We can begin that process by moving to our deeper consciousness within, away from the surface bubblings, to silence; and then deeper still to the evolving soul. There one sees beyond the contradictions, embracing all sides, seeing to the True Truth that lie beyond the surface view. From there, all decisions made will be great ones, that inevitably benefits all. 

Moving from the Part to the Whole
We perceive life as a part, not as a whole, in an endless variety of ways. For example, we readily accept life in the form of matter -- as material formations such as the earth and our bodies -- but we tend to close ourselves off from the non-material existence, including the subtle and the spiritual. On the other hand, there are spiritual aspirants and seekers who live a cloistered existence and commune with a Higher Reality, but are unable to integrate their experiences into normal, everyday life -- i.e. in the world of matter.

And yet we are fully capable of bringing the parts together and living the life of the Whole -- of an integral existence; of full knowledge that when applied tends to attract vast success and individual fulfillment. For example, in the example above, if I were to connect with spirit, and then bring that truth and power into my work, I would accomplish it much more quickly, and far more effectively. When we embrace all sides of a matter or subject or aspect of life, we have far greater insight and knowledge, and are therefore able to produce infinite-like results. On the other hand, when we embrace only the part -- i.e. the limited view -- we constrict life; we reduce our effectiveness, blocking true insight that can breed abundant success.

We can see this principle at work in many areas of life. For example, at the level of society, we value progress -- in particular, economic progress and development that brings material well-being. We -- especially Americans and Westerners -- like anything that speeds up that process; while disdaining things that slow it down. Thus, we rush to market an ever-growing array of products and services. This acceleration is a fine development at the material level, but it embraces only the Part. The Whole includes consideration of the effect of that process on the well-being of Man. E.g., when we bring products to market rapid fire, we would also consider whether the workers are being treated right; whether the products safe; whether the environment is maintained or degraded; whether it is creating disruptions and displacements in society; whether it meets the real needs and aspirations of the people; whether it reflect important individual and social values, and so forth.

The Whole then addresses not only material, but the psychological and social factors as well. It considers and embraces all sides, all interests, all concerns -- not just the limited things we are aware of, or are overly attached to. It in essence includes the gamut of human values -- from the material to the spiritual. Interestingly, when we widen ourselves and embrace the multiplicity of truths related to a matter, we not only understand it better, but when we act from that knowledge, what we produce is of a far superior quality. In addition, negative outcomes are avoided.

Here’s another example. America is a great country with powerful material values. Through those values, she has brought out the infinite in matter, and enjoys unprecedented economic success. It is also, however, an example of the limitations of the part. As a result of focusing on the material alone, she struggles at the non-material level -- including the psychological, the social, and the political. Her limited view not only creates harmful side effects such as pollution and proliferation of weaponry, but psychological instability as well. If she were to embrace the full spectrum of values beyond the material, she would not only expand on her physical abundance up to infinity, but would enjoy profound social harmony and deep psychological fulfillment.

To see the Whole is the integrative view of life. It creates the most benefit with the least negative effect. If this is so, then why are we not able to embrace this many-sided, integrative view of life? It is because we are limited in consciousness. Driven by our negative or false attitudes and beliefs; by our ego that creates rampant selfishness; by our preoccupation with the surface of things, we are cut off from the many-sided view of life. We miss the variety of truths that surround any subject or matter that are essential for integral, moment-to-moment comprehension.

The truth is that we like what we know, and are indifferent to or reject what we don’t know. As a result, we live in ignorance and falsehood. I.e. we have an exceedingly limited understanding of a matter, which limits our scope for success, while also attracting unintended negative consequences. (One principle of life is that when we embrace the part instead of the whole, the parts we overlook manifest as negative outcomes.)

One way out of this conundrum, is to step back and look at any endeavor or matter, and consider it in terms of four essential aspects -- the material, the vital, the mental, and the spiritual. Doing so will tell us if we are embracing the whole or just the limited part. Let’s define each and see how they serve our purpose.

By the material, I mean matter -- i.e. the physical component, in any subject or undertaking. The Vital is the movement of life, including the effects on our emotions and feelings; our desires and needs; as well as our associations and interactions with others and the world around us. The mental is knowledge and understanding; our ability to comprehend; the thoughts and ideas we have; the values we cherish and the goals we subscribe, to name several. The Spiritual is beyond all of these. It is a subtle power that permeates all the other planes, and can be experienced as Oneness and Unity with environment; as feelings of Love towards our others; as creations and expressions of Beauty; as utter Delight in being alive; and as Timelessness, Infinity, Silence, and Goodness.

Let’s say that I am embarking on a project. At various points, I decide to evaluate the undertaking from each of the four planes. For example, I have obtained all the material resources required to get the work done – including machinery, funding, etc. Thus, the material view of things is in good order. However, when I consider the work from the vital standpoint, I realize that I have been unwilling to listen to others; that I guard my own entrenched view of things feverishly; and, in general, I am not very communicative. In addition, when I consider the social aspect, I realize that I have didn’t really consider the impact of the project on the people who were working on it. These are additional vital aspects or parts at the social plane that haven’t received proper attention.

Then I consider the next plane up -- the mental. I wonder if the essential assumptions I have made about the phases of the project are accurate; or whether the completion date is reasonable; or whether its achievement will truly meet the goals and values of the company. Finally, there are the spiritual aspects to consider. For example, I wonder if I have been self-giving on the project; and whether I have demonstrated a level of gratitude towards others for the work they have done; and whether I have been calm and equal when big changes come, or when difficult situations arise.

As I consider my reality from each of these planes -- material, vital, meant, and spiritual -- I begin to move out of the limited part view, and embrace the whole. Along the way, I even come to perceive the true Essence of the matter – including the true purpose of my undertaking has served; what it indicates for the future; even what it has brought out about my own character and what that means in terms of my future progress.

As a result of making this effort, I acquire a more integral view of the things I am engaged in. Through my comprehensive understanding and knowledge, I become more aware of the multiplicity of truths I am grappling with, of the variety of factors that are at play in any given situation. This in turn gives me the knowledge power to make the right decisions that lead to powerful positive results.

As I follow this thread and seek out the multiple dimensions of any matter, I begin to truly value the power of the Whole. Also, as I obtain vast positive results by acting on that knowledge, I feel a deep sense of fulfillment and joy in life. As a result, I am energized to no end, and eagerly look forward to the next challenge.

Example: Perceiving Only the Part in Health
Though we always want to maintain good health, Our focus is always on a a minute aspect (part) of health that is disease. We spend all our energy in suppressing the disease rather than attaining health by adopting positive way of living. We know only about disease, we don't know the power of life in maintaining our health. Most of the diseases that are plaguing the humanity as a whole are the result of this overlooking the whole and concentrating on the part. (JA)

The Part and the Whole as in Selfishness vs. Self-Givingness
The part and the whole have their own attitudes. The attitude appropriate to the whole is Selflessness. It can mature into self-giving. The part’s attitude is selfish. Selfishness can hurt others or all. Selflessness in one can hurt no one. The selflessness of the part cannot hurt others or the whole. (MSS)

How the Small Opens the Portals of the Infinite
In any given moment, there are large and small acts related to a significant event. E.g. at the time of a medical emergency, there is not only the suffering party and the rescue operation, but the unobserved arrival of a supervisor, a nurse ordering a batch of medicine, and an elderly patient joking in his wheel chair. Thus, there are closely related as well as seemingly unrelated, disparate activities occurring simultaneously. And yet in such circumstance, every and all events are in fact deeply interconnected, no matter how unimportant and distantly related they seem to be. And any one of them -- even the smallest, the most innocuous, and contrary -- can determine the final outcome. To be sensitive to this process is to have a vision of the life’s true workings, which gives one a staggering power to control the world around us. Here is an example that illustrates this point.

The TV series Numb3rs (pronounced ‘Numbers’) is a crime show whose outcomes are determined by the strategies of a genius mathematician, Charlie Eppes. In one particular episode, we see how the small and absurd determine the final outcome. In Los Angeles, a bus is hijacked and a nefarious gang holds passengers for ransom. Charlie’s brother, FBI captain Don Eppes works with his staff to solve the looming catastrophe. Don’s energies are completely focused on saving lives, as he interacts by phone with the evil ringleader who is aboard the bus. Meanwhile, Don’s math genius brother Charlie is as usual helping on the case through his brilliant analysis intuitively derived.

