Mind - Its true value depends on its surrender to the Divine.

MENTAL

The "Mind" in the ordinary use of the word covers indiscriminately the whole consciousness, for man is a mental being and mentalises everything; but in the language of this yoga the words "mind" and "mental" are used to connote specially the part of the nature which has to do with cognition and intelligence, with ideas, with mental or thought perceptions, the reactions of thought to things, with the truly mental movements and formations, mental vision and will, etc., that are part of his intelligence.

SRI AUROBINDO

Mind Its true value depends on its surrender to the Divine.


Thevetia peruviana - Yellow oleander, Be-still tree, Lucky nut
Medium-sized fragrant yellow narrow funnel- shaped flower with swirled petals; borne in few-flowered cymes. A large shrub or small tree with glossy linear lanceolate leaves and highly poisonous fruits.

Photo Courtesy: Bernard Loison

I wish you consider I´m a student of the Truth so I´m not making any claim other then this. My questioning about meditation and its meaning reflect my interest, as for searching after the Truth, I believe I need to understand what meditation is.
As many of us, I´ve been searching about the meaning of meditation in different traditions, and came to the conclusion that I needed a kind of integrative attitude, because something said by a certain doctrine seemed to me rather complementary to that of another one, but none contained the whole which even, seemed to be "progressive" and not static, as by clarifying explications from Sri Aurobindo.
In fact Lele, which first teach meditation to Sri A., was later scandalized and spoke of "things of the devil" when he knew the Master, contravening his injunction to meditate regularly at fixed hours every day  had had the "occurrence" to make of meditation something extended the day long (including physical activity etc.).
So, tradition said to sit for meditation, but Sri Aurobindo had a different point of view, and I found the need to investigate in this direction. Evidently that do not means sitting in meditation is not good, it is good while sitting, but it should be good while walking, or thinking, or whatever, because that would means the Self in Life, in actual, everyday life.
What I´ve been putting in my posts about meditation is simply the result of my observation and "experiments" in this field, and one may take it or not, but should be considered genuine results of objective investigation and not an attempt to claim authority as on my opinion, the very concept of authority has to be discarded.
Moral or spiritual authority in the field of self-discovery may be a pretty harmful thing,
as in this field what one is meant is to allow manifest one´s own Self.
That represent the final mastery of this process we call meditation which is the aim  of all the authentic spiritual paths, either discovered or to be discovered, as never doubt, not all has been said of the innumerable ways of expression of that Self.

Occultism - Truly blossoms only when it is surrendered to the Divine.

OCCULTISM 

Occultism is the knowledge and right use of the hidden forces of Nature. Occult forces are the forces that can only be known by going behind the veil of apparent phenomena - especially the forces of the subtle physical and supraphysical planes.  (Sri Aurobindo)

Occultism means rightly the use of the higher powers of our nature, soul, mind, life-force and the faculties of the subtle physical consciousness to bring about results on their own or on the material plane by some pressure of their own secret law and its potentialities, for manifestation and result in human or earthly mind and life and body or in objects and events in the world of Matter.  (Sri Aurobindo)

Occultism Truly blossoms only when it is surrendered to the Divine.

Pancratium zeylanicum
Medium-sized highly fragrant white funnelform flower with six pointed petals, a large central cup and a long narrow green corolla tube; borne in one- to three-flowered umbels very close to the ground. A low perennial bulbous plant with narrow linear leaves.

Photo Courtesy: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

SUPERMENTAL TERAPHIMS

Traditionally speaking, teraphims are considered objects of worship,

technically speaking a teraphim involves the knowledge to provide an object of force and purpose.

A mental teraphim is a focused thought magnetized for the same purpose.

The concept of force of a teraphim was/is due to the repetition of a certain ritual or an action or a thought which would stratify the object with layers of focused intention.

A teraphim situated in a given place or given to a person, would start to reverberate with its layered intention.

Religious imagery have something of a teraphim, as the devotion of the devotees stratify on the image, it nurture itself of the repeated focused devotion.

Talismans also are conceived under the same principles.

Man himself frequently use mental teraphims in a unconscious
 (or spontaneous) manner, and every single-pointed intention that one nurtures and plans into his life, is a kind of mental teraphim he/she introduces into his mind, which he may evoke in order to bring force and reinstate the purpose in moment of crisis.

By this we can grasp the idea of supermental teraphims.

Of course they ought to be realized by supermental beings.

The objective of a supermental teraphim (or supermental thought-seed) would be that of being implanted within any level of the consciousness of a person, group, with the function to reverberate from there, enlightening its surrounding and helping produce a substantial change, evidently, a change towards that Light.

We should take seriously this circumstance, especially when the Christ himself announced the fiery teraphims over the heads of his disciples.

There is no reason why another great Master would not do that if so he wished.

There is not any reason which should impeach us to consider, within the sphere of the supermental manifestation, that such a thing as a supermental teraphim is possible.

After all, it would depend on the will of a supermental realizer, but we have some mention of "supermental miracles" in a few occasions from Mother. And this, is a related matter.

