Course: Philosophy of the Evolution of Consciousness
Course Facilitator: MO
Learners: DP, JP, S, BB, MD, GP

Editor’s note: We have done some reorganization, reordering and editing of online class postings in order to maintain an appropriate reading flow. Discussion is grouped according to different questions posed by the course facilitator. The online discussions also allow students to seek clarifications on points and concepts with which they are grappling. Toward the later part of this compilation readers will witness a couple of such student-led discussions.

TOPIC FOR BLOCK 2 (WEEKS 3 AND 4)
A Definition of Consciousness, Levels of Consciousness
MO, Course Facilitator:

Having gained a brief overview of the various schools of Indian philosophy, in this block we begin studying Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy. The readings (listed below) focus on discussing what consciousness is and the concept of levels of consciousness. They also provide specific description of Sri Aurobindo’s conceptualization of levels of consciousness. After you have read the assigned texts, please respond to the questions given below.

Assigned Readings

Question 1

Based on the assigned readings, how would you define consciousness?

Response by learner DP:

“Consciousness is a reality inherent in existence,” according to Sri Aurobindo. Consciousness is the very basis of life in a physical and a metaphorical sense. In a physical sense because it is the reason why anything is ‘alive,’ and metaphorically because it is the reason why we are ‘alive to’ anything.
The best recorded evidence of this word is ‘sat-chit-ananda’ [existence-consciousness-bliss]. It exists everywhere even when there is no visible evidence of its presence.

Sri Aurobindo says, ‘Consciousness is a fundamental thing, the fundamental thing in existence—it is the energy, the motion, the movement of consciousness that creates the universe and all that is in it—not only the macrocosm but the microcosm is nothing but consciousness arranging itself.’
(Letters on Yoga, p. 236)

The presence of consciousness is not deliberately planned nor is it an accident. It is inextricably linked to the soul and therefore always present even if only in a latent way.

Consciousness can reveal itself completely by a process of evolution. Sri Aurobindo’s yoga was aimed at this evolution. But it must not be assumed that consciousness can be completely unveiled in one sudden spurt. It is a slow process and only those who have persevered enough reach its essence.

Facilitator to DP:

In your response regarding defining and describing consciousness, you have expressed well the essence of Sri Aurobindo’s perspective, identifying central points about the nature of consciousness itself. You also make appropriate observations about its being inherent in all and the inevitably of its being revealed, though gradually.

Response by learner GP:

In common parlance consciousness would mean being conscious and awake and also responsive to the environment around oneself.

Being Indian and Hindu and relatively orthodox, I think of ‘consciousness’ as a concept to which we get introduced most naturally as a part of our upbringing. Common oral knowledge in our set-up would speak of consciousness as ‘Chetana’ or ‘Chaitanya’ implicating the essence of the soul. Every soul from the lowest to the highest possesses consciousness and the degree of the same varies.

Sachchidananda is pure consciousness, unalloyed, in other forms the same consciousness is bound by karmic activity and can be emancipated by conscious effort.

Sri Aurobindo gives us a deep understanding about human nature and the natural curiosity inherent in us. He explains this abstract concept very convincingly and in a manner that satisfies the curiosity of man.

First he tells us that man who is a seeker of meanings cannot fully implicate the different parts of his being and is forced to explain the Unlimited in terms of the limited understanding and knowledge. Consciousness is usually identified with the mind and this is because it is through a mentalised perception that we first begin to understand consciousness. How true! In modern psychology ‘Consciousness’ would be closely linked with thoughts, emotions, moods, perceptions, dreams and level of self-awareness.

Sri Aurobindo tells us what consciousness is not, before he actually tells us what consciousness is. According to Sri Aurobindo’s experience, consciousness is not the activity of the ‘temporary manifested personality’. He believes that the ‘subjective personality’ is only a formation of the consciousness; it is a part of being and the Being. I particularly understood what consciousness is when Sri Aurobindo distinguishes that “Consciousness is Chit but also Chit Shakti,” and “Consciousness is not only power of awareness of self and things, it is or has also a dynamic and creative energy.” (Letters on Yoga, p. 234)

Now, that is what makes the dead different from the alive in the human species. This is what I felt! Thank you for reading with patience. This subject is deep and perhaps needs patient understanding.