There is an added subplot to the story; this one involving the father of Charlie and Don -- Alan Eppes -- as well as Charlie’s good friend, theoretical physicist Larry Fleinhardt. It turns out that earlier the entire group had agreed to form a think tank, and at this point, father Alan and physicist Larry are debating -- actually arguing -- over its future direction. One aspires to start the project with the practical, the other the theoretical. In fact, they carry out this mental debate in front of the very preoccupied Charlie and Don, completely oblivious to the dangerous situation. At one point, they even implore Charlie to solve the dilemma for them. As we watch their comic-like callousness, we can only shake our heads. This dynamic repeats throughout the episode, adding to the tension of the already dangerous situation.

Then circumstance turn grave when the abductors threaten to kill each hostage one by one. And yet Alan and Larry persist in their seemingly ridiculous request that Charlie solve their problem. How can they be so oblivious! This time however, rather than tell them that they have to settle their squabbles on their own, Charlie is struck by something in their debate. He is shaken by the fact that Alan and Larry seemed to be locked in a ‘paradox,’ and that the hostage situation he and Don are involved in has a similar dynamic. As a result, Charlie now understands that everything he and Don assumed about the case is faulty. When the two brothers act on this hunch, they discover that the bus abduction was actually a hoax: that they were in fact chasing the wrong bus, and that the real hostages and villains were aboard a stationary bus in a warehouse! As a result, they are now able to move in on the villains and save the hostages.

As we see, in this case, the small and the innocuous solved the case. That which seemed unimportant and irritating was the means by which the greater problem was resolved. Because Charlie opened his mind and paid attention to the small -- no matter how silly and absurd -- he garnered the clue that enabled him to solve the case.

In every situation in life, every element that presents itself serves a purpose. Thus, the smallest thing -- even that which seems negative and opposed to our intent -- can me a means for its final resolution. In that way, we cannot deny or be irritated by anything -- for the smallest of the small can provide an opening to the infinite.

If this is the case, how can we become more mindful of the variety of elements, movements, and activities in a given circumstance? It all comes down to our level of consciousness. It takes an open mind and acute sensitivity to perceive the utility of each act in relation to the whole of any event. That in turn depends on a still and silent mind, as well as a calm and steady disposition. Think Sherlock Holmes. And through that keen, mindful, multi-sided perception, one becomes aware of the role of the smallest act in the outcome of a situation, problem, or event. To perceive this many-sided whole, rather than the obvious one or two parts is a spiritual quality known as “integral knowledge.”

Indian spiritual philosophy tells us the infinite can arise out of anything -- whether the large or the infinitesimally small. To the infinite Consciousness and Being, there is no distinction between the two. Thus, the innocuous and silly, the trivial and trite, and the negative and hostile also serve as instruments for progress and change. If we can learn to perceive this dynamic in our daily lives, then we will have a glimpse of the Marvel of existence.

Man at the Center of Life
The world economic system is undergoing a severe shock. It was caused to a large degree by Man’s ignorance and greed. Though its vast expansion and success has been rooted in the infinity that comes from individual freedom, it was tripped up by missing human values that could make the system Whole. Because the Human Being has not been at the center of our economic system, only the Part could express, which invariably breeds failure.

Freedom and collaboration are human values. They represent Beingness and Oneness of the Spirit functioning in creation. One without the other cannot succeed. Freedom is fulfilled through collaboration, and vice versa. Without their integral union, there is only a Part and therefore failure. Thus, Communism came to an inglorious end, and Capitalism is going through its current upheavals. Nature in Her evolutionary wisdom seeks to move from the Part and create the new, the dynamic, and the Whole.

Human values are not however limited to freedom and collaboration. They are endless. There is also truth, knowledge, tolerance, compassion, love, beauty, delight, and a hundred others. Our economic system has been primarily focused on material values alone -- not the psychological, including the fulfillment of the individual. When we shift our consciousness and put the Human Being at the center of life, then upheaval and convulsion will be reduced, and life will progress smoothly, harmoniously, and infinitely.

On Common Sense
Common Sense is COMMON to more than one factor, or to all factors, which means the primary coordination within one factor is extended to all factors that are outside. (MSS)

Embracing the Whole not the Part  of Spiritual Individual that Leads to Wondrous Results
-One who is centered in the Spirit cannot be partial, but to the whole. His full attention will be there on all fronts, though the results will be seen only in one area.
-One indication of his paying attention to the whole is those who leave him for other pastures - not those who try to ruin him by opposition from inside - will always flourish far beyond their wildest expectations. (MSS, somewhat modified)  

Principles of the Part and the Whole
The common sense idea that the sum of the parts will be equal to the whole is not always true, and what is truer still is: The whole is more than the sum of the parts because the whole belongs to a higher plane than the parts.

For those who want to accomplish in life and to those who want to see that life is a science , this knowledge is basic. Without going into the details, this can be easily illustrated. A dismantled machine can be gathered in a basket as separate parts. It will not be the machine.

A part that is useless suddenly becomes very useful when it meets with its complement, e.g. a nut joining with a bolt.

When a part which is a whole in itself and is useful in a limited way coordinates with another such part, it becomes useful in a wider dimension, as when an individual citizen becomes a Member of Parliament.

Knowledge of the part is incomplete knowledge and can even become a bar to greater knowledge.

• The tree produces a seed; the tree grows out of the seed. Scientists know all the processes in this cycle. This is considered to be knowledge.
• A mechanic who has thorough, precise knowledge of every part of the car may not know how a car is made or designed or invented. His consummate knowledge of the parts may prevent him from being anything greater than a mechanic.
• One who passes an examination and obtains a degree education by memorization is effectively preventing him from obtaining real education.

Each new organisation, such as The Internet, readily integrates with the existing organisations such as army, government, business, etc. So also, each part that is a whole and a part of a whole readily integrates with such other parts generating higher capacities to function in a higher plane.

• The introduction of Money in the form of paper currency was responsible for the growth of banks and other allied financial institutions. Money that was a part, aligning itself with business and banking gave birth to the joint stock companies which made public savings available for private enterprise.

The part and the whole belong to two different planes, the whole always remaining at a higher level.

There are certain relationships between a part and the whole by which the entire whole can be moved by moving that part.

• The relationship between the part and the whole is like that of a child and parent in which the child always outgrows the parent. (MSS)

Various Expressions of the Mind's Ignorance

Limitations of (Physical, Sense-Based) Mind   Key!

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Other

Untitled
To become conscious of the mind's limitation of clinging to a part of the whole truth can elicit a kind of shame for our former mental certainties, engendering a new found mental humility. Spiritual humility before the Divine can be a next step.

Origins of Thought
When the mental activity is separated from the sense, thought is born. (MSS)

Roots of Intellectuality
When one confines the data of one's thought to sense perception, then intellectuality arises. (Paraphrase of MSS

Also See Thoughts on the Limits of Intellectuality of Mind

Mind's Humility
Mind should grow in humility expressing it in the body’s submissiveness. (MSS)

Our Limited Empirical View of Things Rooted in the Physicality of Mind
Having risen to the heights of mind, people begin to worship the physical details of it and go to the length of declaring that there is no other fact in life than the empirical one. It is the physicality of the mind. We see this in all avenues of life, including science. (MSS, modified) 

The Nature of Empiricism
Thinking is a process in which mind consciously coordinates facts. When a certain coordination does not work out, meaning, does not bring out the right result, it tries other coordinations. This is the basis of empiricism. Practically, this is a very long process not sure of success for a long time.

Ever Increasing Subtlety of Mind
Our growth is to move from the empirical, measurable physical data supplied by sense mind to the subtle mind of purer thought, logic, ideas, devoid of sense. Beyond that you can move to even greater subtlety experiencing the Silence in mind; a silence in in the mind's faculties of observation, thinking, understanding, and observation. Beyond that one moves to greater subtleties still, where thought itself is abandoned as knowledge descends through light, illumination, and intuitions of objects of knowledge. Beyond such ultimate subtleties one comes upon the causal plane of Supermind where there is knowledge by identity, where the object is simply there in one's self as creator, where life responds in instantaneous abundance.

Pain Seen through the Gross/Material, the Subtle, and the Causal planes
The physical mind of the senses which is in the gross/material plane sees pain; the subtle mind sees the process involved, the reason behind it, and its necessity; while the causal in Supermind sees the pain as Grace.

Rational Mind and Spirit
Rational mind is a doorway to spirit.  

Meaning of Integral Knowledge
Integral knowledge is that which explains each item in terms of every other item or aspect. It presupposes a belief that all are interrelated. The equilibrium of that interrelation is harmony. (MSS)

Also See Entries on the (Spiritual) Source of Knowledge and Ignorance in Creation

Also See Entries on What Knowledge Actually Is
 

The Limited Nature of Physical, Sense-Based Mind
(main)

Limitations of Sense-Based, Surface Mind
The lower aspect of mind is the sense-based mind, involved in the interpretation of data provided by the senses, which are turned into ideas. When we live on the surface, we are focused primarily in sense-based mind, rather than the higher rational, pure thinking mind, thus limiting our view of the world.

