Why should we stop someone express his feelings

Re: 09: Her Mortal Birth by Rich on Wed 18 Apr 2007 05:02 PM PDT Profile Permanent Link Unfortunately the religious fanatic does not normally avail themselves of any hermeneutic method, but stone cold literalism. The second part of the matter is that once you start positing a founder of a movement as an Avatar any claims you make that your teaching or yoga is not a "Religion" become mute. Sri Aurobindo actually considered the role of Avatar quite significant and this certainly comes through in his commentaries on text within the tradition of Hinduism such as the Essays on the Gita (one of my all time favorites). However, that he did not see it fit to introduce the notion of avatarhood into The Life Divine is significant in itself especially regards the hermeneutic method one would apply to it rc

by Debashish on Wed 18 Apr 2007 06:07 PM PDT Profile Permanent Link I will concede however, that as you mention, Sri Aurobindo did not find it necessary to invoke the avatar in his descriptions of evolution and its process in the Life Divine - and may be for the reason that you find the idea allergic - ie. it transfers evolutionary agency too easily to an icon, a religious substitute for conscious transformation. But his descriptions of the evolutionary process in the LD at the same time could be read in terms that include the avatar as the exemplar of a transition to a new species, one who undergoes the process of hybrid-formation:

"It is quite conceivable that such an evolution from below and such a descent from above co-operated in the appearance of humanity in earth-nature. The secret psychical entity already there in the animal might have itself called down the mental being, the mind Purusha, into the realm of living Matter in order to take up the vital-mental energy already at work and lift it into a higher mentality." (LD, "Man and the Evolution") DB

by rakesh on Wed 18 Apr 2007 08:41 PM PDT Profile Permanent Link

RC: As I have expressed here before I personally have reservations about declaring anyone including Sri Aurobindo an Avatar. Although this maybe quite proper to argue this within the Indic or Vedantic tradition, it presents numerous obstacles for comprehension in a forum which does not automatically accept these particular metaphysical validity claims, and so limits the dialog to the circle of believers.

Since we all know the definition of an Avatar I do not see how it is difficult to understand Sri Aurobindo as an avatar. Who else could talk about the overmind and supermind or the descent of the supermind. Even if we have problems understanding this concept why should we stop someone express his feelings in a forum that supports freedom to express one's views. What should be done? Should we stop writing what we feel is real to convince the forum readers.