SRI AUROBINDO'S VISION -- Interpretation of Key Ideas of Sri Aurobindo -- Growth Online

by Roy Posner

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Sri Aurobindo is the author and sage, who along with his partner The Mother, dedicated his life to bringing about the next stage of evolution of life on earth. Throughout his life Sri Aurobindo worked outwardly on his massive body of writings, and inwardly to connect to the divine consciousness, to bring down its properties into the world. The Mother followed a similar path, focusing on the transformation of her own physical body in order to become the forerunner of a new type of human being, what Sri Aurobindo calls the supramental being. The Mother also served as a conduit, an intermediary between the new evolutionary spiritual force that Sri Aurobindo had spent his life uncovering and their followers who were trying to open themselves to this new consciousness.

Sri Aurobindo's vision begins with the assertion that humans may not be the final rung on the evolutionary scale. That we might witness the emergence of a new species, one that is above and beyond the present human race as we know it. Or, perhaps we could say that it is perhaps the same human species, but that is evolving to a new level that appears very different in functioning, inwardly and outwardly, from the current humanity. Different, emotionally, mentally, spiritually -- even one day physically!

Sri Aurobindo gave us a vision of what a future society could be like if we transcended the limited thinking of the old religions, the old superstitions, of both East and the West; if we saw beyond our physical/material view of the world; if we went beyond an analysis of existence based solely only on a scientific method that did not include the realm of consciousness and spirit. Sri Aurobindo invites us to walk through the doors that he has opened, and journey into a new frontier of understanding and experience; into a new future of infinite, never before thought of possibilities.

Sri Aurobindo believed that there is a future before us so utterly different than what we might expect, that there are forces and possibilities so staggering, that we must reevaluate our entire belief system, dismantle much of our intellectual underpinnings, and relearn a new vocabulary of life so we can understand this new future.

Ascent Among the Planes of the Individual
Sri Aurobindo described how the human individual consist of three essential planes -- our bodies, i.e. the physical; our emotional center, i.e. the vital; and the mental. In the last five hundred years, and especially in the last fifty years or so, we are seeing a vast development of the mental functioning. We as a species are gradually moving upward from the inconscience, inertia, and incapacity of the physical plane of our being; the passions, irrationality, attachments, ego-centricities, and social deference of the vital/emotional plane of our being; to the knowledge, perceptions, insight, and self-determination of the mental plane. Though most individuals are predominantly centered at the vital level of life, there is a rapid movement in the last several decades among many individuals to a more mental-based consciousness and functioning in life. Humanity itself is rapidly moving in that direction.

This mental-based consciousness expresses itself in a number of ways for the individual. As an individual becomes more mental-centric he begins to a have a broader perspective of himself. He (or she, of course) senses to a greater degree his own uniqueness and individuality. He develops a greater identity with his freedom, including his freedom of self-determination; to be what he would like to be, what he can be; not what the social conventions dictate. He is compelled to develop his capacities to ever higher levels. He begins to see that he can achieve complete personal fulfillment in his own life.

In addition to individual expression, the ascendancy of mind has expressed at the societal level as well. It expresses in the great movements in the last century that have led to greater human liberty and freedom; to the emergence of democracy throughout the world; and to the growing sense among the general population that every person deserves to fulfill his potential in his own lifetime. This is reinforced by the rapid acceptance of education as a fundamental necessity, and the emergence of social policies and values that enable the individual to fulfill his potential. All of these are reflections of the mergence of the mental consciousness in man; of mind in the world.

Ultimately, however, Sri Aurobindo perceived that humanity would begin to move even beyond this mental-based consciousness. For all of its benefit over a physical and vital based consciousness, the mental consciousness, i.e. mind, is still limited in many ways -- by its tendency to see only part of a truth instead of the whole truth, by its prejudice to one piece of knowledge over another, by its fixity, rigidity, and general ignorance. In that light Sri Aurobindo began to lay out a track of development of human consciousness that would take us far beyond the current mental-based functioning of the individual to a higher functioning where its limitations are overcome.

