Savitri Era Open Forum

Saturday, February 18, 2012

It is the duty of every individual to empower himself

SPIRITUALISM – HUMAN EXISTENCE AND HUMAN NATURE - bhavanajagat.com Posted on February 11, 2012 The living matter is conscious of its internal condition, a condition that demands the supply of energy from an external source to keep its existence… The fact of energy dependent existence and the consciousness of that conditioned existence displays the lack of human freedom in matters that pertain to human existence.

Our Aim Founded by Anurag Banerjee on 29 March 2010 at Kolkata, Overman Foundation embarks on the mission to inculcate the ‘urge’ to rise over our mundane aspects of life and delve deeper into our inner ‘I’. The Foundation reaches out to the society with its sole aim of conceiving species of Overman –a transitory state in the creation of Superman. The association firmly believes that it is the duty of every individual to empower himself /herself with an urge for seeking the divine. One needs to replenish herself/himself amidst the trivialities of our surroundings and reach out to a knowledge seeking, a prerequisite to be a ‘Superman’. The Foundation painstakingly indulges in this knowledge seeking through knowledge sharing of Aurobindonian philosophy.

All members of the extended spiritual family of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are cordially invited to our platform. The administration of Overman Foundation is monitored by its Advisory Board whose members are Nirmal Singh Nahar (Founder-Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata), Prof. Kittu Reddy and Krishna Chakravarti.

Our Objectives

To promote spiritual progress in its absolute sense for everyone without any discrimination based on caste, creed and gender.
To spread the evolutionary vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother with respect to the establishment of a divine life in a divine body in all fields of life.
To spread and help to spread the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in the towns and villages of West Bengal, the land of Sri Aurobindo’s birth.
To conduct researches on the lives of Sri Aurobindo, the Mother and the eminent sadhaks of the Integral Yoga and collect and preserve documents related to them.
To conduct seminars and workshops to promote the views of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Integral Management and Social Unity.
To recognize the contribution of the scholars and workers of the Aurobindonian movement in various fields. (For this purpose, the ‘Auro-Ratna’ award has been created which would be given out every year based on the recommendation of the Advisory Board.)
To publish literature and books for the promotion of the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

(title unknown) from enowning Ian Alexander Moore on the overman in the technological understanding of being, from "Fink's (Heideggerean) Nietzsche, or The Possibility of a 'verwindung' of Metaphysics".

Nietzsche’s philosophy was unique in the metaphysical tradition of the West, because he was the first person to recognize that the will to power posits all values, which are the means to prolong the act of willing and to become stronger. By fixing all value within “the preservation-enhancement conditions” of everything that is, Nietzsche established truth as that in which a “constant reserve” holds sway and remains at the disposal of the will. The will to power fixes in place that which provides for its own preservation and enhancement. Whatever does this most effectively is most true.

Heidegger's reading of Nietzsche's overman coincides with this notion of the will to power. The overman symbolizes humanity in its current, technological understanding of being. The will to power determines the overman, urging him to gain control of all that is. Yet this making secure by willing domination over everything remains inextricably linked to the positing of values. The overman, through the value-positing of the will to power, obviates the possibility of understanding being as something outside of his power, something in virtue of which anything stands out as meaningful for him. For Heidegger, the overman's will to power, as that which posits value onto being, does not remain receptive to being, but rather blocks off its essence in advance by treating it as a value.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Betrayal of the Guru

The Ashram Management’s Fear Psychosis -- Ranganath Raghavan on Feb 17, 2012 8:40 PM

Then Kiran Poddar and Vijay were summoned once again for “clarifications”. The meeting went off very badly. They were shouted at and accused of many things. They were even asked why they did not stop the Dharna under the Balcony. Hot words were exchanged until finally Vijay had to tell the trustees that if it came to a showdown between the Mother and Sri Aurobindo on one side and the Trustees on the other, he would not hesitate to go against them. …

The Ashramites have a right to know what is going on and why this spirited support to a bigoted book written by a foreigner who takes pride in declaring that he is NOT a devotee. Satisfactory answers are required very badly and urgently! Ranganath Raghavan

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Peter Heehs Q 1. Peter Heehs has written a “scholarly biography” of Sri Aurobindo intended “for the Western mind”. What is wrong with that?

There would be nothing wrong with that if the book was truly an honest and scholarly biography. Unfortunately it is full of misrepresentations and deliberate distortions regarding a) facts surrounding important events, b) their historical context, c) the teaching of Sri Aurobindo, d) the nature of his own yogic practices, e) life in the Ashram, and f) the Mother. Naturally these also lead to false interpretations and wrong conclusions. On reading the entire book, the pattern that emerges is that PH has distorted facts to force them to fit the Freudian view of spirituality.

Such a book cannot be accepted as “scholarly” since standards of scholarship demand honesty, accuracy and completeness in presenting facts. All three elements have been seriously compromised in this book.

Savitra patents Sunlit Path

Sunlit path to where? « auroleaks From: Savitra Date: February 16, 2012 Subject: re. your center’s upcoming retreat conference - To the Sri Aurobindo Center South East: A friend received the follow announcement through you and forwarded it to me. I struggled with the futility of replying to you or the easier path of simply deleting. As you can see, I have chosen the former. (Please do not take this personally as I am addressing it to your Center. However after reading this yourself, I would sincerely appreciate you passing it on to those in charge of the Center and its upcoming Conference. Thank you.)

