In commemoration of our Society’s 40th Anniversary this month, we produce here excerpts of a speech by the first Chairperson of the Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore, Mr Tay Joo Teck, delivered in April 1975. From time -to -time, it does well to reflect on our association with the Society and this article may be a good starting point on this special occasion.
We come to join the Society for various reasons. Some have joined hoping to find relief from the pressure of their hectic life, the suffering in the world. Some have joined seeking for knowledge of the truth, some for social gregariousness and, of course, some have come simply to wonder how an earthly NTUC man could suddenly become a spiritual seeker. Whatever be the reason, it doesn't matter whether it is good or bad, it is a start to something new to come. But I think it is essential to make our first object clear so that we don't wander into side lanes and circles. This is not a society formed for social service, or for collecting funds to help the needy, or for getting to know each other on a social basis, or even to get publicity for Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo did not care two buttons whether his name was known or not in his lifetime.
Our first object shall be to hold at least intellectually that we, in our present nature, are an imperfect creation, that there is a perfect spiritual reality behind our present limited physical senses. This perfect spiritual reality within all beings, all things, all happenings, we may call it the Truth, Divine, God, Christ, Allah, Buddha or by whatever name we like, it does not matter what mental construc¬tion we give it, for it is not, as our premise first holds a Reality which can be proved by our senses, mental logic or any empirical means. This Reality can only be proved by a higher instrument which we do not normally possess.
Here I would like to relate to you a Zen Story. A young fish once went to an old fish and asked, "Dear respected and wise one, I have heard so much about the sea, and I pray to you to tell me what it is and where it is." The old fellow wagged his tail but did not know what to say. Show him the sea? How ? After a while he said, "The sea is above you, around you, under you, within you, you see the sea, you eat the sea, you touch the sea, you breathe the sea, and yet I cannot show you the sea." So it is with the Spirit, it is useless we ask what is this Spirit, where is this Spirit? Our first object shall be to form ourselves into a like minded group and to strive sincerely to become an instrument fit to realise this Reality within us. In other words, a spiritual change of our present imper¬fect nature.
It is quite apparent that we do not become spiritual beings by joining the Society. There is often a tendency in members of a spiritual society to act in a holier-than-thou manner, to behave like spiritual supermen or pretend to act righteous and virtuous on a social basis. .. Being a member of the Society does not make one a holy man. On the contrary, it is because we realise we are imper¬fect that we have come to Sri Aurobindo, there is no need to otherwise. And if we are sincere to ourselves, the deeper we strive to realise this spiritual change in our nature, the more conscious we will become of the imperfections in ourselves. We shall also realise that this vain pretension of wanting to look virtuous in the eyes of others, is a bondage to our imperfect nature, a root cause of many self-created sufferings.
The Mother once said, if we have never told a lie we are already the Truth, if we have been perfectly sincere, we are already the Divine. Since we are not the Truth and the Divine, there is no need to pretend that we are so. But to strive and aspire for the Truth, and move forward in stages.
So far, during the past year, through our effort of reading Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's books, and listening to the monthly talks, we have generally come to grasp intellectually what Sri Aurobindo's message is all about. But intellectually is not enough. We should now try to live this message. An inner change in ourselves is the first essential need but it must also be expressed in our outer activities.
This is more easily said than done. In a society like Singapore, we find ourselves on the other side of the coin. Everything, men, women, cars, houses, dogs and gods are valued in term of dollars and cents, anything which cannot be thus valued is of no value. We talk of higher values which we cannot even define. We talk of more gracious living, like listening to music and buying a few paintings which we can't really appreciate. We praise ourselves for achieving a higher GNP, a bigger foreign reserve in the day, and in the evening come to attend meetings like this, where we con¬demn ourselves for being economic barbarians. Our pet defence being often, "Man shalt not live by bread alone, but without bread, he shall not live at all."
This double nature, we should observe and admit to ourselves. To be conscious of our shortcomings is the first step towards remedying them. We should hold firmly, at least in faith in the beginning, that Spirit and Nature are one and the same thing. There is no meaning and purpose in life and action by just feeding it with bread if there is no Spirit. And without bread, there is no action, no life which could manifest the spirit.
To appreciate Sri Aurobindo intellectually, to study his beautiful English, philosophy, 'Poetry, as an evening pastime’, is definitely a great help to improve one's literary capacity, but it does little to our main object of a spiritual change. We do not really understand Sri Aurobindo's message, if we do not try to live it in our lives, in our work. .. when we shrink with disgust from the present chaotic social systems with its attendant sufferings and problems, it is usually our vain ego with its self-interest at work. When we dream of a distant flight to some mountain top retreat away from all the injustice and corruption, it is usually again our self-¬righteous ego at work in the robe of a holy apparel.
We shall therefore stay in whatever posts we have been entrusted, as businessman, teacher, educationist, artist, or professional man, but our aim would be different. In every act, whether work or play, in every feeling, in every thought, our aim is to invoke the Divine to act through us. In the words of Sri Aurobindo:
"The arrow did not ask to be made, nor does it resist its user, or lament when it is broken. There is a joy of being made, a joy of being used, a joy of being put aside and a joy too in being broken. That equal joy discover."
- Tay Joo Teck
(Courtesy of Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry)
”Sri Aurobindo belongs to the future; he is the messenger of the future. He still shows us the way to follow in order to hasten the realisation of a glorious future fashioned by the Divine Will.
All those who want to collaborate for the progress of humanity and for India's luminous destiny must unite in a clairvoyant aspiration and in an illumined work.”
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