In the first stage in this ascent beyond the mental-centric individual, we begin to develop higher mental capacities, such as our ability to engage in pure thought and reason; devoid of the prejudicial nature and stifling rigidities that are there in normal surface-influenced, sense-oriented mind. Yet another functioning of this higher, rational aspect of mind is our ability to conceive new ideas, and new possibilities for ourselves and the world. At this level of mind we become the thinkers, reasoners, creators, initiators, and pioneers in life. In these higher realms of mind proper we begin to open ourselves to greater possibilities and potentials, rather than the partial perceptions, half truths, falsehoods, and ignorance of the lesser mind that most people live in.

Further still we begin to break out into yet higher movements of mind, which Sri Aurobindo called "spiritual mind." There one begins to truly know things in the fullness, wholeness, and integral truth. We begin to experience knowledge as descents of light and vision, and intuitions of descents of the entire object of knowledge that we wish to know. In other words, we begin to have the experience that when we want to know something, it simply drops into our mind in full with all of its details, without the normal thought processes that we associate with mind; without thought at all. At that point mind begins to develop the capacity to have direct knowledge of that which we want to know; to have a direct identity with the objects of knowledge that we wish to perceive and understand. In hat way one doesn't have to research a subject and object of knowledge to learn about it, or ask someone about it, or educate one's self or spend a life discovering it through experience. Instead when one want to know something the complete object of our knowledge with all of its myriad of details simply enters our minds in total.

At a further stage the object of our perception does not have to descend from the beyond, from the universal Mind as an intuition, but is automatically created inside us! Thus, if we want to know something in life, it does not have to even descend from an out-there, but is already within us to begin with. In that sense not only is the object of instantly known without thought from within us, but we are simultaneously the creators of that knowledge. We become in that sense like the Divine itself, which created the universe from within itself. We have thus reached a similar status where we literally create that which we wish to know. We become the creators of life; not unlike the Divine Creator. At that point we have brought a power of the Divine into human existence.

This is very difficult thing to express in ordinary language, but it is one aspect of our ultimate destiny and the destiny of a new future human existence on earth. Needless to say at this point we are a very long way from the original sense-based mind, with its fumblings, half-truths, opinions, prejudices, and other limitations. We are even beyond logical, creative mind; as well as beyond the descent of the objects of knowledge into our being as illuminations and intuitions. We are in fact at the doorways of Sri Aurobindo's greatest discovery, the Supramental Truth consciousness.

As we open to these higher, spiritual levels of existence -- and as we go deeper within ourselves were we discover our inner being, our true self, our evolving personal souls, our own ray of the Spirit -- we begin to also open to new currents of life; to universal forces, powers, and truths. We begin to sense a spiritual presence inside ourselves, as well as a connection and constant communion to a Divine source, a Divine force and power and delight in the universe. At that point new planes to existence are revealed to us. We sense a new purpose in life, we are born into a new discovery of who we are, and what we can be, and how we can utilize the spiritual powers to effect our lives. We have extended beyond our normal skins, and have broken out into the infinite potentials of existence. There we come in contact with a Reality; one that that defies our normal notions of what can and cannot be, of what is logical and possible, of what we perceive as the right movements of cause and effect, and space and time. We have opened the portals to the infinite possibilities that spirit brings to life.

Human Transformation and Overcoming the Problems of Life
For 10,000 years humanity has labored to raise itself up. Yet even now there is great suffering, anguish, disease, hunger, poverty, pain, ignorance, and falsehood. All of the movements, political and social, have so far failed to really remedy these problems. Things remain for the most part the same. Man suffers, he experiences pain, he experiences the endless ups and downs of life. Religion, though noble in its intent, has also failed to solve these problems. It has merely helped us cope with them. It has not changed their fundamental nature.

