Actual Freedom – Selected Correspondence by Topic

RESPONDENT: In the spirit of paraphrasing, here are the main points of this discussion so far: 1. [Richard]: human beings are the same at the level of instinctual passions. 2. [No. 33]: human beings are different as each one experiences the world differently. 3. [No. 33]: genetically we are different, and we grow to be different human beings. 4. [No. 33]: these differences – how each one experiences the world – is the essence of creativity and the reason for our species’ survival and (apparent) superiority. I will grant you (1) that there are certain instincts that we are born with.

RICHARD: Would you care to name and describe these ‘instincts that we are born with’ so that we have a common ground for discussion?

RESPONDENT: I will still argue that the human being can transcend (at least some) instincts: for example, human beings can transcend sexual, reproductive instincts as also life preservation instincts. A human being is, in my opinion, unique in that respect.

RICHARD: What is it that you are conveying with the use of the word ‘transcend’? Are you conveying it in its ‘beyond the range or grasp of human experience, reason, belief, etc.’ meaning (Oxford Dictionary) ... as in ‘of, pertaining to, or belonging to, the divine as opposed to the natural world’ meaning (Oxford Dictionary) ... and thus being ‘above and independent of and existing apart from the limitations of the material universe’ (Oxford Dictionary)? I only ask because you refer to Mr. Aurobindo Ghose (below) as being a prime example of ‘meta-evolution’ and Mr. Aurobindo Ghose’s ‘meta-evolution’ can be described as follows:

• [quote]: ‘Sri Aurobindo began his practice of Yoga in 1904. At first, gathering into it the essential elements of spiritual experience that are gained by the paths of divine communion and spiritual realisation followed till now in India, he passed on in search of a more complete experience uniting and harmonising the two ends of existence, Spirit and Matter. Most ways of Yoga are paths to the Beyond leading to the Spirit and, in the end, away from life; Sri Aurobindo’s rises to the Spirit to redescend with its gains bringing the light and power and bliss of the Spirit into life to transform it. Man’s present existence in the material world is in this view or vision of things a life in the Ignorance with the Inconscient at its base, but even in its darkness and nescience there are involved the presence and possibilities of the Divine. The created world is not a mistake or a vanity and illusion to be cast aside by the soul returning to Heaven or Nirvana, but the scene of a spiritual evolution by which out of this material inconscience is to be manifested progressively the Divine Consciousness in things. Mind is the highest term yet reached in the evolution, but it is not the highest of which it is capable. There is above it a Super-Mind or eternal Truth-Consciousness which is in its nature the self-aware and self-determining light and power of a Divine Knowledge. Mind is an ignorance seeking after Truth, but this is a self-existent Knowledge harmoniously manifesting the play of its forms and forces. It is only by the descent of this Super-Mind that the perfection dreamed of by all that is highest in humanity can come. It is possible by opening to a greater divine consciousness to rise to this power of light and bliss, discover one’s True Self, remain in constant union with the Divine and bring down the supramental Force for the transformation of mind and life and body. To realise this possibility has been the dynamic aim of Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga’. [endquote]. (www.miraura.org/bio/sketch-a.html).

RESPONDENT: Looked another way, each human being is a unique experiment on nature’s part to understand itself. Only in the human being does nature achieve a self-reflective consciousness that is capable of understanding itself. This point, in my opinion, is one essential driver for knowing oneself: the wonder, the awe, the curiosity as to ask these questions (who am I, where does the universe come from, etc.) is a uniquely human prerogative.

RICHARD: Yes ... no other animal can do this and (so far as space exploration has currently ascertained) the human race is on its own with this agenda.

RESPONDENT: In asking those questions, in the ensuing inner growth, essentially, nature is growing, evolving.

RICHARD: Apart from the ‘inner growth’ phrase I agree (‘inner growth’ is blind nature’s legacy and is what is holding back evolution).

RESPONDENT: Aurobindo calls this meta-evolution. But we need not get side-tracked by Aurobindo’s philosophy. Krishnamurti expresses this growth and wonder in his own poetic prose and so do, in my opinion, many a perceptive writer and poet. The key, I think, is that inner movement, which is the movement of nature itself.

RICHARD: This ‘inner movement’, which ‘many a perceptive writer and poet’ expresses (along with Mr. Jiddu Krishnamurti and Mr. Aurobindo Ghose), is the movement of blind nature and, as such, is the spanner in the works as regards any further evolution into a freed consciousness. Until the ‘Tried and True’ is seen for what it is (the ‘Tried and Failed’) the personalising potentiality of the material infinitude that this universe is will remain a non-actualised personalising potentiality.

