Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 13 (contd…..)
A point comes, however, at which it is no longer possible to restore the suspended activities; and this occurs when either such a lesion has been inflicted on the body as makes it useless or incapable of the habitual functionings or, in the absence of such lesion, when the process of disintegration has begun, that is to say, when the Force that should renew the life-action becomes entirely inert to the pressure of the environing forces with whose mass of stimulation it was wont to keep up a constant interchange. Even then there is Life in the body, but a Life that is busy only with the process of disintegrating the formed substance so that it may escape in its elements and constitute with them new forms. The Will in the universal force that held the form together, now withdraws from constitution and supports instead a process of dispersion. Not till then is there the real death of the body.
EXPLANATION
There may come a point at which it would be no longer possible to restore the suspended activities. This will happen when there is a damage done to the body which would make it incapable of normal functioning.
There is a Life-Force that renews the life-action in the body. It keeps up a constant interchange with the environing forces through their mass of stimulation. When this Life-force becomes entirely inert to the pressure of the environing forces, not responding to their pressure, the process of disintegration of life begins. This happens even there is absence of lesion or damage to the body.
Even in this case also, there is Life in the body. But a Life which is busy with the process of disintegration of the formed substance. This It does in order to escape in its elements and constitute with them new forms. The Will in the universal force that held the form together, now withdraws from the constitution. Instead, It supports a process of dispersion. Until this happens there is no real death of the body.
PARAGRAPH 14
Life then is the dynamic play of a universal Force, a Force in which mental consciousness and nervous vitality are in some form or at least in their principle always inherent and therefore they appear and organise themselves in our world in the forms of Matter. The life-play of this Force manifests itself as an interchange of stimulation and response to stimulation between the different forms it has built up and in which it keeps up its constant dynamic pulsation; each form is constantly taking into itself and giving out again the breath and energy of the common Force; each form feeds upon that and nourishes itself with it by various means, whether indirectly by taking in other forms in which the energy is stored or directly by absorbing the dynamic discharges it receives from outside.
EXPLANATION
Life is the dynamic play of a universal Force. In this Force mental consciousness and nervous vitality are present in some form or at least in principle. Therefore, they appear and organise themselves in our world in the forms made of Matter.
The life-play of this Force manifests itself as an interchange of stimulation and response to stimulation. This interchange takes place between different forms it has built up and in which it keeps up its constant dynamic pulsation. Each form constantly takes into itself and gives out again the breath and energy of the common Force. Each form feeds upon the Force and nourishes itself with it by various means.
Each form nourishes itself indirectly by taking in other forms in which the energy is stored. Or it nourishes itself directly by absorbing the dynamic discharges it receives from outside.
All this is the play of Life; but it is chiefly recognisable to us where the organisation of it is sufficient for us to perceive its more outward and complex movements and especially where it partakes of the nervous type of vital energy which belongs to our own organisation. It is for this reason that we are ready enough to admit life in the plant because obvious phenomena of life are there, —and this becomes still easier if it can be shown that it manifests symptoms of nervosity and has a vital system not very different from our own, —but are unwilling to recognise it in the metal and the earth and the chemical atom where these phenomenal developments can with difficulty be detected or do not apparently at all exist.
EXPLANATION
All this is the play of Life. We can recognise its play when its more outward and complex movements are sufficiently organised for us to perceive. Especially so, when it becomes a part of the nervous type of vital energy which belongs to our organisation.
It is for the same reason that we admit the presence of life in the plant because the phenomena of life are obvious in the plant. It becomes easier for us to accept it when it manifests symptoms of nervosity and has a vital system similar to our own.
But we are unwilling to admit the presence of life in the metal, the earth and the chemical atom. Here the phenomena of life can be detected but with difficulty or apparently do not exist at all.
PARAGRAPH 15
Is there any justification for elevating this distinction into an essential difference? What, for instance, is the difference between life in ourselves and life in the plant? We see that they differ, first, in our possession of the power of locomotion which has evidently nothing to do with the essence of vitality, and, secondly, in our possession of conscious sensation which is, so far as we know, not yet evolved in the plant. Our nervous responses are largely, though by no means always or in their entirety, attended with the mental response of conscious sensation; they have a value to the mind as well as to the nerve system and the body agitated by the nervous action. In the plant it would seem that there are symptoms of nervous sensation, including those which would be in us rendered as pleasure and pain, waking and sleep, exhilaration, dullness and fatigue, and the body is inwardly agitated by the nervous action, but there is no sign of the actual presence of mentally conscious sensation. But sensation is sensation whether mentally conscious or vitally sensitive, and sensation is a form of consciousness.
EXPLANATION
Sri Aurobindo says there is a distinction between the life in the plant and the life in the metal. But we need not elevate this distinction into an essential difference.
If we take the life in the plant and the life in ourselves, they differ from each other. First, we have power of locomotion (movement) which plants do not have. But this power has nothing to do with the essence of vitality. Secondly, we possess conscious sensation which is not yet evolved in the plant.
