The Problem of Rebirth

Sri Aurobindo The Problem of Rebirth

The Problem of Rebirth

In The Problem of Rebirth, Sri Aurobindo assesses the central arguments surrounding the concept of rebirth. He suggests that rebirth is a vehicle conveying the soul forward in its aeonic evolution towards self-knowledge and self-mastery. Evolution through the process of rebirth enables the soul’s indomitable effort through Time; karma engineers its spiritual education. Once seen, the process of karma, the law of consequence, takes a central place among the issues of life: “This evolution is not possible if there is not a connected sequence from life to life, a result of action and experience, an evolutionary consequence to the soul, a law of Karma. ” We have all had occasion to question providence; to ask “why do the good suffer, why do the evil prosper”. Such fundamental questions of life take on a new significance when viewed with an understanding of The Problem of Rebirth.

The true foundation of the theory of rebirth is the evolution of the soul, or rather its efflorescence out of the veil of Matter and its gradual self-finding. Buddhism contained this truth involved in its theory of Karma and emergence out of Karma but failed to bring it to light; Hinduism knew it of old, but afterwards missed the right balance of its expression. Now we are again able to restate the ancient truth in a new language and this is already being done by certain schools of thought, though still the old incrustations tend to tack themselves on to the deeper wisdom. And if this gradual efflorescence be true, then the theory of rebirth is an intellectual necessity, a logically unavoidable corollary. But what is the aim of that evolution? Not conventional or interested virtue and the faultless counting out of the small coin of good in the hope of an apportioned material reward, but the continual growth towards a divine knowledge, strength, love and purity.

 

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India’s Rebirth

Sri Aurobindo India's Rebirth

India’s Rebirth

This book presents Sri Aurobindo’s vision of India as it grew from his return from England in 1893 to his political days in the first decade of the century and finally to his forty-year-long withdrawal from public view during which he plunged into his ‘real work’ of evolutionary action.

This brief chronological selection from all that Sri Aurobindo said or wrote on India, her soul and her destiny, is by no means integral, but we trust it offers a sufficiently wide view of the lines of development Sri Aurobindo wished India to follow if she was to overcome the deep-rooted obstacles standing in the way of her rebirth.

A few notes have been added to help put the excerpts into historical perspective, and a Chronology, list of References and Index have been provided at the end of the book. Read more

Aphorisms

Sri Aurobindo Aphorisms

Aphorisms

In the aphorisms that make up this book, Sri Aurobindo gives pithy and pregnant expression to some of the key ideas of his philosophy and yoga.

Thoughts and Aphorisms was written around 1913. Ten aphorisms from the manuscript were published in the monthly review Arya in 1915 and 1916 as parts of what was later issued as Thoughts and Glimpses. But the bulk of the aphorisms — that is, those included in the Karma, Jnana and Bhakti sections of the present booklet — were never published during Sri Aurobindo’s lifetime. They first appeared in book form in 1958.

The seven “Additional Aphorisms” were first included in the edition of 1977; the last five were written in a separate manuscript notebook, apparently somewhat later than the others.

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Patterns and Connective Referencing

Ray Morose - Patterns and Connective Referencing

Patterns and Connective Referencing

This is the latest in an ongoing series of essays authored by Ray Morose in which he details the human condition and expounds upon how one can pierce the veils and uncover and live one’s true essence. His sometimes difficult intellectual approach is extremely metaphorical and, much like a koan, stretches the reader’s mind and opens it to new ways of conceptualizing the world in which it finds itself. He employs his own terminology, largely bereft of the labels so common in spirituality, and his language often jars like a wooden wheeled trip on cobblestone roods. In the process, he shakes out the dross and tightens mental structure.

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Economics for People and Earth: The Auroville Case 1968-2008

Economics for People and Earth: The Auroville Case 1968-2008

Economics for People and Earth:
The Auroville Case 1968-2008

Auroville, an international township in South India, was founded in 1968. A small group of pioneers on a heavily eroded plateau, close to the Bay of Bengal near Pondicherry, set out to reforest the barren land and create a new socio-economic, ecological and spiritual habitat with a vision to build “a city the Earth needs”.

Forty years later, a vibrant community of almost 2,000 people from 43 nations had emerged, providing employment to some 4,000 men and women from nearby villages. Meanwhile, they had reforested thousands of acres of land, built homes, health centres and schools, developed organic farms, experimented with renewable energy and cost-effective building technologies, reached out to the neighbouring villages, and set up a plethora of businesses and services.

