Introduction

Harmony, Oneness, Union
Harmony is one level of integration. Oneness is a higher level of harmony. Unity is higher still, representing an integral complexity of Oneness.

Overview

Harmony
-Harmony is a principle of higher consciousness where all is in each and each is in all.
-Harmony is productive and disharmony is destructive. Harmony is desirable on any showing. (MSS)

Harmony
Harmony is to balance all interests through a greater awareness that uplifts all divided parties into something to a greater truth that all can benefit from.

Harmony
Harmony is the coming together of disparate elements for common purpose; it is the moving together of varied or opposing forces, and emerging in a higher truth (not merely a compromised truth). The value of Teamwork is one example of harmony, as is Organization. Harmony is such noble and elevated a value that it can be considered a spiritual value.

Harmony and Oneness of Life
Harmony is an expression of life that belongs to the highest spiritual aspect of oneness of being, of all life.

Oneness of Life Behind Harmony
This higher awareness, this new born higher harmony is rooted in the deeper unity and oneness that is there behind all of life. Behind the outer chaos and randomness we come to see that there is an inherent connection between all forces and entities in the universe. There is a harmony, unity, and oneness between every one and every thing, bound together by the same divine spark and essence. 

Freedom and Harmony
The two conditions of healthy progress for the individual, the group, and the society are freedom and harmony. This expresses the two aspects of Variation and Oneness in the universe.

Freedom is Basis of Harmony
Freedom is the basis of harmony. (MSS)

Solutions to Problems and Harmony
For all problems of existence are essentially problems of harmony. (Sri Aurobindo)

Movement of Existence to Greater Harmony
All of existence is moving towards greater and greater degrees of reconciliation, unity, and harmony.

Mental Man Seeks Cooperation Instead of Brutality of Physical Man
The physical man is a brute. To him, might is right. His dharma is to crush the other person, as he is taken as a rival or enemy. The mental man certainly does not resort to liquidating the other, though he too may view him as a rival. He seeks the cooperation of the rival, tries to be rational, works towards a compromise. That way, humanity becomes civilised. That is the path to enjoy greater comforts. Moving from the physical to the mental, man becomes vastly more productive and consequently affluent.

The principle behind this fact is harmony is productive and disharmony is destructive. Harmony is desirable on any showing. (MSS, extracted)

Reconciliation of Problems through Higher Harmony

All Problems are Problems of Harmony
Sri Aurobindo said that all problems in life are problems of harmony.

All Problems are Problems of Harmony
For all problems of existence are essentially problems of harmony. (Sri Aurobindo)

All Problems in Life are Problems of Harmony 
If we look across the spectrum of life and existence we can see that all problems can be solved by creating higher degrees of harmony. That is true for the individual, the society, the world, and the universe. 

We can view any situation where there is a problem and see how creating a greater degree of harmony between the parties involved can solve the problem. For example, when there is a vast reservoir of food in one part of the world and not in the other, then the problem is not of abundance, but of working out greater balance and harmonies between nations. 

Harmony does not mean to compromise. It means to use a higher understanding to find a true reconciliation between the opposites we encounter, for all opposites are portions of a Oneness that seeks expression through the diverse play of their opposition. Constantly strive to find the widest and most encompassing harmony in all that you do. 

Harmony to Solve Problems
We can view any situation where there is a problem and see how creating a greater degree of harmony between the parties involved can solve the problem. For example, when there is a vast reservoir of food in one part of the world and not in the other, then the problem is not of abundance, but of working out greater balance and harmonies between nations. 

Harmony and Reconciliation of Opposites
Harmony does not mean to compromise. It means to use a higher understanding to find a true reconciliation between the opposites we encounter, for all opposites are portions of a Oneness that seeks expression through the diverse play of their opposition.

Reconciliation and Harmony
Reconciliation is in the outer existence. From within in our deeper consciousness we create harmony. Harmony is preferable to reconciliation. It is in fact the best basis for it.

Harmony
Harmony is one of the highest personal values one can have in life. It is so noble and elevated a value that it is practically a spiritual value. Harmony is the desire for all things to work out in calm and perfection, for people to work together in collaboration, and for opposing forces to work themselves out in a higher truth (not merely a compromised truth).

-Consider situations where have witnessed or are witnessing great conflict -- among points of view, among individuals -- and think about how it can be resolved. Take a small step to feel the importance of harmony, and see if you can harmonize in your mind even one conflict.

