AT THE FEET OF THE MOTHER
Ask Alok da

I am drawn to the Mother’s teachings, and for the past couple of years spent quite some time reading and taking notes on a variety of subjects. I now feel that I have read enough and it is time for me to start living them. ๐Ÿ“š๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป […]

I am doing that, slowly and steadily, notably in work and in parenting. Also, with regard to my health, I am making efforts to regularly exercise, eat a good diet, etc.

The Mother herself said this: “It is best to live a Divine teaching”.

I see that a lot of her statements, one-liners, have profound practical value. To which I wonder: the whole world can benefit from this; not necessarily in the spiritual context, but purely in terms of practicality. I consider myself lucky to have access to this wealth of information due to my family background, which used to have calendars of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo’s books in the house. Perhaps that is what drew them to me. What about others in the World, who are looking to improve themselves and make progress- how can they have access to this knowledge?

Your aspiration as well as anguish is quite understandable. Yes, there are so many things in the writings of Sri Aurobindo that would be of immense benefit to anyone regardless of whether one takes up the yoga or not. There is so much in the field of personal growth in several ways, so much of deepest wisdom in fields of education, parenting, self-development, sports, and knowledge of different kinds that can truly enrich human life. But I suppose mankind, in general is too lazy, especially when it comes to knowledge. Most human beings read for information or as entertainment, apart from the study of subjects related to jobs and money. Reading for expanding the frontiers of knowledge is not so common. Even interest in philosophy and spiritual books, scriptures is more often a formality rather than a result of seeking. The real challenge is the kindling of interest in a higher, more complete and comprehensive view of life and creation itself.ย 

If the interest is awakened, then comes the question of access through the availability of books and websites. Another way is online as well as offline study groups. That is not uncommon in India but is missing in other parts of the world. Maybe one day the seeking will be there as people see the inadequacy of established ideas and feel the thirst for a more complete and integral knowledge.ย 

Affectionately,

Alok Da

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