December 1967

Index

06. December 1967 – The subtle World

We were in the subtle physical. I saw lots of people: Purani (a departed disciple) and so on, people who are no longer on earth. It was in Sri Aurobindo's ... not his house, but his domain. I saw and did lots of things. There were people who are on earth and people who are no longer on earth: they were all together. And at the end (for many details Sri Aurobindo was there, then he left), at the end I looked at all that, and for the first time in the subtle physical, I said, "Oh, how insipid and useless and without zest your life is, when you don't think of the Divine."

The experience was so acute! So acute. Then I said (among the people there, there was Purani, and as I said people who are on earth), I told them, "On earth, there is that intensity of aspiration, but here ... life is so easy, so easy! Look at all your activities and all that, oh, it has no zest, because there isn't that intense need to live for the Divine." And it was so strong that for hours in the morning it was like that (gesture of intense aspiration). Life anywher — anywhere, in any part of the world (of the universe) and in any conditions, even the easiest and harmonious, is not worth living without this intensity of aspiration, of the NEED to be divine.

In the past, when I went to all those regions, there were always very interesting things; and in the subtle physical, as a rule I was always with Sri Aurobindo — I was with Sri Aurobindo, but he withdrew to a part of his domain and I remained with all the others: they had an easy life, you know, carefree, and all they did seemed so... meaningless. Why? Why all that, why keep oneself busy, why do all those things if it's not for this aspiration, if it's not for this need to be and become the Divine?

But it's the first time, and it lingered on: for hours this morning, I was like this (gesture of intense aspiration).

There.

As a result, my impression was that unless the whole universe becomes THAT, well... what's the use? All, all that isn't Consciousness, the supreme consciousness, I mean, yes, supreme and supremely divine, all the rest... It's the first time I've felt so intensely the uselessness of all outward activities — their uselessness IN THEMSELVES, like a blossoming, because when there is the divine Play, then the same things become lovely, it all becomes interesting, but in themselves, for themselves, they are NOTHING. It's the first time I have felt that so intensely. Because I felt it in the subtle world (in the material world it's always mixed with all kinds of trouble and effort and difficulty, so it's completely different), there, things are absolutely free of difficulties, completely harmonious, really, and it was NOTHING. You understand, when Sri Aurobindo was there, it was perfect, but when he withdrew... tasteless.

And it's the PHYSICAL consciousness that has those experiences at night: the body remains in trance, it's the physical consciousness; it was the physical consciousness, but in a subtle physical freed from all difficulties — and it was no better. You know, it was like a reply to the ambition of people here on earth who want life to be pleasant, easy, without difficulties, without conflicts and clashes and diseases and... they say, "Oh, how charming all would be!" — It's not true: if THAT isn't there, empty.

The experience was very interesting.

"The transformation demands a total and integral consecration. But is that not the aspiration of every sincere sadhak?”

"'Total' means VERTICALLY in all the states of being from the most material to the most subtle. 'Integral' means HORIZONTALLY in all the various and often contradictory parts that make up the outer being (physical, vital and mental)."

"How can I receive Sri Aurobindo's light in the mind?"

"It can always come if you aspire patiently. But the basic condition, if you want that light, is to get rid of all other mental influences."

silence)

This is one of the things I've learned lately by experience — universalisation, the contact with everything (horizontal gesture) — and it has been shown to the body in such a precise way, in the detail of the vibration.... In the state of receptivity (vertical gesture to the Heights), of receptive passivity (the opposite of action, that is), the body must be turned exclusively to the Supreme (same vertical gesture): the body and the cells have been taught that, and they've understood — they've understood and are now used to it. In the state of action (horizontal gesture), when you are one with (well, let's limit the problem to the earth), one with the whole earth, there must be an ACTIVE radiating vibration of the supreme Force. Receptivity like this (vertical gesture that receives the Force), and activity like this (horizontal gesture that spreads the Force out). And the cells have felt, they've understood, they can do it. And the relationship with everything around you, down to the smallest detail, is something so wonderful, with an influence radiating farther and farther away.