I must say that I am profoundly shocked by the contradiction of hosting a conference/retreat titled “Sunlit Path to Life Divine” when many of your primary speakers/presenters are directly or indirectly engaged in a court case against the Trustees of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. In addition, as you must know, the same speakers have been engaged in ideological warfare and a sustained persecution of one of the Ashram’s longtime residents whose biography of Sri Aurobindo (published by Columbia University Press) they deem blasphemous.

By way of introducing myself and my concerns in this matter, I have been involved with the work of Mother and Sri Aurobindo since 1967. I have also been a resident of the Ashram and later Auroville (1969-1990), accepted both in the Ashram and Auroville directly by the Mother from whom I received the name Savitra. I am also a published author here in the States with a new book on the way. In this light, I ask:

How can your Center disconnect from these troubling realities and the shadow these speakers cast, inviting such speakers to present on the theme of “Sunlit Path to Life Divine”? How can your Center consider itself a Center of Sri Aurobindo yet provide a platform for speakers who choose the path of open warfare with the Trustees of the Ashram bearing Sri Aurobindo’s name? Such disconnection makes a mockery of the concept of “Integral” in Integral Yoga. And to host such speakers under the banner of “Sunlit Path to Life Divine” only adds to the absurdity and surreality.

In this Yoga, are we here to simply preach in words or practice in action? Surely you know the answer to this question. In which case, how can you in good conscience sponsor such a dis-integral and divisive contradiction in the name of Sri Aurobindo? Namaste, ~Savitra (Alan Sasha Lithman)

It starts with a great opening sentence “a book is an inanimate object”. (Whoever wrote this should be given the Nobel prize for literature and science combined.) The Nexus Between Some Ex-Students and Matriprasad

To speak about knowing Reality in our Consciousness is a joke

Assemblages score over assembly

rainbOwther: Oedipus complex may not apply to other cultures

Savitri Era Learning Forum: M.P. Pandit is a wonderful thinker

Savitri Era Open Forum: Revivify India's glorious past

Savitri Era Open Forum: Wilber has not acknowledged the full extent

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

No question-answers or discussions

A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs

Trustees Cancel Vijay Poddar's Talk The Trustees of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram called off Vijay Poddar's talk on the Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Peter Heehs. Rattled that the talk may expose the book to a larger audience in the Ashram, the Trustees requested Vijay Poddar to cancel his presentation. The talk would have created a greater awareness on the book both from the point of view of its malafide intention and dubious scholarship. It would have made a large number of Ashramites look askance at the Trustees regarding their exact position with regard to the book.

Do they support it or not? Do they approve of it or not? If they do, why don't they declare their praise and admiration for Peter Heehs. And if they don't, why don't they condemn it outright? Why this duplicitous silence! And why gag the efforts of one of the most intelligent students of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Centre of Education to throw light on it? Vijay Poddar happens to be a senior teacher at the SAICE apart from holding a position of authority in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Society, which has hundreds of centres in India and abroad. Both Ashramites and devotees and disciples from outside Pondicherry hold him in great esteem and would have been glad to know his opinion on the book that has rocked the Ashram since the last four years. His opinion need not be officially accepted by the Trustees, but why curtail his freedom of expression, especially when they themselves don't know what to say, think or do! Bireshwar Choudhurystake.

RYD Feb 13, 2012 11:07 PM I understand that a few days ago he had made a detailed presentation to the trustees in the Trust Office. Can we have some idea about its contents and the views of the officials? Thanks.

Monday, February 13, 2012 9:29 AM Subject: Just fyi - Info session tomorrow on efforts regarding the PH / book issue Dear friends, This is just to let you know in case you have not already been informed:

We have just heard from Kiran di that tomorrow Tuesday evening, at 8.40 pm, Vijay bhai of SA Society will present a summary of a 3 hour talk on the 'TLOSA issue' that took place a few days ago between a group of devotees (which includes Kiran di) and the Ashram trustees, in an effort by the former to seek some progress that may break the present, ever-worsening deadlock. Tomorrow's info session has been organised ad-hoc on request of many people who are asking what transpired; anybody with a sincere concern & aspiration is welcome ('there are no closed doors'). However the organisers stress that the occasion is only for the sake of information, i.e. there will be no question/answers, discussions etc. Please feel free to let anybody know you think would want to attend. Venue is the SAS Beach Office. Om Namo Bhagavate At Their feet, J

Aravinda & Jasmin Maheshwari, Matur Udyanam, Ousteri Lake, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry 605002

Shahabuddin verses (by Indrajit Hazra) from Communalism Watch by c-info From: Hindustan Times January 22, 2012

Syed Shahabuddin is one of history’s most underrated literary critics. It was this Janata Party MP who had first sent across a letter to the then prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1988 tipping off the latter about what he felt was a very rotten book. … So things haven’t changed one jot since the great Shahabuddin, echoing Oscar Wilde’s line, “I never read a book I must review; it prejudices you so”, wrote way back in 1988 in an ‘Open letter to Salman Rushdie’, “I do not have to wade through a filthy drain to know what filth is.”

A Tale of Love and Heartbreak from The Examined Life by Ravikiran Rao

I don’t know how many remember the story of Syed Modi, who was murdered in 1988. … So, quite clearly, Shourie had been perfectly willing to lead his newspaper on a campaign to subvert justice even as it was fighting the government on corruption. I am sure he did it with the highest of motives – I think he thought that getting the Rajiv Gandhi government out was then the highest national interest. But something didn’t seem right.