Facilitator to GP:

You have offered a very good discussion of salient points. I find it particularly meaningful that you include the quotation from Sri Aurobindo which explains that “Consciousness is not only power of awareness of self and things, it is or has also a dynamic and creative energy.” This gives us quite a lot to consider.

Response by learner S:

Consciousness is Omnipresent, Omnipotent Reality, Who is alive, Self-aware Being and Transcendental Non-Being as well, and It is full of Bliss. This Supreme Being becomes conscious of Himself and His loveliness. He had a wish to become Self-aware and to get more Delight from this awareness in multiplicity. That is why He separates Himself, and creates out of his substance the Matter, out of which He pulls the body, ‘rupa’ or shape, or mold. To be able to make out of matter the perfect body according to His own, the Omnipresent Being had to involve his Spirit for the work and He delegated the Divine Mother, His own Consciousness-Force. Divine Shakti, being directed by the Master and fulfilling the Divine Will plunged into the lower waters of Unconsciousness, breaking into the pieces Her own Divine Light and creating seeds-souls, which were supposed to forget their origin for the sake of the future manifestation. The Illusion of the Separation begins to work. Physical development, vital and finally mental development took place. Consciousness was concentrated on those stages accordingly—on the Universal level as well as on the individual level—skillfully weaving the circumstances of the possible realization in both.

Now when the mental development of man has reached its limit and its continuation could lead to destruction of humankind, a shift of consciousness is necessary and inevitable.

Consciousness is a creative power and a will power; also it is a psychic being in man, which is evolving to lead the human beings to unite in the end with its origin—the Divine Mother.

Facilitator to S:

S, in your discussion of the meaning of consciousness, I see that you have given a fine description of how it came to be in matter itself. Here we see in your description another recognition that consciousness is the essence of all and omnipresent, even if we are not able to observe or see this at the level of the ordinary thinking mind or intellect.

Response by learner BB:

I have come to feel that consciousness is the very truth behind, within and beyond one and all. It is not an offshoot of chemical processes as some contemporary scientists would have us believe. Consciousness in its supreme degree is the Absolute Truth or the Supreme Brahman.

Facilitator to BB:

You have expressed very well your understanding of the meaning of consciousness. It is quite consistent with Sri Aurobindo’s perspective as described in the texts we have been reading.

Response by learner MD:

Consciousness is the fiber of existence, the most essential, basic and fundamental truth or reality underlying everything, manifest and non-manifest, inner and outer, universal and individual; it is the stuff everything is made of. It assumes different modes and different levels, various stresses and various organisations, also several densities and many stations. It is impersonal and inactive Awareness, as well as personal and initiating energy of Will.

Question 2

The materialistic and the mystical views of consciousness, as addressed in the Dalal text, differ significantly. Identify and discuss some of these differences.

Response by learner DP:

The materialistic school of thought tends to equate consciousness with the mind and therefore looks for manifestations of it in society and individual behavior. The mystical school believes it is the very stuff of existence and therefore feels this is inadequate. It is neither a ‘freak’ nor a ‘temporary accident’ according to Sri Aurobindo.

The process of scientific enquiry generally proceeds with matter as the lowest common denominator, i.e., from the bottom upwards. This is how the materialistic scientists would approach the subject of consciousness as well. To the mystical school this is like trying to figure out the contents of a book by studying the ink and paper used. They suggest an enquiry that studies how consciousness alters the body and behavior instead of how the body and behavior affect consciousness.

Since the mystics believe in consciousness being the very essence of the soul which is undying, unlike the body, they also suggest that consciousness should be studied as a separate identity and not as a part of matter. This would require the creation of a new paradigm for science which involves itself only with the study of ‘visible effects.’

The materialists have so far worked with the two basic tools of science—experimentation and observation. For purely physical phenomenon this has worked very well. Sri Aurobindo approves of these time tested methods of science but would like the element of ‘intuition’ added to the process. This intuitive knowledge can be gained with yogic practice. We have recorded texts from people who have already acquired this knowledge and these can be used as the basis of further enquiry.

