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Stages of the Non-Reactive State of Being · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Most people do not reflect on the state of their inner being.
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  They tend to live on the surface and respond or react to whatever
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  happens to come their way. They become happy or unhappy
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  based on how circumstances impact them.
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  They are essentially under the control of external events or
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  happenings and are blown about like leaves in the wind.
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  The spiritual seeker takes a different standpoint.
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  For the seeker, the status of his inner being is of great
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  significance as it shows the readiness and preparedness of
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  the being to be receptive to new forces and states of
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  consciousness, as well as provides a marker along the way
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  for the progress in this type of development.
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  Sri Aurobindo and the Mother therefore define states of being
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  that are important stages in the development of true peace and
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  the power of equanimity. Sriorobendo defines 4 states
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  here that provide a successive development from an outward
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  quietude to a complete inward silence.
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  Each stage reaches deeper into the being and becomes a power of
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  being that is less and less under the control of outward
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  happenings and more and more directed by the spiritual
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  consciousness that awakens in the inner being.
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  There is a well known phrase in the modern world about how we
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  become upset or angry when someone insults us or otherwise
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  attempts to disturb us. Namely, we are letting that
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  individual live rent free in our head.
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  This is an example of a lack of the calm or peace that is the
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  basis of spiritual strength, and it also exemplifies the control
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  that we give to outer events to dominate our lives.
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  True strength comes when one can receive the forces and pressures
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  of the world and not react to them, but direct one's response
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  and actions from an inner status of balance, harmony, peace and
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  wideness. Sri Aurobindo has advised quote
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  live within, be not shaken by outward happenings.
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  End Quote. The Mother writes quote, the
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  quieter you are, the stronger you become.
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  The firm basis of all spiritual power is equanimity.
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  End Quote. Srioro Bindo observes quote
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  Quiet is a condition in which there is no restlessness or
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  disturbance. Calm is a still, unmoved
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  condition which no disturbance can affect.
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  It is a less negative condition than quiet.
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  Peace is a still, more positive condition.
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  It carries with it the sense of settled and harmonious rest and
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  deliverance. Silence is a state in which
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  either there is no movement of the mind or vital, or else a
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  great stillness which no surface movement can Pierce or alter.
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  End Quote. Reference Sri Aurobindo and the
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  Mother powers within, Chapter 15.
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  Quiet, calm, peace, silence, page 120.