When you realize those two attitudes simultaneously, the contagion is abolished: the mental contagion (the one Sri Aurobindo refers to here, the one you get when you "admire" something), the mental contagion, the vital contagion, and EVEN THE PHYSICAL CONTAGION — when the cells realize that, you stop catching illnesses. Because formerly (for a long time), whenever something occurred in the sphere of influence of the action, there used to be a repercussion (in Mother). For a very long time, it was dangerous. Then it became reduced to a sense of unease which would become conscious, and conscious of the why — the why and the how. It was reduced to a state of unease, but it was still... tiresome. And now it's a kind of... I can't say "knowledge," because it's not mental, but an awareness (there's no word for it in French), a perception — and nothing more, it doesn't have any action (that is, any repercussion in Mother's body). So then, the whole problem lies there:

There are those who found this, the vertical ascent to the heights, and who isolated themselves from the world (they weren't able to do that completely because they didn't have the knowledge, but they tried). That's not the solution. Then there are those who want to help, the generous ones who are like this (gesture of horizontal expansion), and who catch everything, even the mental illnesses of all the people around them. The truth is the two together: this, the passive, receptive state (vertical gesture), and that, the active state of action and radiating influence (horizontal gesture). And the body has become wholly conscious of the dual movement and is working to realize it in detail.

A great problem has been solved.

And it's interesting because those two attitudes can be almost simultaneous, but they are... From the standpoint of vibration, of vibratory sensation, they are two opposites that combine with each other: receptivity like this (gesture), towards the Consciousness, the Force, Power, Light, all, that comes from above, and naturally Love (but about Love I will speak later). And it comes (gesture of descent), it comes down and everything, everything is absolutely passive and receptive (gesture of vertical opening): it absorbs and absorbs and absorbs, like that, totally given, in the state of a sponge that absorbs and absorbs and absorbs.... At the same time, there is the relationship with the world (horizontal gesture) and the Power coming through and working, with the sense of the Force, the Action, the Thing imposing itself. It's magnificent. And in the SAME vibratory radiance of... of "That." Always the same all-powerful Perfection being absorbed and acting (gesture of flowing through Mother over the world in a perpetual movement).

That seems to be the secret of all-powerfulness. There is no need at all to go through mental knowledge — that diminishes, shrinks, hardens.

It's an acute state of consciousness, that is, wholly awakened. In the cells of the body, it dispels all darkness. Naturally, it's a long and slow work, but it dispels, it's a state that dispels all darkness everywhere. And darkness is always the sign (sign or cause) of a disorder. We know there is still plenty of it. It's a slow work, a whole world! When you... (how should I put it?) when you descend into (one can say descend or concentrate on) this cellular constitution of the body, on the body's scale, it's an innumerable world! An innumerable world. Everything is as though made up of innumerable tiny points, and each point has to be awakened and flooded with consciousness and light — a long work.

(silence)

So it's the solution to these two errors that constantly contradict each other: the error of shrinking, of an exclusivism of influence (which, when practiced on the mental level, becomes a limitation, a pettiness, like all exclusive faiths); or else eclecticism without effect or force, which makes a sort of muddle of everything, of all ideas (mentally it doesn't matter, but on the level of the transformation, it's serious). So for these two opposites the problem has been solved.

And the state I've just described is possible in the body's cells and in the corporeal consciousness, also in the psychic consciousness; but vitally and mentally, even if you understand, it seems like an almost impossible realization because of a fixity, a fixity in the form: the form of thoughts and the form of sensations. Mentally it could only be expressed as an acceptance of all thoughts, all formulae, raising them up towards... something that's no longer a thought, no longer a mentally formulated thing, but a light, a conscious light that organises and unifies. But if you take them all on the same plane... You can accept everything, but everything as one viewpoint — one among innumerable viewpoints on "something" that cannot be expressed in words, because as soon as you put words on it, it becomes a formula, and the formula takes the power away. But physically, in the body's cells, it's very, very clearly perceptible and is lived quite spontaneously: you receive only from on high, and you spread it.

