The Research in Detail
“The probability of error is no reason for refusing to attempt discovery, and subjective discovery must be pursued by a subjective method of inquiry, observation and verification; research into the supraphysical must evolve, accept and test an appropriate means and methods other than those by which one examines the constituents of physical objects and the processes of Energy in material Nature.”
Sri Aurobindo
CWSA-22/ The Life Divine/p-676
"What Science does for our knowledge of the material world, replacing first appearances and uses by the hidden truths and as yet occult powers of its great natural forces and in our own minds beliefs and opinions by verified experience and a profounder understanding, Yoga does for the higher planes and worlds and possibilities of our being which are aimed at by the religions. Therefore all this mass of graded experience existing behind closed doors to which the consciousness of man may find, if it wills, the key, falls within the province of a comprehensive Yoga of knowledge, which need not be confined to the seeking after the Absolute alone or the knowledge of the Divine in itself or of the Divine only in its isolated relations with the individual human soul. It is true that the consciousness of the Absolute is the highest reach of the Yoga of knowledge and that the possession of the Divine is its first, greatest and most ardent object and that to neglect it for an inferior knowledge (inferior knowledge is the limited revelations of modern knowledge and seeking) is to afflict our Yoga with inferiority or even frivolity and to miss or fall away from its characteristic object; but, the Divine in itself being known, the Yoga of knowledge may well embrace also the knowledge of the Divine in its relations with ourselves and the world on the different planes of our existence. To rise to the pure Self being steadfastly held to as the summit of our subjective self-uplifting, we may from that height possess our lower selves even to the physical and the workings of Nature which belong to them."
Sri Aurobindo
CWSA-23/ The Synthesis of Yoga/p-460-461
The Research in Detail
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Integral Yoga identifies that all Science and Modern Knowledge afflict life with inferiority. This inferiority is linked with the man's problem of lower Nature and unconscious of ceaseless sattwic sacrifice. In order to overcome this limitation, all the schools of modern Knowledge and utilitarian Science must be reconciled with the highest Spiritual experience through ceaseless sattwic sacrifice, nitya yajna and 'the possession of the Divine is its first, greatest and most ardent object and that to neglect it for an inferior knowledge is to afflict our' (CWSA-23/The Synthesis of Yoga/p-460-461) Life and Yoga with inferiority..
The healthiness of an individual is dependent on the full utilisation of his faculty of exclusive concentration, a developmental faculty of the mind to unravel the secret of Nature through its forward movement and secret of Self through its reverse movement, leading to the seeming fullness of his objective and subjective life. The present popular term of objective research of separative knowledge by indirect contact has to take a subjective turn of knowledge by direct contact and knowledge by identity through the development of higher faculties other than mind and in that sense the research is our best immediate evolutionary accelerator. The relations between the surface impulsion and the subliminal urge have not been properly studied and to know our inner being is the first step of subjective research towards the unfolding of real self-knowledge.
The healthiness of all institution is dependent on its expansion of research activity and constant renovation of its existing system and set up. The same exercise can only make up the deficiencies of the Divine Centre, but for its fulfilment and completeness it asks endless unfolding of truth through greater and finer effort of fresh inflow of Spiritual experiences and Wisdom to all the realms of life which will lead towards a constantly increasing perfection or a growth towards an enduring felicity. So the surface mental activity of inquiry, investigation and experimental research of any institution can turn inward towards Subliminal and Spiritual end in a Spiritual institution and of this intellectual formulation and its seeking of truth for its own sake without any interference of illegitimate and preconceived ideas can be utilised as a difficult and rare passage to Spiritual experiences.
The objective truth of existence and superficial knowledge of the world are fragmentarily studied which is the preoccupation of mental research. But there are truths beyond which can be developed by the cultivation of our subjective being and enlargement of its powers and we are irresistibly impelled to seek the knowledge of the higher states of Consciousness. The knowledge of our surface mentality brings us always to all that mysterious and hidden depth of subjective existence below and behind of which our surface consciousness is only the margin of immense continents which lie behind unexplored. To explore them must be the work of higher knowledge other than that of mental research.