In that circumstance Mother mentioned a purpose there, into a supermental miracle, which would be that of enlightening a person with a supermental ray, a supermental bliss of a kind.

A supermental teraphim would be then a supermental miracle, but with a different purpose and different activity.

While the supermental miracle is immediate, the supermental teraphim could be less evident but long lasting. Or else, not recognize a supermental miracle as a theraphim at the same time.
Let us take an example. A person could be blessed by the darshan of Sri Aurobindo or Mother, we could refer to it as a supermental miracle, in the sense exposed above from Sri Aurobindo himself about Occultism.
But this person would never forget that experience in his whole life, and that would be the teraphim function of the miracle-darshan.
Something which once kept there, will continue to reverberate forever.
We have an example of it in the story of that american soldier in the battle fields of Europe which started to have visions of both Masters, at the end of the war he finally arrived to Pondicherry and he continued all his life as their disciple.
  

I have idea Sri Aurobindo is actually working with such supermental teraphims as a "strategy of action".

I have at least a direct and indirect experience of it, but I´m led to believe that this phenomenon would extend in time while more people awakens to supermental possibilities.

The very experience with the Master was such a supermental teraphim.

It has somehow galvanized my whole being, and gave me the sense of a certain urgency of the realization, more dynamical and actualized, whenever I recall the vision of His Presence and all he showed me, I always learn something new, something which has been slowly distilled into the depths of my consciousness, as leaking  drops of an enchanting elixir.

I have idea that some kind of teraphim has been implanted into the consciousness.

 it is quite possible a number of people may undergo that same experience, (that number may depend on personal opening) and basically it leads me to believe it is reproducible.

When more people will undergo this and their experience known, the idea of the supermental teraphims into the mind  will not be that alien anymore.

I´m quite exposing myself as a fore teller, and may be object of critic, and yet I can´t renounce to be faithful to the task.

What I´m telling you, is what you need to know now, because now this possibility is open to us.

With the same sacredness then the Christ with his disciples, we can receive a fiery supermental bliss upon our heads.

You know it´s not a new religion.

It´s up to us to accept it and make a possibility into our life.

That is, we need re-actualize an intimate association with Him.

There must be a call, which will compel an answer.

So far I don´t know of any other requisite.

...................................................................................

When I write such things, as in this case, I do not know in advance whereon it will lead me.

I do not have any preconceived thought. But in its development, I sometimes have the feeling that it do not belong entirely to me, as I were an intermediary, a congress of thoughts, to which I participate. I open to a receptive sphere in which thoughts are almost perceived as mannered by actual beings which found expression through my inner attitude.

Spontaneous Beauty - Delicate and magnificent, it has an incomparable charm

SPONTANEOUS

Spontaneous Aspiration of Nature towards the Divine
Wide open, spontaneous, irrevocable in its spontaneous power.

Leucanthemum vulgare [Chrysanthemum leucanthemum]
Ox-eye daisy, Moon daisy, Marguerite
Medium-sized single white compositae flower with a yellow centre, borne singly on a long stalk. A slender erect rhizomatous perennial.

Photo Courtesy: Ram-Man

Spontaneous BeautyDelicate and magnificent, it has an incomparable charm.

I do not practice sitting meditation, as my purpose is not that of discovering the inner being while sitting, but while living, under any circumstance.

I do not have nothing to say to sitting-meditation, or music, or nature, or work, or whatever uplifts anyone in his own circumstances, but I´m interested in an integrative meditation, which may take hold even of fortuitous pretexts, it may integrate work, asanas and still meditation, music, whatever at disposition there at that moment. As fluid possibilities which our consciousness seizes passing by.
In a sense it suppose to rediscover a "being" anew in any  circumstance, without preconceived images of it and nothing which gives the security of the
 "known surroundings". The only steady condition for it should be that of an attentive objective observer all the time under any circumstance, renewing it whenever necessary to avoid the tendency to return to previous conditions. As a result of it, a -continuum- of consciousness is progressively established all along the line and along the day with the tendency of irrupting into sleep in order to conscientize it.

I am, we are, under the circumstance of being a Consciousness and we are challenged in discovering how it works and under which circumstances works better and freer.

What is achieved in sitting meditation should be integrated into physical activity and daily living, so sitting is as much of the problem as walking, speaking,etc.

 My concept of meditation is "extended", to sit in meditation do not correspond but in part to my whole, integrative and dynamic concept of meditation.

Some may say I´m wrong, but I´m quite glad to have harboured such concept as a personal necessity for myself, as years of pushing in that same direction have shoved me a progressive freedom can be achieved.

Kindness of Nature - She is kind when she is loving

Trifolium - Clover, Trefoil
Small fragrant dense rounded heads of tiny papilionaceous flowers in white and shades of purple, pink or yellow. An annual or perennial herb with leaves composed of usually three but occasionally four leaflets.

Photo Courtesy: Bernd Haynold

 ***

Already a change within and around is noticed. She has awakened two fires for her great work. But why two? Was not one enough?