To change their fundamental nature one needs to understand the processes that caused them to become the way they are. Then we need to understand the necessary methods and techniques to overcome these limitations. Throughout his life Sri Aurobindo endeavored to do both. With such an understanding we are better prepared to take the right actions in life that enable the permanent transformation in life that we seek; so that the problems of the individual, of the community, of the society, of life on earth cease to exist; now and forever.

He said that by transforming our own nature, by opening to the spirit, the divisions and dualities of life gradually give way. By rising above the inherent limitations of our physical, vital, and mental functioning to the higher mental functioning and spirit beyond; by moving inward into the depths of our being where we touch our inner spirit and soul, which itself calls to the greater spirit above, we are lead to our higher nature and consciousness. From that poise we can then extend that personal transformation to our surroundings, to others, to our businesses and communities, to our nations and to the world at large.

Through this process we begin to replace our normal functioning and consciousness, rooted in unconsciousness, ignorance, falsehood, and ego, with a higher consciousness, a spirit, a Force above, that we can call into our lives to further enable our progress. By overcoming our limiting nature, by opening to this Divine force, we begin to see a life of emotional pain receding, a life of physical pain giving way, and a life of mental confusion and ignorance changing into one of insight, knowledge, understanding, intuition, truth, harmony, unity, and oneness of purpose. Living our lives from this higher nature we come to see life continually cooperating with us in every way. We work in harmony with others; we experience a wonder of perfection and truth in all our activities, in all circumstance and situations of life. We come upon the infinite potentials and possibilities of life.

Thus Sri Aurobindo reveals to us the methods and powers of life and spirit, and sets us on a road of transformation from our lower to our higher nature and consciousness.

Eventually we witness the development of a new type of individual, living a life unprecedented in human history. A life of spiritual oneness, of infinite potential, of perfect execution, and infinite accomplishment and delight. Further on, over time there is an increase of the numbers of such individuals, culminating in a collective of these individuals, who in essence become pioneers of what Sri Aurobindo called "a divine life on earth."

Creation (Evolution, Involution)
To create a foundation for such a vision of transformation for the individual and life on earth Sri Aurobindo made the supreme effort to explain the nature of the universe, including the forces that enabled it to come about; the nature of humanity and the individual, including our makeup, limitations, and potentials; and our destiny and purpose in life, including how that purpose is related to the very purpose of the creation itself.

In his opus The Life Divine Sri Aurobindo describes -- how the universe was created out of the Absolute, the Omnipresent reality; how life evolved in the cosmos that was created; what the cause of suffering and falsehood and ignorance in the creation is; what the way out of this problem is; what the nature of spirit is, and how it gives us access to infinite potential in life; and what the purpose of life is, including what the ultimate destiny of the individual and the human race is.

Sri Aurobindo describes how from out of an Omnipresent Reality, the Absolute (what is known as Brahman in the East) the universe was created, as unconscious, ignorant, divided forms. He goes on to say that the reason that the universe was created from the Absolute is for the purpose of delight. Furthermore, in order to achieve the Absolute's goal of delight in the creation, we as humans must evolve beyond our lower nature to rediscover our higher nature, including the hidden spirit in life. In that process of discovering our higher nature and spirit, we experience the delight of existence, fulfilling the very purpose for which the Absolute created the universe.

Sri Aurobindo calls the process that led up to the creation of the universe; i.e. the process by which the cosmos emerged from the Absolute, the Divine, the "involution." It is an involution because the spirit is hidden in the creation, i.e. it is "involved" as potential in the forms (matter, life, mind, plant, animals, humans) that that have been created.

Then once the universe is created from the Absolute, the "evolution" begins. Whereas the involution is the process by which the Divine manifest a world of divided and ignorant forms; the evolution is the gradual movement upward of these forms from division and duality to a higher state of oneness, spirit, and delight of existence.

