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A Quiet Mind

Normally the mind is something of a chaotic marketplace. Sensations come in, feelings, emotions, ideas, all kinds of distractions arise and the mind reacts and follows them willy-nilly until the next impulse moves it in another direction. The past arises as we review things that have occurred to us and ruminate over what that means. In some cases, we obsess over something someone has said or done and we repeat thoughts over and over again. The future enters our minds as we focus on something we would like to do, intend to do, or on some possible outcome that we fear or hope for. The present impinges on us with the constant flow of sensations and impressions that demand our mind’s attention. Even when we are relatively focused on a project or task, oftentimes thoughts intervene to reflect on something in the past, or we may get distracted by sounds or sights in our environment, or we may experience a pang of hunger or feeling of thirst and interrupt our concentration on the task to atte...
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The Mother’s “Review of the Day in the Light of the Psychic Being”

There is an activity that the Mother recommended that we do every evening, before we sleep – a review of our day, in the light of what She sometimes called “our highest ideal,” or if possible, in the Light of our Psychic Being. She recommended this to Her students in Paris, more than a century ago.  She wrote of it again in Her articles on Education for the  Bulletin , nearly ¾ of a century ago. And in the last year of Her life, She spoke of it again in Her conversations with Tara Jauhar. She wrote that if one performed this exercise daily for at least 6 months, one would change so thoroughly one could hardly recognize the “self” we were from just 6 months prior.  I have, for just over half a century, considered this to be among the single most important practices of the Integral Yoga, yet I rarely see it discussed. The objection I have most often heard is that it involves too much “thinking.” Or, sometimes something along these lines is offered; “Well, that’s ok for begi...
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The Priesthood of Teaching: Education as Integral Work

The subject of The Priesthood of Teaching : Education as Integral Work encompasses a profound spiritual perspective on the role of the educator and the nature of holistic learning aimed at human transformation. Drawing upon the collective insights of the sources, particularly regarding the goals of integral yoga and education, this compilation explores the teacher’s divine mandate, the foundational principles of integral pedagogy, and the necessary critique of conventional educational paradigms. I. The Sacred Nature and Aim of Education: The Priesthood of Teaching The task of the educator is fundamentally a  spiritual calling , viewed not merely as a profession but as a consecrated act of self-giving and guidance. 1 A Divine Mandate and Sacerdocy Teaching is regarded as a  sacerdocy 2 , along with the responsibilities of being a father, head of a state, or physician. 3  If the person fulfilling this role aspires to do so in the highest and most truthful way, the world’s...
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