Chapter XXIV : Matter – Para 4 to 5

Study Notes

PARAGRAPH 4
     But these defeats and victories are only apparent, this solution is not a solution but an escape from the problem. Life is not really defeated by Matter; it makes a compromise by using death for the continuance of life. Mind is not really victorious over Life and Matter, but has only achieved an imperfect development of some of its potentialities at the cost of others which are bound up with the unrealised or rejected possibilities of its better use of life and body. The individual soul has not conquered the lower triplicity, but only rejected their claim upon it and fled from the work which spirit had undertaken when it first cast itself into form of universe. The problem continues because the labour of the Divine in the universe continues, but without any satisfying solution of the problem or any victorious accomplishment of the labour.

EXPLANATION
     Sri Aurobindo says the defeat of Life and the victory of Mind (over life and body) are not real but only apparent. Also, cutting away oneself from the world is not a solution but an escape from the problem. Death is not a defeat of Life by Matter. Life only makes a compromise by undergoing death for its continuance. In the same way Mind does not really gain victory over Life and Matter. Whatever Mind achieves is only an imperfect development of some of its potentialities at the cost of Life and Body. When Mind supressess the Life and Body, their possibilities are unrealised and rejected. When the Life and Body are not put to better use by the Mind, some of the Mind’s own potentialities are also ill-developed. Mind can gain real victory only when body and life also are allowed to play to their full potential.
     The individual soul has not conquered the body, mind and life. But it has only rejected their legitimate claim upon it. By doing so, the Spirit has fled from its original goal of manifestation in the universe i.e., spiritualising the mind, life and body. The problem continues because the labour of the Divine in the world continues. There is neither any satisfying solution nor successful accomplishment of the labour.

Therefore, since our own standpoint is that Sachchidananda is the beginning and the middle and the end and that struggle and discord cannot be eternal and fundamental principles in His being but by their very existence imply labour towards a perfect solution and a complete victory, we must seek that solution in a real victory of Life over Matter through the free and perfect use of body by Life, in a real victory of Mind over Life and Matter through a free and perfect use of lifeforce and form by Mind and in a real victory of Spirit over the triplicity through a free and perfect occupation of mind, life and body by conscious spirit; in the view we have worked out this last conquest can alone make the others really possible. To the end, then, that we may see how these conquests can be at all or wholly possible, we must find out the reality of Matter just as, seeking the fundamental knowledge, we have found out the reality of Mind and Soul and Life.

EXPLANATION
     Sachchidananda is the beginning and the middle and the end (Brahman is the Alpha and the Omega). Therefore, the struggle and discord cannot be eternal and fundamental principles in the Divine. They exist because we shoud labour towards a perfect solution and a complete victory.
     The solution should be sought in a real victory of Life over Matter. It can be achieved only through the free and perfect use of body by Life. Life should not be conditioned by body. Similarly, real victory of Mind over Life and Matter can be achieved only through a free and perfect use of life-force and form by Mind. Mind should not be dominated by Body and vital. Real victory of Spirit over body, mind and life can be achieved only through a free and perfect occupation of mind, life and body by conscious spirit. Presently the soul is imprisoned within our body, mind and life. Instead, the soul should become the master. This victory of Spirit over body, mind and life can alone make the other victories i.e., Life over Matter, Mind over Life and Matter possible.
     In order to achieve the above victories, we must find out the reality of Matter as we have found out the reality of Mind and Soul and Life (We have seen that Mind represents Supermind, Soul represents the Ananda, Life represents the Conscious-Force).

PARAGRAPH 5
     In a certain sense Matter is unreal and non-existent; that is to say, our present knowledge, idea and experience of Matter is not its truth, but merely a phenomenon of particular relation between our senses and the all-existence in which we move. When Science discovers that Matter resolves itself into forms of Energy, it has hold of a universal and fundamental truth; and when philosophy discovers that Matter only exists as substantial appearance to the consciousness and that the one reality is Spirit or pure conscious Being, it has hold of a greater and completer, a still more fundamental truth. But still the question remains why Energy should take the form of Matter and not of mere force-currents or why that which is really Spirit should admit the phenomenon of Matter and not rest in states, velleities and joys of the spirit. This, it is said, is the work of Mind or else, since evidently Thought does not directly create or even perceive the material form of things, it is the work of Sense; the sense-mind creates the forms which it seems to perceive and the thought mind works upon the forms which the sense-mind presents to it.

EXPLANATION
     Our present knowledge, idea and experience of Matter is not the real truth about Matter. What we know about it is chemical and physical properties. In a sense Matter is unreal and non-existent. What we think as Matter is only a phenomenon of particular relation between our senses and the all-existence in which we move. What we perceive through our five senses we call it matter. The knowledge we get through our senses is not true knowledge but an indirect one.
     Science discovered that Matter ultimately resolves itself into forms of energy. This discovery points out a universal and fundamental truth. Philosophy discovered that Matter only exists as substantial appearance to the consciousness; the only reality is Spirit or pure conscious Being. The philosophy has taken hold of a greater and completer and a still more fundamental truth than Science.
     But the still the question remains why the energy should take the form of Matter instead of remaining as mere force-currents. Also, why Spirit should admit the phenomenon of Matter. The Spirit can very well remain in its blissful state.
     Therefore, it was stated by the later day philosophies that Matter was the work of the Mind. Or more precisely, it was the work of our senses. The sense- mind creates the forms which are perceived through the senses. Our thought-mind works upon the forms presented to it by the sense-mind.