Facilitator to DP:

You provide a good discussion of the materialistic and mystic perspectives. It is significant that
Sri Aurobindo observes that the tools of material science are not appropriate or sufficient to assess or explore consciousness. He tells us that which we seek to know needs to determine the method or means by which this knowledge is to be pursued. Hence, to study consciousness it would require a higher means of seeking and exploration than that of the intellect and reason. True intuition is, in
Sri Aurobindo’s terms, a higher form of knowledge, as you note in your next response.

Response by learner S:

Materialistic view of consciousness is based on the possibility of the Mind as a device to comprehend the reality. Mind has its advantages and its limits. The individualisation and the ego are the main aspects of the mental structure. So, according to it consciousness is expressed through the senses. Therefore, for the lower Mind the reality is what we see, hear, think, touch, smell and taste. The analytical mind can already play with the thought, having opinions, making statements and presentations of the truth. Mind’s ability is in excluding the totality by concentrating on one aspect of truth and showing it as the only Truth. Mind works with informative knowledge, which is valid in limited time and space.

Consciousness, concentrating itself in the Mind, also becomes limited, identifying itself with the device fully and gradually influencing it towards plasticity, transparency and refinement.

From the perspective of the mystical views of consciousness, we can say that consciousness is something of the essence of the soul, something of the origin which had been revealed to the ancients and symbolized in the sacred texts of humankind. It is something which is higher than our ordinary life, as a Truth. The inner consciousness is of the psychic nature. For the moment it is veiled in the human being and radiating from within the soul, directing each individual towards the progress to be made—influencing the circumstances on the path of the individual, building and formatting the difficulties and helping the traveler to overcome them. We forget who we are, but we have the inner guide, who has to come to the surface and announce himself as a true being. Through the life and its problems we (consciously or not) unveil and unfold the true being and come closer to it. The true being is a carrier of the inner consciousness and it is the psychic being. So the mystical views are about that, about the reminder and the connection to the higher Knowledge of ourselves.

Response by learner GP:

On reading the prescribed selection from the text by A.S. Dalal, I was fascinated by the title in general “A Greater Psychology.”

We live in a time which desires empirical data; all fields of knowledge remain under this purview. Man is a product of his culture and time; perhaps what makes the East in general and India in particular different from the rest of the world is not its huge population alone but its conceptions about human life in general and its unquestioning belief in the mystical definition of Consciousness as an age old truth, received, nurtured and passed on to the future generations.

The quote from Robert E Ornstein (included in our text by Dalal) speaks clearly about the fact that a subject as subtle as ‘consciousness’ has not been fully treated as a academic science. That is so true! Among the few who know about my programme with SACAR-IGNOU, some have asked me questions for which I have no answers. The questions are all the same: “What will you DO with this degree” and “What can one GET out of studying philosophy?” I have begun wondering about life—everything is about ‘DO’ and ‘GET.’

Here perhaps lies the difference between the materialistic view of consciousness and the mystical one. Dalal is quick to tell that Robert E Ornstein has made a bold redefinition of psychology as the science of Consciousness, and immediately points out that Sri Aurobindo predicted the same. Dalal speaks of the obstacles to the scientific study of consciousness and points out that the modern day research looks at the same in relation to physiology or behaviour. Parallel to this idea we are exposed to another conception in these words, “But surface appearances are not the reality of things, they may be a part of the truth but they are not the whole reality.”
(Sri Aurobindo, Essays Divine and Human, pp. 337-338)

While the materialist feels there is little in the world except matter and its operations and mystics have had mystical experiences of the primal reality of consciousness, the divide between the two remains. The reading of the second chapter in the selection only reminded me of the age-old saying that there are two ways of living life—”one is as if nothing is a miracle and the other is as if everything is a miracle.”

As humans, we were perhaps made to love the elements of life because pure consciousness is present in all. We were made to love all humans and use material things; but sadly in these times, more people love things and use people! There lies the difference between the material and the mystical view of consciousness, in practice.

Dalas’s eye catching title “A Greater Psychology” conveys that there is ordinariness too and that can perhaps be attributed to the materialist view of consciousness.