Sri Aurobindo describes how the purpose and destiny of the evolution of the universe is to overcome the inherent division and duality that emerged in creation, and to rediscover through our individual, social, and universal growth, development, evolution, and transformation, the hidden Spirit that was buried, that was hidden, involved in the creation. This rediscovery of spirit in existence fulfills the very purpose for which the Many emerged from the One, the universe from the Absolute -- Delight of existence. It is in fact we, who in our own ascent toward our higher nature and spirit, experience that Delight. In that way, we, as humans, fulfill the very purpose of the creation -- delight of being.

The Supramental (Truth) Consciousness and Its Use in Our Lives
After revealing in The Life Divine the nature of the Divine, God, the Absolute, and how the universe was created and unfolded from out of the Absolute, Sri Aurobindo uncovers something that is unique in the history of consciousness. He has discovered in essence a new aspect and quality of God. He discovered an extension to the unmanifest Absolute, which he called the "Supramental" or "Truth Consciousness." This force or power of the Divine is in fact the ordering mechanism, the spring that enabled the cosmos to manifest from out of the Absolute in the first place; that enabled the Many to emerge out of the One. This Supramental Truth consciousness, also called the plane of Supermind, is thus the cause of creation; the instrument that enabled the cosmos, the universe to take form.

Sri Aurobindo believed that if we could make the ascent to overcome our limiting nature, if we could further rediscover the hidden spirit in life, if we could come in contact and open ourselves to this Truth Consciousness (the very same consciousness that was instrumental in the creation of the universe), then we can change life as we know it. If we can change our own nature by making a concerted effort to overcome our limiting attitudes, opinions, prejudices, and other weaknesses; and open ourselves to this Force, we can see a dramatic, unprecedented change in our nature, which will not only enable our own infinite capacities to blossom, but will release the perfection, oneness, and infinite capacities of the world around us to emerge, including our families, friends, associates, businesses, institutions, and the communities and nations we live in.

If we learn how to open to this Force, we can begin to live in an astounding new way, a way that has no precedence in human history; where every conceivable problem could be solved; where all of life cooperates; where all life activities and circumstances play out in perfect harmony, in perfect execution; and where we come upon the infinite possibilities for creation, accomplishment, success, and joy that are there just below the surface of our normal awareness.

Things that we perceived as limited in scope -- whether a business transaction, someone's scientific research project, or a great work of art -- are now seen and understood to have infinite scope and possibility. Past limitations turn into great multiples and infinities. Our perceptions of quantity and quality change, our perceptions of space and time become different, the nature of cause and effect is altered.

In addition, we experience within ourselves the spiritual attributers of the Supramental consciousness -- its Truth, Peace, Knowledge, Oneness, Force, Love, Beauty, Joy. In that way we become filled with the very properties of the Creator. We become a manifestation of the Divine. We become in fact the Divine in full.

Transformation and the Oneness of Life
As we ascend into our higher status of being we begin to realize that any problem, whether within ourselves or without in the world, can be solved. As we develop our higher nature we increasingly perceive the unity of everything in life. At the spiritual level we experience a profound oneness of purpose, rather than our normal status of separateness. At that level of unity, harmony, and oneness we perceive that every problem has a solution, or rather that there is an infinite scope of solutions. This is the case because we are able to move beyond our own limiting sense of self, of our own limiting ego-sense that breeds separateness and ignorance. We are able to break through into a wider sphere, not limited to our previous shallow, small view of the world.

At that point the individual is better able to see his problems in the wider context of his relationship with others, of the environment, of the world, and even the universe itself. He senses oneness everywhere; within the various parts of his being, and in oneness collaboration and integration with the world around him.

He gains a broader and deeper view and insight, which inevitably leads to new, previously unthought of knowledge, wisdom, and insight. Where there was once a limited knowledge, an ignorance based on separateness, there comes into his field of vision new knowledge, new insight, and newfound solutions based on a broader, deeper, wider perspective of his existence. The wider field also gives him wider possibilities and potentials for answers, solutions, and actions. In essence, the spiritual experience of oneness enables man to move from a limited being to a limitless one.

