Sachchidananda 'The Life Divine' Book I,Ch.9, 10, 11, 12 - Track 307

Question: In other words you can this is a kind of a prayer also.

Answer: Prayer is also concentration.

Question:  Meditation, concentration is all one and same, put in different words.

Answer: Each one has a different affectivity no doubt but basically they are all forms of concentration.

Question: Finally, they will be giving the same result, more or less.

Answer: As Sri Aurobindo says, “King idea, master act and prayer.” All the three basically are identical but in different forms. A king idea, king idea is the supreme idea, master act, the most heroic action and a simple prayer of a child’s heart – all the three can move mountains, either of these three. King idea, master act and prayer, if you combine all the three it will be marvelous but anyone of them can move mountains.

Remark: That what Sivananda is saying in Gems of Prayer, is the same thing.

Answer: Yes, same thing.

Question: Isn’t this silence being called sat that we were discussing.

Answer: Absolutely. What we discussed now the stability is what is called sat. In fact this whole chapter “The Pure Existent” is the chapter on sat.

Question: So that it means we have not touched on the other two aspects.

Answer: Not yet, we are still in the elementary stage of the argument. We are just trying to see whether rationally, rationally that was our whole question, intellectually can you prove the existence of God and we said if God means sat, if God means stability then you have proved now. At least sat we have proved; something more also needs to be proved but that we shall come to. At least we have proved by reason we have proved that sat exists. Reality is sat.

I would suggest that actually now you have reached a stage, where I would really like you to read the Chapter 9 of The Life Divine. You have now become ripe enough to read this Chapter 9. It would not be as difficult as it normally is but with this background, not fully as yet, you will still find difficulties. With the next lecture it would become much easier but already if you can start reading it, you will know where the difficulty is. You will have some more food for thought so I would suggest to you, I don’t know if everybody has got this book or not. If you don’t have, kindly have it.

Question: Is there any difference we realise by reason to senses thing or of the spiritual level, is there any reason you feel or is it the same?

Answer: It is quite different. Rationally you are obliged to say that stability must be but if anybody ask you feel about it, you have no answer because reason does not give the experience of stability. You can now at least comprehend to some extent. It is called buddhi grāhyam.

Question: But it does not satisfy, so that experience must emerge.

Answer: As Sri Aurobindo says, “Our consciousness looks at Reality through two eyes always – through the eye of the idea, i.e. reason and through the eye of experience.” And although to the idea it is self-sufficient but to the totality of the being it is not sufficient. You are not totality to the being. To the reason it is complete, it is incorrigible but to the totality of your being merely proving this does not give you satisfaction. You must now really touch that permanent. You must really experience that silence, then you will be really satisfied. So what we have done is only at the intellectual level because that is also very important. Intellectually, you are quite convinced that such a thing must be. Now it can give you a great push if it is, I can experience it; therefore, my basis for sadhana becomes permanent without doubt. At least rationally you cannot doubt it.

Question: How long those periods of silence last usually?

Answer: No, once you really enter into it, it is permanent but until you reach that point sometimes it rests only for a short while and again we are in the turmoil of the world but we have to continue all the time more and more and more and more. The whole being should become filled with that peace and silence.

Question: Physically even if you are sitting in the world or present in the talks and everything but inside, you can say atma se if you are quiet inside then you always remain in that state, I suppose.

Answer: Yes, quite true.

Question: And you don’t get also involved in all the worldly matters.

Answer: Yes, quite true. It is already an experience of the stability.

Question: Even with your children or what they do, you don’t get disturbed.

Answer: Quite right, very true.