Withdrawing from the Surface of Life
When we live on the surface of life, it supports and fortifies our separateness, hence ego, which reinforces the exclusivity of Mind that is the basis of Ignorance. By withdrawing from the surface of life to the depths, we overcome our ego and separateness, which enable Mind to move from its exclusionary Ignorance to exclusionary, integral Knowledge.

Problems Created by Living on the Surface of Life
We live on the surface of life. We are too outer, reacting to everything around us. From such a poise we are constantly reacting, rather than being rooted in calm and silence and peace. When we live on the surface of life, our bodily ego is constantly asserting itself. When we live on the surface of life, our bodily ego is constantly asserting itself. That sense of “I”, of “me” is out front, creating a separateness that disengages us from the totality and wholeness of what is happening around us. When we live too close to the surface of life we see things through a haze of our own needs, our own wants, our own prejudices and inclinations; not the full, moment-to-moment emerging true truths, multi-sided truths around us.

Right Action from the Wider Perspective of the Whole
In 1938 the British Cabinet was planning for prosperity and Churchill who was pleading for building bombers was dismissed as insane. Had the Cabinet looked at the issue from munitions [i.e. a wider perspective of the whole] they would have seen that they had 238 bombers while Hitler had raised his to 758. What was considered intuition in Churchill was commonsense from facts. (MSS)

Falsehood, Error, Superstition
(main)

Ego as Source of Ignorance, Falsehood, and Evil
The human ego which focuses on things that merits its own self-oriented needs, creates an almost inexhaustible distortion of truth. Thus there is Ignorance. Out of ignorance comes a wrong consciousness, which gives a wrong dynamic reaction to the contact with the outside world; answering only to unenlightened mental and vital suggestions or in accordance with the ego. This is the source of Falsehood. With the development of a seperative life being; i.e. with the vital ego asserting its devise; and with a primitive unrestricted action uncensored with truth or what's right, this vitalized falsehood of knowledge becomes a power of Evil.  Wrong will and action is thus the basis of evil.

[Comment: We go through our whole lives this way. It is so widely applicable; from the individual to the players on the world stage. It's a type of physicality that does not yield to mind. It also shows that intellectuality has an element that attracts the false. Higher regions of mind are more friendly to truth, eliminating the inevitability of having to overcome falsehood through Nature's harsh methods.]

On the Nature of Superstition
Science arose with one significant aim of ousting superstition. A movement that is against an ideal subconsciously becomes a victim to what it fights. To define superstition, classify it into its varieties, and explain its origin theoretically will offer us enough field of inquiry. Superstition is to --

Irrationality Turning to Opposite When Pressured by Strength
-Irrationality has a way of suddenly changing into its opposite when faced with pressure of strength.
-What does not yield to argument yields to strength. (MSS)

Overcoming Our Illusions and Superstitions that Replaces the Finite with the Infinite
Each of us carry around our own illusions and superstitions. Quietly, we even revel in it. It is one of the tragedies of Man. It is not so much because we have these deficiencies, but that we are unaware of them; as each of us are blind to our own individual illusions and superstitions. Another person can plainly see our particular weaknesses, even as we recognize theirs. They even perceive how we indulge it, relish it, nurture it! They shake their head in disbelief, as do we of them!

On Stupidity
Wise men of the world have known that stupidity views itself as exceptionally wise. (MSS)

Ignorance, Falsehood, Evil
Attachment to ignorance is falsehood. Conscious acting on falsehood is evil.
 

Definition of Superstition
The capacity to enjoy being ignorant commonly is superstition. (Paraphrase of MSS)

Superstition, Fanaticism, and Religion
Superstition forms and takes hold of people at all levels of insufficiency. There is a ’proper’ superstition to each level of maturity or immaturity.

Superstition makes men fanatics. After the end of the World War, as well as the Cold War, there appears no valid reason for fighting.

Still, isolated intense fights, or rather attacks are there all the time. In the absence of prosperity and education, religion does havoc to the mind through the instrumentation of superstition.

On Superstition
[The following was addressed to a mostly Indian audience]

To believe in something non-existent is superstition. Village people refuse to go near trees, as they believe there are ghosts in them even when they see others do it. The ghosts are in their imagination. It is a physical superstition, to believe in the existence of what is non-existent. To educated persons, mental superstitions matter. Superstition exists even at the level of Spirit. The commonest of superstitions are of the vital. It is true that a dead man’s spirit haunts the place if he has committed suicide there. For that reason to shun all trees is superstition. Superstition is the arch enemy of rationality. Till the 15th century the world believed that the sun goes around the earth. It is the finest example of superstition. Spiritually, the most obvious superstition is vegetarianism. All over the world Saints including Jesus have eaten meat. In North India too the orthodox communities eat meat or fish. Only in South India there is a belief that meat eating disqualifies one for spirituality. Even in South India that belief came from the Jains, not one in the tradition. An academic degree is a symbol of mental superstition. Degree shows you are educated in a college, but knowledge is not confined to degrees. All religious heads and saints are wise, carry the highest wisdom. We do not evaluate them by their academic education. One can be learned without a degree and one can enjoy no learning in spite of high academic qualifications. People DO believe that a degree confers on one learning. These are the commonly known superstitions. But there are others, more pernicious as we are oblivious of them. It is the honest belief of many that men in high places or even those who have earned academic degrees are GOOD men. It is a supposition, which has grown to be a universal superstition. V R Krishna Iyer asked, “How do you suppose a supreme court judge to have greater intelligence than when he was a sub-judge?” Power, in our eyes, goes with wisdom and goodness. It is downright false. Excellent external manners are often, maybe always, mistaken to be the inner endowment. Its grossest expression in India is one who is fluent in English is mistaken to be a talented personality. In recent days many Westerners and Americans have come to India. Half of them are penniless. In the eyes of the Indians, an American is invariably a millionaire. Examined closely we can see that we take many such superstitious beliefs for granted. It is common knowledge but it is rarely perceived.

Let me try to give a sample of them.

1. A fair complexioned boy or girl is handsome.

2. Parents always desire the progress of children. Children will, as a matter of fact, conceive of an intense love of the parents.

3. The court will be fair and offer us justice.

4. Friends are trustworthy.

5. Brothers and sisters cannot be jealous.

6. Man will always be influenced by money.

7. The written word is sacrosanct.

8. Age is wisdom.

9. Love will last forever.

10. The Westerner is talented and capable.

11. Old is gold.

12. An Avatar knows everything and is omniscient.

13. The poor have no higher values.

14. Land alone is property, not money.

15. Fine dress makes a lady or a gentleman beautiful.

16. The greater the jewels one carries, the greater is the status.

17. Whatever is printed is true.

18. Advertisements tell us the truth.

19. Karma is inescapable.

20. Money invariably achieves.

21. A miser cannot be generous in some area.

22. Secrets are necessary for accomplishment.

23. A beard makes one saintly.

24. More ghee in the cooking makes the food tasty.

25. Friendship will last forever.

26. An unknown man is unreliable.

27. Man will be invariably selfish.

28. God is not for the householder.

29. Servants will steal.

30. Elders will not lie.

31. Whatever is written in the Scriptures is the word of God. (MSS)

OVERCOMING IGNORANCE & RESTORING INTEGRAL KNOWLEDGE
(top)
 

Begin to Overcome Ignorance by Moving to Depths (to Overcome Physical, Sense-Based Mind)
(main)

Ignorance is Overcome by Moving to the Depths
When we move our center of consciousness into the depths within, sense-based thinking is overcome, our ego begins to wane, and our exclusivity of mind is overcome. In that way our essential Ignorance born of creation begins to evaporate, and we move to a many-sided Integral Knowledge.

Withdrawing from the Surface of Life
When we live on the surface of life, it supports and fortifies our separateness, hence ego, which reinforces the exclusivity of Mind that is the basis of Ignorance. By withdrawing from the surface of life to the depths, we overcome our ego and separateness, which enable Mind to move from its exclusionary Ignorance to exclusionary, integral Knowledge.

From Ignorance to Integral Knowledge through the Path of the Within
-Living on the surface causes us to be exclusive and hence more Ignorant, while living in the depths enables inclusiveness, hence there is more integrality is our Knowledge.

-Sri Aurobindo's path for overcoming our fundamental Ignorance born of the exclusive nature of Mind, begins with a movement within, away from the surface, which enables a corresponding opening to the higher planes of spiritual mind from which we develop the inclusive, many-sided, integral full Knowledge.