08. December 1967 – Diminishing Consciousness

The only somewhat new thing is that the body is beginning to be a bit... restless at its decay. Before, it was completely indifferent, it didn't give it a thought; it knew it was going on, but... Now, it's beginning to be troublesome. So perhaps it's a sign, I don't know? It's beginning to be troublesome — not psychologically, but like this: when it receives the Command to do something and there is, not exactly an incapacity, but a limitation to the possibility, that starts it is unhappy. So I wondered...

Then at night it's the same thing, it says, "Why such a so long period of diminishing consciousness?"

You understand, it's only happy in what it regards as its normal state when it's fully conscious and vibrating with the Presence. But in the night's activities... (how can I explain?) it's becomes more... more like something one is used to, you know, like a habit (gesture of a wave flowing); there's no longer the joy of a vibrating observation, but a normal state of things, and it's not happy with that: it wants the same intensity (vibrating gesture) to be there at night. For instance, it doesn't tolerate the idea of fatigue, of the necessity of rest (although that never arises from the inconscient any more), but rest as a sort of turning in on oneself, like that, to repair wear and tear — it doesn't like that: there must be no wear and tear, there must be a constant adaptation to anything asked of it. Later, it will probably not even accept effort — there isn't much "effort" left, but instead of effort, there's a sort of conscious receptivity that enables it to do things; and there are constant examples to show that if this conscious receptivity isn't there, well, there's an awkwardness, or an impossibility, things like that, but it... in the past, it used to feel that was unavoidable, but now it no longer wants it. Now it no longer wants it: it must not be like that. For example, to tidy up, or find something or do something, it sometimes feels a sense of difficulty (it's never quite impossible because nothing is asked of it which is impossible), but at times it's difficult — it starts being displeased. It feels that as an infirmity, or a lack of receptivity, you understand. Also the fact that it has become stooped: in the past it would say, "It'll get better"; now it's beginning to lose patience. That's quite new. It is since November 24. Because it's not a selfish turning in on itself, it's not that, it's not for itself, it's... the sense of a lack of receptivity to the Force, of limitation arising from incapacity — it doesn't like that anymore.

16. December 1967 – About Truth

1) May the Truth be your master and your guide.

2) We aspire to the Truth and its triumph in our being and our activities.

3) May aspiration to the Truth be the motive power of our efforts.

4) O Truth, we want to be guided by you. May your reign come upon earth.

There is something apparently paradoxical, but it's very interesting. It's this (Mother takes a piece of paper and writes):

"The best way to prepare oneself to receive Divine Love is to adhere integrally to the Truth."

(Mother then writes a second note:)

"Adhere totally to the Truth and you will be ready to receive Divine Love."

When you say that to good intelligent folks, their heads spin!... (Mother laughs) I must say that making their heads spin amuses me very much!

But the best part is that it's true! It's true, it is like that. Every time that there is (it's more than an aspiration, much more than a will, in English they call it an urge) a thirst to let Divine Love express itself completely, totally, everywhere, the base, the favourable ground is the Truth.

Sri Aurobindo said it, of course. He said it, he wrote it in black and white (I forget the exact words): "The pure divine love can manifest safely only in a... in a ground" (it's not ground...) "of Truth." I don't remember now. If we wanted to put it poetically, we'd say, "in a land of Truth."

So before we can proclaim, "Love, manifest yourself, win the Victory," the ground of Truth must be ready.

That's what I put to them all at the School: aspire, aspire to the Truth. I don't at all remember what I wrote... (Mother tries to remember). One is, "May the Truth be our master and our guide," then there were two others, and then, "O Truth..." I don't remember.

That's quite a remarkable phenomenon: a second before, it's absolutely blank, empty, there isn't one word, one thought, one idea, nothing, just like that: not a thought. I am asked for a message, and I reply, "I have nothing to say." It comes like that, imperatively; if I can (that is, if Mother is free), I write it down and it's over; if I can't (that is, if Mother is busy with people), it comes back obstinately until it's written. Once it's written, gone! Nothing remains. Another way to present it comes, another form: that also, gone!...