The story faded to a dim memory for me, but I suppose the lesson has always stayed with me. It accounts for my cynicism over the Lok Pal and the concept of “Persons of unimpeachable integrity”. It accounts for my scepticism over the idea that the dynasty represents everything that is wrong with the country, or that if only the country rediscovered its Hindu soul, we would be great. It accounts for my discomfort with idolizing or demonizing (Narendra) Modi. In general, I am sceptical of any solution that relies on people’s character rather than structures and incentives.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Revivify India’s glorious past

Why a Frenchman built a Bhavani & Shivaji museum - Analysis - DNA - COLUMNS - Francois Gautier Monday, February 13, 2012

The first phase of FACT’s (fact-india.com) Shivaji Maharaj Museum of Indian History has been inaugurated by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mrs Ajit Pawar and Nitin Gadkari. The exquisite Bhavani Bharat temple is one of the only two temples in India dedicated to Mother India (the other is in Haridwar) which Sri Aurobindo and Lokmanya Tilak wanted to build in Maharashtra 100 years ago. The VIPs then inaugurated three exhibitions: a miniature painting exhibition on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; an exhibition on Hindu Tolerance Throughout the Ages; and another exhibition that proves scientifically that the famous Aryan invasion never actually happened.

Why does a Frenchman build a Bhavani Bharti temple and museum? I am proud to say I owe a debt to India, because this country has granted me so much, spiritually, professionally and even sentimentally. I was a young boy of 19, living in Paris, the city of my birth, when I heard that a caravan of cars was driving from Paris to Pondicherry. I had never thought about India, and had no interest in spirituality, but something in me pushed me to go. It took us six weeks to cross 10 countries and after many adventures, we reached Delhi.

Right from my first night here, I felt I had come home and that India was a land of vast knowledge, a truth that eludes most westerners, because some of the paradox of the still apparent poverty and filth that blinds them. I had this feeling of being home, of Mother India, in the most unlikely places, even in Srinagar. I covered Kashmir as a journalist for the largest French political daily during the worst period of unrest, from the late eighties till the Kargil War. — The author is the editor in chief of the Paris-based La Revue de l’Inde and the author of The Guru of Joy. FACT - India was started in 2003 by Francois Gautier, a French journalist, writer & historian who has been covering India and South Asia for the last 35 years. "Currently, we are displaying exhibitions based on themes revolving around Shivaji Maharaj, Hindu tolerance throughout the ages, Aryan invasion along with 10 rotating exhibitions," says Gautier.

Helios' Books: Publishing High-Quality Books in Various Genres Yourstory.in

In conversation with Abhilasha Dafria for YourStory.in, founder Geetanjali J B tells us more about how her aim in setting up Helios Books is twofold: to publish high-quality books in various genres and to share the joy while doing so! Geetanjali J.B was the finalist of British Council’s Young Publishing Entrepreneur Awards, 2011. To know more about the Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards, click here. Follow the Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards (YCE) on Facebook Gitanjali, tell us about your Publishing Firm Helios Books. What is your background like and what is the story behind starting up HB?

I am the founder and publisher of Helios Books, an English-language independent publishing firm set up in Chennai in 2009. After a brilliant start in academics (a topper in school, a gold-medalist in college and amongst the top ten in MBA from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar), I worked in management consultancies and multinational firms in the Indian corporate sector for 8 years, including a one-year stint in Copenhagen as the Head of European Operations for a software company. I then worked in our family business of setting up power plants for 6 years, a business I had established with my husband. Thereafter, I chartered out on my own in the field of publishing, thus fulfilling a long-standing dream.

To me, Helios Books is a labour of love. We aspire to bring out beautiful books in various genres, which are uplifting, progressive, inspiring and contribute to nation building. Helios Books was founded to publish those books that we wanted to read but could not find in bookstores! The vision of Helios Books, over and above bringing out quality books in various genres, is to showcase the best of

India

and its forgotten glory and other universal human values to the world.

Indian history was written by colonizers and when you read it in school, it doesn’t make you proud of being an Indian. India seems to be always on the receiving end. Its achievements are always trivialized and its failures exaggerated. But when one reads Sri Aurobindo’s “Foundations of Indian Culture”, one is introduced to India, as it were. One can see Her greatness in literature, arts, architecture, sculpture, dance, music and politics. Our endeavour in bringing out books in History is to revivify India’s glorious past and aim to amend many of the oversights and exclusions associated with traditional historical accounts. And in our category of Historical Fiction we plan to explore some of the lesser-known but important aspects of Indian history in an interesting way.

The hallmark of our non-fiction is the lucid presentation of original research. Our projects in this genre include War Heroes of India that aims at celebrating the spirit of heroism and courage in India. Another area we focus on is the recovery of ancient Indian scriptures and their relevance to the modern world. Our market differentiators are our beautifully produced, high quality of books based on original research.

Similarly we plan to sell the War Heroes book in bulk to the Indian Army and so on. The target audiences for the republication of the first edition of Savitri were devotees of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo across India. This strategy has helps us reach target audiences directly without wasting time and money in mass advertisement and distribution.

