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Remaining Calm in the Face of Difficulties and Opposition · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Facing the difficulties and obstacles presented by the
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  external world to our ego personality, we frequently
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  become disturbed and react with anger, frustration or some other
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  indication of a lack of peace. We tend to become the reaction
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  someone cuts in front of us on the road and we become angry, in
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  some cases expressing ourselves through what is known as road
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  rage or at least mentally engaging in some type of upset
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  reaction. If we reflect on our daily
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  reactions, we can easily identify situations where
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  someone has angered us, someone has insulted us, where things
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  occur that distress us, where we have relationship, financial or
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  other setbacks, where flights get cancelled, where we get
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  delayed for a meeting, etcetera. Each of these situations creates
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  ripples in the mind stuff and the nerve channels.
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  These ripples disrupt our ability to perceive and channel
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  the higher energies with light, clarity and serenity.
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  For the spiritual seeker, therefore, it becomes even more
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  essential to be able to separate oneself from the external
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  personality and its reactions and maintain calm, peace and a
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  serene receptivity to the spiritual forces that are the
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  focus of the aspiration. Practitioners of the Integral
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  Yoga who aspire to transform life rather than escape from
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  life are faced with the practical need to stay securely
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  in a spiritual consciousness while engaging the external
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  being in the actions of the body, life and mind in the
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  external world. When the seeker slips into an
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  external consciousness, he is subject to all the disturbances
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  that take place in that arena. If he is fixed in the uninvolved
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  witness consciousness, he can observe the play of nature
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  without being upset, depressed or discouraged.
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  The best way to develop the serenity, actually, is to face
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  the situations and observe and modify the reactions.
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  Withdrawing to The Cave, the forest, the monastery, the
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  desert, the mountains, or going on retreats may be useful for a
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  short time to tune the being to the peace and serenity needed.
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  But over the longer perspective, the opportunity to remain calm
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  in the midst of pressures represents the best way to
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  measure 1's progress, Shiorobindo observes.
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  Quote. There can be no firm foundation
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  in sadhna without equality. Samita.
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  Whatever the unpleasantness of circumstances, however
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  disagreeable the conduct of others, you must learn to
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  receive them with a perfect calm and without any disturbing
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  reaction. These things are the test of
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  equality. It is easy to be calm and equal
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  when things go well and people and circumstances are pleasant.
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  It is when they are the opposite that the completeness of the
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  calm, peace, equality can be tested, reinforced, made
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  perfect. End Quote Reference Srioro Bindo
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  Bases of Yoga, Chapter 1 Calm, Peace and Equality, page 16.