This (gesture to the forehead), you know, is like an empty box (very pleasant, it's very pleasant), an empty, peaceful box, like that: not closed, not compact, it's open, but it's a box — an empty box. Inside it's all white, nothing moving. And then, I don't even make an effort to bring something down, nothing: "It's not my business." If I am asked, I answer, "Nothing, I have nothing to say." Or else, something goes like this immediately (gesture on the alert, wide awake), stands up and remains attentive, and after one minute, two minutes, ten minutes (I don't know), suddenly, plop! down it drops. Then I write it. And as it falls, it gathers words and makes its sentence. Sometimes it's in French, sometimes in English — it depends mostly on the person it's intended for, but it also depends on the subject. So then, if (that's why I keep pieces of paper and pencils everywhere), if I have my piece of paper and pencil, I write it down and it's over; if I don't write it, if I say, "Oh well, I'll note it down a little later," then it keeps coming and coming and coming back every second... until it's written down. And once it's written, gone!

But there is (what did Sri Aurobindo call it? A "censor") something we might call a "critic" (there is constantly a critic there), that says, "Are you sure you put the right word? Wouldn't this be a better way to put it? Is it exactly the way it should be?" And also, "Are you sure there aren't any spelling mistakes, have you written it properly?" Like that. What a nuisance! So sometimes I say to it, "Leave me in peace!" (not even as politely as that). Sometimes I give the piece of paper, then take it back and say, "Let me see" — until it's satisfied. Sometimes a word isn't quite correctly written, then it says, "Ah! See, see, you've made a mistake there." Sometimes there are spelling mistakes: "See, see, you've made a mistake!"

Now I don't even remember what I wrote for the School. I know that one message was in the form of a wish (two or three were like that), and one was in the form of a prayer, that is, directly addressed to the Truth: O Truth...

But it's very pleasant to have this empty, oh, very restful.

And when, from outside, people fill it with letters, news, requests (it all piles up, you know), then I have only one means, the simplest means, which is to do this (gesture of offering): "Here..." (what Sri Aurobindo calls surrender), "Here, it's not my business, not my concern." Then it's over.

(Mother goes into a long contemplation lasting over half an hour, then still in a slightly "faraway" state, she starts speaking in English:)

I saw a strange beast who came from there like that (Mother shows her left side), made a round around you and went away. It was a horse with a lion's head.

Beautiful beast! It was a lion, the head like that, the front form was a lion and behind it was a horse. And it was the symbol of... a symbolical animal of something. At the moment I understood perfectly well, I said Aah! and...

Very dignified. Came from there (same gesture to the left), like that, made a round around you and went away. It was for you. Lion is power, and horse… (The horse, according to Sri Aurobindo, is life-power or the force of progress; he also says it is "the force of tapasya that gallops to... realization" — all depends on the colour.)

And like that, it seems silly, but he was very beautiful, and of a beautiful colour. And very dignified.

Oh!... (Mother notices she was speaking in English) It was Sri Aurobindo who said all that to you. It's funny, isn't it, it comes like that.

It was something that came to announce something to you. It was a being, but a being... There must be beings like that one. It was all in light, and it was something... to announce something to you.

But so real!

20. December 1967 – Divine Truth and Love

"The best way to hasten the manifestation of the Divine's Love is to collaborate for the triumph of the Truth."

So to the superficial mind... On our part, we know it's true because, as Sri Aurobindo said, the Truth has to be truly established and to reign for Divine Love to be able to manifest in all its power and glory without... without demolishing everything. Sri Aurobindo put it even more strongly, he said it would "destroy" everything.

So that's the message I am going to give.

