Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 2
Still there is one aspect of this problem which must be immediately considered; it is the gulf created between Mind as we know it and the supramental Truth-Consciousness of which we have found Mind in its origin to be a subordinate process. For this gulf is considerable and, if there are no gradations between the two levels of consciousness, a transition from one to the other, either in the descending involution of Spirit into Matter or the corresponding evolution in Matter of the concealed grades leading back to the Spirit, seems in the highest degree improbable, if not impossible.
EXPLANATION
There is a gulf created between Mind as we know it and the supramental Truth-Consciousness. We have found that Mind in its origin is a subordinate process of Truth-Consciousness.
There exists so much gulf between these two that the transition either from Spirit into Matter in the descending involution or from Matter into Spirit in the ascending concealed grades of evolution seems in the highest degree improbable, if not impossible. If such a transition is to become possible there have to be gradations between the levels of Mind and the supramental Truth-Consciousness.
For Mind as we know it is a power of the Ignorance seeking for Truth, groping with difficulty to find it, reaching only mental constructions and representations of it in word and idea, in mind formations, sense formations,—as if bright or shadowy photographs or films of a distant Reality were all that it could achieve. Supermind, on the contrary, is in actual and natural possession of the Truth and its formations are forms of the Reality, not constructions, representations or indicative figures.
EXPLANATION
What is the nature of Mind as we know it? It is the power of Ignorance seeking for Truth. Mind is groping with difficulty to find the Truth. In its search for Truth it is reaching only mental constructions and representations of it in word and idea, in mind formations, sense formations. All that Mind could achieve in its constructions are like bright or shadowy photographs or films of a distant Reality.
Supermind on the contrary is in actual and natural possession of the Truth. Its formations are forms of the Reality. Unlike in the Mind, they are not constructions, representations or indicative figures.
No doubt, the evolving Mind in us is hampered by its encasement in the obscurity of this life and body, and the original Mind principle in the involutionary descent is a thing of greater power to which we have not fully reached, able to act with freedom in its own sphere or province, to build more revelatory constructions, more minutely inspired formations, more subtle and significant embodiments in which the light of Truth is present and palpable. But still that too is not likely to be essentially different in its characteristic action, for it too is a movement into the Ignorance, not a still unseparated portion of the Truth-Consciousness.
EXPLANATION
The evolving Mind is restricted by its enclosure in the obscurity of this life and body. It is the original Mind principle that had involved itself in the descent. It is a thing of greater power. We have not fully reached the level of the original Mind principle.
This original Mind principle is able to act with freedom in its own sphere or province. It is able to build more revelatory constructions. It can form more minutely inspired formations. It can build more subtle and significant embodiments in which the light of Truth is present and easily perceptible. Here Sri Aurobindo refers to the Superconscient cosmic Mind or Overmind by the phrase ‘original Mind principle’.
But still this original Mind principle is also not essentially different in its characteristic action. Because it is also a movement into the Ignorance. It is still a separated portion of the Truth-Consciousness.
There must be somewhere in the descending and ascending scale of Being an intermediate power and plane of consciousness, perhaps something more than that, something with an original creative force, through which the involutionary transition from Mind in the Knowledge to Mind in the Ignorance was effected and through which again the evolutionary reverse transition becomes intelligible and possible. For the involutionary transition this intervention is a logical imperative, for the evolutionary it is a practical necessity.
EXPLANATION
Sri Aurobindo says, there must be somewhere in the descending and ascending scale of Being (Sat) an intermediary power and plane of consciousness. Perhaps it must be something more than that, something with an original creative force.
Through this intermediary power the involutionary transition from Mind in the Knowledge to Mind in the Ignorance was effected. Through the same again, the evolutionary reverse transition becomes intelligible and possible.
For the involutionary transition this intervention is a logical necessity. For the evolutionary transition it is a practical necessity.
For in the evolution there are indeed radical transitions, from indeterminate Energy to organised Matter, from inanimate Matter to Life, from a subconscious or submental to a perceptive and feeling and acting Life, from primitive animal mentality to conceptive reasoning Mind observing and governing Life and observing itself also, able to act as an independent entity and even to seek consciously for self-transcendence; but these leaps, even when considerable, are to some extent prepared by slow gradations which make them conceivable and feasible. There can be no such immense hiatus as seems to exist between supramental Truth-Consciousness and the Mind in the Ignorance.
EXPLANATION
If we take the evolutionary process there are indeed radical transitions. There is transition from indeterminate Energy (Chit-shakti) to organised Matter; from inanimate Matter to Life; from a subconscious or submental forms (Plants and animals) to a perceptive and feeling and acting Life; from primitive man with animal mentality to a Man with conceptive reasoning Mind.
This reasoning Mind observes and governs Life and observes itself also. It is able to act as an independent entity. It is even able to seek consciously for self-transcendence (going beyond itself).
These leaps, though great, are to some extent prepared by slow gradations which make them conceivable and feasible.
Therefore, Sri Aurobindo concludes that compared to these transitions there can be no such immense hiatus (break in the continuity) as seems to exist between supramental Truth-Consciousness and the Mind in the Ignorance.