Swami Vivekananda And Sri Aurobindo's Contribution Towards Regeneration of India THE INDIAN MINDSCAPE: By JAGMOHAN

Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo were the two towering figures of the Indian renaissance who contributed most to the regeneration of the Indian mindscape and the consequent reflowering of the Indian culture... What did Sri Aurobindo mean when he talked of

India

’s destiny and

India

’s religion? He himself provided the answer... Such views, propagated through his extensive writings, thrilled a good part of the nation and created new confidence, new urges and a new sense of mission. They also made the Western world take greater interest in

India

and look at her with greater respect.

Sri Aurobindo wanted Poorna Swaraj, complete freedom, for India. This, he thought, was absolutely necessary not only for the well-being of the country but also for the well-being of the rest of the world. She alone could “free the world from its enslavement to materialism and to point out the way towards a dynamic integration of Spirit and Matter and to make life perfect with Divine Perfection”.

Unfortunately, only a few strands of the great movement for the cultural regeneration of India are visible now. Today, she is without any great inspiration, without any elevating philosophy which could serve as a guiding star for activities in various walks of life. The writer is a former Governor of J&K and a former Union minister.

The genius of Eknathji Ranade located the holistic concept of yoga, another name for spirituality in the words of Swami Vivekananda 'Each Soul is potentially Divine,' and adopted it as the basis of Vivekananda Kendra (VK). He could see the vision of Sri Aurobindo enunciating Integral yoga as a furthering depth of Swamiji's thoughts on yoga. Eknathji trained in the organizational skills and powered by a patriotic favor with the holistic vision of Hindu nation enunciated a century ago by Swami Vivekananda, in tune with the emerging trends of popularity of yoga gave a direction to the Kendra in his first pamphlet 'Yoga, the core of Vivekananda Kendra'.

Review on Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo’s Poetry by Nishi Sharma Contemporary Literary Review: India (CLRI) is primarily an online literary journal in English SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2012

Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo’s Poetry is a distinctive work of art by Jitendra Sharma, based on Sri Aurobindo’s phenomenal poetic endeavor. It is a brilliant attempt to discover the concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo’s poetry. This book brings out Sri Aurobindo Ghose’s integral philosophy of Man and his existence in this universe—and beyond it. Man is everywhere in his poetry with minute projections, innumerable possibilities and natural tendencies towards self-exceeding. He sees Man through the quintessential prism and finds him as: ‘the increasing God’, ‘self-liberating person’, ‘the eternal portion of the Divine’, ‘a God in the making’, ‘a portion of the Divine Consciousness and Essence’ and ‘intermediate creature between animal and the Divine’.

The author, Jitendra Sharma, focuses light on the concepts of evolution, consciousness and transformation of Man and his mind which are intertwined in Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy. Concept of Man in Sri Aurobindo’s Poetry is a tribute to the greatest soul and an insightful gift to Sri Aurobindo’s followers.

Author’s Bio: Dr. Jitendra Sharma obtained the Master's Degree in French from Karnatak University Dharwar and had M.Phil. in French from the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad. He has also studied in the Stendhal University of Grenoble in France. His literary articles have appeared in various journals and he has participated in more than 80 national/international seminars, workshops and conferences. He heads the Department of French at St. Joseph's College, Devagiri, Calicut (Kerala) where he tries to implement Sri Aurobindo's education methodology in his teaching profession.

Thill - February 6th, 2012 on 3:55 am I was a “fan” of Wilber’s writings during my days as a doctoral student in Canada working on my dissertation, in a predominantly analytically-oriented philosophy department, on Aurobindo. But I can hardly bring myself to read either of them these days and I don’t feel I am missing anything important! LOL Thill - February 6th, 2012 on 7:17 pm Aurobindo wrote that he was a practitioner of “mystic empiricism”, an undertaking, he believed, was empirical in just the way scientific inquiry is empirical! But then Aurobindo never explained, although he wrote several big books, the actual process by means of which he allegedly arrived at knowledge of “occult worlds, entities, and forces”, not to mention the modus operandi of harnessing them, e.g., “Yogic force”, to allegedly cure illnesses, influence world events, etc.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Wilber has not acknowledged the full extent of Sri Aurobindo’s influence

Amod Lele - February 7th, 2012 on 12:49 pm

The best starting point is probably still A Brief History of Everything. It’s a condensed version of his magnum opus to date (Sex, Ecology, Spirituality), in dialogue form. It’s a decade or two old at this point and he has changed his views significantly in later works, but in many respects I actually like the older version better. Brief History is the book I started with and I would continue to recommend it.

Thill - February 6th, 2012 on 3:55 am

I was a “fan” of Wilber’s writings during my days as a doctoral student in Canada working on my dissertation, in a predominantly analytically-oriented philosophy department, on Aurobindo. But I can hardly bring myself to read either of them these days and I don’t feel I am missing anything important! LOL

Breadth? Sure, it is important, but when someone presumes that his “breadth” can extend to everything (a la “A Brief History of Everything”), I begin to have serious doubts about the man’s sense of humility and even the quality of his understanding of the human predicament!

There are so many things about our very own and very intimate “Brother Donkey” (As St. Francis of Assisi lovingly called his body!) we simply do not yet understand! Why presume to divagate with assurance on so many things, not to mention “everything”?

Sufficient unto the day honest, useful, and solid work on one thing, however little or limited that thing may be than a torrent of words “full of sound and fury signifying nothing” on this, that, and the other!

