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The Yogic Practitioner and the External World · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  We generally live under an illusion of separateness from
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  other beings and the rest of the world.
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  We believe our individual personality individual body life
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  mind are independent from everyone and everything else.
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  This fixed idea, however, is part of the confusion, we
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  experience that misleads us about the true nature of
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  existence. In fact, everything is
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  intimately connected. And we breathe in oxygen in
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  order to live. Which is produced by the plant
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  life of the planet. Similarly, the plant life breeds
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  in carbon dioxide which we produce.
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  We are the symbiotic or even closer part of one existence
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  that cannot exist in isolation or separation from the other
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  parts. We can recognize, if we observe
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  closely that our feelings emotions, thoughts, all come
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  from our environment. Whether from other people with
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  whom we associate or from General factors, The collective
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  experience is understood to be contagious.
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  Such that a mob that has been whipped up will act out of a
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  sense of rage and this can catch even individuals who are
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  normally quite easygoing similarly situations that
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  provoke Fear. Can infect individuals who
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  themselves are not directly affected.
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  We talked about sympathy empathy, love compassion,
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  Goodwill. All of these are expressions of
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  relationship to others and express the sense that feelings
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  can be and are communicated back and forth.
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  The question then arises as to whether we experience these
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  things only when we are consciously brought to our
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  attention or whether our senses respond to subtle energetic
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  experiences. There is no doubt that we can
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  pick up energies that are moving in our environment.
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  And in many cases, we also recognize that we can pick up
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  thoughts that are active in our environment.
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  Thus, there is this subtle inner change constantly taking place
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  where we share the vibrations of those around us and respond to
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  them. Just as they share in the
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  vibrations, we emanate for the practitioner of yoga it is
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  essential that he becomes aware of this interchange and the
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  impact of it as it is impossible to change his own responses and
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  reactions purely based on the internal experience.
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  When all sorts of thoughts ideas, emotions feelings
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  perceptions are constantly entering from outside and
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  provoking a response that is in many cases.
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  Has the result of long habit of human nature until such time.
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  As the Sadiq, has the power to actually effectuate change in
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  the general nature, he needs to at least be conscious of and
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  take steps to protect himself, from the continued.
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  Reinfection of these energies that pour into him at all times.
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  This is one of the reasons that spiritual aspirants have
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  frequently been guided to avoid crowded circumstances and
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  ordinary interchanges and to seclude themselves in caves, or
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  forests or deserts or high on a mountain somewhere.
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  They are then able to focus on the immediate issues within
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  themselves without as much stimulation from outside with
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  its corresponding energetic impacts to distract or even post
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  potentially disrupt the inner process.
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  Eventually, however, these protective measures must give
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  way to a wider effort, that seeks to maintain the yogic
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  Poise even in the midst of all pressures.
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  From what we perceive as outside ourselves, The mother observes
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  quote, the whole purpose of the yoga is to gather all the
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  Divergent Parts together and Forge them into an undivided
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  Unity. Till then, you cannot hope to be
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  without difficulties difficulties for example, like
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  doubt or depression, or hesitation, the whole world is
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  full of the poison. You take it in with every breath
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  if you exchange a few words with an undesirable man or even if
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  Countryman merely passes by you. You may catch the contagion from
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  him. It is sufficient for you to come
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  near a place where there is plague in order to be infected
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  with its poison. You need not know at all that it
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  is. There you can lose in a few
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  minutes, what it is taking you months, to gain so long as you
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  belong to humanity and so long as you lead the ordinary life,
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  It does not matter much if you mix with the people of the world
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  but if you want the Divine Life, you will have to be exceedingly.
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  Careful about your company and your environment and quote.
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  Reference SRI aurobindo in the mother growing within the
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  psychology of inner development. Chapter 6 growth of
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  Consciousness difficulties and pitfalls page 119.