Facilitator to GP:

You have provided a very interesting discussion in response to the question about material and mystic perspectives on consciousness. One aspect of this which is especially compelling is the question you have encountered regarding the purpose of your pursuing the degree. In describing this, you have given an example which can be seen as symbolic of the two perspectives. The materialist view in this case is attempting to focus on what seems to it to be practicality, which relates to ’doing’ (i.e., what will you do with it?). Of course, there may be a very real practical answer to this. However, I sense in your comments that you may see this as an example of the contrast between focusing on doing and focusing on being. In my view, at least, all learning is its own reward. From any knowledge pursued we have the opportunity to develop, to become more of what we may become. This, then, relates very much to consciousness, especially to its growth and to the essence of being.

Response by learner BB:

The approach of sheer materialists to the subject of consciousness is fraught with bias and preconceived notions. They try to explain consciousness by observing and assessing the surface phenomena. Consciousness, according to them, is a result of inorganic and organic chemical processes.
The mystical view of consciousness stands diametrically opposite to the material view. It is noteworthy that the ‘mystical view’ is not simply a view but it is a realization of the highest order. The mystics through their disciplined spiritual practice recognized consciousness as the truth pervading anything and everything. Consciousness is the basis of all—inanimates and animates. All entities, regardless of their dimensions and quality, are rooted in consciousness. No matter what you talk of— the infinite cosmos or the infinitesimal quark, all are attributes of consciousness.

Two of the primary differences that the Dalal text brings out on the basis of the aforesaid truths are the following:

(i) Whereas the material approach views consciousness as a result of the interactions (chemical, physical, biological or a combination of these) of material substances, the mystical approach views consciousness as the cause of all and sundry (materials and processes).
(ii) Whereas the material approach attaches consciousness only to animate beings and their life processes, the mystical approach recognizes consciousness as the very foundation of all entities, living or non-living. In the non-living, the consciousness is in an ‘inconscient’ state which is potent enough to evolve and express itself in all its splendour.

Facilitator to BB:

In observing that the mystical perspective on consciousness is not merely a view but rather a realisation, you have identified a very relevant and meaningful point. In your identification of this fact and also of the two significant distinctions between the materialist and mystical perspectives which you note, you demonstrate a fine level of understanding of the material. You have described this beautifully as well.

Question 3

What are the levels of consciousness identified in Sri Aurobindo’s yoga and what is meant by the descent of consciousness?

Response by learner DP:

“The world has been created by a descent of consciousness; it maintains itself, it proceeds and develops through a series of descents,” says Nolini Kanta Gupta (p. 32). Sri Aurobindo believed that consciousness permeates from the upper rarer climes to the lower grosser ones until it reaches Matter. In fact, this process of ‘involution’ into the lowest realms of inconscience then produces a fascinating result. Having reached its lowest point it has no option but to start moving upwards. Thus begins the process of ‘evolution.’

‘The supreme reality’ [sat-chit-ananda] contained the seed of dynamism within itself and by a process of self-concentration created a pattern of ‘harmonious multiplicity.’ In doing so, the One retained all its qualities and each one of the Many also retained all the qualities of the One. Sri Aurobindo calls this descent Supermind or Gnosis. This stage in which each contains all and all contains each is called the root consciousness in the Rig Veda. Difference was born but there was no separation yet.

In the descent into the Overmind the differences began to gather momentum. It was the beginning of ignorance and Avidya. In the lower recesses of the Overmind the differences were crystallized but in the upper part of the Overmind unity was still maintained. What began in the Supermind as difference now became a growing separation.

In the next descent to the Mind the differences became fixed and the self-imposed limitations of ego came into effect. Completely mired in Maya, the mind lost its ability to comprehend more than one thing at the same time. The integral and global scope of the Supermind and Overmind were also lost.
Between the descent from the Overmind to the Mind lie three stages. The first of these and closest to the Overmind is Intuition. The next is the Illumined Mind and last is the Higher Mind. All these carry some remnants of the Overmind in varying amounts.