Thill - February 6th, 2012 on 7:17 pm

“his central experiment or observation is based on meditation or what he has called ‘one taste’.” We surely would like to know what sort of “meditation” this is, what the alleged truths are, and how this “meditation” yielded those “truths”.

He may have borrowed this notion from Aurobindo (I think Wilber has not acknowledged the full extent of Aurobindo’s influence on his writings). Aurobindo wrote that he was a practitioner of “mystic empiricism”, an undertaking, he believed, was empirical in just the way scientific inquiry is empirical!

But then Aurobindo never explained, although he wrote several big books, the actual process by means of which he allegedly arrived at knowledge of “occult worlds, entities, and forces”, not to mention the modus operandi of harnessing them, e.g., “Yogic force”, to allegedly cure illnesses, influence world events, etc.

Aurobindo’s Baloney – I AUGUST 22, 2011

Aurobindo Ghose (1872 – 1950) was a prolific writer on Indian metaphysics, religion, occultism, yoga, literature, art, and politics. He was also a composer of poems and plays. He is reputed to be one of the foremost mystics of twentieth century India. In fact, he is also regarded as some sort of an “Avatar” or incarnation of divinity by most of his followers and inmates of the Ashram he founded in Puducherry (formerly the French colony of Pondicherry), in the province of Tamilnadu, India. This is not surprising since superstitious religious believers in India typically tend to elevate human religious figures, e.g., Sai Baba, Ramakrishna, etc., to the status of deities or demi-gods exempt from and capable of manipulating the laws of nature to fulfill the prayers of their disciples.

Aurobindo made a number of extraordinary and supernatural claims in his writings, letters, and conversations with his largely credulous disciples. You will find claims on “occult worlds”, “hostile forces”, alleged Blackmagic and his efforts to counteract it, alleged poltergeist phenomena in his ashram, healing or cure of even chronic diseases by “yogic force”, the possibility of conquering death by harnessing the “supramental force”, his avowed role in using his “yogic force” to turn the tide of World War II in favor of the Allied forces, and so on. In this series of pieces, I intend to examine and uncover the baloney in these claims.

Let’s start with his claim that during his stay in the Alipore jail (May 1908- 1909) he heard the voice of Vivekananda (1863 – 1902) giving him information on “higher planes of consciousness”, particularly the so-called “intuitive mentality”. Since Vivekananda died in 1902, this alleged event happened six years or so after Vivekananda’s death. Obviously, Aurobindo is claiming that Vivekananda visited him in the Alipore jail in the form of a “spirit” or disembodied presence and spoke to him. Posted in Philosophical Baloney

a reader complains about Žižek’s methods of critique from Object-Oriented Philosophy by doctorzamalek (Graham Harman)

I’m generally a big fan of Žižek, as readers of this blog know, despite disagreeing with the majority of what he says. There’s a certain energy there that is compelling beyond all agreement and disagreement. … The reader has a point, in the sense that Žižek in his writings does have a tendency to treat all incorrect views as ridiculous. Nonetheless, he also has a good track record of leaving plenty of free space for contrary opinions outside his written pages. So does Badiou, by all accounts. … That said, I think the reader is right. This is a fairly typical Žižekian trope– setting up the traditional reading of a philosopher as naive or idiotic and then reversing it. Yes, true enough.

Extending your support to the Trust board

Mirror of Tomorrow :: A Letter to the Mother from Kittu Reddy and her Answer Permanent Link The Mother Answers

All studies or at least the greater part of studies consists in studying the past with the hope that this would make one understand better the present. But if one wants to avoid the danger that the students would get stuck to the past and refuse to see the future, one must take great care to explain to them that all that has happened in the past had the aim of preparing all that is happening now and all that is happening now is preparing the road to the future which is really the most important thing for which we have to prepare ourselves. It is by cultivating intuition that one prepares to live for the future.

Robert N. Bellah: The Big History of Religion in Human Evolution. | Footnotes to Plato

Most educated people, he said, can agree on the basic scientific story of evolution… If we trace our genealogy back far enough, we come to the beginning of the universe itself. Everything that exists now was implied in the initial moment of creation. All of it enfolded. Religion is an ineradicable aspect of human nature

THE NATURE OF MONEY AND WEALTH-CREATION M. S. Srinivasan

The approach of the article to the enquiry is predominantly intuitive but without ignoring the need for rational vigour. This author believes that intuitive approach to research methodology has to be recognised by the academic and research community in India because of two reasons: first it is in harmony with our own Indian spiritual ethos which is predominantly intuitive; second, at present, there is a growing recognition of the need for intuition in management thought and practice. The main objective of the article is to bring the insights of Indian seers, ancient and modern, into modern financial management, for a deeper and better understanding of the universals truths and laws of finance.

resurgentindia.org | The Root of Our Difficulties and a Possible Way ...

In short, the spirit of what Sri Aurobindo termed “economic barbarism” still seems to seriously afflict modern society. ... All this is not to suggest that we should – even if we could, which is impossible – go back to the past forms of ancient Indian culture. That will be an unnatural imposition on the present time spirit. Rather, we should do as Sri Aurobindo suggested, “You need not come back to the old forms, but you can retain the spirit which might create its own new forms,…”11 We call upon all our brothers and sisters, the world over, to make a start in this direction in their own way.

In Support of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust « auroleaks

Do not mind the stupidity of others, mind your own. — The Mother.