(Now between this mind and the Supermind there is a gulf. But is it such that it cannot be crossed? If there is such a gulf we have to be satisfied with what the mind has attained, or achieved and we cannot hope for anything more. But our experience shows that there are intervening grades of consciousness between the mind and the Supermind. It is not that one has to leap at one bound from mind to the supermind by some spiritual feat; there is a gradation of levels of consciousness between the mind and the Supermind. And contact with these grades is possible. It is possible because there are lines of contact – Shri M.P.Pandit: Talks on the Life Divine, p. 175).
PARAGRAPH 3
But if such intervening gradations exist, it is clear that they must be superconscient to human mind which does not seem to have in its normal state any entry into these higher grades of being. Man is limited in his consciousness by mind and even by a given range or scale of mind: what is below his mind, submental or mental but nether to his scale, readily seems to him subconscious or not distinguishable from complete inconscience; what is above it is to him superconscious and he is almost inclined to regard it as void of awareness, a sort of luminous Inconscience.
EXPLANATION
In the previous paragraph we have seen that intervening gradations have to exist between our ordinary state of mind and the Supermind. If such intervening gradations exist they must exist superconscient to the human mind. Because our mind in its normal state does not seem to have entry into these higher grades. Man is limited in his consciousness by mind. Even more, he is limited by a given range or scale of mind.
What is below his mind or below his scale readily seems to him subconscious. It is not distinguishable from complete inconscience. What is above is superconscious to him. He considers this state as something without any awareness, a sort of luminous Inconscience. (Why luminous Inconscience? – Please refer Chapter 2, The Materialist Denial, p.13 – “ …..Especially is this mixed functioning dangerous when men with unchastened minds and unpurified sensibilities attempt to rise into the higher domains of spiritual experience. In what regions of unsubstantial cloud and semi brilliant fog or a murk visited by flashes which blind more than they enlighten…….”)
Just as he is limited to a certain scale of sounds or of colours and what is above or below that scale is to him inaudible and invisible or at least indistinguishable, so is it with his scale of mental consciousness, confined at either extremity by an incapacity which marks his upper and his nether limit. He has no sufficient means of communication even with the animal who is His mental congener, though not his equal, and he is even capable of denying mind or real consciousness to it because its modes are other and narrower than those with which in himself and his kind he is familiar; he can observe submental being from outside but cannot at all communicate with it or enter intimately into its nature.
EXPLANATION
Our sensory capacity is limited to a certain scale of sounds and colours. What is above or below that scale cannot be heard or seen by us. Man can only hear and see within a certain range of frequencies of sound and wavelengths of light. The same is true with his mental consciousness. It is confined or limited at either end by an incapacity which marks his upper and lower limit.
Man cannot communicate with the animal; both belong to the same group though not equals. He cannot accept the fact that the animal has any mind and real consciousness. Because the modes of functioning of the mind and consciousness of the animal are different and narrower than those he is familiar with. He can observe submental beings (animals and plants) from outside. But he cannot communicate with them or enter intimately into their nature.
Equally the superconscious is to him a closed book which may well be filled only with empty pages. At first sight, then, it would appear as if he had no means of contact with these higher gradations of consciousness: if so, they cannot act as links or bridges and his evolution must cease with his accomplished mental range and cannot exceed it; Nature in drawing these limits has written finis to his upward endeavour.
EXPLANATION
Equally, on the other end, the Superconscious is to him a closed book. As for him, its pages are empty with no experience to record. Therefore, at first sight, it would appear that he has no means of contact with the higher gradations of consciousness.
If that is the fact, they cannot act as links or bridges between the ordinary state of mind and the Supermind. Then his evolution must cease with his accomplished mental range and cannot exceed it. It seems that in drawing these limits Nature has put an end to his upward endeavour.
PARAGRAPH 4
But when we look more closely, we perceive that this normality is deceptive and that in fact there are several directions in which human mind reaches beyond itself, tends towards self exceeding; these are precisely the necessary lines of contact or veiled or half-veiled passages which connect it with higher grades of consciousness of the self-manifesting Spirit. First, we have noted the place Intuition occupies in the human means of knowledge, and Intuition is in its very nature a projection of the characteristic action of these higher grades into the mind of Ignorance.
EXPLANATION
We have seen in the previous paragraph that the mental consciousness of man is limited in his normal state. Sri Aurobindo says that this normality is deceptive. Our mind does not always operate within this normal state. There are several directions in which the human mind reaches beyond this normal state; the human mind tends to exceed itself.
The channels by which the human mind exceeds itself are precisely the necessary lines of contact with the higher ranges of consciousness of the self-manifesting Spirit. They are the veiled or half-veiled passages which connect our normal consciousness with the higher grades of it.
In the first place we can see that intuition occupies an important place as a means of human knowledge. What is the nature of Intuition?
In its very nature, intuition is a projection of the characteristic action of the higher grades of consciousness into the mind which is in a state of Ignorance. Sometimes we get flashes of knowledge about something or some event by intuition going beyond our reasoning mind.
(Quite often without even concentrating, without going through the normal stages of the intellect, to find out, to understand, we have suddenly certain perceptions and we know that is the truth: that is the play of intuition – Shri M.P.Pandit – Talks on the Life Divine, p. 175)
(Albert Einstein was facing criticism for challenging centuries of scientific thought. One would assume that Einstein favoured logic over intuition, but the reverse is true. Einstein is widely quoted as saying, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
The objection to Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of relativity in the 1920s was unprecedented and extremely fierce, but the physicist followed his instinct and stood by his work. Einstein’s general theory of relativity is now renowned as a pinnacle of modern-day physics.)