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Consciousness Exists in Matter and Responds to Caring Good Will · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  When we look at existence from the point of view of our
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  material consciousness, we tend to treat material things as
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  inanimate objects without consciousness.
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  We attribute to plants and then to animals increasing levels of
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  conscious awareness. And with the advent of the
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  mental consciousness, we acknowledge that there is
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  consciousness. Rainy Descartes famously
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  declared, I think therefore I am.
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  Yet this view of things is considered to be the opposite of
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  the actual state of affairs. The more deeply scientists
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  explore matter, the more convinced they become that not
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  only is matter actually a condensed form of energy, but
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  that energy itself is a condensed form of consciousness.
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  Consciousness is pre eminent, the originator of this entire
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  creation, and thus everything that exists, whether we
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  acknowledge spiritual planes of existence, mental planes, vital
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  planes, or purely physical planes, consists of
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  consciousness. If we look into matter itself,
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  we see a highly organized and developed structure put together
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  with mathematical precision that is clearly an expression of
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  consciousness. The fact that we do not
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  experience dense matter as alive and conscious is due to its
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  consciousness lying outside the frame of our perceptions.
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  This does not mean that it does not have a responsive nature
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  within its own sphere, rather that we simply are normally
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  unable to recognize it. Experiments done with plants
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  show not only reactions to their being cut or harmed, but also
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  show a responsiveness to various vibrations.
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  We send their way, intentions and feelings that are either
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  supportive or potentially harmful to their nature.
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  If we go further and look at purely material forms, we may
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  start with crystals, which represent one of the more highly
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  organized and responsive forms of matter.
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  The visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, whose insights provide
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  the underpinning for much of our modern civilization with
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  wireless communication and capturing and transmission of
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  energy, alternating current, and many other Seminole inventions
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  of modern life had this to say about crystals.
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  Quote. In crystal we have a pure
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  evidence of the existence of a formative life principle and
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  though we cannot understand the life of a crystal, it is none
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  the less a living being. End Quote.
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  Numerous experiments on metals show a responsiveness, including
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  various forms of fatigue and rejuvenation of strength that
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  result from pressures and supports we provide to those
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  metals. Just because matter is dense and
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  vibrates at frequencies we cannot easily perceive does not
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  mean that matter is not alive and imbued with conscious
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  existence, albeit vastly different from our own
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  experience and ability in that realm.
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  As to a practical application, when we treat material objects
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  as inanimate and without consciousness, we tend to treat
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  them carelessly and they either fail to function properly or
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  stop functioning entirely, or simply breakdown.
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  When someone who has an attitude of care and positive goodwill
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  towards material things steps in, we can see that they
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  function better, they last longer, and they even take on a
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  type of radiance noticeable to those with sensitive perception.
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  Metals take on a shine. Entire material creations exude
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  a sense of harmony and functionality.
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  We all know people who have no relation with material objects.
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  They leave metal objects out in the rain and wind up with rusty
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  tools. Computers do not work well for
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  many. They watch their automobiles
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  breakdown through lack of proper care.
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  They experience rotting and decomposition in material
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  objects through lack of care and attention.
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  On the other hand, we can observe material objects that
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  are cared for and treated with respect.
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  They tend to express a sense of well-being that many people, not
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  just sensitive individuals, can see and experience, Srioro Bindu
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  observes quote. There is a consciousness in each
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  physical thing with which one can communicate.
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  Everything has an individuality of a certain kind, houses, cars,
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  furniture, et cetera. The ancient peoples knew that
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  and so they saw a spirit or genius in every physical thing.
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  What you feel about physical things is true.
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  There is a consciousness in them, a life which is not the
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  life and consciousness of man and animal which we know, but
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  still secret and real. That is why we must have a
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  respect for physical things and use them rightly, not misuse and
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  waste. I'll treat or handle with a
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  careless roughness. This feeling of all being,
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  consciousness or alive, comes when our own physical
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  consciousness, and not the mind, only awakes out of its obscurity
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  and becomes aware of the One in all things, the Divine
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  everywhere. End Quote Reference Srioro Bindo
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  and the Mother Looking from Within, Chapter 3, Action and
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  Work, page 68.