Fourth Sunday Programme, 24th November 2013: Siddhi Day
We gathered to observe Siddhi Day at 6pm. The altar looked immaculate with sweet, pastel coloured orange roses arranged lovingly against sentinels of green palm leaves. After meditation with Sunil-da's New Year music, two passages from ‘Prayers and Meditations’ were read followed by the reading of the Darshan message from Ashram. We then observed a minute of silence in prayer for the departed soul of Mr. Lok, the Co-Vice-Chairperson of the Society who passed away last Tuesday, 19th November 2013. Then Jared read selections from Sri Aurobindo's ‘Future Poetry’, explaining rhythm and meter. We then settled down to listen to the recorded recitation of Book 2, Canto 15 of ‘Savitri’: “The Kingdoms of the Greater Knowledge”, by Shradhavan, Savitri Bhavan.
It was a quite an experience listening to the recitation, as it was presented. Silence was invoked with each line and something of the grandeur in the lines danced around the syllables. There was a soothing overtone of calm. Harmony impregnated the recitation, which in itself was a sweet offering, it felt.
First Sunday Programme 1st December 2013: Readings from ‘Steps to Freedom and Mastery’ and OM choir,
We read the passage, ‘Being constantly awake’. It made us recall our many moments when we do not really, exactly know why we did something or why we thought of something. It was about being aware of our every movement and the motivations behind these movements. The message was this:
“To be in this state of attentive observation, you must have, so to say, antennae everywhere which are in constant contact with your true centre of consciousness. You register everything, you organise everything and, in this way, you cannot be taken unawares, you cannot be deceived, mistaken, and you cannot say anything other than what you wanted to say. But how many people normally live in this state? It is this I mean, precisely, when I speak of “becoming conscious”. If you want to benefit most from the conditions and circumstances in which you find yourself, you just not do things without knowing why, you must not say things without knowing why. You must be constantly awake.” - The Mother
We had a session of OM choir before concluding this session with concentration on New Year’s music.
Second Sunday Programme, 8 December 2013: Bases of Yoga Reading Circle
A group of 11 were in the circle at one time. After a while of concentration with New Year's music and the reading of a prayer from The Mother's ‘Prayers and Meditations’, we formed our circle. We began with the second chapter, Faith-Aspiration-Surrender. The passages dealt with human tendencies and how they pose as bars to an alignment of one's life with higher aims and goals and their realization. The demands of the yoga were laid out clearly. At the final analysis, faith and surrender were offered as signposts and a source of strength and propulsion. It was also laid out clearly that the evolution happened from within oneself. Here is a passage we read, to contemplate on:
"You must go inside yourself and enter into a complete dedication to the spiritual life. All clinging to mental preferences must fall away from you, all insistence on vital aims and interests and attachments must be put away, all egoistic clinging to family, friends, country must disappear if you want to succeed in Yoga. Whatever has to come as outgoing energy or action, must proceed from the Truth once discovered and not from the lower mental or vital motives, from the Divine Will and not from personal choice or the preference of the ego."
Third Sunday Programme, 15 December 2013: Readings on Bases of Yoga
A total of thirteen members formed the circle this evening. We continued with Chapter Two: Faith-Aspiration-Surrender, from pages 25-30. We read nine passages. The highlight of today's readings was that man is unable to surmount his difficulties himself, through his own force and strength and means but rather, it is the Divine who helps and saves. This called for the loosening of the hold of the ego and to direct an ardent aspiration upwards to the Divine, to allow the Divine to do His work on the human nature. This brought us to the next question which was personal effort. We are cautioned not to leave everything to the Divine and absolve ourselves from all action. The advice is, “At present to give up personal effort is not what is wanted, but to call in more and more the Divine Power and govern and guide by it the personal endeavour".
Here is another passage for contemplation: "It does not matter what defects you may have in your nature. The one thing that matters is your keeping yourself open to the Force. Nobody can transform himself by his own unaided efforts; it is only the Divine Force that can transform him. If you keep yourself open, all the rest will be done for you."
Prayer meeting in remembrance of the late Mr. Lok Kek Seng, 22 December 2013
It was a gathering well attended by many Society members and the family and friends of late Mr. Lok. Elaine, Mr. Lok's youngest daughter read a beautiful prayer from The Mother's ‘Prayers and Meditations’ and began the session. The eulogies delivered painted the picture of a quiet, selfless and sincere child of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Mr. Lok's special feeling for the Ashram and Auroville was oft-mentioned and so too his reverence for ‘Savitri’ and the ‘Bhagavad Gita’.
Two members concluded the session by reading passages from ‘Savitri’, namely, from Book 7, Canto 1, “The Ordeal of the Foreknowledge of Death” and from Book 1, Canto 3, “The Yoga of The King”.
Here are some lines from Book 1, Canto 3 to contemplate upon for the week :
This bodily appearance is not all;
The form deceives, the person is a mask;
Hid deep in man celestial powers can dwell.
His fragile ship conveys through the sea of years
An incognito of the Imperishable.
A spirit that is a flame of God abides,
A fiery portion of the Wonderful,
Artist of his own beauty and delight,
Immortal in our mortal poverty.
The day’s gathering at the Centre was poignant and dignified and spoke much of the departed soul for whom the prayer meeting took place
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