Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 2
But then it appears immediately that as Mind is only a final operation of Supermind, so Life is only a final operation of the Consciousness-Force of which Real-Idea is the determinative form and creative agent. Consciousness that is Force is the nature of Being and this conscious Being manifested as a creative Knowledge-Will is the Real-Idea or Supermind. The supramental Knowledge-Will is Consciousness-Force rendered operative for the creation of forms of united being in an ordered harmony to which we give the name of world or universe; so also Mind and Life are the same Consciousness-Force, the same Knowledge-Will, but operating for the maintenance of distinctly individual forms in a sort of demarcation, opposition and interchange in which the soul in each form of being works out its own mind and life as if they were separate from the others, though in fact they are never separate but are the play of the one Soul, Mind, Life in different forms of its single reality.
EXPLANATION
As Mind is only a final operation of Supermind, so Life is only a final operation of the Consciousness-Force. Real-Idea is the determinative form and creative agent of Consciouness-Force. The nature of conscious Being (Sat) is consciousness-Force (chit-shakti). The conscious Being manifests as creative Knowledge-Will. It is nothing but the Real-Idea or Supermind.
What we call the world or universe is the creation of forms of united being (oneness is the basis) in an ordered harmony. This creation is the result supramental Knowledge-Will through the operation of Consciousness-Force. So also, Mind and Life are the same Consciousness-Force, the same Knowledge-Will.
But this Force operates for maintenance of clearly demarcated individual forms. The individual forms are in opposition and interchange in which the soul in each form of being works out its own mind and life separated from others. In fact, they are never separate but are the play of the one Soul, one Mind, one Life in different forms of its single reality.
In other words, as Mind is the final individualising operation of the all comprehending and all-apprehending Supermind, the process by which its consciousness works individualised in each form from the standpoint proper to it and with the cosmic relations which proceed from that standpoint, so Life is the final operation by which the Force of Conscious-Being acting through the all-possessing and all-creative Will of the universal Supermind maintains and energises, constitutes and reconstitutes individual forms and acts in them as the basis of all the activities of the soul thus embodied. Life is the energy of the Divine continually generating itself in forms as in a dynamo and not only playing with the outgoing battery of its shocks on surrounding forms of things but receiving itself the incoming shocks of all life around as they pour in upon and penetrate the form from outside, from the environing universe.
EXPLANATION
Mind is the final individualising operation of all-comprehending and all-apprehending Supermind. It is by this process its consciousness works individualised in each form from the stand point proper to it. Each form has its own nature and its own laws. It also works with the cosmic relations which proceed from that stand point.
Life is the final operation by which the Force of Conscious-Being maintains and energises, constitutes and reconstitutes individual forms. It acts in them as the basis of all the activities of the embodied soul. This Force acts through the all-possessing and all creative Will of the universal Supermind.
Life is the energy of the Divine continually generating itself in forms as in a dynamo. It is playing with the outgoing battery of its shocks on surrounding forms of things. Also, it is receiving itself the incoming shocks of all life around. These external shocks (physical, mental and vital shocks) pour in upon and penetrate the form from outside, from the environing universe.
PARAGRAPH 3
In this view Life appears as a form of energy of consciousness intermediary and appropriate to the action of Mind on Matter; in a sense, it may be said to be an energy aspect of Mind when it creates and relates itself no longer only to ideas, but to motions of force and to forms of substance. But it must immediately be added that just as Mind is not a separate entity, but has all Supermind behind it and it is Supermind that creates with Mind only as its final individualising operation, so Life also is not a separate entity or movement, but has all Conscious-Force behind it in every one of its workings and it is that Conscious-Force alone which exists and acts in created things. Life is only its final operation intermediary between Mind and Body. All that we say of Life must therefore be subject to the qualifications arising from this dependence.
EXPLANATION
We understand that Life is a form of energy of consciousness. It is intermediary and appropriate to the action of Mind on Matter. Life creates and relates itself no longer only to ideas of Mind but to motions of force and to forms of substance (Matter). In this sense Life may be called an energy aspect of Mind.
It should be noted that Mind is not a separate entity; the Supermind is behind it. It is the Supermind that creates and Mind is only its final individualising operation. In the same way, Life is not a separate entity or a movement. There is Conscious-Force behind it in every one of its workings. It is only the Conscious-Force that exists and acts in created things. Life is only its final operation intermediary between Mind and Body. Therefore whatever we speak of Life we must remember that its action is dependent on Conscious-Force.
We do not really know Life whether in its nature or its process unless and until we are aware and grow conscious of that Conscious-Force working in it of which it is only the external aspect and instrumentation. Then only can we perceive and execute with knowledge, as individual soul-forms and mental and bodily instruments of the Divine, the will of God in Life; then only can Life and Mind proceed in paths and movements of an ever-increasing straightness of the truth in ourselves and things by a constant diminishing of the crooked perversions of the Ignorance. Just as Mind has to unite itself consciously with the Supermind from which it is separated by the action of Avidya, so Life has to become aware of the Conscious-Force which operates in it for ends and with a meaning of which the life in us, because it is absorbed in the mere process of living as our mind is absorbed in the mere process of mentalising life and matter, is unconscious in its darkened action so that it serves them blindly and ignorantly and not, as it must and will in its liberation and fulfilment, luminously or with a self-fulfilling knowledge, power and bliss.