Go Inward to Soul to Move Upward in Mind to Truth
An animal looks around; hears sounds and responds to the situation. Its knowledge is limited to what it perceives through its five senses. Any mental deliberation is limited in large part to this sense data streaming into the mind. We humans inherit this limited capacity. We are prone to see what is around us and come to a wrong conclusion. We arrive on the scene of a police incident and make a conclusion based on what we see. As a result, we come to the completely wrong conclusion, We do that a dozen times a day, and it occurs billions of times an hour across the world, creating a stupendous stream of universal falsehood. More astounding still is the fact that we humans are unaware that it is happening.

However, if we shift our consciousness inward away from the surface bubblings, perturbations and impacts of the visual and audio on the senses, we are better prepared to deliberate on the variety of possibilities before us. I.e. we are more likely to use rational thought, and think about and perceive the variety of possibilities and truths of that moment. Thus, the more inward our orientation, the more likely we will be able to perceive events and come to right conclusions.

As we move deeper within -- whether through concentration, meditation, prayer, etc. -- and away from the surface of life, we are far more likely to consider more than one side of an issue or thing. Thus, we get closer to the truth of that object in that moment. As a result, we have greater knowledge to make right decisions that end in positive outcomes.

And yet we can go deeper still, to the subliminal being and the Evolving Soul within which is in touch with a super-consciousness. As we do so, our mind expands further, as we more frequently have illuminations and visions of insight and knowledge. Archimedes "Eureka, I've got it!" is one famous example, as in a flash he grasped the solution to an issue he was grappling with. It is sudden truth knowledge coming into our thoughts as light. Further still, one can have direct intuitions of the object truth without the need for thought at all. The right knowledge simply appears in our mind, giving us direct access to the object of inquiry or matter. It is direct truth cognition; direct contact with the object of inquiry; and an indicator that we have moved to the deeper parts of our being.

The principle then is simple: the further we move within and distance our self from the frothings of the surface, the more our mind expands. By moving to a deeper consciousness and poise, we move from limited, animal-like sense mind; to rational, logical thinking; to clear thinking in silence; to light, illuminations, and vision; to intuition of truth through direct identity with the object. Thus, the deeper in we go, the higher we climb in the scale of mentality, and thereof far more effective we are in our understanding, decision-making, and actions. It is also the path that will take us from our current human condition to a supramental capacity to change the conditions of life from within.

Living on the Surface
When we live too close to the surface of life we see things through a haze of our own needs, our own wants, our own prejudices and inclinations; not the full, moment-to-moment emerging truths around us.

Living in Depths and Knowledge
By going deeper within, into our deeper consciousness can help us move from our sense-based mind -- rooted in our feelings, emotions, judgments, and prejudices -- to the higher part of mind proper, where we see things objectively and rationally; where we engage in pure rational thought, rather than emotional thought. From that inner poise and status we can see the abundant myriad of facts around us, which in their multiplicity and variety lend themselves to insights; and from insights to greater conclusions, to what we call the "integral knowledge and understanding" that Sherlock Holmes had at the end of every case.

Living in Depths and Knowledge2
Living in the depths enables clear thinking, insight, and ultimately the final truths or the whole truth that we are seeking. When we live in the depths of our being we begin to see the emergence of a way of thinking that is even beyond rational, pure thought. It is where we enter the realm of spiritual mind.

Living in Depths and Knowledge
By withdrawing from the surface of life to the depths, we overcome our ego and separateness, which enable Mind to move from its exclusionary Ignorance to exclusionary, integral Knowledge.

Reason Becomes Intuition Shedding Senses
The mind consists of a part that interprets the inputs of the body's senses. The mind also consists of the capacity for logic and self-conceiving new ideas, new possibilities, etc. As the mind moves away from its connection to the senses, it utilizes its higher mental functionings, and beyond that functionings of spiritual mind. Knowledge from spiritual mind comes through silence which enables knowledge to spring forth, through illuminations and lights of knowledge, and through descents of the entire object of knowledge as intuitions.

When one lives more within from the depths of our being, less connected to the surface, the senses, we open ourselves to intuitions form the higher planes, giving us direct perception of the object of knowledge. 

Discovering the Depths Within and the Movement Toward Knowledge
When we move to the depths, our highest functioning, mind -- that is, pure rational and conceptual mind -- takes over the center of our consciousness from our traditionally vital/emotional center and its accompanying the ego-centered existence and its accompanying separateness from others and the world. Our fundamental Ignorance of the ways of life and cosmos begins to be replaced by the beginnings of a truer and deeper and more integral perception and Knowledge.

From Ignorance to Integral Knowledge through the Path of the Within
-Living on the surface causes us to be exclusive and hence more Ignorant, while living in the depths enables inclusiveness, hence more integral is our Knowledge.

-Sri Aurobindo's path for overcoming our fundamental Ignorance born of the exclusive nature of Mind, begins with a movement within, away from the surface, which enables a corresponding opening to the higher planes of spiritual mind from which we develop the inclusive, many-sided, integral full Knowledge.

Overcoming Billions of Error-Filled Perceptions in the World

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We live in our emotions. Or, if we are centered in our minds, we live in the lower, sense-bound, prejudiced part of mind, instead of the rational, logical, conceptual higher part of mind, where emotions, judgments, and sentiments are in balance with pure objective logic and thinking.

Stepping Back within for More Conscious Living
Most of you live on the surface of your being, exposed to the touch of external influences. You live almost projected, as it were, outside your own body, and when you meet some unpleasant being similarly projected you get upset. The whole trouble arises out of your not being accustomed to stepping back. You must always step back into yourself - learn to go deep within –step back and you will be safe. Do not lend yourself to the superficial forces which move in the outside world. Even if you are in a hurry to do something, step back for a while and you will discover to your surprise how much sooner and with what greater success your work can be done. If someone is angry with you, do not be caught in his vibrations but simply step back and his anger, finding no support or response, will vanish. Always keep your peace, resist all temptation to lose it. Never decide anything without stepping back, never speak a word without stepping back, never throw yourself into action without stepping back. All that belongs to the ordinary world is impermanent and fugitive, so there is nothing in it worth getting upset about. What is lasting, eternal, immortal and infinite -that indeed is worth having, worth conquering, worth possessing. It is Divine light, Divine love, Divine life- it is also Supreme Peace, Perfect Joy and All-Mastery upon earth with the Complete Manifestation as the crowning. When you get the sense of the relativity of things, then whatever happens you can step back and look; you can remain quiet and call on the Divine Force and wait for an answer. Then you will know exactly what to do. Remember, therefore, that you cannot receive the answer before you are very peaceful. Practise that inner peace, make at least a small beginning and go on in your practice until it becomes a habit with you”. (The Mother)

From Ignorance to Integral Knowledge through the Path of the Within
-Living on the surface causes us to be exclusive and hence more Ignorant, while living in the depths enables inclusiveness, hence more integral is our Knowledge.

-Sri Aurobindo's path for overcoming our fundamental Ignorance born of the exclusive nature of Mind, begins with a movement within, away from the surface, which enables a corresponding opening to the higher planes of spiritual mind from which we develop the inclusive, many-sided, integral full Knowledge.

Moving from Ignorance to Integral Knowledge
Going into the depths is the secret of moving from our 99% Ignorance to the total, many-sided, 100% integral truth and knowledge at any point in time. It is what enables us to know and succeed at one hundred, one thousand times and upwards our current level of accomplishment and success.

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When you go within, you sense the meaning of the unfolding of all around you, you perceive the right relationship of things, and the emerging higher harmonies peeking through.

Living in Depths and Knowledge
Living in the depths enables clear thinking, insight, and ultimately reveals the final truths or the whole truth that we are seeking.

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The deeper within you are centered, the less likely you are to defend your own position.

Living in Depths Enables Experiences of Spiritual Mind
The deeper we live within the more we enable such descents from the various levels of spiritual mind. Also, as we use conceptual mind to analyze gathered thoughts, we gain a greater understanding. If there is a multi-sided perception of those facts, then insight comes about. If we are centered within, then those insights will attract even greater insights as the illuminations, intuitions, and revelations of spiritual mind.

Moving from Subjective to Objective View of Another
There is a subtle difference between thinking about another person in terms of the truth of what truly IS, of rational fact about the reality of the other, and the feelings, often negative, that arises from your ego-sense, that prejudices your view of that individual.

We can begin that process by moving to our deeper consciousness within, away from the surface bubblings, to silence; and then deeper still to the evolving soul. There one sees beyond the contradictions, embracing all sides, seeing to the True Truth that lie beyond the surface view. From there, all decisions made will be great ones, that inevitably benefits all. 