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All Religions are forms and fragments descended from the one eternal Religion, Sanatana Dharma or all Religion would be true as developments that converge on one eternal Religion; all philosophies of divergent views would be valid each in its own field as different aspects of a single Reality; all Sciences with their diversified exclusive quests must be drawn irresistibly to realise their completeness by merging with Supraphysical Science.
Integral Yoga proposes that the greatest unity of all Science, all Religion, all Philosophy, and all Tradition are possible through a most conscious individual when he is perfectly capable of every kind of Spiritual experience, embraces the whole universes in his cosmic Consciousness and possesses the highest Integral Knowledge. And he calls down the ultimate Divine Truth to elevate the things and creatures to their highest, profoundest and the widest Divine manifestation.
So if we aim at the research of Supraphysical Science, like all other research its main objective will be to conquer the World, the Nature and the Self for the Divine and for His sake only. It will follow the norm of Integral Yoga that its basis of action will be all that are the best, profoundest and completest in the past and present and proceed ahead towards a large future accomplishment.
The theory of complete Research is pursued through the synthesis of Research which is something other than the mental Research. It will take full account of the human developments in successive human births and bodies through evolution of faculties higher than mind and intellect. It has identified four stations of research that are (1) Psycho-physical Science with main inspiration from the root knowledge of Hathayoga and Tantrayoga, (2) Psychic Science with main inspiration from Rajayoga and Bhakti Yoga, (3) Spiritual Science with main inspiration from Integral Karma, Jnana and Bhakti Yoga and (4) Supramental Science with main inspiration from Yoga of Self-perfection and Yoga of Cosmic Consciousness. These have been partly explored in the Veda and the Upanishad and the Gita. Our object is not to develop the results arrived at by these ancient Shastras, but to uncover some of their principal conclusions which are considered best previous foundation in resolving the problem of the Divine Life. And these old treasures are recognised as our initial capital that can most advantageously proceed to accumulate the largest gains in our new commerce with the ever-changeless and ever-changing Infinite.
It is true that the methodical research to glimpse the exceptional, abnormal or supernormal faculties of Supraphysical realities in its preliminary state are still imperfect, crude and defective. To testify the Supraphysical facts beyond the domain of material organisation of consciousness their testimony has to be controlled, scrutinized and arranged and their fields, laws and processes are to be rightly translated, truly related and effectively determined. When we open the wall between the outer mind and inner consciousness, the laws and processes of Supraphysical Science are rightly studied, the means will be automatically found and directly seize the subtle faculties, energies and potentialities. Their universal rhythm, grand lines of formations, self-existent laws, mighty energies and luminous means of knowledge will open the enormous vistas of the future.
A time has come where mind must discover and fully develop Intuition and all the great ranges of Consciousness which will liberate the free flow of Wisdom and Truth from beyond. Importance is given to depend and wait for intuitive action, which is activated by the passive silence of the Witness Spirit; it compels all things to travel in Ignorance and division towards a yet unrealised Divine goal of unity. Subsequently intuition enters the Supramental range which has the capacity to prevent all destruction, heals all disease, transform all opposition into mutual help, is supremely positive, harmonious and creative and provides the opportunity of largest development in the shortest path and heals the gulf between the World, Self and God and perfects the creation. All action, small or big is undertaken through imperative complete knowledge of Supramental vision and revelation to which nothing can stand against it. It is a knowledge of total consciousness fulfilling its own inherent power and substitutes the mind’s wisdom of research.
