Philosophy
“To tell the truth, I don’t like mental activity – I have never liked it. I worked a lot in the mind for a time: it was a phase, the phase of mental development when I did philosophy – all philosophies, comparative philosophies – in order to make the intellect more supple. But to tell the truth, it doesn’t interest me. While states of consciousness – movements of consciousness, states of consciousness – that’s tremendously interesting!”[1]
- “Satyendra: Your effort may also end in becoming a religion wanting to convert all. Already there are signs.
Sri Aurobindo: But I have never wanted to start a religion. I have said nothing new in philosophy. In fact, I am not a philosopher by temperament. Richard came and said, “Let us have a synthesis of knowledge.” I said, “All right. Let us synthesise.” I have written everything not from thought but from experience as it developed in my practice of Yoga. I have not cared even to be consistent or to see whether all my thoughts hung together.
Somebody has said that I have a great similarity to Hegel because I used the word ‘synthesis’ and he speaks of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. But I must confess I have no idea of what Hegel says.
Western philosophies are so mental and dry. They seem to lead to nothing, only mental gymnastics trying to find out things like, “What is judgment?” and “What is not judgment?" They appear to be written for the purpose of using the mind, not for finding or arriving at the Truth.
People speak of Platonism as a philosophy. Plato simply expresses what he thought and knew about life and men. You hear of Neoplatonism, etc., etc. I must say I got a shock when I read Adhar Das describing my philosophy as “Aurobindoism”!
- Nirodbaran: It can't be helped. It is a convenient simplification.
- Satyendra: They are entitled to call you a philosopher, for you have followed the tradition of the Acharyas and written about the Veda, the Upanishads and the Gita.
Yes, that is true.
- Besides, each one thinks you support his own school.”[2]
- ↑ Mother's Agenda 1966, 29 October 1966
- ↑ Talks with Sri Aurobindo, p.172, 18 January 1939