This book is a result of 15 years of research on Auroville’s economy. It outlines the principles envisaged by its founders, traces its history over the past four decades, investigates the growth of employment opportunities, offers a window on its economic activities through case interviews, and analyses the performance of its commercial and services domains.

It also gauges Auroville’s sustainability as a model of durable socio-economic development “for People and Earth”, and as an antidote for the all-pervading impact of global capitalism.

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La Filosofia dell’Evoluzione (Italian)

La Filosofia dell’Evoluzione di Rod Hemsell

La Filosofia dell’Evoluzione

Come presentata qui, La Filosofia dell’Evoluzione  è un compendio di lezioni presentate da Rod Hemsell presso l’Università dell’Unità Umana ad Auroville nel 2008, 2009, 2012 e 2013. La spinta  principale nello yoga di Sri Aurobindo è sempre stata verso una partecipazione attiva all’evoluzione umana e questo è il concetto che ha fissato e definito  fin dall’inizio  la differenza  dello  yoga di  Sri Aurobindo e della Madre da tutti gli altri. Con la sua vasta conoscenza della filosofia e del pensiero di numerosi filosofi, e la sua familiarità con la scienza attuale, Rod è in grado di guidare il lettore attraverso lo sviluppo del pensiero in queste discipline e ci mostra il luogo che Sri Aurobindo, precursore illuminato, ci ha  indicato come prossimo obiettivo. Queste lezioni non sono una salita difficile o noiosa verso altezze rarefatte, piuttosto, sono esplorazioni istruttive dei campi base più ampi che circondano il monte; è lasciato a  Sri Aurobindo ed alla Madre la guida alla nostra ascesa. Tuttavia, con questa esplorazione della terra ferma, diventiamo sempre più sicuri che le nostre Guide verso le cime innevate in realtà sanno di che cosa parlano. Questa versione in lingua italiana riprende, su indicazione dell’autore, i capitoli più indicativi della versione originale inglese, che permettano comunque al lettore di seguire un filo conduttore  lineare e chiaro del percorso di pensiero  seguito da Rod Hemsell  nelle sue letture.

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Il Libro. Parole dagli scritti di Mère e Sri Aurobindo (Italian)

Il Libro. Parole dagli scritti di Mère e Sri Aurobindo

Il Libro

Parole dagli scritti di Mère e Sri Aurobindo

Questo è stato il primo libro in lingua italiana sulle opere di Sri Aurobindo e Mère, comparso nel 1972 ed oggi completamente esaurito. Approvato dalla Madre, che ne ha manoscritto il titolo, viene riproposto dalla Comunità Aurora del Centro Sri Aurobindo e Mère che provvede alla sua stampa nel 1998 in formato cartaceo.

Il volume si divide in due parti. La prima contiene la traduzione di alcuni “Entretiens” che la Madre ha tenuto dal 1951 sino al 1958, tutti i mercoledì e i venerdì nella palestra scoperta, in quello che all’Ashram viene chiamato il “Play-ground”. La seconda parte contiene parole di Sri Aurobindo sulla Madre, su quello che è la Madre. Ora questo prezioso documento viene riproposto in formato ebook da Auro e-Books.

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[Authors] New page dedicated to A.S. Dalal and his books

A.S. Dalal

A.S. Dalal

Born in Tanzania (1926); graduated in philosophy from the University of Poona, India (1950); lived as an inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry (1952-59); studied psychology at the University of Poona (1959-61); pursued studies in clinical psychology and received training in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in the United States (1964-70); worked in the United States in different positions until 1985; residing in Pondicherry since 1986, engaged chiefly in research and writing.

To date has written three books on Sri Aurobindo’s psychological thought as well as a book comparing some aspects of Eckhart Tolle’s teaching with Sri Aurobindo’s yoga; has also compiled twelve books (one currently in the press) based on the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

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Auroville Today December Issue 305

Auroville Today December Issue 305

Auroville Today December Issue 305

Read in this issue:

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Looking for Volunteers for Proofreading Bengali Texts

Bengali

樂威壯
2 style=”text-align: center;”>Looking for Volunteers: proofreading Bengali Text
in Sri Aurobindo’s Works

Dear friends,

We are looking for volunteers who could type Bengali Unicode text in order to proofread Bengali part in Sri Aurobindo’s Collected Works, and other writings and scriptures.

So, who have some time to spare? We organized this work in easy-going routine for proofreading Bengali. As a reward you will get nicely formatted book in epub/mobi/doc and Teacher’s blessings. I can not promise you the second, but guarantee the first, once it is done.

What will you say?

Cheers!
Krishna V.

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