In addition, since the individual is part of a collective action, since he interacts and works with others, he too can bring this consciousness into his working life, into his social existence. As he participates in the social sphere, he can bring in his newfound higher consciousness. From this poise he can contribute to the collective's needs, requirements, and questions with a vastly greater knowledge, wisdom, and effectivity.

Furthermore, as that new consciousness extends outward others can share with him in that new wisdom, insight, and effectivity of action. They can, for example, share in his understanding of the oneness that exists not just between individuals, but also between any form of social entity. From such a perspective individuals and groups within businesses, institutions, communities, states, and nations can now better solve problems because they see problems not from their status of isolation, ego, and separateness, but from the view of their common purpose with other related social entities. Groups of individuals in the social entity can sense their unity, their ultimate purpose and destiny of oneness with related entities, leading to a vast scope for solutions, opportunities, and abilities to accomplish.

In this way, as the spiritual individual collaborates with others of the same interests and propensities, we can begin to see the possibility of such groups collaborating to solve all of the world's problems. The individual extending his Higher Consciousness into the social sphere, and the emergence of groups of individuals who perceive the world from their higher nature, enables an infinitely greater scope, possibility, and potential for insights and solutions; which can in turn bring about the necessary change, growth, and development for the world.

In such a way we begin to see problems of war, poverty, disease, and other issues and problems from a wider context of harmony of purpose. For example, if there is malnutrition in the world, we might perceive that its not so much a problem of scarcity, but a problem of collaboration, of harmony of purpose and interest among the interested nations.

So just as all of the individual's problems can be overcome, solutions to all of the world's problems can be overcome.

Conversely, new, unthought of possibilities are conceived based on this status of Oneness. New inventions, products, ideas, principles, laws, and so forth emerge that were not there before when we stood separate, divided in our ego status. In other words, a consciousness of Oneness breeds infinite diversity, possibility, solutions, and result.

New Divine Life on Earth
Over time we see emerging a growing, developing, evolving humanity; a humanity that is becoming more conscious, more aware, that is perpetually transforming its own nature, so that the long term issues and problems of life that have been there since the creation -- inertia, incapacity, ignorance, falsehood, pain, and suffering -- are overcome.

By opening to the Supramental Consciousness and calling in its properties, we see the emergence of a new type of individual, living in a unitary consciousness that is one with all parts of his being, one with everything around it; with the total knowledge, comprehension, and understanding of the truth of every moment, that enables him to take the right and most perfect action at any moment in time. He becomes one with the flow of the universal action and the Divine spirit.

Individuals living in such a poise has great positive influence and oneness with the activities, projects, institutions, organizations, communities, nations, societies that he is engaged in or connected to. His involvement lend itself to fantastic successes for any of these, enabling the greatest efficiencies of success; i.e. enabled the greatest results with the least effort in the shortest period of time.

Eventually we begin to see the emergence of a coming together of such individuals in a collective life. These individuals become harbingers of a new type of existence; a society steeped in the inner consciousness and spirit, releasing its infinite potential, culminating in a new type of life, a divine life on earth.

It is then up to us to collaborate in that endeavor, to make that vision real. Sri Aurobindo asks us only to make a sincere start in that effort, to aspire for this new world, for this new Consciousness, so that we can create the foundation of a New Life on Earth.