A human being, totally emptied of the ‘inner movement’ which precipitates ‘inner growth’, is the universe experiencing itself as a freed human being and, as such, the universe is intelligently experiencing its own amazing, marvellous and wondrous physical infinitude.

RESPONDENT: It is redundant, also erroneous, to posit this movement as movement towards ... there is no towards as it is evolution of nature/matter/consciousness/totality/whatever. This is how I interpret the following exchange from the previous post: [No. 33]: ‘I think what is of essence in a human being is his/her innate creativity ...’. [Richard]: ‘Oh, there is much, much more than that’. What do you say? Thanks for your time.

RICHARD: I beg to differ in that it is the evolution of matter (mineral) into animate matter (life and/or nature) and thus animate matter (flora) into sensate animate matter (fauna) and sensate animate matter (saurian – mammalian – simian) into hominid sensate animate matter (proto-human) and hominid sensate matter into tool-making proto-human sensate matter (homo-habilis perhaps 2.0 million BCE) and tool-making proto-human sensate matter into tool-making fire-using human sensate matter (homo erectus perhaps 1.6 million BCE) and tool-making fire-using human sensate matter into tool-making fire-using symbol-writing human sensate matter (homo sapiens perhaps 100 thousand BCE). It is not until the advent of thought does the capacity to notice, remember, reflect, plan and thus implement considered activity for beneficial reasons (intelligence) evolve ... along with the amazing ability to pass this information to others of the species, including the next generation, via language communication skills rather than grunt and gesture conveyance. Then, and only then, emerges the trait that you describe as the ‘one essential driver for knowing oneself: the wonder, the awe, the curiosity as to ask these questions (who am I, where does the universe come from, etc.)’ which, as you say, is ‘only in the human being [where] nature achieves a self-reflective consciousness that is capable of understanding itself’.

I could not agree more where you then say: ‘this point, in my opinion, is a uniquely human prerogative’. Therefore, as to why thought, thoughts and thinking gets castigated as much as it does on this Mailing List, one can only thank the Masters and Messiahs, the Gurus and God-Men, the Saints and Sages and the Avatars and Saviours of the last 3,000 – 5,000 years for their outstanding contribution to the retardation of evolution ... to the point where they induce you (an Assistant Professor of MIS holding PhD and MS (MIS) degrees) to say: ‘it is redundant, also erroneous, to posit this movement as movement towards ... there is no towards as it is evolution of nature/ matter/ consciousness/ totality/ whatever’ as if it were a profound truth.

But, then again, evolution is not nowadays known as a ‘mosaic evolution’ for nothing, eh?

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RESPONDENT: In the last sense that you mention above.

RICHARD: Yet to be ‘above and independent of and existing apart from the limitations of the material universe’, especially in view of Mr. Aurobindo Ghose’s example of ‘meta-evolution’ that you refer to, means to be ‘spirit’ and not ‘matter’ ... or, in other spiritual peoples’ words, to realise that ‘I am not the body’.

RESPONDENT: Is not the Self that you gave up a form of self hypnosis?

RICHARD: Yes ... I am wont to call it a delusion, a massive hallucination (when I am being polite).

RESPONDENT: You are stating that Ramana, Nisargadatta and Aurobindo have been just deluded folks?

RICHARD: I can do much better than a short list such as you provide: the altered state of consciousness (ASC) known as spiritual enlightenment, by whatever name, is a delusional state, a massive hallucination.

RESPONDENT: By the way, are you knowledgeable of Aurobindo’s realization beyond conventional enlightenment?

RICHARD: There is nothing evident in the words ascribed to Mr. Aurobindo Ghose which indicate that his ASC was anything other than the conventional enlightenment. Although he certainly spoke about bringing the ‘Divine’, the ‘Supramental’, down to Earth so as to transform materiality there is no substance to his rhetoric.

In other words, as you say (below), enlightened people are indeed ‘just dreamers’.

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RESPONDENT: Are not enlightened people just dreamers ...

RICHARD: Yes.

RESPONDENT: ... (of a different flavour)?

RICHARD: No.

RESPONDENT: Who says that?

RICHARD: There is no ‘who’ extant to say anything ... this is this flesh and blood body speaking.