Psycho-physical Science:
Integral Yoga can be practiced on other lines than the organised method of Patanjali and it does not recommend highly specialised scientific techniques of psycho-physical science (except simple forms) invented by the old Hathayogins and later developed by Tantriks of India for the beginners because the subtle physical exercises that they had developed are related with opening of six nervous energy centres, which is now closed with most human beings and are having related with the danger of Spiritual fall and as a remedy asks purified vessel and the immediate attention of physical Guru. Integral Yoga gives secondary importance on any outer aid or external physical technique for higher Spiritual action and rather it leans on primary importance of inner aids or psychological means for subjective and objective developments; secondly, the process of psycho-physical Science is laborious, difficult, makes great demand on time and energy and it attains large result but at the cost of an exorbitant price and to very little purpose; thirdly the psycho-physical exercises are utilised for the sake of the individual selfish interest in his increased vitality, prolonged youth, health, longevity and utilisation of its results for the benefit of common life is highly restricted and not thrown into the common sum of the world’s activities; fourthly, its result of gaining an inner and higher life could have been acquired by less laborious methods of Rajayoga and Jnanayoga and lastly, it asks indispensable presence of physical guide to avoid and overcome any danger and disaster that may fall in the life of the beginners.
The utility of Psycho-physical Science in integral Yoga is felt after the Spiritual foundation is established and it will organise and harmonise the surface physical and vital nature which are indispensable for higher workings of instruments of the Spirit. In initial importance integral Yoga leans on the Vedantic method of development of Soul and final importance of transformation of Nature through combination of the Vedantic and the Vedic method. The specialised technique of Psycho-physical science is highly desirable and acceptable during the difficult period of transformation of Nature of developed Souls because it removes obstructions created by physical mind (for example through Japa) and vital mind (for example through Pranayama) towards the journey of higher Psychical and Spiritual experiences. Again, the many-sided perfection related with physical life forces can be pursued through the widely varied techniques of Psycho-physical Science whose highest objective is to merge in trance of various degree that of Dream Self, Sleep Self and final Turiya or absolute trance.
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The utility of cataleptic trance and absolute trance are the highest outcome of psycho-physical exercise to which an integral Yogi can lean in his ever-extending search of mysteries of existence. These experiences are hinted in Savitri as:
“Absorbed in the trance from which no soul returns,”
Savitri-384
“When life had stopped its beats, death broke not in;
He dared to live when breath and thought were still.”
Savitri-74
“There the heart beat no more at body’s touch,”
Savitri-31
“And rigid golden statue of motionless trance.”
Savitri-474
“The body’s stone stillness and the life’s hushed trance,
The breathless might and calm of silent mind;”
Savitri-34​
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OM TAT SAT
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For exploration of Psychic Science, Spiritual Science and Supramental Science, one can visit the link: https://www.srimatriniketanashram.com/education/the-task-of-integral-education
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"The gnostic perfection, spiritual in its nature, is to be accomplished here in the body and takes life in the physical world as one of its fields, even though the gnosis opens to us possession of planes and worlds beyond the material universe. The physical body is therefore a basis of action, pratistha, which cannot be despised, neglected or excluded from the spiritual evolution: a perfection of the body as the outer instrument of a complete divine living on earth will be necessarily a part of the gnostic conversion. The change will be effected by bringing in the law of the gnostic Purusha, vijnanamaya purusa, and of that into which it opens, the Anandamaya, into the physical consciousness and its members. Pushed to its highest conclusion this movement brings in a spiritualising and illumination of the whole physical consciousness and a divinising of the law of the body. For behind the gross physical sheath of this materially visible and sensible frame there is subliminally supporting it and discoverable by a finer subtle consciousness a subtle body of the mental being and a spiritual or causal body of the gnostic and bliss soul in which all the perfection of a spiritual embodiment is to be found, a yet unmanifested divine law of the body. Most of the physical siddhis acquired by certain Yogins are brought about by some opening up of the law of the subtle or a calling down of something of the law of the spiritual body. The ordinary method is the opening up of the cakras by the physical processes of Hathayoga (of which something is also included in the Rajayoga) or by the methods of the Tantric discipline. But while these may be optionally used at certain stages by the integral Yoga, they are not indispensable; for here the reliance is on the power of the higher being to change the lower existence, a working is chosen mainly from above downward and not the opposite way, and therefore the development of the superior power of the gnosis will be awaited as the instrumentative change in this part of the Yoga."
Sri Aurobindo
CWSA-24/The Synthesis of Yoga/p-695
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