In response to the recent dharnas, the ensuing press conference, newspaper reports, and general agitations against the trust board of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, some inmates of the Ashram approached senior members to get their feedback. The following Declaration of Solidarity was presented to them and signatures were collected. The response was overwhelmingly positive, refuting the claim that many, if not most, senior members are in favour of the agitations. Many of us who read the Declaration later, felt that it should be made available to a larger audience in a way that would make it possible for them to lend their support as well.

After all, are those involved in the court cases and agitations against the Trust representative of the wider community of followers of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother? We believe the answer is no. Now is a good time to raise our voices and state this clearly, lest our silence be misinterpreted. This site is a modest attempt to give a chance to followers all over the world to express this sentiment.

We have reproduced the Declaration here, as it was presented to the senior members. If any of you feel like extending your support to the Trust board, please check the box and fill the form at the end of this page. www.ashramite.com

This website is a result of the effort of a few former students of SAICE and devotees of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, to give a voice to all of you who have either stayed away or have remained silent observers during the past leading up to the present situation affecting our Ashram. Neither the Ashram Trustees nor those who have drafted and circulated the Declaration were instrumental in creating this site. If you have any concerns about your privacy, please contact us.

resurgentindia.org | THE CRISIS IN EDUCATION IS A CRISIS OF ...

Sri Aurobindo has shown that the truth does not lie in running away from earthly life but in remaining in it, ... Sri Aurobindo always loved deeply his Motherland.

Only the Divine Love can redeem | Motherland - Prayers of Harmony

In principle we have the key given by the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The new power cannot work in order to perpetuate the present humanity, the human in us …

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Peter's book contains intentional and wicked insinuations

Jitendra Sharma aurofrance@gmail.com 11 February 2012 subject: Peter Heeh's Book

The shocking truth is that Peter’s book contains intentional and wicked insinuations that malign Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Others may continue to disagree with my this opinion until their last breath. I don’t care. Let them continue to believe whatever they like. I have no intention to argue and convince any person to accept my view. Here are Mother’s relevant words:

Anything written by a sadhak about Sri Aurobindo which brings him down to an ordinary level and admits the reader to a sort of gossiping familiarity with him is unfaithfulness to Him and His work. Good intentions are not sufficient. - The Mother (Collected Works of the Mother, Vol. 13, Page 27)

- Dr. Jitendra Sharma

Atala Damodar damodar.atala@gmail.com to aurofrance 11 February 2012

Sir, Namaste. I'm a lecturer in English. I congratulate on your comment on the book. Don't you think the very title suggests multiple split personality of Sri Aurobindo? The sordid claim of 'objectivity' and 'research' is aimed at giving a spurious authenticity, which may have support from some conniving hostile entities, who do not want Sri Aurobindo's words to spread and his glorious life to be emulated and adored! The superfluous mental analyses, with which he approaches, are the very trends against which both Mother and Sri Aurobindo not only cautioned always but also strictly forbade to write their biographies.
What an irony and pity when so called devotees of Sri Aurobindo either remain silent or encourage and support or tolerate his 'intellectual' expedition within the ashram.

Regards. Damodar

A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs

This is the notice issued to Varun Pabrai by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust. The same has been served to five others who participated in a silent protest against ...

Auro Truths We are not suggesting that the institutions that Sri Aurobindo and The Mother have established, such as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram or Auroville, are free of problems or cannot be criticized. Everyone is free to poke their nose into the internal affairs of these institutions or criticize them to their heart’s content if it so pleases them…

Lastly, we do not claim to posses the Truth, but we believe that we can help remove those obstacles that come in the way of or obfuscate Truth - especially those obstacles that are in the form of deliberate misrepresentation and distortion of facts or the creation of myths – by providing more reliable, accurate and complete information. Administrators.

Important links of source materials for understanding Indian ...

I am creating this thread for collection of links of source materials for understanding

India

's history and culture. Sri Aurobindo's complete works: Sri Aurobindo - His Writings

This link contains the downloadable links for Sri Aurobindo's complete works. Aurobindo needs no introduction to any Indian. His writings are an authentic source of information to per-independence

India

and many things. ENJOY

Bombings, bombardments kill across Syria - Yahoo! News

The effective Science and Art for changing and transcending human nature is available with Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Will humanity take trouble to turn ...

The Anti-Hindi Riot of Pondicherry by Togo Mukherjee from Overman Foundation by overman foundation Dear Friends,

On 11 February 1965, a big infuriated mob under the pretext of anti-Hindi demonstration had attacked Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Since this attack—which lasted for a few hours—was absolutely unexpected no help was available. There was only one person—a true hero—who defended the Ashram almost single-handedly and kept the attackers at bay till he was fatally injured. This gentleman was Shri Dhritindranath Mukherjee better known as ‘Togo’ in the Aurobindonian community.

Re: The Poetry of Sri Aurobindo from sbicitizen at Yahoo! Groups by devinder singh

Sri Aurobindo read the major part of Shelley's poetry, and also of Wordsworth's, and of Keats' and Byron's poetry, and so on, all the way up to, here, there

Friday, February 10, 2012

Can inmates protest?