A Thing and Its Opposite are True

Progression to Higher Knowledge
Understanding by sense data > Understanding by thinking > Understanding by non-thinking – thinking is a bar, silent contemplation > Direct intuition – understanding is a bar to knowing – what you don’t seek comes to you  (MSS) 

Accomplishment as Not Ignorance
An accomplishment [we have made] tells us we are NOT insisting on our Ignorance. (MSS)

Enjoying the Inheritance of Ignorance
The architect of Ignorance prides in his loyalty to the past inherited ways.  It is physical mind enjoying its ideals of tradition. (MSS)

INTERVIEW on How We Truly Know in Life

In this extensive interview Roy Posner, President of Growth Online, considers how we can truly understand and know things from their widest truth, so that we can accomplish at the highest level in life.

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When the person who reads these thoughts see the relationships of the central ideas, he will have attained an integral understanding of sorts. Integral understanding means a higher level of organization between the concepts. Higher levels of organization enables the energy of thought to concentrate into a power of thought that gives insight and can enable further results.

Knowing in Life
What helps us truly know in life? First, education and learning helps because it helps us learn the process of concept formulation. It also gives us a base knowledge. Second, experience of the ideas in life helps because it turns concepts into real realities for us. To fully and permanently embody these experiences is to see that idea open the gates to infinite possibilities in our lives. Finally, to be an evolved, integrated person helps because then one has the necessary attitudes, drive, will, and direction to constantly move our lives forward; in this case to move the idea we know into a realized experience.

Progress that is Towards the Whole
All progress arose in humanity only when partial knowledge embraced a wider part, a movement towards the whole. Knowledge must seek the whole; it is not enough to move towards a greater part. (MSS)

Discovering the Whole, not the Part in Various Aspects of Life
We must pursue the whole, not the part. To make science the center of life, or money the center of economic life, is to put the part at the center of life. To make man the center of life is the whole. Even connect with spirit apart from life is the last great limitation of the part. To see the spirit in the details of life is to see the integral whole. (Paraphrase of MSS)

Partial Truths
Every partial truth attracts its opposite to restore Oneness.

Gathering and Utility of Knowledge; When It Becomes Complete
-Knowledge gathers by observation and experience. It becomes practically useful knowledge when a process of a thing is known, e.g. climbing a tree, drawing water from a well, speaking the first few words, art of writing, etc.
-A time comes when this partial knowledge becomes perfect knowledge or complete knowledge when the field of observation can be organised into a subject or a branch of science. At this time, the field reveals the laws governing it, not before. (For the laws of a field to be extracted as the essence of the field, the observation must be complete or exhaustive.) (MSS)

We Perceive that Knowledge & Will are One in Our Higher Consciousness
We are capable of knowing without the capacity to will, or are willing without the capacity to know. But this is not the case either when human consciousness rises above the normal level or when we examine the consciousness of animals as it expresses in subconscious instinct. Both above and below the normal level of human mentality, awareness and will for action are unified as a single capacity. (MSS, slightly modified)

Emergence from Knowledge to Knowledge-Will in Animal to Human
In the subconscious instinct of the animal, we see the play of a severely limited (involved) but almost infallible knowledge expressing with a decisive power uncharacteristic of human beings. Note that, at the same time, animals possess a power of vitality not found in mentalized human beings, in whom that energy is absorbed as mental consciousness. In higher mental states, the knowledge component is much greater than normal and it is unified with a self-effectuating will. In the thinking mind, the knowledge or consciousness component is primary, the force is secondary; while in life, force is primary and knowledge has become subconsciousness. (MSS)

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To know theoretically how the infinite details of a finite thing relate to the infinite details of another finite thing or the Infinite is to have the knowledge of the Infinite fully. (MSS)

Gaining Knowledge of Deeper Truths of Life through Higher Consciousness
In life, our knowledge of past and future events, the thoughts, attitudes and intentions of other people, and even much of our own deeper motivations lie beyond the bounds of conscious knowledge. The discovery of the deeper truths of life requires the development of greater self-consciousness and consciousness of others, keen observation of human behavior, and deep insight into human motivation. (MSS, slightly modified)

Ignorance is Fully Overcome by Regaining Knowledge by Identity
Ignorance comes when mind is separated from its spiritual and supramental basis. We overcome this ignorance, our separative knowledge completely when we go beyond just living in the depths in the inner being, the subliminal, but attain an integral knowledge; a knowledge by identity. [That is done by passing through the psychic and spiritual to the supramental transformation.]

This Integral Knowledge already exists in the Integral [Divine] reality. Integral Knowledge is a knowledge of the truth of all sides of existence; in each side, in the relation of each side to the all, and all to the truth of the spirit. The Integral Knowledge can be uncovered (or recovered) by living in our inner self; by the evolution of our being, our nature.

Mind Becoming Pure
When Mind becomes Pure, it accomplishes its work instantaneously.

Mind becomes pure when there is:
-Withdrawal from the identification of thoughts – [which is] Silence.
-Withdrawal from sense identification – [which is] Pure faculties of Mind.
-Withdrawal from Mind [itself], life, Matter are the further stages. (MSS, paraphrased and reorganized)

Mind's Original Capacity, its Descent into Ignorance, and Its Liberation
Mind is of Supermind which has the vision of the whole. Mind being a part of it has the ability to see one part of the whole at one time and can see the other part if it chooses. This is the original capacity of Mind. When it refuses to see the other side, Ignorance is born which is more and more organised as below.

-Mind's identifying with itself is to make the Ignorance entrenched.
-It can identify itself with its workings at a further stage.
-The identification can be extended to life and Matter where Ignorance is full. 

The liberation of the Mind is a reverse process which can start at the mental plane.

-Withdrawal from the identification of thoughts – [which is] Silence.
-Withdrawal from sense identification – [which is] Pure faculties of Mind.
-Withdrawal from Mind, life, Matter are the further stages. (MSS)

Withdrawing Thought; Establishing Silence in Mind
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Illuminations, Intuitions, and Supermental Perception
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General

Levels of Spiritual Mind above Mind
Beyond mind is spiritual mind -- including silent mind, illumined mind where illuminations, light take place; intuitive mind where one has intuitions of knowledge without thought; and supermind, where that object comes from out of nowhere from within.

Moving Beyond Mind to Spiritual Mind
As the mind moves away from its connection to the senses, it utilizes its higher mental functionings, and beyond that functionings of spiritual mind. Knowledge from spiritual mind comes through silence which enables knowledge to spring forth, through illuminations and lights of knowledge, and through descents of the entire object of knowledge as intuitions.

When one lives more within from the depths of our being, less connected to the surface, the senses, we open ourselves to intuitions form the higher planes, giving us direct perception of the object of knowledge. 

Maximizing an Opportunity Presented from the Spiritual Perspective

• A man having an opportunity receives it in his mind or vital which is the part. He has to move to the whole where the spiritual term in the physical consciousness lies.
• Take a man getting a fine investment opportunity and let us trace that path and process here. Let him receive it as an idea of the mind or an interest in the vital.
• All the higher or lower points DO NOT lie in the proposal or in a rising column of his personality from head to foot, but they are all POINTS in his own attitude, not elsewhere.
• In the mind, the idea is a conception.
• He should move away from the conception on two lines, one above and the other down below. It will be a simultaneous movement, a double opening.
• If he gives up the thought of the idea – his mind becomes silent.
• When he tries NOT to understand even through silence – it becomes a vision.
• When he gives up the reliance on light – it changes into a direct intuition.
• When he gives up the medium of Intuition, he gets the pure knowledge of the project unmixed with Ignorance. Still, the ignorance is around.
• By trying to know there is light as a seed in the Ignorance, he moves to the Supermind. (MSS)

The Coming Super-Revolution in Our Ability to Know
The issue of whether a computer can match the current level of thought of a human being is an intriguing one, yet only touches a fraction of our potential to know and secure knowledge in life.

The real question is not whether a computer can match say 100% what humans are now capable of thinking, but whether through elevation of human consciousness we human beings are capable of knowing and cognizing at 10, 100, or even 1000 times greater the level we do now. This is the real Knowledge Revolution that awaits the world.

It may in fact take 50 to 300 years to reach this capacity, as we move from our productive but narrow focused human logic, which is exclusive, partial, and limited, to higher forms of perception through illumination, intuition, and revelation of knowledge; where we garner the truth of any matter from all sides in a flash. This is an example of a new evolution in human functioning that goes far beyond our current capacity to think and know, let alone the very limited capability of a computer/machine, which merely mimics the current limitations of the mind.