EXPLANATION
We do not really know Life whether in its nature or its process. We can know of it only if we become conscious of that Conscious-Force working in it. Because Life is only the external aspect and instrumentation of Conscious-Force.
We are individual soul-forms and mental and bodily instruments of the Divine. We can perceive and execute with knowledge the will of God in Life only when we become conscious of this Force.
Only then, Life and Mind will proceed in paths and movements of an ever-increasing straightness of the truth in ourselves and things; the crooked perversions of the Ignorance will diminish.
Mind is separated from the Supermind by the action of Avidya (Avidya means ignorance of Oneness). It has to unite itself consciously with the Supermind. Similarly, Life has to become aware of the Conscious-Force operating in it. This Conscious-Force is operating for certain results and with a meaning. Our Life is absorbed in mere process of living (in all its outward movements) like our mind absorbed in the mere process of mentalising (means, our mind always tries to bring everything under its narrow ambit of reasoning) life and matter. Hence our Life is unconscious in its darkened action and serves its operations blindly and ignorantly. Instead, Life must act in its liberation and fulfilment. It should act with a self-filling knowledge, power and bliss (chit, chit-shakti,ananda)
PARAGRAPH 4
In fact, our Life, because it is subservient to the darkened and dividing operation of Mind, is itself darkened and divided and undergoes all that subjection to death, limitation, weakness, suffering, ignorant functioning of which the bound and limited creature-Mind is the parent and cause. The original source of the perversion was, we have seen, the self-limitation of the individual soul bound to self-ignorance because it regards itself by an exclusive concentration as a separate self-existent individuality and regards all cosmic action only as it presents itself to its own individual consciousness, knowledge, will, force, enjoyment and limited being instead of seeing itself as a conscious form of the One and embracing all consciousness, all knowledge, all will, all force, all enjoyment and all being as one with its own.
EXPLANATION
Our Life is not independent. It is functioning under the darkened and dividing operation of Mind. Therefore, Life itself is darkened and divided. It undergoes subjection to death, limitation, weakness, suffering and ignorant functioning. For all these shortcomings, the bound and limited creature-Mind (meaning Mind, not a master of itself but being controlled by something else) is the parent and cause.
The individual soul is self-limited and bound to self-ignorance. Because, it regards itself as a separate self-existent individuality by an exclusive concentration. It sees itself separate from the cosmos. It regards all cosmic action as if coming from outside. It sees its individual consciousness, knowledge, will, force, enjoyment, its limited being as a separate identity. Instead it must see itself as a conscious form of the One and all consciousness, all knowledge, all will, all force, all enjoyment and all being as one with its own. Thus the original source of perversion is self-limitation of the individual soul.
The universal life in us, obeying this direction of the soul imprisoned in mind, itself becomes imprisoned in an individual action. It exists and acts as a separate life with a limited insufficient capacity undergoing and not freely embracing the shock and pressure of all the cosmic life around it. Thrown into the constant cosmic interchange of Force in the universe as a poor, limited, individual existence, Life at first helplessly suffers and obeys the giant interplay with only a mechanical reaction upon all that attacks, devours, enjoys, uses, drives it. But as consciousness develops, as the light of its own being emerges from the inert darkness of the involutionary sleep, the individual existence becomes dimly aware of the power in it and seeks first nervously and then mentally to master, use and enjoy the play.
EXPLANATION
There is universal life in us. It obeys the direction of the soul imprisoned in mind. It itself becomes imprisoned in an individual action. This universal life in us exists and acts as a separate life with a limited insufficient capacity. It does not freely embrace the cosmic life around it. On the contrary it undergoes the shock and pressure of the cosmic life.
Life is thrown into the constant cosmic interchange of Force in the universe. Life, as a poor, limited, individual existence at first helplessly suffers and obeys the giant interplay. It responds only with a mechanical reaction upon all that attacks, consumes, enjoys, uses, drives it (at the animal level).
As consciousness develops the light of its own being emerges from the inert darkness of the involutionary sleep (at the level of matter). The individual existence becomes dimly aware of the power in it. It seeks first nervously (in plants and animals) and then mentally to master, use and enjoy the play (at the human level).
This awakening to the Power in it is the gradual awakening to self. For Life is Force and Force is Power and Power is Will and Will is the working of the Master-consciousness. Life in the individual becomes more and more aware in its depths that it too is the Will-Force of Sachchidananda which is master of the universe and it aspires itself to be individually master of its own world. To realise its own power and to master as well as to know its world is therefore the increasing impulse of all individual life; that impulse is an essential feature of the growing self-manifestation of the Divine in cosmic existence.
EXPLANATION
The awakening to the Power in it is the gradual awakening to self. Life is Force (Chit-Shakti) and Force is Power. Power is Will and Will is the working of the Master-consciousness. Life in its depths becomes more and more aware that it is also the Will-Force of Sachchidananda. Sachchidananda is the master of the universe. Life aspires itself to be individually master of its own world. Man is ever aspiring to conquer the nature.
Therefore, increasing impulse of all individual life is to realise its own power and to master as well as to know its world. This impulse is an essential feature of the growing self-manifestation of the Divine in cosmic existence.