-Make harmony a permanent personal value that you believe in and practice. Over the next few days and weeks notice points of conflict that appear in your work and life and seek to implement a higher truth, or point of view, or action in each situation that can harmonize the opposing ideas, conflicts between people, and other forms of opposition.

In Harmony with, Not Disturbing the Equilibrium of Objects and the Environment
-He who runs through his work, living in harmony with his environment will not suffer from it. The environment offends, when MAN disturbs its equilibrium.

-To a skilled workman, his tools are sacred. Those tools do not offend the workman as they are his extended fingers. Men who treat the tools as objects often cut their fingers.

It is the experience in coconut gardens that nuts do not fall on the men who tend the trees. Not even the heavy leaves of the trees hurt men living there. It is a rule of life. Objects are alive. They receive the attention of the men who water the fields, use the tools, clean the weeds, etc. Material objects are grateful to the attention they receive and take care NOT to hurt the men.

One of the workers had a severely shaking head. On questioning him, it was discovered that he was employed to clear a coconut garden of its trees so that the land could be converted into plots. No wonder the coconut fell on his head and it was shaking since then. Material objects do not hurt us if we do not hurt them. (MSS, arrangement modified somewhat) 

Rising to Our Heights to Establish Harmony
For all to agree, each one must rise to the summit of his consciousness: it is on the heights that harmony is created. (The Mother)

Living Within Enables Harmony
Living within you are more in harmony and unity with the environment, with others, with the emerging truths in the atmosphere.

Harmony through Yoga
Through Yoga [personal growth, evolution, and transformation] one attempts to achieve harmony between the inner and outer, between the parts of being. (Paraphrase of MSS)

Harmony Overcomes Selfishness
Recognition of others and harmony with them helps overcome selfishness. (MSS)

Goodwill and Harmony
Goodwill is a vibration and movement of life that is itself a subset of the even higher vibration of harmony. Harmony is an expression of life that belongs to the highest spiritual aspect of oneness of being, of all life. Minimally the individual can express harmony by being courteous and polite. Though it is certainly helpful to be polite and well-mannered, it has little significant power in life. Harmony expresses itself at a much more intense level through one's good will towards others, as we have discussed. This should be the minimum standard for how we interact with others in life. 

See Work from Other's Point of View that Generates Harmony
To approach a work from another man's point of view is a powerful principle for success in life and work. To approach it from our own point of view only will generate conflicts and produce low results. To approach the same from another man's point of view is generative of harmony, producing maximum results.

Teamwork
Teamwork is physical. At the next level, is an attitude of cooperation with others. (MSS)

Harmony is Basis of Affluence
Harmony is the basis of affluence. (MSS)

Before Truth is Harmony
Before Truth is harmony. Working for harmony will help very much. (MSS)

Harmony and Accomplishment

The Infinite Power of Harmony

There are a number of expressions of the Spirit in life. Silence, Being-ness, Truth, Wisdom, Timelessness, Infinity, Goodness, Love, Beauty, and Delight are several. Perhaps the most essential and basic is Harmony, whose higher expression is Oneness and Unity of being. For the Infinite consciousness, every and all things are interlocked in an essential Harmony and Oneness. And yet out of that essential Unity, a universe of infinitely diverse forms was created, including we humans. It is the same in our own individual and collective lives. When we bring greater harmony to bear through our relationship with others and the world, we generate a vast creative power for accomplishment for ourselves and others.

Take modern day Europe, where the Euro has suddenly become the world's strongest currency. That's the case because several nations came together to forge a financial alliance: in essence, a collaborative movement of harmony. That harmonic effort has produced a financial instrument that has garnered the greatest respect and purchasing power in the world. It is the power that harmony generates that has propelled the Euro to its lofty position.

On the other hand, across the channel, the British have been unwilling to participate in the Euro, putting its own purchasing power at risk. Even the mighty US currency has fallen behind the Euro. Subconsciously perceiving the power of collaboration and cooperation (two practical expressions of harmony) now the Asian financial community is considering a currency of its own. If they adopt it, it will likely generate a (further) boon for that region as well. This suggests that a global currency would create infinite-like financial and economic well-being for the world, since it would issue from a higher harmony that integrates all nations.

Wherever harmony is created, energy and power is released. When the colonies of the US came together over 200 years ago, it resulted in the greatest economic, political, and military power in world history. But it is not only nations that gain power when disparate elements come together. So do other collectives -- including institutions, businesses, communities, down to the individual family. The more harmony created among their parts and people, the greater the power and results generated.

