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The Utilization of Powers That Arise Through the Development of the Yogic Practice · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Spiritual seekers are frequently advised not to indulge in or
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  display any powers that arise along the way.
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  Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, describes a number of powers
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  that can arise naturally through the practice of yoga, and
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  seekers throughout the ages have validated the reality of powers
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  that develop as the concentration of force to Persia
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  effectuates openings in the various energy centers of the
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  being, and as the powers of the vital being and the mind are
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  activated. The primary objection to the
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  exercise of any of these powers has always been the potential
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  for distraction or for the increase of egoism, which then
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  works to neutralize the yogic practice in its essential
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  pursuit. There are similar proscriptions
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  to avoid involvement with money wealth as it too tends to
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  corrupt or mislead the practitioner.
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  It is not just aspirants who are confronted by these issues.
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  Seasoned yogis, some who have taken up positions of teaching
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  and guiding others are subject to the same temptations to use
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  the powers, and some succumb to demonstrating these powers,
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  initially with the idea of providing a real example of the
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  powers of the yogic practice for the disciples, but later as an
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  expression of vanity and pride. In his book The Mother, Sri
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  Aurobindo specifically addresses the question of money as a
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  representative of a universal force or power that has been the
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  source of much concern for practitioners everywhere.
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  Some paths enjoin a vow of poverty on the seekers to help
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  them avoid the distraction, the temptation and the corruption
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  that can occur through seeking after handling or applying the
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  money power. Sri Aurobindo points out that
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  money is a power of the divine which has been frequently
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  misused and corrupted, but which can and should be applied for
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  the divine manifestation in its right form and for the right
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  purpose with the right intention.
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  In this sense, money stands as a representative of the other
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  powers that develop. The issue is not the use or
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  avoidance of the powers that arise naturally, but the proper
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  use at the proper time for the proper purpose, in the proper
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  way, without intervention of the egoistic personality and in
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  furtherance of the divine intention in the creation.
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  The real issue then is the inner poise of the practitioner or
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  seeker. It may be noted that Patanjali
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  sets forth preliminary practices intended to remove the action of
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  desire and egoism, the yamas and niyamas, as well as the
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  development of a strong seat by which to hold the powers that
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  arise, and the practice of pranayama to purify the nerves
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  and prepare the energy channels for holding and deploying the
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  forces that enter the being. Through the deeper practices
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  that follow these preliminary steps, by eliminating the pull
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  of the ego, the promptings of desire, the uprising of vanity
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  and pride, or the desire for power and control over others,
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  the seeker can avoid the pitfalls that arise from those
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  causes and can then utilize the naturally developing powers of
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  action that are part of the evolving expression of the
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  divine in the manifested universe.
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  Just as various powers of vital nature developed as a next stage
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  of the evolution of consciousness out of the
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  material force, and just as the mental powers have developed as
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  a further evolution of consciousness, so one would
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  anticipate and expect further powers to develop as the process
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  continues. These powers are essential
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  elements of the future expression of consciousness in
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  the world and thus should not be denied out of hand.
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  A disciple cites an answer from the Mother in her Questions and
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  Answers. 1929 from 14th April. They powers have to be used in
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  the same way as they came. They come by union with the
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  Divine. They must be used by the will of
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  the Divine and not for display. The Mother notes.
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  If you use power to show that you possess it, it becomes so
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  full of falsehood and untruth that finally it disappears.
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  But it is not always thus, because, as I said at the
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  beginning, when it concerns a power like the power of healing,
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  or the power of changing an altogether external thing, of
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  making an unfavorable circumstance favorable, of
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  finding lost objects, all these countless little miracles which
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  are found in all religions, it is much more easy and even more
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  effective to do these miracles with the help of the entities of
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  the vital world, which are not always recommendable.
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  Far from it. And then these beings make fun
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  of you. This begins very well, very
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  brilliantly, and usually finishes very badly.
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  I know the story of a man who had a few small powers and
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  indulged in all kinds of so-called spiritualist
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  practices, and through repeated exercises he had succeeded in
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  coming into conscious contact with what he called a spirit.
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  This man was doing business. He was a financier and was even
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  a speculator. His relations with his spirit
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  were of a very practical kind. This spirit used to tell him
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  when the stocks and shares would go up and when they would come
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  down. It told him sell this, buy that.
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  It gave him very precise financial particulars.
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  For years he had been listening to his spirit and had followed
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  it and was fantastically successful.
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  He became tremendously rich and naturally boasted a lot about
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  the spirit which guided him. He used to tell everybody, you
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  see, it is really worth while learning how to put oneself in
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  contact with these spirits. But one day he met a man who was
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  a little wiser, who told him, take care.
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  He did not listen to him. He was swollen with his power
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  and ambition, and it was then that this spirit gave him a last
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  advice. Now you can become the richest
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  man in the world. Your ambition will be fulfilled.
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  You have only to follow my direction.
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  Do this, put all that you have into this transaction, and you
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  will become the richest man in the world.
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  The stupid fool did not even realize the trap laid for him.
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  For years he had followed his guide and succeeded, so he
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  followed the last direction and he lost everything to the last
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  penny. So you see, there are small
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  entities who make fun of you and to make sure of you they work
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  these little miracles to encourage you, and when they
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  feel that you are well trapped, they play a fine trick upon you
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  and it is all over with you. End Quote Reference Sriyorobindu
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  and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Chapter 5,
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  Occult Forces, pages 124 to 125.