Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 12 Contd…,
But this conclusion is complicated by the fact that from another view-point our personal mind seems to be little more than a formation of universal Mind, an engine for the reception, modification, propagation of cosmic thought-waves, idea-currents, will-suggestions, waves of feeling, sense-suggestions, form-suggestions. It has no doubt its own already realised expression, predispositions, propensities, personal temperament and nature; what comes from the universal can only find a place there if it is accepted and assimilated into the self-expression of the individual mental being, the personal Prakriti of the Purusha.
EXPLANATION
We have concluded that all mind-determinations arise from the mental being or Purusha. But this conclusion is complicated by another point of view:
Our personal mind seems to be nothing more than a formation of universal Mind. Our mind serves as an engine for the reception, modification , propagation of cosmic thought-waves, idea-currents, will-suggestions, waves of feeling, sense-suggestions, form-suggestions. Our mind is constantly invaded by thought currents from the universal plane.
Our mind has no doubt its own already realised expression, predispositions, propensities, personal temperament and nature. Therefore whatever comes from the universal Mind, can find a place in our individual mind only if it is accepted (by our mind). It has to be assimilated into the self-expression of the individual mental being, the personal Prakriti of the Purusha.
But still, in view of these complexities, the question remains entire whether all this evolution and action is a phenomenal creation by some universal Energy presented to the mental being or an activity imposed by Mind-Energy on the Purusha’s indeterminate, perhaps indeterminable existence, or whether the whole is something predetermined by some dynamic truth of Self within and only manifested on the mind surface. To know that we would have to touch or to enter into a cosmic state of being and consciousness to which the totality of things and their integral principle would be better manifest than to our limited mind experience.
EXPLANATION
While we can conclude that all mind determinations arise from the mental Purusha, yet this view is complicated by the fact that our mind is nothing more than a formation of universal Mind. In view of these complexities the question remains whether all this evolution and action is a phenomenal creation by some universal Energy presented to the mental being.
Or is it an activity imposed by Mind-Energy on the Purusha’s indeterminate, perhaps its indeterminable existence? Or whether the whole (totality of things) is something already predetermined by some dynamic truth of Self within and manifested on the mind’s surface?
Here Sri Aurobindo speaks of three views. One presentation to the mental being by universal Energy, second imposition by Mind-Energy on the Purusha, third is manifestation of dynamic truth within on the mind’s surface.
To know the answers for the above we have to enter into cosmic state of being and consciousness. Because to such a state only the totality of things and their integral principle would be better manifest than to our limited mind.
(When we speak of the physical purusha, the life-purusha, the mind purusha, the psychic purusha, we need to note that there is a central being presiding over all, Jivatman. The central purusha reflects himself on the various levels of our being as their respective purushas. Now what exactly is the status of the self? There are three views on the subject.
The first: that each individualisation of the Self has its own spiritual truth to be manifested. The second: the self is silent and inactive. It is nature that presents certain experiences to that self. The third view: there is no presentation, it is a kind of imposition, on the silent and passive self by a cosmic imagination. Corresponding to these three views the status and reality of the self changes. The individual self carrying truth of its own, the self as a witness being presented with experiences by nature, the self imposed upon by cosmic imagination: these are three views – Shri M.P.Pandit: Talks on the Life Divine: Vol II: p. 5: Dipti Publications)
PARAGRAPH 13
Overmind consciousness is such a state or principle beyond individual mind, beyond even universal mind in the Ignorance; it carries in itself a first direct and masterful cognition of cosmic truth: here then we might hope to understand something of the original working of things, get some insight into the fundamental movements of cosmic Nature. One thing indeed becomes clear; it is self-evident here that both the individual and the cosmos come from a transcendent Reality which takes form in them: the mind and life of the individual being, its self in nature must therefore be a partial self-expression of the cosmic Being and, both through that and directly, a self-expression of the transcendent Reality,—a conditional and half-veiled expression it may be, but still that is its significance.