Then Mother reverts to the beginning of the conversation:

Oh, the correspondence has become something fantastic! Twenty-four, twenty-six, thirty, sometimes forty letters a day. So naturally, try as I may... When it's just a line, it's all right, but I can barely reply to eight or ten a day: I have only an hour and a half, that's not much — not even that much! No, no, the "hour" is too much: I have half an hour! But I extend it: I have from 7 to 7:30 in the evening, but every day I extend it till 8. Dinner is supposedly at 7: 30, I take it at 8. Supposedly too, I go to bed at 9:30 and get up at 4:30, but when I went to bed last night it was almost 11—10:30 is frequent, which means an hour late. So from time to time I get up late. You understand, between about 1 and 2 A.M. (around 12:30, 1, or 2), I complete the first stage of concentration to give the body a good rest; after that I start working, and before working, a little concentration so that whatever the work, I should be back at 4:30; but sometimes it's later sometimes it's 4:45. Then, afterwards, I have a certain time in the morning for washing and dressing, and that's when there have been really interesting experiences: with a certain concentration (which has nothing to do with willpower or anything of the kind: it's a concentration, a certain type of concentration and making contact with the Presence — and the sense of the relativity, the very considerable relativity of material time), with an intensity of concentration, you can do the same thing much faster. I eventually found out that simply by concentration you can reduce the time by more than half. And you do things in exactly the same way, but they don't take time — how?... Well, the secrets haven't been revealed yet. But the phenomenon exists.

The same principle is at work (it's not a "principle," it's a way of doing or a way of being), is at work for all things: with fatigue, the onset of illness, that is, the cause of the illness (the internal disorder or the receptivity to the disorder from outside), it works also in the same way. If you add to it the intensity of faith or adoration, then it's much easier, but it works in the same way. So what exactly takes place? To the inner perception, the perception of the consciousness, it is a sort of principle of disorder — a principle, almost a taste for disorder, I don't know, it's between a habit and a preference for disorder — which gets replaced by... yes (to be as general as possible), by a vibration of harmony. But that vibration of harmony is full of light, of sweetness, of... warmth, intensity, and so wonderfully CALM! So when "that" takes the place of the other, then all that belongs to the world of disorder is dissolved. AND the rigidity of time disappears.[^2] Time... perhaps we could say (it's just a way of speaking), we could say that time is replaced by a succession... (Mother remains absorbed for a long time).

[^2]: It is quite noteworthy that the same principle is at work for the rigidity of time as well as for illnesses.

And that belongs specifically to the material world.

I take the simplest and most concrete things like, for instance, brushing one's teeth; it's extremely flexible and things are done, not out of habit but by a sort of choice based on personal experience and routine, so there is no necessity for a special concentration (the real purpose of routine is to avoid the need for a special concentration: things can be done almost automatically). But that automatism is very flexible, very plastic, because depending, as I said, on the intensity of the concentration, the time varies — the time varies: you can (you can know by looking at your watch before and after), you can certainly reduce the time by more than half, yet things are done in exactly the same way. That's right: you don't do away with anything, you do everything in the same way. To make sure, you can, for instance, count the number of times you brush your teeth or the number of times you rinse your mouth — I am DELIBERATELY taking the most banal thing, because in other activities there is a natural suppleness that allows you to spread yourself and concentrate (and so it's easier to understand with such things). But it works in the same way with the most concrete and banal things too. And there isn't any "Oh, I won't do this today" or "I am neglecting that" — there's none of that, nothing at all: everything is done in the same way, BUT with a sort of concentration and constant call — the constant call is always there. The constant call which might find a material expression in saying the mantra, but it's not even that: it's the SENSE, the sense of the call, of the aspiration — it's above all a call. A call. You know, when the mind wants to make sentences, it says, "Lord, take possession of Your kingdom." For certain things, I remember, when there are certain disorders, something wrong (and with the perception of a consciousness that has become very sharp, you can see when that disorder is the natural origin of an illness, for example, or of something very serious), with the call, the concentration and the response... [the disorder is dissolved]. It's almost a surrender, because it's an uncalculating self-giving: the damaged spot opens to the Influence, not with an idea of getting cured, but like this (gesture like a flower opening out), simply like this, unconditionally — that is the most potent gesture.

