The Essential Aurobindo: Writings of Sri Aurobindo

By Sri Aurobindo and Robert A. (ed.) McDermott

Book Overview

"The coming of a spiritual age must be preceded by the appearance of an increasing number of individuals who are no longer satisfied with the normal intellectual, vital, and physical existence of man, but perceive that a greater evolution is the real goal of humanity and attempt to effect it in themselves, to lead others to it, and to make it the recognized goal of the race. In proportion as they succeed, and to the degree to which they carry this evolution, the yet unrealized potentiality which they represent will become the actual possibility of the future."
--Sri Aurobindo, The Human Cycle

Sri Aurobindo stands out as one of the deepest and most profoundly relevant of contemporary Asian spiritual masters speaking to the West. His vision transcends the distinctive strengths and weaknesses of India and the West, and his discipline brings the yogas of the Gita to the task of world transformation.

His collaborator, The Mother, offers a blueprint for the utopian community Auroville, giving sage advice on the ideal of a spiritually based approach to education.

Robert McDermott's afterword in this revised edition recounts the increased significance of Aurobindo's message in the West--especially for America--since the book was first published in 1973.

Here is an invaluable resource for understanding the underlying connections and common ground between Eastern and Western teachings and traditions for modern thinkers and spiritual seekers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970109725
• ISBN13: 9780970109729
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Lindisfarne Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A most profound and poetic confluence of spirtuality and philosophy

In his numerous and enlightening writings, Sri Aurobindo presents one of the most significant metaphysical interpretations concerning the nature of existence, as well as the purpose of matter, life, mind, and spirit. For Aurobindo, existence unfolds by a perpetuating and inevitable evolution towards the complete fulfillment of spirit and soul, whereby the mind of man is an intermediate step by which the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present bliss that is the universe can eventually recognize itself in spirit. Aurobindo has a particularly fascinating elucidation on the process of natural evolution. In his estimation, evolution is the instrument by which the infinite oneness (Aurobindo uses many terms - though in vain - to capture what he admits is ineffable) unveils itself. In this sense, the process by which matter became life, life became animals, and animals became man, was a natural process not aimless but inevitable. For if matter manifested life, matter (or the material reality) must have inherently involved life even before its fruition. In this sense, life, mind, and the future states of the supramental and spiritual revelation are not spontaneously created by a blind universe, but instead are consciously liberated over time. In his words matter and life, mind and spirit, are not created anew but are already existent - but merely manifested by the Spirit in a process of "bringing out of what already existed in suppressed fact or in eternal potentiality." (72) There is purpose and direction. Evolution gradually advances the material reality into recognition of its spiritual bliss, and only by the evolution up to, through, and past the human mind (well, theoretically any 'mental' organism/being will do) will this recognition exist. Accordingly, our lives are fraught with meaning and purpose. Our purpose is to recognize the all-blissful spirit that IS 'us' and 'everything', by advancing our consciousness past (but not by denying entirely) vital and mental concerns towards the spiritual realm. Hence we will facilitate the continual process of evolution towards the descent of the 'supramental' - the stage 'above mind' by which man and the universe can wax ever more conscious of the ineffable bliss and spirit that constitutes "being". Man IS special indeed - Aurobindo even designates him as the Spirit's "highest vehicle" for evolution to date. Having said that, he is merely an instrument of the divine spirit, and he is not more or less important than, nor more and less separate from any other component or material force that precedes and follows his existence. Thus he should not regard his special place as an invitation towards egoism and pride, for he and his mind had always existed and will always exist in 'eternal potentiality,' and his place is hence shared with all, while all shares its omnipresent place with him. Before reading Aurobindo, I had really only been familiar with University professors and western philosophers. Accordi

Body, mind and spirit evolve.

"The ascent to the divine Life is the human journey, the Work of works, the acceptable Sacrifice," Sri Aurobindo writes. "This alone is man's real business in the world and the justification of his existence" (pp. 55-6). Ken Wilber calls Aurobindo (1872-1950) a founder of integral spirituality and practice, and recognizes that "Aurobindo has much to teach us" about the integration of body, mind, soul and Spirit.This collection of "essential" writings will appeal to anyone interested in integral and evolutionary spirituality. Aurobindo teaches us that all beings are united in a reality of being and consciousness--"a self of all things, one and eternal" (p. 39)--beyond the appearances of the universe. He believes liberation is possible through the evolution of spiritual and supramental consciousness (p. 41). "There is therefore no reason to put a limit to evolutionary possibility by taking our present organisation or status of existence as final," he writes. "The animal is a laboratory in which Nature has worked out man; man may very well be a laboratory in which she wills to work out superman, to disclose the soul as a divine being, to evolve a divine nature" (p. 54). Aurobindo writes, "man is not a vegetable nor an animal; he is a spiritual and a thinking being who is here to set to shape and use the animal mould for higher purposes, by higher motives, with a divine instrumentation" (p. 176).Because "the hour of God" is close at hand, Aurobindo recommends cleansing the "soul of all self-deceit and hypocrisy and vain self-flattering that thou mayst look straight into thy spirit and hear that which summons it" (p. 191). "Make the work you have to do here your means of inner spiritual rebirth, the divine birth, and having become divine, do still divine works as an instrument of the Divine for the leading of the peoples" (p. 124).For those who enjoy reading Ken Wilber's books, and for those interested in living life with more spirit, this fascinating introduction to Aurobindo should not be missed. And for those readers who want to explore Aurobindo's ideas further, I recommend Dalal's A GREATER PSYCHOLOGY (2000) and Wilber's INTEGRAL PSYCHOLOGY (2000).G. Merritt