Our nervous responses are largely constituted by the mental response of conscious sensation, though it may not be so always. They have a value to the mind as well as to the nervous system and the body agitated by the nervous system. In the plants it would seem that there are symptoms of nervous sensation. The same nervous sensation is felt by us as pleasure and pain, waking and sleep, excitement, dullness and fatigue. The body is inwardly agitated by the nervous action. But there is no sign of the actual presence of mentally conscious sensation. Yet, sensation is sensation whether mentally conscious or vitally sensitive. Sensation is a form of consciousness.
When the sensitive plant shrinks from a contact, it appears that it is nervously affected, that something in it dislikes the contact and tries to draw away from it; there is, in a word, a subconscious sensation in the plant, just as there are, as we have seen, subconscious operations of the same kind in ourselves. In the human system it is quite possible to bring these subconscious perceptions and sensations to the surface long after they have happened and have ceased to affect the nervous system; and an ever-increasing mass of evidence has irrefutably established the existence of a subconscious mentality in us much vaster than the conscious. The mere fact that the plant has no superficially vigilant mind which can be awakened to the valuation of its subconscious sensations, makes no difference to the essential identity of the phenomena. The phenomena being the same, the thing they manifest must be the same, and that thing is a subconscious mind. And it is quite possible that there is a more rudimentary life operation of the subconscious sense-mind in the metal, although in the metal there is no bodily agitation corresponding to the nervous response; but the absence of bodily agitation makes no essential difference to the presence of vitality in the metal any more than the absence of bodily locomotion makes an essential difference to the presence of vitality in the plant.
EXPLANATION
When a sensitive plant shrinks from a contact it appears that there is a nervous reaction. Something in it dislikes the contact and it tries to draw away from it. It means there is a subconscious sensation in the plant as we have subconscious operations of similar nature in ourselves.
In human beings these subconscious perceptions and sensations can be brought to the surface long after they have happened or ceased to affect the nervous system. A lot of evidence has shown that we have a subconscious mentality which is much vaster than the conscious. The plant has no superficially vigilant mind which can be awakened to the valuation of its subconscious sensations. But this makes no difference to the essential identity of the phenomena.
It is the same subconscious mind both in human being and the plants that manifests the same phenomena. It is quite possible that there is a more rudimentary life operation of the subconscious sense-mind in the metal. But in the metal, there is no bodily agitation corresponding to the nervous response. It makes no difference to the presence of vitality in metal as the absence of locomotion makes no difference to the presence of vitality in the plant.
PARAGRAPH16
What happens when the conscious becomes subconscious in the body or the subconscious becomes conscious? The real difference lies in the absorption of the conscious energy in part of its work, its more or less exclusive concentration. In certain forms of concentration, what we call the mentality, that is to say, the Prajnana or apprehensive consciousness almost or quite ceases to act consciously, yet the work of the body and the nerves and the sense-mind goes on unnoticed but constant and perfect; it has all become subconscious and only in one activity or chain of activities is the mind luminously active. While I write, the physical act of writing is largely or sometimes entirely done by the subconscious mind; the body makes, unconsciously as we say, certain nervous movements; the mind is awake only to the thought with which it is occupied.
EXPLANATION
Some activities we do consciously will become subconscious. Some activities we do subconsciously will become conscious. What really happens in this process is that there is difference in the absorption of the conscious energy in part of its work, its more or less exclusive concentration.
In certain forms of concentration, our mentality, the Prajnana or apprehensive consciousness almost ceases to act consciously. Yet the work of the body and the nerves and the sense-mind goes on unnoticed but constant and perfect. It has all become subconscious and only in one activity or chain of activities the mind is active.
While a person writes, the physical act of writing is entirely done by the subconscious mind. The body makes unconsciously certain nervous movements. The mind is awake only to the thought that which it is occupied (The same is true with driving a car, riding a bicycle).
The whole man indeed may sink into the subconscious, yet habitual movements implying the action of mind may continue, as in many phenomena of sleep; or he may rise into the superconscient and yet be active with the subliminal mind in the body, as in certain phenomena of samadhi or Yoga trance. It is evident, then, that the difference between plant sensation and our sensation is simply that in the plant the conscious Force manifesting itself in the universe has not yet fully emerged from the sleep of Matter, from the absorption which entirely divides the worker Force from its source of work in the superconscient knowledge, and therefore does subconsciously what it will do consciously when it emerges in man from its absorption and begins to wake, though still indirectly, to its knowledge-self. It does exactly the same things, but in a different way and with a different value in terms of consciousness.
EXPLANATION
The whole of man may sink into the subconscious. Yet the habitual movements of the mind may continue as in many phenomena of sleep. Or a person may rise into the superconscient and yet be active with the subliminal mind in the body as in certain phenomena of samadhi or trance.
In the plant the conscious Force manifesting itself in the universe has not yet fully emerged from the sleep of Matter. It is an absorption which entirely divides the worker Force from its source of work in the superconscient knowledge. Therefore, it does subconsciously what it will do consciously when it emerges in man. In man it emerges from its absorption and begins to wake to its knowledge-self, though still indirectly. It does exactly the same things. It does with a different value in terms of consciousness.