But the interesting part is that formulating it in words makes it sound artificial — it's much more sincere, much truer, much more spontaneous than anything expressed or expressible by the mind. No formula can render the sincerity — simplicity, sincerity, spontaneity, something uncalculating — of the material movement. There was a time when expressing or formulating caused a very unpleasant sensation, like putting something artificial on something spontaneously true; and that unpleasantness was cured only, to begin with, by a higher knowledge that all that is formulated must be surpassed. For instance, every experience expressed or described CALLS FOR a new progress, a new experience. In other words, it hastens the movement. That has been a consolation, because in fact, with the old sensation of something very stable and solid and immobile because of inertia (a past inertia, which is now being transformed but has left marks), because of that inertia there is a tendency to prefer things to be solid; so there is a thrill at being forced to... "No, no! No rest, no halt, go on!" — farther and farther and farther on... When an experience has been very fruitful and highly pleasant, let us say, when it's had a great force and a great effect, the first movement is to say, "We won't talk about that, we'll keep it." Then after comes, "We'll say it in order to go farther on" — to go farther on, ever farther, ever farther....

There is a stability in the resolve and in the aspiration, a stability that can be found nowhere as much as here (Mother strikes the ground). That's a characteristic of Matter. And you know, when it has given itself and has faith, it becomes so stable, so constant, and... the joy, that sort of widening, of luminous expansion — it becomes such a perpetual need that in no other part of the being has it ever been like that. It's something ESTABLISHED. And established effortlessly, established spontaneously, naturally, normally. So we can foresee that when this Matter will become truly divine — truly divine — its manifestation will be infinitely more complete, more perfect in the details, and more stable than anywhere else.

27. December 1967 – Destruction vs Transformation

If there were a way (that's what I have been working on for some time), a way to make all this youth understand that to destroy isn't constructive — they can't give birth to anything whatsoever with this means. They want to change the state of things, it's understood — they may not see very clearly the direction in which we should go, but that things must change is agreed — but still, this method is downright stupid....

You see, that was the method of the adverse forces to prove the creation was bad: they weren't satisfied with the creation and set about doing that — that's what they have been doing on a big scale. But it proves nothing! They have established death, established destruction and all forms of violence and hatred, anyway they have changed everything the wrong way round with the thought that, in that way, the world would become a superior world — which is idiotic.

(silence)

At the very bottom of the thing, two tendencies or two conceptions are confronting each other. The first says, "It's badly done: let's destroy it and we'll begin again," from top to bottom. The other says, "It's not the way it should be: let's transform it." These are the two things opposing each other: the effort for progress and transformation, or the brutal and stupid method of breaking everything and starting all over again, so that it goes on endlessly.

It boils down to the fight between Death and Life; progressive life, more and more divine, and Death, which systematically abolishes all that isn't divine. Because only what is divine escapes it.

But the process is... endless.

The power of progressive transformation is what must be infused into Matter.

30. December 1967 – Auroville

"Auroville will be a self-supporting township.

"All who live there will participate in its life and development.

"This participation may be passive or active.

"There will be no taxes as such but each will contribute to the collective welfare in work, kind or money.

"Sections like Industries which participate actively will contribute part of their income towards the development of the township. Or if they produce something (like foodstuff) useful for the citizens, they will contribute in kind to the township which is responsible for the feeding of the citizens.

"No rules or laws are being framed. Things will get formulated as the underlying Truth of the township emerges and takes shape progressively. We do not anticipate."

Is that all?

I thought I had said more than that. Because inwardly I said a great deal, a great deal about the organization of food and so on.... We are going to try things out.

Some things are really interesting. For instance, I'd like there to be... To begin with, every country will have its pavilion, and in the pavilion, there will be the cuisine of that country, which means that the Japanese will be able to eat Japanese food if they want to(!), etc., but in the township itself, there will be food for vegetarians, food for non-vegetarians, and also a sort of experiment to find "tomorrow's food." You see, all this work of assimilation which makes you so heavy (it takes up so much time and energy from the being) should be done BEFORE, you should be able to immediately assimilate what you are given, as with things they make now; for instance, they have those vitamins that can be directly assimilated, and also (what do they call it?... (Mother tries to remember) I take them every day.... Words and I aren't on very good terms!)... proteins. Nutritive principles that are found in one thing or another and aren't bulky — you need to take a tremendous quantity of food to assimilate very little. So now that they are fairly clever with chemicals, that could be simplified. People don't like it, simply because... they take an intense pleasure in eating(!), but when you no longer take pleasure in eating, you need to be nourished and not to waste your time with that. The amount of time lost is enormous: time for eating, time for digesting, and the rest. So I would like to have an experimental kitchen there, a sort of "culinary laboratory," to try out. And according to their tastes and tendencies, people would go here or there.

