In the bustling world filled with distractions and constant demands, the search for inner peace and profound transformation is a universal quest. Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga offers a transformative path that goes beyond traditional meditation and mindfulness practices. In this article, we explore the principles and practices of Integral Yoga and how they can lead to lasting inner peace and personal growth.
Continue readingThe Influence of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother on Auroville’s Art and Culture
Auroville, the international township in southern India, is a melting pot of diverse cultures and artistic expressions. Central to its unique identity and creative spirit are the profound influences of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. In this article, we explore how these spiritual visionaries have left an indelible mark on Auroville’s art and culture, shaping it into a vibrant and spiritually infused tapestry.
Continue readingThe Mother’s Writings: Insights into Auroville’s Quest
Auroville, a name that resonates with seekers of inner and outer peace, stands as a unique experiment in human unity and consciousness. The vision and writings of The Mother, the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, provide profound insights into the essence of Auroville and its purpose. This article delves into The Mother’s writings, exploring the core principles of Auroville’s Charter and her vision for this remarkable endeavor.
Continue readingThe Mother’s Auroville: A Sacred Space for Concentration, Reflection and Action
Delve into the spiritual significance of Auroville as envisioned by The Mother, Mirra Alfassa. Explore how her profound guidance has transformed Auroville into a sanctuary for concentration, reflection, and meaningful action.
Continue readingAuroville’s Spiritual Foundation: Exploring the Teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother
Dive into the profound teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, the visionary leaders behind Auroville. Discover how their spiritual wisdom forms the bedrock of this unique community’s spiritual foundation.
Continue readingThe Divine Mother’s Role in Auroville: Nurturing Human Unity and Peace
Explore the profound influence of The Divine Mother, Mirra Alfassa, on the development of Auroville and her enduring legacy in nurturing human unity and peace within this unique spiritual community.
Continue readingThe Master’s Vision: Sri Aurobindo’s Influence on Auroville’s Ideals of Peace
Explore the profound impact of Sri Aurobindo’s vision on Auroville’s pursuit of peace and harmony. Discover how his teachings and philosophy continue to shape the ethos of this unique spiritual township.
Continue readingSri Aurobindo and The Mother: Masters of Auroville’s Spiritual Journey
Discover the profound spiritual legacy of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, the visionary leaders behind Auroville, and how their teachings continue to shape this unique spiritual community today.
Continue readingMatrimandir and Galaxy City
Leaving the Matrimandir after a meditation and walking through the gardens a reflection came to me that compared the Matrimandir with the Galaxy plan of the City.
I thought with deep gratitude about the realization of the Matrimandir. First and foremost to Mother for having the vision at the center of the City of this space for concentration and connection with our true being, with our divine spark.
And secondly, to the human beings who participated in its design and construction: Roger for collecting the essence of the project from Mother and being faithful to the ideal of beauty and spirit, for guiding every detail with the greatest care. Then to Piero for supervising the construction indefatigably, to so many Aurovilians who contributed in one way or another to its manifestation and to all the donors who made this miracle financially possible.
And I thought that if all those Aurovilians had wanted to design and implement popular ecological and aesthetic considerations, changing them according to the times, now we would not have this Matrimandir or live the unique experience of breathing into that magical chamber and watching the golden sphere change color with the sky.
I imagined the Aurovilians with all their good will saying ‘we are not against having a Matrimandir, but it has to be collaborative and taking into account the ecological parameters’ I imagined endless new designs, criticizing the cement, whether bamboo instead of concrete, and maybe not even a building, only a forest around the banyan tree. And with all that good will and with all those apparently undeniable ecological theories, the Matrimandir experience would have been lost, because Mother had that building built to channel Her Force and that’s what matters.
Going back to the comparison with the City and the plan for the Galaxy that Mother approved with such joy, I thought that if we stopped questioning and talking about changing the design, giving prominence to all our opinions and just started doing it all together, each one with their capabilities, surely one day, walking through its streets and observing its buildings, we would understand why it had to be like this, and we will have an even more complete experience of Mother’s Force in action. If we consented to be the instruments and not the directors of the work…
Are the French in Danger in Auroville?
Born on 28 February 1968, the adventure finds its roots in two texts: the Charter of Auroville and the “Dream”. Its essence resides in the expression of aspirations, without any indication of the path to be followed, an evolutionary path, an adherence to an ideal, an aspiration towards a path for the soul.
Each human element, with its own qualities is requested to bring these qualities at the service of the realization of Auroville. Naturally each ”element” comes with its” luggage” of things to accomplish in order to transcend his limits. But the regard remains fixed on the horizon, towards the dawn to come in spite of the difficulties on the road.
After some years, in the context of a semi desert land, where everything had to be done, we, ordinary humans, started to mark “territories” with our own conceptions of property, without property. For this was the challenge, to believe in utopia.
When one speaks of the individual, one must include the collective. This collective aspires to be ideal, including everybody and letting everyone to give its opinion. Elections came and the politics followed. Soon one did not see the “other” as oneself. Then came opinions. And then came freedom of expression, personal choices, and preferences. Even the freedom of one bulldozing the liberty of another.
All this drowned, in fact, the original quest, and the individual not anymore the instrument but the dictator. We arrive at the fraternity of a clan, which is superficial. And that is where Auroville is at the present, forgetting that our only liberty is to adhere to the values enshrined in the Charter and the Dream.
One says that Auroville is in turmoil, it is true and it is a sign of the good health of this project. In fact, Auroville was day dreaming for the last 50 years, paralyzing itself with stagnation. Evolution cannot stop. One can see the environing landscape progressively overtaking the territory of the city itself. This is the consequence of the lack of choice or the division of the collective. It is also fashionable to be against the city. Then endless suppositions come in, born from the fears of everyone: fear to lose one’s privileges, insecurities of all kinds, fright which have no reality but are posturing as truth…It is the fear of Change, well known from all of us, in spite of our aspiration for change.
To say today that the French are threatened!!! Why the French??? This is a gratuitous segregation. The uncertainties of some cannot be interpreted as the truth of the whole collective. What is the use of such communication? Is it to arm weaponize with importance only one’s point of view? Transformation does not take place by imposing views but by an understanding at the individual level. Else it is just the creation of fear. To create a dialogue is to be able to include the ‘other’.
To answer word for word to accusations or denunciations is a useless process. It is like justifying oneness with mediocrity.
Why should the French be in danger, specifically French?
We have an evolutionary crisis, perfectly understandable. Great changes in the world have never come from compromise. See Nelson Mandela, Lincoln, Churchill, Bolivar, Napoleon, and many others. It requires courage? Yes. And conviction in an ideal. I have not noticed personally any risk or threat against the French or anyone else. If it is about Mael, he, as an individual was asked to leave India, not threatened, due to his sudden ordinary attitude to say the least. It is India that has invited men and women of goodwill to this fabulous project. That is to be simply respected. Mael’s ‘Leave India’ notice may be interpreted as a threat if one wishes to. I have not noticed anything apart the sadness, from friends, not a fear of a similar action.
It is important to recognize the aims and objectives of Auroville and not deny Auroville it’s identity its realization as a city. The world is big enough for those who want to follow other dreams.
Today, we are confronted with a choice: to remain the little individual with its frustrations, its lived or pretended failures, its endless accusations of the other, its denunciations. It is a pigmy world without any evolutionary future… Or, can one look boldly into the essential to call the future to be discovered, the beauty to be manifest, the human unity where the other is oneself. To destroy or to build, it is the Divine who does.