobindo’s worldview, its cosmology and ontology. In the first, more “theoretical” half I especially enjoyed the fourth chapter, “The Soul and Nature”, and Chapter Six, “The Evolution of Human Societies”. While reading the former, I marvelled at the ease with which the author presented the complexity of our deeper psychology and felt myself to be reoriented inwardly, which to me attests that the impact of the writing goes beyond the intellectual level. Chapter Six, on the other hand, comprises Sri Aurobindo’s The Human Cycle in such a comprehensive yet concise way that it would probably lend itself well to introductory sessions in a lecture and seminar series on “integral sociology” at institutes of higher learning. The second half of the book focuses more on the practical implications of Sri Aurobindo’s thought and begins with the book’s longest chapter, “Integral Yoga and Concentrated Evolution”. Following this is “The Triple Transformation” in which both basic and advanced concepts and processes relating to the yoga formulated by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are laid out for the reader. Personally, the last two chapters of the book, “The Superman: Intermediary Between the Human and Supramental Being” and “The Relevance of Sri Aurobindo’s Philosophy and Yoga”, represent the highlights of this book. The former sheds light on a fascinating and yet not too widely noted aspect of this field of study. The latter importantly deals in a nuanced and clear way with the notion that both Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy and his Integral Yoga are too “difficult” to understand and practise. In this way, the author concludes the book in a fitting manner by exploring some of the furthest frontiers of this evolutionary movement and making his case for their practical relevance and sure possibilities, no matter how daunting they might seem to the doubting sceptics within us, especially today. He quotes the Mother: “Finally, I am fully convinced that the confusion is there to teach us how to live from day to day, that is to say, not to be preoccupied with what may happen, what will happen, just to occupy oneself day by day with doing what one has to do […] and then to let the All-Consciousness decide.… By giving great importance to things dangerous and harmful, you only add strength to them.” She said that when we are assailed by disorder and confusion, we should enter into the consciousness where there is only a single Unity and everything is taking place within this Unity. “More and more,” she said, “the certitude is there: this is the only solution.” —Matthias Pommerening Matthias, who lives and works in Auroville, has an academic background related to research into consciousness and is fascinated with Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s explorations in the field. He has been in conversation with Larry Seidlitz about his book since its inception.
Reviewed in February 2021 |
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