And you don't pay for your food, but you must give your work, or the ingredients: for example, those who had fields would give the produce of their fields; those who had factories would give their products; or else your own work in exchange for food.

That alone does away with much of the internal circulation of money.

And in every field things of that sort could be found.... Basically, it would be a town for studies — studies and research on how to live in a simplified way, and where the higher qualities have MORE TIME to develop. There.

It's only a small beginning.

(Then Mother goes over the text of the note, sentence by sentence)

"Auroville will be a self-supporting township."

I want to insist on the fact that it will be an experiment: it's to make experiments — experiments, research, studies.

Auroville will be a city that will attempt to be, or strive or want to be, self-supporting, that is...

"Autonomous" is understood as a sort of independence that breaks off relations with the outside, and that's not what I mean.

For example, those who produce food, a factory such as "Aurofood" (naturally, when we will be fifty thousand, it will be difficult to meet the needs, but for the moment we'll only be a few thousand at the most), well, a factory always produces far too much.... So it will sell outside and receive money. And "Aurofood," for instance, wants to have a special relationship with workers, not at all the old system—something that would be an improvement on the Communist system, a more balanced organization than Sovietism or Communism, that is, which doesn't lean too much either toward one side or the other.

The idea of "Aurofood" is good, and they are trying to make propaganda among industrialists.

And there is one thing I wanted to say. The participation in the welfare and existence of the whole township isn't something worked out individually: such individual must give so much. It's not like that. It's worked out according to one's means, activity, possibilities of production; it's not the democratic idea, which cuts everything into small equal bits—an absurd machinery. It's worked out according to one's means: one who has much gives much, one who has little gives little; one who is strong works a lot, one who isn't strong does something else. You understand, it's something truer, deeper. And that's why I am not trying to explain it right away, because people will start making all kinds of protests. It must come into being AUTOMATICALLY, so to say, with the growth of the township, in the true spirit. That's why this note is quite succinct.

This sentence, for instance:

"All who live there will participate in its life and development ..."

...according to their capacities and means, not a mechanical "so much per unit." That's the point. It must be something living and TRUE, not mechanical. And "according to their capacities," that is, one who has material means such as those a factory gives will have to provide in proportion to his production — not so much per individual or per head.

"This participation may be passive or active."

I don't understand what they mean by "passive" (because I spoke in French, then they put it into English). What can they mean by "passive"?... It would be rather on different planes or levels of consciousness.

Those who have a higher knowledge won't have to work with their hands, that's what I mean.

"There will be no taxes as such but each will contribute to the collective welfare in work, kind or money."

So that's understood: there will be no taxes of any kind, but everyone will have to contribute to the collective welfare through his work, in kind or with money. Those who have nothing other than money will give money. But to tell the truth, the "work" may be an inner work (but that can't be said, because people aren't honest enough). The work may be an occult work, a completely inner work, but of course, for that to be, it must be absolutely sincere and true, and with the capacity: no pretence. But it's not necessarily a material work.

"Sections like Industries which participate actively will contribute part of their income towards the development of the township. Or if they produce something (like foodstuff) useful for the citizens, they will contribute in kind to the township which is responsible for the feeding of the citizens."

That's what we've said. The industries will participate actively, they will contribute. If they are industries producing articles that aren't in constant need — and are therefore in quantities or numbers too great for the township's own use that will be sold outside — those industries must naturally participate through money. And I take the example of food: those who produce food will give the township what it needs (in proportion to what they produce, naturally), and it is the township's responsibility to feed everyone. That means people won't have to buy their food with money, but they will have to earn it.

It's a kind of adaptation of the Communist system, but not in a spirit of levelling: according to everyone's capacity, his position (not a psychological or intellectual one), his INNER position.