Einstein demonstrated this capacity to instantly know the entirety of a matter for a few seconds when the material formula of life -- E=mc2 -- was revealed to him, changing the world forever. Each of us is capable of opening to that universal Mind power not just for a moment, but ongoing throughout our day, creating 10, 100 or 1000 times greater understanding of any object of inquiry. This is the radical revolution of human perception that awaits us. It is a movement beyond the local domain of limited mental reason to the non-local domain of infinite capacity to perceive every and all sides of a matter or issue in an instant. Though it may strike some as science fiction, this capacity is a living reality, particularly for those who have learned to expand their consciousness beyond the limits of human logic, to spiritualized mind and beyond.

Consider these scenarios:

• A research project you are working on that you expect will take a month to complete is finished in two days when you suddenly know the answer to that project’s most compelling problem in a flash.

• An email arrives in your inbox with the complete, multi-sided explanation of an issue that you have been grappling with from one partial angle, reducing your workload from 2 weeks to 2 hours.

• You garner an understanding of a subtle working of life regarding a matter, and as a result, you make the right decision that quickly attracts astonishing results, shortening your effort from months to hours.

These are but a few examples of the future-knowing capacity of humanity; surpassing our current ability by leaps and bounds. It is not merely to use reason to know a thing, but to move into complete identity with its many-sided truth, its totality, and its essence in the blink of an eye. Sounds super-natural? Actually, it is supra-mental, and an indicator of the next stage of human evolution.

Man’s Stages of Inner Growth (away from the outer) & Mind
Man’s stages of inner growth are:

Through meditation and other techniques, we can penetrate our deeper nature, establish Stillness and Silence in the depths of our being, enabling integral knowledge, i.e. the many-sided truth of things to suddenly come into our Minds. It is an indicator of an entirely new way of living, in which the infinite potentials of life are miraculously drawn towards us in the here and now. It is but one glimpse into the next stage of human evolution.

Go Inward to Soul to Move Upward in Mind to Truth
An animal looks around; hears sounds and responds to the situation. Its knowledge is limited to what it perceives through its five senses. Any mental deliberation is limited in large part to this sense data streaming into the mind. We humans inherit this limited capacity. We are prone to see what is around us and come to a wrong conclusion. We arrive on the scene of a police incident and make a conclusion based on what we see. As a result, we come to the completely wrong conclusion, We do that a dozen times a day, and it occurs billions of times an hour across the world, creating a stupendous stream of universal falsehood. More astounding still is the fact that we humans are unaware that it is happening.

However, if we shift our consciousness inward away from the surface bubblings, perturbations and impacts of the visual and audio on the senses, we are better prepared to deliberate on the variety of possibilities before us. I.e. we are more likely to use rational thought, and think about and perceive the variety of possibilities and truths of that moment. Thus, the more inward our orientation, the more likely we will be able to perceive events and come to right conclusions.

As we move deeper within -- whether through concentration, meditation, prayer, etc. -- and away from the surface of life, we are far more likely to consider more than one side of an issue or thing. Thus, we get closer to the truth of that object in that moment. As a result, we have greater knowledge to make right decisions that end in positive outcomes.

And yet we can go deeper still, to the subliminal being and the Evolving Soul within which is in touch with a super-consciousness. As we do so, our mind expands further, as we more frequently have illuminations and visions of insight and knowledge. Archimedes "Eureka, I've got it!" is one famous example, as in a flash he grasped the solution to an issue he was grappling with. It is sudden truth knowledge coming into our thoughts as light. Further still, one can have direct intuitions of the object truth without the need for thought at all. The right knowledge simply appears in our mind, giving us direct access to the object of inquiry or matter. It is direct truth cognition; direct contact with the object of inquiry; and an indicator that we have moved to the deeper parts of our being.

The principle then is simple: the further we move within and distance our self from the frothings of the surface, the more our mind expands. By moving to a deeper consciousness and poise, we move from limited, animal-like sense mind; to rational, logical thinking; to clear thinking in silence; to light, illuminations, and vision; to intuition of truth through direct identity with the object. Thus, the deeper in we go, the higher we climb in the scale of mentality, and thereof far more effective we are in our understanding, decision-making, and actions. It is also the path that will take us from our current human condition to a supramental capacity to change the conditions of life from within.

Thinking, Silence-Understanding, Light-Knowledge, Intuition-Direct Understanding

• As the running thoughts are a disturbance to thinking, thinking interferes with understanding. Understanding is facilitated by SILENCE. It is known by ‘Silent contemplation.’ We often get the answer when we forget the problem or sleep over it.
• The medium for understanding in the human mind is thinking while in the Higher Mind it is silence.
• Knowledge comes to us as lights. We call it enlightenment. Knowledge is the source of light as light is the source of understanding ideas.
• Light reveals the knowledge as visions. The Illumined Mind does this.
• Thinking, Silence, light are the media at different levels to the understanding of the Mind.
• The mind is capable of directly understanding without any of these media.
• Direct understanding is called Intuition.
• The yogi understands by Intuition.
• As the Mind rises, it sheds its lower instruments and takes on higher instruments.
• Finally, it dispenses with all media – instruments.
• Intuition is a rational, natural higher function of our Mind.
• There is mystery about it.
• It becomes mysterious only when we mix thought and emotion.
• Clarity of thought leaves Intuition on its own ground. (MSS)

Spiritual Knowledge Based on Insights
Such spiritual-like experiences, like illuminations and intuitions of knowledge, normally come only after one has done his fact gathering, has a basic knowledge, that has coagulated into insights.

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Decision-making is simple, but a mere formality, once one has acquired the necessary man-sided integral knowledge of the subject or matter at hand. To come to this state, one must move away from the surface and into the depths of our being within, where ego breaks down, separateness dissolves, and connection to the wider universal spheres is enabled. From there knowledge comes readily from all directions; as understanding in silence, as light and illuminations of insight, as complete intuitions of the object of knowledge. Then deciding what is the right course of action from among the possibilities requires the smallest of mental efforts; if any effort at all.

Subtle Perception of All Aspects of a Thing
To observe things from endless points of view reveals is subtle perception that perceives the negatives and the positives in a thing. This enables insight, which can lead to intuitions; i.e. direct descents of the object knowledge into one's mind without thought.

Subtle Awareness of Outer Life
Watch the unfolding of life around you very closely. There is at any moment an indication of what is right and what is wrong; of what is problematic and how it will stay so in the future. It is an inner awareness and perception that enables you to make right decisions and take right actions. It is a marvel to behold.

Living in Depths Enables Experiences of Spiritual Mind
The deeper we live within the more we enable such descents from the various levels of spiritual mind. Also, as we use conceptual mind to analyze gathered thoughts, we gain a greater understanding. If there is a multi-sided perception of those facts, then insight comes about. If we are centered within, then those insights will attract even greater insights as the illuminations, intuitions, and revelations of spiritual mind.

Accomplishment
If we want to be great accomplishers in life, very successful people, bright stars and geniuses in our field, then we must be objective, live deep within, and have our insights coagulate into illumined and intuitive descents of ultimate truths.

Four Ways to Truly Know
The more we are open to the multi-sided facts around us, through our true objectivity of these facts, the more we are able to gain insight from those facts. Second, the deeper we live in our consciousness within, the more likely we are able to be objective in the first place, to be open to all the facts, which in turn gives us the many-sided view, and which inevitably leads to understanding and insights of those facts. Third, the more insight we have, the more the chance of spiritual experience of mind such as illuminations, intuitions, and revelations of knowledge, which enables one to acquire a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional integral knowledge. And fourth, the more we live deep within, the more we open the portals of spiritual mind on an ongoing basis.

Living in Depths Enables Experiences of Spiritual Mind
The deeper we live within the more we enable such descents from the various levels of spiritual mind. Also, as we use conceptual mind to analyze gathered thoughts, we gain a greater understanding. If there is a multi-sided perception of those facts, then insight comes about. If we are centered within, then those insights will attract even greater insights as the illuminations, intuitions, and revelations of spiritual mind.

Two Ways to Spirit
We can know spirit by bursting through mind, through knowledge born of silence, light, illumination, intuition, and revelation. One can also open directly to the spirit by opening to the spiritual Force that is around us everywhere. By opening to the Force consistently in life, we can make all of life a dynamic field of its infinite power and grace, as it descends into our lives, enabling infinite possibilities around us to emerge. Open to the Force, and everything in your daily life works out perfectly, even miraculously.

Spiritual Knowledge Based on Insights
Such spiritual-like experiences, like illuminations and intuitions of knowledge, normally come only after one has done his fact gathering, has a basic knowledge, that has coagulated into insights.