Harmony intensifies the positive bonds between people and things, focusing energy and releasing power for accomplishment. We can see this in macro events like nations forming, but also in micro events such as our daily work experiences. For example, we have all participated in meetings over the course of our careers. When most successful, it is often because a deeper connection and bond was created among the staff -- e.g. through mutual respect, by genuinely focusing on the contributions of others, and via collaborative decisions for future action. When we come out of these meetings, our energy skyrockets and our work efforts produce impressive results. In essence, the harmonic movement has created a new burst of collective energy now shared by each participant -- enabling individual and collective achievement. Interestingly that success often comes about through instances of sudden good fortune.

Similarly, any two individuals are capable of creating this sort a harmonic bond. For example, greater harmony in romantic relationships can produce the deepest form of love between partners. Each lover's willingness to forget him or herself, adoring the other for its own sake can generate a tidal wave of romantic energy resulting in an intense bond and affection that can last a lifetime.

The opposite of harmony is each party moving in its own direction, focusing on its own interests at the expense of the needs of the ''Other,"� attracting negative conditions. For example, when the fascist juggernaut began to move across Europe at the outset of WWII, the ''good"� nations were unable to collaborate in any coherent way. That lack of harmony strengthened the enemy, who were then able to run roughshod across the continent. It was only the extreme collaboration and bravery of the British people, and the cooperative effort of the US and Europe that saved the world from that greatest of all evils.

The question is then how can we be in that state of consciousness that would allow us to be more connected and One with life around use. The answer is that the more we live in the deeper parts of our being, rather than the surface of life, the greater will be our affinity, connection, and harmony with our surroundings, including the people we interact with.

But how do we move to that silent state, that witness consciousness that would enable to us feel more connected with the world and others? We can begin to build that new inner status by constantly opening ourselves to the spiritual Force. When we offer and consecrate upcoming activities in our lives, offering that act to the Higher Power, not only are the conditions of life quickly set right, but we develop an ever-wider opening to our deeper Self. As we come to know those profound Silent and Still parts within, we experience an ever-increasing bond with things outside ourselves, including the situations we encounter and the people we interact with. As a result of these harmonic experiences, we not only generate a vast power for success, but deep inner joy and fulfillment.

This being the case, why not ask yourself this: In what areas of my life can I create greater harmony? If you determine what that is and then make a sincere effort to bring it about, you will not only generate a vast power for accomplishment, but you will experience deep, inner fulfillment, as the separation between yourself and life will melt away into a blissful Oneness.

Harmony is Basis of Affluence
Harmony is the basis of affluence. (MSS)

Other

True Inner Silence
I have heard from many devotees that though they want harmony with others their efforts end in failure with the other persons provoking quarrels and picking fights even when the devotee keeps silent. The other person could be the spouse, another colleague at work spot or another devotee they meet at the center or even a neighbour.

Very often the failure comes because the physical silence that the devotee practices is not backed by true inner silence. The devotee though not openly quarrelling will be criticizing the other person in his or her mind all the time. This silent criticism sends out vibrations of disharmony all the time which the other person responds to and provokes what the devotee thinks is an uncalled for quarrel. But it is the vibration coming from the devotee that is causing the mischief. We may take rotten food away from the dining table so that others do not see them and put them away in the kitchen. But the smell of rotting food floats from the kitchen and enters the dining hall and disturbs people. Silent criticism is like rotten fruits and disturbs the other person just as effectively as open quarrelling. Life is far more subtle than we think. What we do not speak out is sensed by life as vibrations and they are just as real to life as spoken words.

In P&P Elizabeth has silently criticized Darcy so many times throughout the story. Suddenly out of the blue she finds Lady Catherine visiting her and showering a rain of abuse on her leaving her bewildered. How will she ever know this is what she gets as life response for the incessant silent criticism of Darcy that has been going on her head for so many months. She may never see the connection. But at least we devotees should know this connection and see that we do not commit this mistake when we strive for harmony with others.

Let any devotee who wants true harmony with others stop this silent criticism and then he or she will see the results. (N. Asokan, MSS)

Oneness and Unity

Harmony, Oneness, Union
Harmony is one level of integration. Oneness is a higher level of harmony. Unity is higher still, representing an integral complexity of Oneness.

The Oneness of Being
Behind all existence is a Oneness of being, whose origin and intelligence is the Spiritual Reality.