The true part is that every human being has the right... (but it's not a "right"...). The organization must be such, must be arranged in such a way, that everyone's material needs should be guaranteed, not according to notions of right and equality, but on the basis of the most elementary necessities; then, once that is established, everyone must be free to organize his life, not according to his monetary means, but according to his inner capacities.

"No rules or laws are being framed. Things will get formulated as the underlying Truth of the township emerges and takes shape progressively. We do not anticipate."

What I mean is that usually (always till now, and more and more so), men establish mental rules according to their conceptions and their ideal, then they apply them (Mother lowers her fist, as if to show the world under the mental grip). And that's absolutely false, arbitrary, unreal, with the result that things revolt, or else waste away and disappear.... It's the experience of LIFE ITSELF that must slowly work out rules AS SUPPLE AND VAST as possible, in order that they remain ever progressive. Nothing must be fixed. That's the immense error of governments: they build a framework and say, "Here is what we've established, now we must live under it." So naturally, Life is crushed and prevented from progressing. It is Life itself, developing more and more in a progression towards Light, Knowledge, Power, that must progressively establish rules as general as possible, so as to be extremely supple and capable of changing according to need — of changing AS RAPIDLY as habits and needs do.

(silence)

At bottom, the problem almost boils down to this: to replace the mental government of intelligence by the government of a spiritualized consciousness.

It's an extremely interesting experience: how the same actions, the same work, the same observations, the same relationship with the people around (near or far), how they take place in the mind, through intelligence, and how they take place in the consciousness, by experience. And that's what this body is now learning — to replace the mental government of intelligence by the spiritual government of the consciousness. And it makes (it looks like nothing, one may not notice it), it makes a tremendous difference, to the point of multiplying the body's possibilities a hundredfold.... When the body is subjected to rules, even if they are broad, even if they are comprehensive, it is a slave to those rules and its possibilities are limited by them. But when it's governed by the Spirit and the Consciousness that gives it an incomparable possibility and flexibility! And that's what will give it the capacity to prolong its life, to last longer: it's by replacing the mental, intellectual government by the government of the Spirit, of the Consciousness — THE Consciousness. Outwardly, it doesn't seem to make much difference, but... My experience is like this (because now my body no longer obeys the mind or the intelligence at all, not any more — it doesn't even understand how that can be done), and more and more, and better and better, it follows the direction and impulsion of the Consciousness. But then, it sees, almost at each minute, the tremendous difference that it makes.... For instance, time has lost its value (its rigid value): you can do exactly the same thing in very little time or in much time. Necessities have lost their authority: you can adapt yourself this way, adapt yourself that way. All the laws — those laws that were laws of Nature — have lost all their despotism, we may say: it no longer works that way. All you have to do is always, always be supple, attentive, and... responsive (if any such thing can be!) to the influence of the Consciousness — the Consciousness in its all-powerfulness — so as to go through all this with extraordinary suppleness.

That is the discovery being made more and more.

And it's wonderful, you know! A wonderful discovery.

It's like a progressive victory over all constraints. So naturally, all the laws of Nature, all the human laws, all habits, all rules, they all become increasingly supple and finally nonexistent. Yet it is possible to keep a regular rhythm that facilitates action — it's not contrary to this suppleness. But it's a suppleness in the execution, in the adaptation, which comes and changes everything. From the point of view of hygiene, health, organization, from the point of view of relationships with others, all that has not only lost its aggressiveness (because for that, it suffices to be wise — wise and level-headed and calm), but also its absolutism, its imperative rule: that's completely gone — gone.

And then you see: as the process grows more and more perfect — "perfect" means integral, total, leaving nothing behind — it NECESSARILY, inevitably means victory over death. Not that this dissolution of the cells which death represents stops existing, but it would exist only when necessary: not as an absolute law, but as ONE of the processes, when necessary.

It's mainly that: all that the Mind has brought in terms of rigidity and absoluteness and near invincibility — that's what... is going to disappear. And simply by... handing the supreme power over to the Supreme Consciousness.

That may be what the sages of old meant when they spoke of handing the power of Nature or the power of the Prakriti over to the Purusha — handing it from the Prakriti over to the Purusha. Perhaps it was their way of expressing the same thing.