     (Please refer Para 18 in Chapter II – The Materialist Denial
     ……….Even if the dualistic appearance of Matter and Force be insisted on, it does not really stand in the way of his Monism. For it will be evident that essential Matter is a thing non-existent to the senses and only, like the Pradhana of the Sankhyas, a conceptual form of substance; and in fact the point is increasingly reached where only an arbitrary distinction in thought divides form of substance from form of energy.
EXPLANATION:
     Still, one may argue that Matter and Force (Energy) are different. Yet in reality it does not affect their Oneness. What we ‘see’ as Matter is really non-existent. Sri Aurobindo explains why it is so. The essential matter is beyond the grasp of our senses. We take cognisance of only a conceptual form of substance. It is only in our thought that we make a distinction between the form of substance from form of energy.
     One should note that Sri Aurobindo does not say Matter is non-existent or an illusion. He says ‘essential’ matter is non-existent to the senses. Science has discovered that matter is composed of atoms. If you take an atom only a small fraction (0.00000001%) is occupied by protons, neutrons and electrons. That means 99.9999999% is occupied by empty space filled with energy. This energy is electro-magnetic wave produced by the movement of electrons.
     When we touch an object, we feel the object. What really happens is only the contact between two electro-magnetic fields of energy. When we see an object, it is the energy created by the light waves makes an impression on our brain.)

But, evidently, the individual embodied mind is not the creator of the phenomenon of Matter; earth-existence cannot be the result of the human mind which is itself the result of earth existence. If we say that the world exists only in our own minds, we express a non-fact and a confusion; for the material world existed before man was upon the earth and it will go on existing if man disappears from the earth or even if our individual mind abolishes itself in the Infinite. We must conclude then that there is a universal Mind, subconscious to us in the form of the universe or superconscious in its spirit, which has created that form for its habitation. And since the creator must have preceded and must exceed its creation, this really implies a superconscient Mind which by the instrumentality of a universal sense creates2* in itself the relation of form with form and constitutes the rhythm of the material universe. But this also is no complete solution; it tells us that Matter is a creation of Consciousness, but it does not explain how Consciousness came to create Matter as the basis of its cosmic workings.
FOOT NOTE:
     2*Mind, as we know it, creates only in a relative and instrumental sense; it has an unlimited power of combination, but its creative motives and forms come to it from above: all created forms have their base in the Infinite above Mind, Life and Matter and are here represented, reconstructed—very usually misconstructed—from the infinitesimal. Their foundation is above, their branchings downward, says the Rig Veda. The superconscient Mind of which we speak might rather be called an Overmind and inhabits in the hierarchical order of the powers of the Spirit, a zone directly dependent on the supramental consciousness.

EXPLANATION
     It is wrong to presume that the mind contained in our body is the creator of the phenomenon of Matter. Earth-existence cannot be the result of the human mind. On the contrary mind is the result of earth existence. Later day philosophies are of the view that the world has no reality of existence of its own; it is only in the conception of our mind. It is because our mind says it is there that we concede reality to matter.
     Sri Aurobindo says this view is a non-fact and confusion. Because the material world existed before the appearance of man on earth. Even if the man disappears from earth, it will still exist; even if the individual mind abolishes itself in the Infinite (as in Buddhism) still the world will exist.
     Then, we can conclude that there is a universal Mind; it is subconscious to us in the form of the universe or superconscious in its spirit; it has created the universe for its dwelling. This means that the superconscient Mind being the creator must have existed before the universe and must exceed it (its creation).
     It really implies that a superconscious Mind, through its instrumentality of universal sense creates in itself the relation of form with form. This constitutes the rhythm of the material universe. This conveys us the fact that Matter is the creation of Consciousness. But Sri Aurobindo says his does not give us the complete solution. It does not explain how Consciousness created Matter as the basis of its cosmic workings.
Explanation on foot notes:
     The role of mind (in the ordinary sense) as creator is only relative and instrumental. Mind has unlimited power of combination. But its creative motives and forms come from above. In other words, it is not the original creator. The created forms have their base in the Infinite above Mind, Life and Matter. Here they are represented and reconstructed- usually misconstructed- from the Infinite. Their foundations are above, their branchings downward. The superconscient Mind is otherwise called Overmind. It is directly dependent on the supramental consciousness.

It is in this struggle that the impatience of Life, the disgust of the body and the recoil from both towards a pure mental and moral existence take their rise. When man awakens to an existence beyond Mind, he carries yet farther this principle of discord. Mind, Body and Life are condemned as the trinity of the world, the flesh and the devil. Mind too is banned as the source of all our malady; war is declared between the spirit and its instruments and the victory of the spiritual Inhabitant is sought for in an evasion from its narrow residence, a rejection of mind, life and body and a withdrawal into its own infinitudes. The world is a discord and we shall best solve its perplexities by carrying the principle of discord itself to its extreme possibility, a cutting away and a final severance.

EXPLANATION
u00a0 u00a0 u00a0In this struggle arises the impatience of Life, the disgust of the body and recoiling (springing back) from both. Withdrawing from these, Man leans towards a pure mental and moral existence. When he awakens to an existence beyond his Mind, he carries forward this principle of discord still farther.
u00a0 u00a0 u00a0Mind, Body and Life are condemned as the trinity of the world, the flesh and the devil (In Christian theology they are considered as enemies of the soul). Mind is also banned as the source of all our malady. War is declared between the spirit and its instruments. The victory of the Self within (spiritual Inhabitant) is sought for in an escape from its narrow residence u2013 rejection of mind, life and body and withdrawal into its own infinitudes.
u00a0 u00a0 u00a0The world is thought to be a place of discord. The problems of the world can be solved only by carrying the principle of discord to its extreme possibility. That is to cut away from the world and ending the relationship with it.