MAIN POINTS

The human is a transitional being. A new spiritual life, a divine life on earth awaits him.
We can attain this new life on earth by making the effort of transformation.
We must not only cope with the problems of life but transform them so they are changed permanently.
Religion has failed to change the essential nature of man. It has not focused on permanent transformation, and has lost its relevancy in that regard.
(Also each religion only expresses but one or two major rays of the spiritual reality; and hasn't the multi-rayed integral truth. The spiritual reality, which can be experienced by anyone at any time, expresses this multiple, integral, dynamic aspect of the Divine.)
The individual consists of the physical, vital, and mental plane. As we grow and evolve, we move from the lower to the higher aspect of each of these planes
Our physical, vital, and mental nature are filled with the limitations that need to be transformed -- the inconscience, inertia, and incapacity of the physical plane of our being; the passions, irrationality, attachments, and ego of the vital/emotional plane of our being; to the knowledge, perceptions, and insight of the mental plane.
Most individuals are centered in their vital functioning. In the last 50 years or so there has been a rapid movement toward a centering in the mental consciousness.
Mind proper ranges from the sense-based mind (focused on interpreting that which our senses experience) to reasoning and conceptive mind.
Though mind proper is the highest of the three functionings, there are planes of spiritual mind above mind such as higher (silent) mind, illumined mind, intuitive mind, and Truth consciousness itself (supermind).
We begin the process of evolution, development, and transformation by becoming aware of the deficiencies of our nature, having the aspiration to overcome them, and then making the effort to change them.
We also make the movement within to touch our inner being (our psychic being, our personal soul force), which helps us move away from our ego sense and nature, our separateness, which also helps us overcome the limitations of our physical, vital, and mental nature, and also creates an opening to the spiritual Force above.
In his opus The Life Divine Sri Aurobindo explains the nature of the immutable Divine source of all, the Absolute (also called Brahman in the East); how the Absolute manifest the universe we live in; the nature of what was created, including matter, life, and mind in the universe, including man; and the purpose and destiny of the universe and the humanity.
The process that created the universe from the Divine Source, the Absolute, is the involution. That process begins when the Divine Absolute self-conceives a formation of forms. To begin this process the Absolute separates from a unitary Divine Reality and extends itself into a trinity of Existence, Consciousness-Force, and Bliss. Out of Consciousness-Force comes Energy, energy at rest, which then begins to move, and thus the beginnings of existence in the universe. The point up to the movement of energy is the involution. The process by which the universe though the emergence of the consecutive planes of matter, life, mind, and spirit reconnects with the underlying hidden spirit that enables the experience of the delight of being is called the evolution.
The purpose of the creation from the Divine Source is Delight of being. When we discover our higher nature we experience the delight of this discovery. In experiencing that delight we fulfill the very reason the Divine created the universe of being -- delight of being. [Also the greatest discovery is Self-Discovery of our True Self and Spirit, which creates the greatest Delight.]
The Divine Source was at first the Omnipresent Reality (the Absolute, Brahman); timeless, spaceless, ungraspable, immutable spirit. To begin the process of extending that spirit into a material universe it first became Existent, i.e. it began to exist as a reality beyond its unknowable state. This Existence (or Being) then extended Itself as a self-conscious Force. It further extended itself as Delighting in its existence, in Its being conscious of its existence. The Reality had become the triune of Existence-Consciousness Force-Delight (Sat-chit-ananda) to begin the process that would enable its Being/Spirit, its Force, Its Delight to extend to a created universe.
A fourth aspect, Supermind, emerged from the three to enable the universe to emerge. The Supermind (i.e. Supramental Consciousness) is the intermediary plane that enabled the cosmos, the universe to manifest from the conscious, delighting Being, the Spirit. Supermind thus in essence enabled the creation. It became the ordering mechanism that enabled the Absolute/Brahman to move from its original status of Existence, Consciousness-Force, and Bliss (Delight) into a universe of matter, life, and mind.
Supermind was/is the ordering mechanism that enabled the Force of the original Divine Spirit to manifest as material formations of that Force.
All of existence in the universe are forms of the original Force of spirit. I.e. matter, life, mind, etc. are all forms of this Force.
The universe, and hence the life within it was created in division and duality to enable the greatest multiplicity and variety of forms.
The struggle from the original inconscience of matter to life to mind to spirit is the evolution. The goal of the evolution, of life in the universe is to enable the spirit, the Force, and the Delight of being to emerge in all forms in the creation, including us.
We can make this effort of growth, evolution, even transformation on our own, but we can also be aided by the same Force that enabled the universe. This (Supramental) Force enables us to overcome the limitations of our own physical, vital, and mental nature; to overcome the inconscience, ignorance, falsehoods in our own lives and life in general; and enable a radical transformation of individuals and humanity into a higher functioning, perhaps a enabling a new species to emerge beyond the human, culminating in a divine life on earth.
We can also utilize the Force to effect life's actions and results. We can learn to bring in the Force to release the infinite potential in life, including our ability to bring about infinite accomplishment, success, and joy in our lives; to make every activity, action, situation, and circumstance end in perfection, in ways never thought of, releasing the infinite potential and unity that lurks behind.

