THE TWO NEGATIONS - 1. THE MATERIALIST DENIAL
SYNOPSIS
- Affirmation of Divine Life upon earth can have base only when we recognise that it is the Divine who lives in our body; our bodily matter is a fit and noble material out of which He weaves His dresses and builds His mansions.
- Once we accept the Upanishadic truth “Matter is also Brahman” we begin to see Body and Spirit are one. Physical Universe is the external body of the Divine Being.
- It would be more satisfying to the rational intellect if we recognise a series of ascending gradations from Matter to Life, Life to Mind, Mind to Supermind to convince the truth that Matter and Spirit are one. Simply expressing Matter as Spirit, ignoring the intervening gradations will be an artificial creation of Thought. It may look like an irrational mysticism opposed to the logic of facts.
- If we create division between God and Nature, the natural tendency would be to choose the one and reject the other. Either we deny God as an illusion or Nature as an illusion.
- The concept of Purusha and Prakriti (Sankhya philosophy) divides matter and spirit. The reconciliation is possible only when Prakriti dissolves into Purusha in a state of Nirvana.
- Again, Shankara’s philosophy of inactive Brahman and the Maya of many forms (Adwaitic Monism) does not give a solution. These two opposites can be reconciled only when the illusion of many disappears into the Silent Brahman.
- Materialist has an easier option of denying Spirit and accepting only Matter – Monism of Matter. But he cannot take his rigid stand for long. It is only an excuse for not extending the limits of his inquiry beyond matter.
- All the above concepts lead only to contradictions between Matter and Spirit. But human mind wants affirmation. This can be achieved only by unity through reconciliation; either by subjective or objective method.
- By unity conflicting forces will be harmonised around a central Truth. Our wandering thoughts will become stable and our life will serve the Divine aim with joy and peace. In short, life and thoughts will be centred around the Divine Principle (Divine Life).
- Yet when the contradictions persist it is natural for the mind to test each of the opposites separately. Either Spirit or Matter gives a temporary sense of reality to mind. This status is only interim and not final. When mind reaches a higher status, it can arrive at the whole.
- Human intellect, aided by senses and expressed through speech can view only the parts. It always aims to reduce everything to one truth by excluding others. This defect can be rectified only when it goes beyond itself or travelling the full circle it will arrive at the final conclusion that All is Brahman.
- After many experiments we have come to the two extremes of Matter and Spirit. But the universal instinct in mankind refuses to stop with this final result. It urges the mankind to go beyond.
- In Europe materialism brought material riches but it led to bankruptcy of Spirit. In India ascetism brought spiritual treasures but led to bankruptcy of life. Nor, the human intellect could solve man’s problems on material plane.
- Therefore, now it is the time ripe for the collective humanity for a comprehensive affirmation instead of an exclusive stand either on Matter or Spirit.
- The denial of materialist is a weak proposition. Its principle is based on the premise that our knowledge cannot extend beyond the domain of senses. It refuses to acknowledge the hidden capacities and powers lie in man. The moment it accepts the extra-sensory powers in man materialism loses its ground. Whereas the refusal of ascetic is more dangerous because it rejects the world itself.
- Yet the gains of materialistic period should not be lost. Atheism removed the unwanted superstitions covering the spiritual truth. Agnosticism extended the limits of our knowledge. Even the errors of materialistic age can serve as path finders for Truth.
- Even in spiritual pursuit a disciplined intellect is a must. One may rise above this material plane to higher levels. Yet his feet should be firmly grounded on the earth. Earth is His footing, says the Upanishad. Due to mixed functioning of extra-sensory faculties in man, persons with unchaste minds are prone to stray away from path and fall into the pit when they are exposed to higher spiritual experience.
- All knowledge finally comes to a stage where something still remains unknown. Whatever may be the path of knowledge we follow, the universe appears as a symbol of an unknowable Reality. Neither mind nor speech can define It.
- Even though It appears as Unknowable by our thought and speech It can be known by a higher consciousness. Sri Aurobindo calls it as Knowledge by Identity of consciousness. With this Knowledge, one can perceive the Reality behind the symbols.
- Going beyond the materialistic formula to higher knowledge, we can know the Reality behind the names and forms (finites) which characterise our normal life. Then, Life, Mind and Supermind will reveal their true nature not as subordinate activity to material life.
- Unknown is not unknowable; it is only not knowable by mind. Man being a microcosm, there exist in him corresponding faculties to take cognisance of all things unknowable in the Universe. Yet man chooses not to develop them.
- Man has strong urge for self-realisation. This will push him to go beyond his intellect to acquire knowledge about domains beyond this physical world.
- The soul of modern materialism is search for knowledge. Once it marches to cross the barriers of sense knowledge the success achieved in the material domain will be repeated in supra-physical domains also.
- By whatever path we follow Knowledge tends to become one. Vedantic knowledge says the cosmos is one energy in multiple forms. Modern Science confirms this Truth. It says, if we analyse the Matter, it basically reduces itself to a single element known as energy. Essential Matter is a thing non-existent to senses. It is only our thought makes a distinction between form of energy and form of substance.
- Mind, Life and Matter are nothing but one energy triply formulated. It is our ignorance that creates division among them. The energy that created the world is nothing else than a Will. Will is consciousness working towards a result.
- Self-involution into form and Self-evolution out of form is the work of the Consciousness. It works towards a result in Man i.e. Immortality, limitless Knowledge and unrestricted Power.
- It is the Superconscious Might that uses the individual as means to express the all-powerfulness(omnipotence) with collectivity as basis. It is none else than the God in man who seeks to express though man the divine qualities of unity, omniscience(all-knowledge) and omnipotence(all-powerful).
- The modern world, unknowingly serves and tries to fulfil in all its activities the cosmic impulse, the Divine Will. Science aims to make the man all powerful on earth. Technology has shrunk Space & Time. Nothing has become impossible for man. The consciousness in human race eventually finds ways to make everything possible for man.
- The material world limits man’s knowledge. The Material machinery limits his powers. But here also, the latest progress made in Science has made man less and less dependent on material means. Modern communication works without any intermediary material link. Similarly, when laws of supra-physical are mastered it will open up new avenues of Knowledge, including mind possessing direct control over matter.
- Yet we must go beyond the world which is immediately above this world of Matter. Merging our internal with the external, dissolving our ego, we must unite with the cosmic consciousness. This unity will embrace multiplicity. Then we will live in one world with the Divine. Man will assume the Divine Nature (Divine Life).