EXPLANATION
We have seen in the earlier paragraph that to understand the totality of things in the universe and their integral principle we have to enter into the cosmic state of being and consciousness, going beyond our limited mind experience.
Overmind consciousness is such a state or principle beyond individual mind. It is even beyond universal mind in the Ignorance (because Ignorance begins from the cosmic mind below Overmind).
The Overmind carries in itself a first direct and masterful knowledge of cosmic truth. We might hope to understand, here, something of the original working of things. We can get some insight into the fundamental movements of cosmic nature.
One thing becomes self-evident here. That is, both the individual and cosmos come from a transcendent Reality which takes form in them. Because above Overmind we find the Oneness of the Transcendent. The division originates from Overmind resulting in the appearance of cosmos and the individual.
Therefore the mind and life of the individual being, its self in nature must be a partial expression of the cosmic Being.
The mind and life of the individual being is a self-expression of the transcendent Reality both through the cosmic Being and directly. It may be a conditional and half-veiled expression. But still that is its significance.
But also we see that what the expression shall be is also determined by the individual himself: only what he can in his nature receive, assimilate, formulate, his portion of the cosmic being or of the Reality, can find shape in his mind and life and physical parts; something that derives from the Reality, something that is in the cosmos he expresses, but in the terms of his own self-expression, in the terms of his own nature.
EXPLANATION
What shall be the expression of the Transcendent Reality and the cosmos through the individual? It is also decided by the individual himself. He can express only to the extent of what he can receive in his nature, assimilate, formulate his portion of the cosmic being or of the Reality. Only that much can find shape in his mind and life and physical parts.
He expresses something that derives from the Reality, something that is in the cosmos. But all this he expresses only in the terms of his own self-expression, in the terms of his own nature.
But the original question set out for us by the phenomenon of the universe is not solved by the Overmind knowledge,—the question, in this case, whether the building of thought, experience, world of perceptions of the mental Person, the mind Purusha, is truly a self-expression, a self-determination proceeding from some truth of his own spiritual being, a manifestation of that truth’s dynamic possibilities, or whether it is not rather a creation or construction presented to him by Nature, by Prakriti, and only in the sense of being individualised in his personal formation of that Nature can it be said to be his own or dependent on him; or, again, it might be a play of a cosmic Imagination, a fantasia of the Infinite imposed on the blank indeterminable of his own eternal pure existence.
EXPLANATION
But we have an original question posed by the phenomenon of the universe that is not solved by the Overmind knowledge. The question is:
1. Whether the thought process, experience, perceptions of the mental person or mind Purusha is truly a self-expression, a self-determination originates from some truth of his own spiritual being; a manifestation of that truth’s dynamic possibilities;
2. Or is it not rather a creation or construction presented to him by Nature, by Prakriti ? If that is so, it can be said to be his own or dependent on him only in the sense of being individualised in his personal formation of that Nature;
3. Or is it a play of cosmic Imagination, a fantasia (fantasy, something that is unreal) of the Infinite imposed on the blank indeterminable of his own eternal pure existence?
These are the three views of creation that seem to have an equal chance of being right, and mind is incapable of definitely deciding between them; for each view is armed with its own mental logic and its appeal to intuition and experience. Overmind seems to add to the perplexity, for the overmental view of things allows each possibility to formulate itself in its own independent right and realise its own existence in cognition, in dynamic self-presentation, in substantiating experience.
EXPLANATION
These are the three views of creation. All have an equal chance of being right. Our mind is incapable of definitely deciding between them. Because each view is backed by its own mental logic and has its appeal to intuition and experience.
Overmind instead of resolving the problem, seems to add to the perplexity. Because in the Overmind each possibility is allowed to formulate itself in its own independent right. Here each possibility is allowed to realise its own existence in cognition (acquiring knowledge) in dynamic self-presentation, in substantiating experience.