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How to Change Human Nature · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Human beings have struggled in their attempts to make changes
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  to human nature. Throughout human history, many
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  approaches have been tried, including adopting tough
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  disciplines, isolating oneself from society to avoid the
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  impulses and temptations, as well as harsh tortures to which
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  the body has been subjected to try to whip it into shape, so to
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  speak. Experience shows us, however,
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  that these methods of forcible control or suppression of human
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  nature simply do not succeed in the long term, and they have an
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  additional drawback in that they require a tremendous amount of
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  attention and effort to effectuate them at all.
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  These methods are based in the idea that the individual has
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  control over his own life and actions and can therefore attain
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  this mastery by his own efforts. When we look at the development
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  of human attributes of body, life and mind, including
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  instincts, habits and embedded modes of action, it is clear
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  that these things developed over hundreds of thousands of years,
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  with many of them going back even further to the pre human
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  evolutionary action that goes back many millions of years.
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  The evolutionary process is therefore bigger and more
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  encompassing than any individual human being can comprehend, much
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  less gain mastery over. When the seeker shifts his focus
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  from the ego standpoint to the divine standpoint, he is able to
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  see that the evolutionary changes are a general change
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  that needs to take place within a broader context.
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  This is not something that any individual can do on his own.
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  The solution then is to use the focus and energy that otherwise
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  is spent trying to control the lower nature through
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  suppression, to tune the awareness to the psychic being
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  and the spiritual consciousness, and create a field of
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  receptivity for the knowledge and power of that higher
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  evolutionary force to work within and through him.
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  This involves not simply creation of an intellectual
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  knowledge, but also an opening of the heart and the vital being
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  to the divine, Sri Orbindo observes quote.
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  To do anything by mental control is always difficult when what is
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  attempted runs contrary to the trend of human nature or of the
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  personal nature. A strong will patiently and
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  perseveringly turned towards its object can affect a change, but
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  usually it takes a long time, and the success at the beginning
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  may be only partial and checkered by many failures.
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  To turn all actions automatically into worship
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  cannot be done by thought control only.
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  There must be a strong aspiration in the heart which
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  will bring about some realization or feeling of the
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  presence of the one to whom worship is offered.
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  The buckta does not rely on his own effort alone, but on the
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  grace and power of the Divine whom he adores.
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  End Quote. Reference Srioro Bindo, Bases of
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  Yoga Chapter 2. Faith, Aspiration, Surrender,
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  page 26.