Thus two fires are indispensable. One is in the heart; it will go on tirelessly putting its pressure upon the unconverted parts, and helping their purification and transformation. The other is in the higher consciousness, the Agni of the Self.

>Sri Aurobindo: Yes, the two are necessary for any complete or rapid transformation.

                            ( complete and <rapid> transformation, a faster approach then).

> Nagin: During the evening meditation, when concentrated above, I felt the Agni [Fire] of the Higher Consciousness coming down and uniting below with the psychic fire. Their oneness was experienced deep down in the heart centre. I have never heard of such a unity of the two fires.

>Sri Aurobindo: If the development of a higher consciousness did not bring things that were not before heard of by the mind, it would not be good for much. The unification of the psychic(here the soul) and the higher consciousness forces(supramental consc.) and activities is indispensable for the sadhana(askesis) at one time or another. (unknown source)

                                                              ***

Tradition has set a number of requirements for enlightenment: stillness of thought, control and sublimation of sexual activity, other kind of control over emotions, body etc.
 I start from the point that nothing of this is necessary.
 Unnecessary, when the aim is awakening the psychic fire, the fire of the soul.

There is a more direct way.

It do not require the stillness of mind, the mind may continue a while with its oscillating thoughts, one may have sex, enjoying life as perceived by the senses in all its beauty. We are alive just for that, for enjoying life.

It is only necessary one movement: to be that Kindness of the Heart. Allowing ourself to be that, because "that" is the Soul.

It is instantaneous, it can be instantaneous.

It is not question of practicing anymore, rather Be.

What meditation try to achieve are that rare moments of "beeing", but that moments are by no means dependent only on sitting in meditation.

The same applies with Mental Kindness.

For years I have observed the oscillating thinking not having any true influence for the workings of the soul (i.e. its association with personality). When the Soul needed the silence of the mind, it produced that silence.The Silence was, without any effort.

It is not accurate that stillness of mind is an indispensable condition, at least at the beginning, and later on the establishement of the silence will be a natural consecuence not needing any action by our side. 

After all, how can the mind, which is the problem, be the solution? Can the noise produce silence out of itself?

The oscillating thinking is the mind, it cannot be the solution.

A mind which stills itself is a contradiction, because it would be a further operation of the mind.

What spiritual researchers have underlined is the silence which follows to the activity of the mind, and we have so accepted it, that we do not inquire if there may be silence even -while- the mind is working. And there is Silence.

Because the Soul, which nature is Silence, is always there behind the veil, so the -silence- objectively exists in ourselves, even while we are thinking.

Would one practice Kindness of the Heart?

Does one practice loving his mother, son, lover?

We don´t need practicing these things, they are natural, it is the natural kindness of the heart that everybody has, because we are means of expression for that Soul. We automatically know what to do, and we love. Even a pet loves its caring animal mother, love is not an exclusivity of the human being, but manifests itself also in the more simple animal souls.

Love is the very stuff of the Soul, there´s no way to "practice" it, it is there or not. 

When we love, there is no difference between the surface personality and the Soul, they automatically converge into one single unity.  

All what we said of the heart, applyes to mind and its kindness, but with you I don´t need to spend any word about, as your very mental attitude -is- that kindness of mind.

Your inclusive vision, your objective mental position as observer, your scrupulosity, are but some of the many qualities you display, which reports us to mental kindness.

Of course, life needs to be cultivated, so the heart and the mind, as our relations and all, because in it we have a proof of our transformation.

Had we such kindness (that we already have), we wouldn´t need sitting in years of practice, with the result, if any, of a little flame that hardly can stand any blow from reality.

The other way, we would grow -through- reality, with the concurs of reality, not at the margin of it. Can you intimately get the difference?

Had we reach such a point, that kindness of heart and mind, (that never were separated but only appeared so), we would progress into a re-unification of the two.(The two fires Sri A. mentioned to Nagin at the beginning).

Without this kindness of heart and mind there is rigidity. Even meditation self-imposed by a rigid mind may be rigidly assumed and became an activity of that rigidity, a vicious circle in which time may be spent before discovering what one is really doing.

I´m not meant here to write a treatise, if you have grasped into my words, if you "see" in it a certain truth, sounds logical and acceptable to your mind and meaningful to your heart, then it is because you are part of it. This Yoga would belong to you.

So you see it do not deeply alters what Sri A. already said, it focuses on bare, objective facts, and certain not absolute activities perhaps unnecessary, re-focusing on a more dynamical approach to Yoga. Were this method to be followed, (which is so simple that is not even a method but mere observation) one would certainly progress rapidly, and would found himself on the point where the Soul starts its ascension path towards OverSoul.

I think you know I´ve been meditating in padmasana previously. I love it.

I even spontaneously sit sometimes in asana.

My words need to be taken with that plasticity which is a characteristic of that mental kindness.

We do not need end meditating, on the contrary, we need to transform our whole life into meditation, but we will do it in a dynamic way.

A dynamic meditation handling any aspect of life.