Oneness of Life
All is One, but we see the world in divisions and dualities. It is a product of our lower consciousness. As we rise in consciousness, we see the Oneness of all things, and the utility of all things in life.

Moving from Divided to View of Oneness
Man was created as a divided being. That is his perception. However, all of life is One. All things that occur are an unfolding of a Divine intention. When he rises in consciousness, he perceives the Oneness that is the foundation of existence.

Observing the World's Oneness
Observe the world around you. Everything is constantly emerging in terms of space and time. Now reexamine the same, and sense the Oneness. Sense beyond the divisions that mark moments to moments, beyond the physical spatiality. Now you are taking a step closer to how God "sees" the world.

Discovering the Oneness of Life

Source of Ego: The Separation from the Oneness with the Creator
The whole error of the tradition is to think of man as different from creator, the Brahman. They are one. When man thinks of himself as separate from the Creator, ego is born and all that comes with it, especially the sense of powerlessness. To KNOW that we are THAT and we create our own world is a liberating knowledge. (MSS)

The Vision of Oneness that All is Necessary
Each and every thing in life is a necessary player in the Play unfolding. There are no exceptions. This is the vision of Oneness.

The Oneness Beyond Dualistic View of Life
The divisions and dualities of life that we perceive, are an illusion of our lower nature. As we rise in consciousness, we see that all is One, that the dualities are really complementary pairs.

Man's Evolution and Oneness at Various Planes
When man evolves, the dualities seen at the lower planes, of ego, will reunite, as they are in the higher planes. From the view of the higher planes, there is not even division of the lower planes now.

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.

Man's Evolution and Oneness at Various Planes
When man evolves, the dualities seen at the lower planes, of ego, will reunite, as they are in the higher planes. From the view of the higher planes, there is not even division of the lower planes now.

Seeing Oneness of Life
Through Oneness we see life as it is, rather than how we would like it to be.

Oneness
When we experience all existence as One, the Oneness of the universe relative to spirit; when we know the Omnipresent Reality, Brahman; then we see that the divisions, dualities, and separations of existence are not so, but are really relations of Oneness.

Unitarian Consciousness
The spiritual plane can be reflected in our lives at first as silence, light, and intuition. At more advanced levels it is expressed as a unitary consciousness, where all conflicting thoughts, ideas, events, and life circumstances are reconciled into a greater harmony.

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

Seeing the Unity of Brahman
-Brahman is the spirit, the creation, and their integration; even beyond that. It is the Absolute, the Omnipresent Reality]
-We fail to see the truth and oneness of Brahman because we live on the surface of life. Not living in the depth we live in our minds which only sees the part and not the whole. When we move deep within, away from the surface, and rise above mind to spiritual mind and supermind, we will know Brahman in its Oneness; i.e. see the Becoming in terms of the Being, the Many in terms of the One, the Universe in terms of the pre-universe of Existence, Conscious-Force, Delight, Time in terms of Timelessness, three dimension of time (past, present, and future) as one, and the resolution or even the non-existence of the contradictions of Nature.

Inner Oneness
Surface relations are an expression of inner oneness. The connection between external events exists because division is only on the surface of life, consciousness and existence. Beneath the surface, there is oneness of consciousness and being. We see separate and apparently individual actions and people on the surface, but underneath there are movements of a common force and one consciousness expressing through multiple forces and forms. That which moves from one person to another or one event to another is a force or vibration of a single underlying being and intention, social or spiritual, just as the different words and actions of an individual emanate from the same being.

The Oneness of Adams and Jefferson
In the 8-part series on the life of the second president of the United States, John Adams -- a man who helped forge the nation -- there is a starling finale. For several years after his loving wife's death, he kept up an intense dialogue with Thomas Jefferson via post. Though they worked closely on bringing the nation together, and collaborated in their respective presidential administrations, they were also rivals. They even ran against one another for president. Sometimes their philosophies would converge; on occasion, they would clash.

What then was the startling finale? Because their correspondence was so intense, they ended up dying on the very same day. Not only that, but it was on July 4th, the birthday of the nation. Moreover, the day they died was the 50th anniversary of the birth of the nation! On the surface, it seems like a startling coincidence, yet if you see how closely they were in their correspondence, they had almost become two halves of the same person. The energies, forces, and vibrations were so intense; and their interlocking relationship so powerful, that they deceased on the same famous day. Because they were so far apart -- one in Massachusetts, the other in Virginia; and were too old to visit one another regularly -- they each had a bust of the other in their room to help them envision one another. We can imagine them each looking at, talking to their respective friend's bust as they penned their plethora of letters.

