Integral ethics

Sin and Virtue First of all, I know that I quote Sri Aurobindo and Mother a lot, but they just happen to be so utterly brilliant, all-inclusive, universalist, and loving, that I just cannot help but see them as my primary source of inspiration. Secondly, I really must recommend Sri Aurobindo’s beautiful jnana, karma, bhakti, and additional aphorisms. They can be found in the book Essays on Philosophy and Yoga. I have found his aphorisms to be beautiful and extremely thought-provoking, and excellent contemplation material. Here are some aphorisms from him on sin and virtue...

It would take the writing of an entire book on integral ethics to unpack these quotes. In fact I have been thinking of writing a novel in which I would like to take some of my own experiences and fictionalize and dramatize them somewhat to illustrate these ideas in an entertaining and engaging way.

For now I am just noting that self-righteousness is a great enemy on the spiritual path. It is a trap I fall into very often, especially when I encounter religious people, queerphobic or sexist people, and so forth. But this is a major obstacle to growth, because it allows the ego to keep existing. The most crucial realization is that we are not the “doers” — we have to let go of the notion that we are “doing” anything. The Absolute is the “doer” and we are just the instruments. We simply have to “be”, and witness the Absolute “doing” what has to be done. So when I do something that is in accordance with the universal good, the universal will, that is not “me”, that is God accomplishing the task through me. And I, the outer personality, am in no way essential to this. God’s victory is certain, so of course even without me the same thing would be accomplished. And so nobody has any claim to morality over others, since everyone is potentially an instrument of the Divine...Posted by ned on March 31, 2007