We can learn the secrets to literally move and effect the world outside ourselves from within ourselves by connecting with our Inner, Psychic Being, personal soul; and then further opening to the infinite, ever creative, ever unifying, timeless, spaceless, causal actions and powers of the Supramental Consciousness.
The discovery of our inner, personal soul or psychic being is the way out of our ego, separateness, universal Ignorance, and the divisions and dualities of existence. Connecting thus within and a further opening to the Supramental Force and Consciousness is the key to our progress and transformation, and to the transformation of the society out of its ignorance, falsehood, division, suffering, and pain.
When we open to spirit it expresses as any of Truth, Knowledge, Power, Oneness, Peace, Delight, Beauty, and Love.
One of the experiences of the Divine Consciousness is the experience of harmony, Oneness, and Unity of being; oneness within ourselves; and oneness with that which is outside ourselves. Through Oneness we broaden our perspective beyond our ego, ourselves, to the all, and thus to that vaster realm of possibility. From that deeper and broader status we can much more easily find greater solutions to the mysteries, issues, and problems of life. Likewise institutions and nations functioning from this status of Oneness within itself and outside itself can see the solutions to all problems, as well as the development of new, unthought of possibilities.
"All problems in life are problems of harmony." Any problem that exists can be resolved by finding a higher harmony than currently exists between and among parties, entities, and individuals. There is therefore no problem that cannot be solved by rising to a higher harmony that resolves the contradictions that exist at the previous level. When we live in our higher consciousness we are far more able to see the higher harmony that is emerging, that is in potential, which then known we can help bring about in the world. We develop this higher consciousness by living more within in the depths, and by opening to the Force around us. [Editing point]
The individual has not only his individual purpose, but a purpose and destiny that relates to the social environment, the collective, and the universe itself.
Through the individual the collective purpose and the universe's purpose is fulfilled. The ultimate status of the individual then is to find his true Individual Self (his psychic being, i.e. the personal evolving soul), and to also discover his Universal Self and even his Transcendent Self.
By overcoming one's limited propensities one begins on the path of personal growth. By moving within into the depths one begins to rise in consciousness to the point where he discovers his personal evolving soul. He is then open to universal truths and powers, his inner guide which guides him along the way, and to the higher truth and knowledge that is emerging in the atmosphere at any moment. He discovers the unity with everything around him. He then can more easily open to the Force living a consecrated life so all actions he takes end in perfection and infinite results, and he can further surrender his very existence to this Force in all aspects of his life so that his own will and purpose is one with the Divine purpose.
Man's ultimate evolutionary possibility is the supramental transformation of his being. By opening to the Supramental Consciousness and calling in its properties, we see the emergence of a new type of individual, living in a unitary consciousness that is one with all parts of his being, one with everything around it; with the total knowledge, comprehension, and understanding of the truth of every moment, that enables him to take the right and most perfect action at any moment in time. He becomes one with the flow of the universal action and the Divine spirit. Individuals living in such a poise has great positive influence and oneness with the activities, projects, institutions, organizations, communities, nations, societies that he is engaged in or connected to. His involvement lend itself to fantastic successes for any of these, enabling the greatest efficiencies of success; i.e. enabled the greatest results with the least effort in the shortest period of time.
Eventually we begin to see the emergence of a coming together of such individuals in a collective life. These individuals become harbingers of a new type of existence; a society steeped in the inner consciousness and spirit, releasing its infinite potential, culminating in a new type of life, a divine life on earth.

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