Two men had thus practically become One -- in mental thought, in spirit, almost in body. In our lives, the Oneness between ourselves and others also beckons us. However, we are too caught up in our separate selves to perceive those outside our own physical being. Though we do come together intensely in love love, --whether for spouse or children or friend -- that in part merely fulfills our ego. It is more difficult to experience that oneness with other people we come in contact with, where a business associates or a casual acquaintance. To share that Oneness in that way would mean that we have abandoned our separative nature, our ego, so that we are able to bridge the divide between us and move in harmony; experience oneness and unity with our environment and those around us.

However, we can only reach that state when we move away from the surface of life and discover our deeper parts within. There we find silence, and further still our own True Nature and Soul. From there we experience a universal state in which we feel deep commonality with the world around us, including the people we come in contact with. It was there that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson met and found harmony of being, despite their being so many miles apart.

Oneness in Our Being
Our goal is to achieve oneness in our being; thereby overcoming our divided nature. In that process we become realized, transformed individuals, experiencing the unending joy and delight of being.

Inner-Outer Correspondence
We see he division between ourselves and the world around us; i.e. as two separate entities. They are not so; they are one. That is why when we change our consciousness within, life instantly responds in kind on the outside. This is the principle of inner-outer correspondence in action.

Additional Thoughts on Inner-Outer Correspondence

Vision of Oneness of Spirit and Matter
We see Matter and Spirit as two separate aspects. They are actually One; part and parcel of one another. This is the vision of the Whole; of Oneness; of the Absolute, Brahman.

Oneness and Multiplicity of Oneness as Highest Consciousness
What is the telling criteria that indicate that one has embodied the highest consciousness? It is that one has the vision of the Oneness of all things, even as one sees the infinite potentialities of expression of that One in life. As one variation of this, consider the sannyasins, that lover of the Divine apart from life, who experiences a oneness of existence, and on the other, the material Westerner, who has supported the emergence of the infinite material in life. Now merge these together and you will have, in one sense, the embodiment of that very highest consciousness. To have this double perception and consciousness is an indicator of our ultimate evolutionary destiny.

Raising our Consciousness Resolves the Contradictions
The great contradictions we see in life between spirit and matter we resolve by raising our consciousness to the point where we see their opposites in their inherent unity and oneness.

The Power of Union
The power of division is unsteady and impermanent. Union works for a steady power and a harmonious future. (The Mother)

Oneness and Unity
Life moves towards ever higher levels of oneness and unity:

• among the planes of the individual on the vertical scale from the physical to vital to mental
• among mind, psyche, life, and body
• among our thoughts, feelings, and actions
• between one's inner consciousness and the world outside one
• between ourselves and others
• between our own unfolding and the unfolding of life around us
• between our own unfolding and the Divine unfolding
• by moving from the divisions we see on the surface to their inner oneness behind
• by movements out of ego, separateness, falsehood, and ignorance
• from our current understanding to the Integral Knowledge and Truth
• between ourselves and the True Self within
• by seeing that our inner contains the outer of the universe
• between our goals, objectives (including values) and their realization
• between the individual and one's own collectives, including the family, community, nations, and society
• between and among collectives, such as communities, organizations, nations, and societies
• through the unfolding of local, regional, and global events
• by seeing problems of life as just problems of harmony, coordination, and integration
• in the relationship among the individual, the universal, and the transcendent
• from out of the contradictions of life to their reconciliations
• through ever increasing forms of diversity
• between art, beauty, ethics, and their underlying Truth
• by bringing the Being/Spirit into the Becomings of life
• through our uniting of the Spiritual One that is the Source of creation, and the Many forms of the creation (by seeing this unity of Brahman, the Absolute)
• by embracing the divisions and dualities of existence
• by embracing the positive and negative
• by embracing the complements of freedom and harmony
• by accepting all that unfolds in life as serving a purpose
• through coordination and integration of all forms and forces in the universe
• through our growth, development, evolution, and transformation as a species
• by availing of the Spiritual Force that is there for us
• etc.

Harmony of Supramental Plane
The three terms of the Supramental [truth consciousness] plane are unity, harmony and mutuality.

See Thoughts on the Oneness of Life in Creation

See Thoughts on an Society's Movement Toward  Oneness and Unity