Six More Show-Cause Notices Served by the Trust by General Editor

A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs

[This is the notice issued to Varun Pabrai by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust. The same has been served to five others who participated in a silent protest against the Trustees' inaction with regard to Peter Heehs and his book "Lives of Sri Aurobindo". The same strong reply of Prof. Kittu Reddy has been sent to the Trustees for all the six inmates of the Ashram. The message that clearly comes across is that the inmates of the Ashram have no right to protest but Peter Heehs has the full liberty to criticise and denigrate Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in their own Ashram.] … Text of Varun Pabrai's Reply to Manoj Das Gupta

Auro Truths aurotruths commented on New content: Attempts to create an "Aurobindonian religion".

Truth and Facts have the inherent property of being monolithic. It is the perception of these that have various shades. Each perception has its purpose as well as its place and it is therefore only natural that one should be tolerant to each of these perceptions. However, when one of these singular perceptions tries to mask or take over the Truth and Facts that it originates from and seeks to impose an exclusive right over it, that perception inevitably looses its plurality; such a perception then becomes neither interesting, nor convincing or constructive.

Matrimandir - Newsletter February 2012

The main news from Matrimandir this month is about the aftermath of the cyclone Thane that crossed Auroville on the night of 29th December. This has affected ...

Sri-aurobindo-and-his-followers In time, a whole set of beliefs and rituals began to be built up around Sri Aurobindo and more so, around The Mother. The death of each of them caused dismay and disappointment among large sections of the faithful. Many had grown to believe that some miraculous transformation of the physical bodies of their Gurus and through them of the disciples themselves was in the offing. Naturally these devotees were disheartened when this did not happen in the manner they had come to expect.

Besides, a whole theology began to be developed, especially because of the extensive records of what Sri Aurobindo and The Mother had said…This theology not only asserts the Avatarhood or Divine Incarnation of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, but builds around them a special cult of worship and devotion…

Like the early Christians whose lives were lived in hope and anticipation of the Second Coming and the Day of Judgement, the disciples of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother also believed that the promised fulfillment of all their hopes and aspirations was imminent. A series of pronouncements by both Sri Aurobindo and The Mother…certainly contributed to the sense of constant awe and expectation in the ashram community…

It needs to be acknowledged that though both Sri Aurobindo and The Mother repeatedly warned against the creation of a cult around them, they themselves encouraged it in several ways. Sri Aurobindo himself deified The Mother and vice versa. Sri-aurobindo-and-his-followers.html From The Introduction, The Penguin Sri Aurobindo Reader, 1999 Edited by Makarand Paranjape, a critical insider. 8:48 PM February 20, 2012 at 2:26 pm

UPSCStudy Notes: Uniform civil code vs. Right to Religion upscportal.com 17 Feb 2010 – S.P. Mittal vs. Union of India: The Majority in this case taking a very restricted view of religion held that the teachings of Sri Aurobindo constituted a philosophy and not religion even if their followers claimed them to be their religion.

Chinnappa Reddy, J: In a dissenting opinion said "the question is not whether Sri Aurobindo refused to claim or denied that he was founding a new religion or a new school of religious thought but whether his disciples and community thought so because religion is a matter of belief and doctrine, concerning the human spirit, expressed overtly in the form of ritual and worship and since Aurobindo's disciples took Aurobindo's teachings in that spirit the teachings constituted a distinct religion. 8:08 PM

Monday, January 30, 2012

Peter Heehs continues to visit the Ashram Archives

I write this to you representing the pain and anguish of thousands of Inmates and devotees of the Ashram, and seek your intervention to ensure that Auroville and its institutions are not misused in this manner. Otherwise the views of SAIIER Board will be misconstrued as representing those of Auroville Foundation involving your implicit sanction and approval, and will be filed in the Courts tomorrow by the Trustees, as has been the case with other such letters that the Trustees have solicited and sponsored. […]

No disciplinary action has been taken against the author. No steps have been taken against either the author or the publisher to withdraw the book or to protect the Ashram from the violation of copyright. In fact, even to this day, Peter Heehs continues to visit the Ashram Archives practically every day outside official working hours, he still retains full privileged access to all its rare and unpublished documents, and he still keeps a large part of these documents and thousands of reference cards in his exclusive possession and not at the Ashram Archives!

While the Trustees took no actions to protect the Ashram from harm and to curb Peter Heehs from his abuse of Sri Aurobindo and his anti-national activities, the same Trustees came out in violent force to victimise and intimidate all those who criticised the book and exposed its factual distortions! Many Inmates were targeted by arbitrarily terminating their work in the community life, or by denying them food in the Dining Room community kitchen, or denying basic facilities of the community including medical facilities. Many others were threatened with denial of food, shelter and medical care, and some with threat of bodily harm and injury. All these threats were used by them to gain support and cooperation from unwilling Inmates for continuing to protect Heehs and promote abuse of Sri Aurobindo in the name of His own Ashram.

These malafide actions by the Trustees are not merely illegal, they are violations of basic human rights, and are, above all, violations of the spirit and values upon which the Ashram was originally founded by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. From: Sraddhalu Ranade, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry To: Dr Karan Singh, Chairman, Auroville Foundation, Auroville. 23 January 2012 Sub: Letter from SAIER dated December 12, 2011 and delivered on January 14, 2012.

