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The
Consciousness-Force builds the worlds and spans from the
‘Superconscience’ of the yogis to the ‘matter’ and ‘inconscience’ of
the materialists. From the yogic viewpoint, what we call
‘inconscient’ is not an absence of consciousness but a masking, a
veiling of consciousness. The Inconscience is phenomenal, not
fundamental.
The
Yogi who comes into contact with the Higher end of Reality –with
Sachchidananda, is more at ease with an intuitive realisation of the
‘consciousness’ aspect of Chit-Shakti. As this experiential
realisation surpasses the usual cognitive repertoire, it is often
perceived as a blank or zero or Nihil. This Nihil is not an absence
of consciousness but a Superconscience that has surpassed our usual
cognitive notions of consciousness. At the other end, the scientist
who is in contact with the ‘materialistic’ end of Reality is more at
ease with the ‘Energy’ aspect of ‘Chit-Shakti’ in matter and the
inconscience because that is what is discernible to the probing of
science. Science studies matter and inconscience in the form of a
mechanical energy that is automatic, brute and inert.
To
the scientist, matter and inconscient are devoid of consciousness.
Sri Aurobindo explains that in matter and inconscience,
‘consciousness’ is present as a veiled, hidden, ‘ involved ’
knowledge on the basis of which the ‘energy’ component performs its
functions with perfect precision. If that precise working is even
minutely disturbed, there can be havoc. Thus electrons rotate in
orbits in consonance with laws that are precise, perfect and
immaculate. The slightest manipulation of that balance can result in
a nuclear explosion. The same phenomenon continues when life
manifests in matter. The cell with its protoplasm and nucleus has
its own biological balance working out a secret knowledge inherent
in the substance of ‘life enmeshed in matter’—a slightest
disturbance in this balance can lead to a malignant growth! And when
we proceed even further than the individual cell and study a
‘species’, we find that that there is also a ‘secret’, involved,
implicit knowledge present as ‘instinct’ which the energy of the
species works out with geometrical precision.
Thus,
consciousness is present in matter and inconscience as an ‘involved’
knowledge-potential supporting a mechanical energy. This phenomenon
is so exact in detail and precision that when science unravels it,
the world ‘discovers’ the scientist to be ‘brilliant’ whereas he has
just ‘unraveled’ the working of the cosmic ‘intelligent-will’
implicit in matter.
However, at the level of the human mind, the ‘consciousness’ (Chit)
and ‘energy’ (Shakti) get separated, delinked, detached from each
other. ‘Consciousness’ expresses itself through cognition and
emotion while ‘Energy’ becomes ‘will’ or ‘volition’. This de-linking
was necessary so that they develop to their fullest potentials. At
the level of matter, the Chit-Shakti works in limited circles,
following rigid, inflexible laws. At the level of the lower animals,
the ‘instinct’ is a sort of progress over the ‘blind’ energy of
matter as evident in the building of an anthill or the architecture
of a beehive. Still, the intelligent-will at the level of ‘instinct’
runs within limits and circles and is limited beyond a determined
point.
It is
only the human being who has the full flexibility of developing his
‘intelligence’ and ‘will’ to unfathomable heights, breaking all
limitations. But this ‘flexibility’ has come at a price of
sacrificing the ‘knowledge’ that was spontaneous, automatic and
implicit with the mechanical ‘will’ in nature. The task set out for
man is to re-integrate ‘knowledge’ and ‘will’, Chit and Shakti at a
higher level of Reality. Because man has the immense privilege of
developing ‘consciousness’ and ‘will’ to their fullest potentials,
this reintegration will be rich, variegated and fulfilling. It will
give a meaning to an otherwise meaningless existence.
It is
also interesting to note that the dichotomy between ‘consciousness’
and ‘will’ at the level of the human mind results in psychology
having a somewhat amorphous, mixed, indeterminate field which lacks
the precision of mechanical nature. That is why the psychologist
cannot showcase his findings with the precision and accuracy of the
material scientist. That is not a drawback of psychology as a
discipline. What can the psychologist do if the automatic
‘intelligent-will’ operative at the level of material nature become
detached and delinked at the level of the mind? But this also means
that psychology can get stagnated and unprogressive if does not
aspire to synthesize ‘knowledge’ and ‘will’ at a higher level of
Reality. In doing so, psychology will have to overstep its
boundaries and tread the path of a consciousness paradigm. This is
why transpersonal psychology grows in momentum. This is the
rationale of developing a consciousness-based Integral Yoga
Psychology.
In
fact, one of the most important reasons of imperfection and
disharmony in human civilization is the dichotomy between
‘knowledge’ and ‘will’. The dichotomy is absent at the level of
mechanical nature where knowledge is a mechanical intelligence
implicit in the workings of an apparently inconscient, mechanical
energy. The dichotomy is absent too at the superconscient
Sachchidananda where ‘consciousness’ and ‘energy’ are two poises of
the same Reality.
It is
at the level of the human mind that the dichotomy between
‘knowledge’ and ‘will’ comes to the forefront. Our ‘will’ is not
fully illumined and our ‘knowledge’ is not fully effective. Thus,
one might conceive a brilliant economic theory but it might be
impractical to execute it. Or, there might be a powerful energy
available for work but it might not be backed by an appropriate
knowledge that carries vision and foresight. That is how a mass
energy can be misdirected to serve a false ideal (viz
fundamentalism). This phenomenon is true both in collective and
individual life
Sri
Aurobindo explains that the dichotomy between knowledge and will
cannot be fully healed at the level of the mind because mind is a
divisive principle. What is the remedy?
Sri
Aurobindo answers that if knowledge and will need to be synthesized
perfectly in our human life (and not in a distant spiritual summit),
then that endeavour needs a principle higher than the mind for its
effectuation and expression. This higher principle has been named by
Him as the supramental principle or ‘supermind’. He has previsioned
that in the next stage of evolution of consciousness, the supermind
will be established and consolidated in the earth consciousness just
as matter, life-principle and mind-principle were established and
consolidated in the earth consciousness. This supramental principle
will establish on earth, in life, the synthesis of knowledge and
will—a synthesis that already exists in the Chit-Shakti (or
Consciousness-Force) poise of the Sachchidananda Reality. Only then
‘knowledge’ can be automatically effective and ‘will’ can be
spontaneously luminous. The Force of Existence thus becomes a
CONSCIOUS FORCE.
The
Life Divine is actually a blueprint of this evolutionary endeavour
and charts a map of consciousness to manifest the supramental
consciousness in human life.
But
Maya is a veil of the Absolute;
A
Truth occult has made this mighty world:
The
Eternal’s wisdom and self-knowledge act
In
ignorant Mind and in the body’s steps.
The
Inconscient is the Superconscient’s sleep.
An
unintelligible Intelligence
Invent’s creation’s paradox profound;
Spiritual thought is crammed in Matter’s forms,
Unseen it throws out a dumb energy
And
works a miracle by a machine.
All
here is a mystery of contraries:
Darkness a magic of self-hidden Light,
Suffering some secret rapture’s tragic mask
And
death an instrument of perpetual life…
…The
inconscient world is the spirit’s self-made room,
Eternal Night shadow of eternal Day,
Night
is not our beginning nor our end;
…We
came to her from a supernal Light,
By
Light we live and to the Light we go..
(Sri
Aurobindo: Savitri, pg 600-601)
Date of Update:
19-Jul-12
- By Dr. Soumitra Basu
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