MSS Article
Gradations Between Mind and Intuition

Intuition

Spiritual Mind Overview

Sri Aurobindo explains that there are level of spiritual mind beyond our normal minds; beyond mind proper. There is an ascending scale of mentality that starts with the lower fact-gathering and sense-based mind, that rises higher to that part of mind that expresses sentiments and values, rises higher still to the rational, objective pure mind we have been discussing, and then finally breaks through to spiritual mind. It is in spiritual mind that we have experiences of knowledge through silence, light and illumination and vision, and intuition. It is in those realms that the object of knowledge that we pursue simply drops into our minds without the hard thought-churning processes of mind proper. From these levels of mind we simply know that which we want to know. When we have the intuition, then the information, the object of knowledge we wish to know, enters our mind in full, with all of its details.

Spiritual Mind
Whereas mind proper comprehends the object of a knowledge via an intelligible idea, Higher Mind comprehends by silent observation or reception of the situation, Illumined Mind comprehends the object of knowledge when the idea becomes a vision or light, Intuitive Mind comprehends the object of knowledge through direct communication without the intermediaries of energy, idea, silence or light, and Supermind perceives the object of knowledge by having the object of knowledge within, by being the object, as soon as it tries to comprehend the knowledge, without the need for any communication from the object of knowledge.

Intuition
Intuition is a way of spontaneously knowing a thing in relation to its central, original truth.

Intuitions of Knowledge
Intuition are direct descent of the object knowledge into one's mind without thought.

Intuition
Crossing the faculty of intellect through the aid of insight, one enters the zone of Intuition. (MSS)

Intuition Is Devoid of Falsehood
When one has an intuition the knowledge that instantaneously descends into the mind without thought is true knowledge; i.e. it is without falsehood in it, as ordinary thought can be. It is this way because intuition is a first kind of expression of supramental knowledge in which the inherent truth of a thing is experienced.

Enabling Intuition
To enable intuitions of knowledge one needs to live in Silence, not to exercise thinking, and the acquisition of an attitude of looking at the whole, which can be perceived by taking the other man's point of view. As a result of what was before invisible, will now at once be visible, revealed to you. Intuition which was like magic till then will become as simple as intellect (Paraphrase of MSS)

Benefits of Intuition

• The object of knowledge enters the mind without thought.

• It is in essence direct knowledge.

• The entire object of knowledge enters the mind in a flash

• Instantaneous knowledge. It enables future knowledge in the present.

• It is the source of genius

Spiritual Knowledge Overcomes Duration of Time
When knowledge born of logic or peace or light or intuition and revelation appear in the mind, there is a concrete savings of time; that is, duration begins to disappear as a measurement and principle of existence.

Genius & Intuition

• What we call Genius is intuition in one of the million facets of life.
• Genius belongs to the Intuitive Mind. (MSS)

Conception, Intuition, Genius

• Conception is the highest function of Mind.
• Conception in Silence opens subtle planes. It makes one precocious or even a prodigy.
• Conception changes into vision [illuminations, light] by the mind transcending Silence.
• Mind giving up the media of Silence, light, etc., enables you to get direct knowledge which is Intuition.
• Intuition is the plane of Genius.
• Genius belongs to one aspect of the myriad-faced knowledge which is one of the 12 aspects of the Spirit. (MSS)

Process of Intuition of Next Great Thing by Pioneer in the Organization
The founder of the company has the pioneer vision and intuition of something revealing itself as a new possibility in the society. Even if you are not the founder, you can act in this way as if you were the founder.

Then how does this intuition come about? This process of having the right intuition of what is the next great thing comes to you when you have a wider view, wider than your industry. If you are at the level of the factory, then you must see things from the level of the industry, if at the industry perceive at level of the opportunities in the economy, and from it to the nation as a whole. This will ensure intuition of the new possibilities appearing to you as a vision or revelation.

In essence what is occurring is that you are seeing things from a wider perspective, not from the limited part you now know but from the wider whole. Intuition in essence arises by looking at the part from the view of the whole. (Paraphrase of MSS)

The Process of Revelation of Knowledge
We can witness a process by which an individual moves from thought-based knowledge to revelation of knowledge. After assiduous study and understanding of the many sides of an issue or knowledge, we gain various insights into the object of inquiry. We start to think about the issues, and through logical thinking we understand a bit more. In that session we then stop the logical thinking that produces such insights, and observe what happens next, as revelations and intuitions of knowledge suddenly pour into our minds, without thought. Most powerfully we see that these descents of knowledge are actually dynamically new and synthetic understandings that creatively combine previous insights into a downpour of new revelations of insight into our minds. As a result of that rain of non-thought based insight, we now have a veritable mass of new understanding; one that could have taken years to acquire, but which has now come into the spiritual domain of mind in a few moment of time. This is the future way of knowing, of which a few fortunate individuals are beginning to have experience. 

Insight vs Intuition
Intuition is a greater and more powerful faculty than insight. Insight serves as a door that opens on Intuition. (MSS)

Subtle Perception of All Aspects of a Thing
To observe things from endless points of view reveals is subtle perception that perceives the negatives and the positives in a thing. This enables insight, which can lead to intuitions; i.e. direct descents of the object knowledge into one's mind without thought.

Intellectuality to Insight to Intuition
Intellectuality matures into intuition through insight. (MSS) [e.g. Einstein did not want to debate subjects -- intellectuality -- but gained insight of truths. From those insights he had intuitions of knowledge; as in E-MC². -editor]

Four Types of Intuition
You can train yourself to acquire intuition by reading the chapter in Sri Aurobindo's The Synthesis of Yoga on intuitive mind and systematically learn 1) suggestion, 2) discrimination, 3) inspiration, and 4) revelation. (Paraphrase of MSS)

How Intuition Rises
Intuition in essence arises by looking at the part from the view of the whole. (MSS)

Creativity and Intuition
Creativity enables intuition, which means a fuller perception of the object of any knowledge. This enables even greater knowledge through education, which means greater, faster achievement and prosperity.

Intuitive Knowledge through Conversation
[In referring to Vivekananda's experience:] Intuitive flashes and descents of knowledge and understanding into the mind can come more in conversation than in one's writing. (Paraphrase of Sri Aurobindo)

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When one acquires Intuition, the world will laugh at him and call him crazy. (MSS)

Man’s Stages of Inner Growth (away from the outer) & Mind
Man’s stages of inner growth are:

• [The five] Senses dominate the mind, a pure vital status.
• Mind sifts the senses from facts and acts on pure facts--intellectuality.
• Mind understands, not the senses.
• Mind in meditation can turn off the senses, see, and hear for itself – This is concentration.
• This opens the Mind to insight and intuition.
• Intuition shifting inside from outside becomes supramental intuition (MSS, slightly modified)
   

Also See Intuition as an Expression in Spiritual Mind

Supramental Perception

Supramental perception
Beyond intellectuality, insight, intuition, and overmental perception is supramental perception.

Supermind
The highest plane of spiritual mind is supermind, from which one can have supramental perception of knowledge.

Opening Up the Ranges of Spiritual Mind
... there are several ranges of consciousness between the ordinary human mind and the supramental Truth-Consciousness. [These are the ranges of spiritual mind. -Ed.] These intervening ranges have to be opened up and their power brought down into the mind, life and body. Only afterwards can the full power of the [supramental] Truth-Consciousness work in the nature. (Sri Aurobindo)

Supramental perception
In supermind the entire object of knowledge is known, as in intuition, but the knowledge arises as a creative faculty from within ourselves. It is thus a way of knowing beyond intuition.

Supermind and Knowledge
Beyond spiritual mind is the ultimate truth consciousness of supermind. When we rise to the plane of supermind, the object of knowledge that we seek is simply in us; whereas through intuitions it descends from outside us. In supermind, when we want to know anything, including anything that we did not know before, it simply appears in our minds in total, in full. We embody a knowledge we never had before, perhaps never existed before on earth, as it just appears in our minds, it is just there within us. In that sense we seem to create it from out of nothing! In one sense it never existed before, therefore it has the character of something dynamically new and creative, and therefore enabling ultimate Delight of being.

Supermind which has Total Vision of the One and the Many
The highest instrument of Man is mind, whose vision is partial. Mind can perceive the ONE [i.e. the Divine Source]. It can also perceive the Many [i.e. the creation, the universe]. Mind has no faculty to see both simultaneously. He [Sri Aurobindo] rose above the Mind, reached [the plane of] Supermind, which is capable of a total vision. (MSS, with modification/additions)

Supermind and Truth
In Supermind one is one with the object of truth.

In supermind one knows the objective state of Existence (Sat), which is Truth.