Inmates of Aurobindo Ashram observe dharna Puducherry Sunday, Jan 1 2012 IST

The Hindu: Ashram devotees seek expulsion of U.S. national PUDUCHERRY, January 6, 2012

Controversy continues on Sri Aurobindo's biography The Sunday Indian CHITTARANJAN CHIRANJIT | Bhubaneswar, January 20, 2012

Row over book on Sri Aurobindo | Newzstreet: 'via Blog this' - ODISHA TELEVISION lTD Bhubaneswar

Aurobindo's disciples demand deportation of US national PTI | 08:01 PM, Jan 27, 2012 Bhubaneswar, Jan 27 (PTI) IBNLive.com

Friday, January 20, 2012

Peter Heehs has appealed in High Court to withdraw the ban

Controversy continues on Sri Aurobindo's biography The Sunday Indian

CHITTARANJAN CHIRANJIT | Bhubaneswar, January 20, 2012 17:51

A bench of Odisha High court asked the Chief Secretary, Odisha to reply on the issue regarding the ban on Sri Aurobindo's biography in the state. A petition was filed before the High Court challenging the ban imposed by the State Government. The notice has been served to Chief Secretary though a special messenger.

Earlier, the State government had issued a gazette notification for prohibition over publication of the controversial book. The prohibition is for alleged disrespect of the spiritual guru Sri Aurobindo. The bench comprising Chief Justice V.Gopal Gauda, Justice Madanmohan Das and Justice Indrajeet Mohanty heard the petition filed by author Peter Heehs.

It should be noted that the book titled 'The Lives of Sri Aurobindo' was penned by Peter Heehs, a former inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Origionally, the book was brought out by Penguine Publication outside India. After it heat the stands, admirers and followers of Sri Aurobindo complained of insulting words about Sri Aurobindo. The issue has shocked a large no of devotees and that is why High Court had put a ban over publication of the book in India. Now, Peter Heehs has appealed in High Court to withdraw the ban on the book.

Another section of his devotees led by Geetanjali Bhattacharya, a resident of Balasore in Orissa, had filed a petition in the Orissa High Court seeking a ban on the book and action against writer Peter Heehs for sensationalising the actual story of the spiritual leader. She had alleged that it contains 'obnoxious and ill-shaped facts about the late spiritual leader'. The court has stayed the release of the book in India. "Peter will lose the legal battle as he has tried to tarnish the image of Sri Aurobindo", said Bhattacharya's counsel Millan Kanoongo.

The Columbia University Press in USA first published 'The Lives of Sri Aurobindo' in April 2008 and in India in November 2009 by Penguin India.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

If they have failed to rise to the occasion that Heehs presented to them

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Subjugating Jugal": Dear Tusarji,
You evidently live in a world that is monochromatic and which appears to be dominated by a hue called "Heehs". If you think that you and your sympathizers are doing Heehs a disservice by giving him the importance that you are bestowing upon him, you are mistaken. Because it is people like yourself who have made Heehs larger than life. In fact, Heehs seems to occupy some of your lives more than Sri Aurobindo does.

It is therefore rather hilarious to see you attribute Jugal's or RYD's downfall to the rise of Heehs. For, if they have failed to rise to the occasion that Heehs presented to them and they have instead chosen to fall as a result of their personal attachment to their own limitations, Heehs should hardly be blamed for it. Sincerely, Subhas Posted by Anonymous to Savitri Era at 4:29 PM, July 30, 2011

Re: Manoj Das Gupta demands ... Definition of Sadhana by Sandeep on Mon 08 Nov 2010 11:24 PM IST | Profile | Permanent Link

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother said all kinds of things to all kinds of people in different situations. What principle to apply in a given situation requires some contact with the plane of Intuition. People tend to choose the quote which suits their personality and matches their outlook in life. A Polish philosopher has coined something known as the law of the Infinite Cornucopia which says that for any given doctrine one wants to believe, there is never a shortage of arguments by which one can support it.

by Sandeep on Mon 08 Nov 2010 11:30 PM IST | Profile | Permanent Link

Before I get misinterpreted, let me add that I am not defending anyone here but merely pointing out the futility of applying any given quote to this complex situation.

Comment posted by Sandeep Re: An Open Letter...The Jhumur Episode and The Registrar’s Non-Performance, date 22 September 2010

Sadhaks living in an Ashram do not have academic freedom (neither Peter Heehs not RYD); they must seek a higher kind of freedom - a freedom out of their lower self.

Monday, July 11, 2011

India needs aggressive virtues

Re: Four movements of consciousness Posted - Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:49 am

More than a poet, Aurobindo had ideas that attract a philosopical mind. All wars according to him are between the Divine and the Asuric. He speaks of the victory of the Allies.The Allies have stood for human values, he says.
He speaks of Vedic divisions of the Aryans and the Dravidians. We know the nomadic Aryans forcibly encroached another culture though in the long run it got mixed up. He says the Mantras of the Vedas illuminated our minds.
He says that no individual is indispensable. Our modern leaders think that each one of them is essential historically. India needs aggressive virtues. The spirit of soaring idealism is essential. That we lack in the modern era. So our leaders do not have any compunction in accepting bribes, in nepotism etc. Aurobindo had long back realised the follies of future politicians.
Hindu society has the customary habit of deifying something. When they do it, they forget the negative side of it. That is why we have innumerable saints and fake teachers in this century.
He wants religions not to fight because in doing so both the disputing 'pots' will break. He also says that there must be the remnants of past civilizations so that the process of continuity should not break. Thanks & Regards,

UnniKrishnan Atiyodi. PM
Kandangali (PO), Payyannur
Kannur (Dist.) Pin - 670307
Phone: 04985 – 206861

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