We are inviting people to jump into the ocean and immerse in the body of God...everyone participates and is their own priest

Is Sri Aurobindo's teaching a religion? Reply by Donna Osborn

I agree with Mamata, Mother is very clear on this answer. From Satprem’s Agenda notes:

“The Ashram was slowly closing over Her. The old world wanted to make a new, golden little Church, nice and quiet. No, no one wanted TO BECOME. To worship was so much easier. And then they bury you, solemnly, and the matter is settled – the case is closed: now, no one need bother any more except to print some photographic haloes for the pilgrims to this brisk little business. But they are mistaken. The real business will take place without them, the new species will fly up in their faces – it is already flying in the face of the earth, despite all its isms in black and white; it is exploding through all the pores of this battered old earth, which has had enough of shams – whether illusory little heavens or barbarous little machines. It is the hour of the REAL Earth. It is the hour of the REAL man. We are all going there – if only we could know the path a little …”

And

“What did all this mean, then, this ‘Ashram’ that was already registered as the owner of a great spiritual business, and this fragile, little silhouette at the center of all these zealous worshippers? In truth, there is no better way to smother someone than to worship him: he chokes beneath the weight of worship, which moreover gives the worshipper claim to ownership. ‘Why do you want to worship?’ She exclaimed. ‘You have but to become! It is the laziness to become that makes one worship.’ She wanted so much to make them become this ‘something else,’ but it was far easier to worship and quiescently remain what one was. She spoke to deaf ears. She was very alone in this ‘ashram.’ Little by little, the disciples fill up the place, then they say: it is ours. It is ‘the Ashram.’ We are ‘the disciples.’ In Pondicherry as in Rome as in Mecca. ‘I do not want a religion! An end to religions!’ She exclaimed. She struggled and fought in their midst – was She therefore to leave this Earth like one more saint or yogi, buried beneath haloes, the ‘continuatrice’ of a great spiritual lineage?”

Just for the sake of discussion, what can be gained by making it a religion? And if the Teaching is taken as a religion…can we have a religion without priests? Then, from where would they come and who would be willing to step to the pedestal?

I think that religion puts up walls thru doctrine and dogma. On the other hand Spirituality embraces all people by it’s nature of ‘self-selection’. By virtue of birth, people are indoctrinated by culture into a religion. Religion is like a ship on the ocean; the captains are the priests. Every ship is guided by a captain pointing to doctrine and dogma. Adhering to a religion we think that our ship is the best. We may believe that everything is right on our journey…the speed, the direction, the ultimate destination…but we are divided from everyone that is not guided by the same captain.

But why do we feel the need to board someone else’s ship? As a passenger we are not in control of where the ship is sailing ; invariably, these ships never come to port. Rarely will you find the captain that says dive off of the ship and into the ocean of God. If we make Sri Aurobindo and Mother’s Work a religion, we will demand people to change ships. If we encourage it to remain a spiritual philosophy we are inviting people to jump into the ocean and immerse in the body of God...everyone participates and is their own priest.

Maybe the desire of some to make this Work a religion is just the yearning to ‘know the path a little.” ► Reply to This