Supermind is the intermediary between the objective state of Sat, i.e. Truth, and the universal and individual consciousness.

Supermind is truth consciousness.

Supramental Perception
The mind can individually see the possibilities, the evolutionary imperative, and the actualities in life. To have the supramental truth consciousness enables us to see these in their integral oneness. (Paraphrase of MSS)

The Supernature of the Gnostic Individual
The Supernature of the Gnostic individual: He will have the character of a Supernature, which consists of a wholeness of sight and action, a unity of knowledge with knowledge, a reconciliation of all that seems contrary, an identity of Knowledge and Will acting as a single power [fused] in perfect unison with the truth of things. (paraphrase of Sri Aurobindo)

Supermind which has Total Vision of the One and the Many
The highest instrument of Man is mind, whose vision is partial. Mind can perceive the ONE [i.e. the Divine Source]. It can also perceive the Many [i.e. the creation, the universe]. Mind has no faculty to see both simultaneously. He [Sri Aurobindo] rose above the Mind, reached [the plane of] Supermind, which is capable of a total vision. (MSS, with modification/additions)

Intuition and Supermind
Intuition (Intuitive Mind) is how supermind expresses most strongly in life. It presents itself through mind. Intuition is in fact the true origin and native substance of our thinking. Yet intuition is not the full expression of supermind (which is beyond the substance of our thinking), but a transition to this stage. Also, in the greatest minds (in genius?) the veil between mind and intuition is thinnest. (Paraphrase of David Hutchinson based on Sri Aurobindo's The Synthesis of Yoga)

Supramental Knowledge
In Supermind we consciously experience a knowledge and its source original object simultaneously in their unity.

Supermental Thinking
In Supermind thinking matures into Intuition in the inside. (MSS)

Supramental Vision
Supramental experience will have the wholeness of vision as against the partial mental vision and will be accompanied by deep inner calm and silence. The characteristic of supramental perception is the causeless joy felt during the vision. One other index of the Supramental is the dimension of Infinity. (Paraphrase of MSS)

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Creative insight that comes as intuition is a distilling of an original Real Idea of Supermind.

Mental vs. Supramental Knowledge to Accomplish
Mind that plans, accomplishes, whereas as vital life may randomly achieve this at best. Planning is a function of mind, which organizes truth, which is actually there already in perfect emergence of Truth and infinite results when one has the supramental perception. Mind attempts to accomplishes through division, what Supermind does in wholeness and oneness. Mind is both an agent of, a lesser ray of the supermind, which it reflects.

Overcoming Ignorance, Dissolution, and Death through Supramental Life
If this Supramental consciousness leads our lives, replacing the ignorance and dividing mechanism of mind, then the exclusivity and separateness are overcome; ignorance is replaced by divine knowledge; and the right balance of energies (of the balance of life force and the form it inhabits) is restored, preventing dissolution, enabling endless life.

Spiritual Truth Vision of Conflict and Contradiction
We overcome the divisions and dualities of life (good and bad, light and darkness, positive and negative, et al), not by knowing them in opposing nature or by trumpeting the triumph of one side over the other, as the western religion’s propound; nor by seeing such conflict and contradictions as maya, illusion, as some eastern religions advocate; but by seeing these pairs in their right complementary relation to one another. This is the spiritual Truth Vision.

Relation Between Events in Moment
One must be able to see any event in terms of every event [around us or in the world], and in terms of the center of life's personality. It means that what happens at a given time all over the world is collectively determined and individually expressed. (MSS)

Intuitive Descents and Supermind
One can get a glimpse of Supermind from the Intuition-level. (Sri Aurobindo)

A Supramental Perception
Siddhartha’s revelation [in Hermann Hesse's book Siddhartha] that in every truth the opposite is equally true is a supramental perception. (MSS)

Expressions of Planes of Consciousness above Mind
Higher Mind of the Muni, Illumined Mind of the Rishi, Intuitive Mind of the yogi, Overmind of the gods, Supermind in Time, Supermind in timelessness are there between Man at the bottom and the Spirit at the top. (MSS)

Taking Another's Point of View as Supramental Perception
Having the ultimate supramental truth consciousness is expressed by taking the other person's point of view. Imagine you have a notion that the other side contradicts in some manner. Now there appears to be division. Then instead of reinforcing your position, which you believe to be right, you shift your consciousness, and see their contribution to the truth of the whole of the topic under discussion. Recognizing the other's contribution to the Whole of the truth is to have supramental perception. We shift from mind, which sees its own slice of a truth, to the wider whole of the truth, which is expressed in part by the other person. This has the effect of moving you to the whole of the truth, being in Identity and Oneness with it, which is secretly what we are seeking.

Taking the Other Person's Point of View
-Taking the other person's point of view is to activate the Supramental element in the mind.
-Taking the other person's point of view is the all-comprehensive power of life that puts the other person utterly at your disposal.... One will find when he succeeds that he will be treated as a VIP of life giving him the feeling for a while that he could accomplish anything he attempts.
-To take the other man’s point of viev is to take the view of life.
-Not to be selfish is to take the other man’s point of view.
-To take the other man’s point of view is to take the view of the Divine. (Paraphrase of MSS)

A Supramental Perception; Everything and the Opposite are True
Siddhartha’s revelation [in Hermann Hesse's book Siddhartha] that in every truth the opposite is equally true is a supramental perception. (MSS)

All is One in Supramental Consciousness
All forces and forms are One from the poise of the supramental consciousness. (MSS)

Also See Supramental Plane
 

Also See Knowledge that is Fused with Knowledge Accomplishes

Oneness, the Whole

Vision of Oneness and the Whole
With the vital and mind we align ourselves to ego, and perceive but fragments and parts of things. With the vision of Oneness one can see each thing in its right relation to the Whole, even as one perceives the Whole itself.

Knowledge
One stage of gaining a knowledge involves the learning of the individual pieces of the puzzle. A second is the interrelating of these parts. A third is the comprehension of the whole in its myriad of diversity while simultaneously perceiving it in terms of the One.

Subtle Awareness of Outer Life
Watch the unfolding of life around you very closely. There is at any moment an indication of what is right and what is wrong; of what is problematic and how it will stay so in the future. It is an inner awareness and perception that enables you to make right decisions and take right actions. It is a marvel to behold.

From Division to Unitary View of Life
At the lowest level of consciousness one sees the world as suffering, pain, ignorance, and failure. At another level higher, everything that is happening appears to be for the best; albeit a limited best. At the very highest plane everything is One; there are no conflicts and divisions, in that both sides of the conflict need one another for the higher emergences.

This is the unitarian view that humans will have in the future. A very few (if any) have it now, enabling ultimate awareness, insight, knowledge, and wisdom which supports endless accomplishment and joy, hence ultimate fulfillment in life.

Truth

See Entries on Truth

Other
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Levels of Perceiving Positive and Negative
In ascending order of Truth one can know:
-The positive in a negative
-That a negative is a positive
-That there is no negative and positive
-That there just IS ness
-That there is Brahman, inclusive and beyond All

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Genius is born of being connected to the Universal, Cosmic Mind and Consciousness. (Paraphrase of MSS)

Mind Will Learn Directly
One great challenge of expressing spiritual experience and knowledge is to portray them in the practical life. Then absorbing and living them becomes easier, especially for those who learn from example, which is the majority of humanity. In the future, as more mentally and spiritually evolved humans, we will simply learn from the original principle which we will absorb simultaneously as our own true understanding and real experience. In other words, mind will learn directly instead of through life.

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To perceive another, including his actions, as an extension of one's own soul is spiritual perception.

Learning  by Taking Another Man's Point of View
No man wants to learn from others. He would rather learn on his own. To learn is to take another man's point of view. Learning is to see that another takes another view of our experience. (MSS)

Mental Courage
Seeing the integral, many-sided truth beyond the accepted and familiar takes mental courage.

Capturing the "Rain of Truth"
A "rain of truth" is constantly descending into our field of awareness, which we can call "the environment." Those who live in the depths within, in their deeper consciousness removed from the surface influences of life, are open it. It reaches the ground of their consciousness enabling them to know the greater truths, which lead to, in any moment in time, new, dynamic, creative, and right understanding, keen insights, and excellent decisions that if acted on end in perfect results. For others, meaning 99.9% of us, that rain of truth evaporates like a shower over the high desert, allowing us to continue on our way in personal, social, universal, and transcend Ignorance.

Open to Real Ideas
Real Ideas are streaming in from the supramental heights of the Supreme. If we are fortunate enough to be open to their influences, we can be instruments of evolutionary, even revolutionary change to the fabric of society.

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CONSCIOUS CHOICE/CHOOSING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION; DECISION-MAKING
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