SAIEN

An individual reported an experience which, at the time, was unique to him. He was suddenly attacked by a virulent disease and collapsed on the floor. He was carried off to another room in the facility where various individuals tried to figure out what happened to him and what to do about it. After he revived, he reported that he had been outside his body, up at ceiling level, looking down on it lying on the floor with the individuals around him trying to revive him. As a new experience, and without any formal training, he did not know how to direct the force to cure the attack of illness, but he was able to consciously observe the entire proceeding. After being revived, he wound up bed-ridden for some time with a serious case of amoebic dysentery, brought on by the weakening of his vital envelope through a case of sunstroke he experienced just a few days earlier during a visit to Auroville, back before it was forested and shaded. It was only later, much later, that he was able to lear...

The gaze is trapped in a tunnel vision, Flitting haplessly from “This is good”, to “That is bad”,  Till the realm of “Seamless Good” beckons from the Beyond, Inviting the being to release its tiring oscillation from  “I like this” to “I dislike that”, And rest in the knowing that  She alone does all, controls all, salvages all, And that subsuming the subsets of like and dislike  Is the superset of Her omnipresent love. Then comes the much-awaited leap of faith, That lands me in the soft velvet of Her palm. Eons of fatigue release into repose As I sink eternally into its softness, Consenting to be carried by it forever! This soft velvet cushions all existence as well, And every thorn is justified by the rose-to-come. - Anahita Sanjana (India)

Recently I attended a webinar on “Progress in Integral Yoga” and one of the sessions was on “Conscious Evolution to Spiritual Revolution” as one of the aspects to ascertain one’s progress as a practitioner of Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga. One of the important messages by Sri Aurobindo on Integral Yoga is “All Life is Yoga” and this was a popular message during Sri Aurobindo’s birth centenary year in 1972 and has been a popular key phrase. During my experience as a seeker for the past few years, I have found this resonating with my experiential journey reflecting on changes observed in my physical, vital and mental levels – in my daily actions, behaviors, response to external stimuli and choices made.  All of us are on an evolutionary journey but responses of most of us are driven by past impressions, perceptions driven by subliminal consciousness; and evolution is not conscious but rather in an autonomous mode unconsciously like a paper boat on river driven by turbulence and waves...

Change is the only constant, it is often said. But nothing in the world is as simple as a cliché. We must dig a bit deeper if we want to get closer to the truth. What kind of change are we talking about? Is it only an outer change? Or only an inner change? Or both? Who or what makes the change possible? Does it happen on its own? Or does someone or something compel or force or push for a change? Is change a natural phenomenon? Or is there another master-plan working behind the surface phenomenon of Nature? What is the outcome of change? Is it always for the better? Can change also be for worse? What distinguishes a good change from the one that is not? Who decides what is a good change and what is not? Who decides what is good, period.  So many questions. How do we begin to search for answers. But sometimes you don’t need to have the answers. Or at least not right away. You just need to keep asking the questions. So that you don’t believe anything just because it is told to you by ...