The imprisonment of consciousness was furthered by its descent into Life. The struggles with passions, desires and wants had now almost completely dulled the luminous thing we started with. Between the Mind and Life lies the Psyche, a word we use very often today for individual consciousness.
The descent of consciousness was completed when it finally buried itself in Matter. It was by now fragmented and dulled to the extent of becoming a set of mechanised rules. On the plus side, the formless One that we started with now has a form, in fact many forms. And we have no choice but to ascend.

Facilitator to DP:

In discussing involution and evolution, you describe this process very clearly and meaningfully, including indicating the levels of descent and ascent. In explaining this to us, Sri Aurobindo helps us understand the capacity which human beings innately have to realise their inherent aspiration for perfection and for union with the Divine, which is their original source of being. His conceptualization of this dual process of descent and ascent is a great gift to our understanding of the Divine Reality of which we are a part.

Response by learner GP:

Before I begin to gather my thoughts in response to question three, I must say I am feeling like a needle in a haystack as I am going along the course. I am not able to assess if I am understanding the subject as one ought to do. Also please excuse me for the length of this post, brevity is important considering the constraints of time and space.

My personal understanding of ’descent of consciousness’ reminds me of the tap root of the tree of creation which I choose to call the cosmic web. The network of events of creation, further generation, ordinance and destruction are all the result of the descent of consciousness.

Indian philosophy leaves little to the chances of mercy; the primordial truth sachchidananda transcends material creation and all the same is immanent in the very material creation at all levels of creation.
This primordial truth is the Supreme Reality. Its features are astounding and desirable:

— it exists always and forever
— it exists consciously and as full Consciousness
— exists in delight, through delight, for delight and as delight
— it has no reason for existence but the pleasure and joy of simply existing.

Now, these aspects of Existence are exactly what keep our world (and other worlds to which our limited knowledge and limited senses have no access) going round. Perhaps, they are parallel impulses, each equal and opposite of the other; this is what I imagine. Perhaps we humans are in perfect union with the Divine Consciousness when we desire to pray sincerely or when we give of ourselves without any expectations, in other words, when we work selflessly. Interspersed in Life is decadence, and we are merely human when we choose to live in ordinariness, eating, sleeping, mating and defending the ’I’ in us. Perhaps we are embodiments of the paradox in Nature; the difference in consciousness at its highest and in Life is all about the descent of consciousness at different levels. (Now I wonder if I am phrasing that correctly and am open to correction if I have got my facts wrong).

In stark contrast to the Supreme Reality is our material reality. Here the words, “The world has been created by a descent of consciousness” come to my mind. This world is one of ignorance, grief and is undelightful. It is by a conscious effort that one can possibly touch (perhaps ‘realise’ would be a more appropriate verb than touch, because touch has to do with outward sense perception and here we are discussing an inward perception) the pinnacle of existence, the Consciousness.

The selection from Nolini Kanta Gupta’s text, which I would call poetic prose, is beautiful; it gives a verbal picture of the Great Chain of Being and on a careful reading I could graphically visualize the Supreme Reality descending into a Supermind(Gnosis) and then following into the upper and hemispheres of the Overmind; seeping into Pure Intuition, Illumined Mind, and Higher Mind, before descending into the Mind and finally into Life.

Not all truths are verifiable, and with our limited capacities subject to time, it is difficult to perceive these higher truths, warns the author before he leads us into the details of The Yoga of Sri Aurobindo.

Facilitator to GP:

GP, I believe that you have identified well what I intended when I asked about the meaning of the descent of consciousness, particularly so in your discussion of the concepts explained by Nolini and the levels of consciousness which he identifies and describes in his text. In Sri Aurobindo’s conceptualization, the phrase “descent of consciousness” means specifically the descent of the Divine Consciousness into the manifestation and relates to the concept of the involution of the Divine—the understanding that the Divine involved Itself in every step or stage which occurred in the process which lead from the unmanifest Absolute to the manifestation of the universe. Therefore the Divine is literally involved in matter, in the sense that it is embedded in matter, actually there within it. It is this presence which enables the evolution of consciousness. The involvement of the Divine in matter, Its actual presence there and throughout all levels of the manifestation, is what makes the evolution not only possible but also inevitable.

When you have written about levels of consciousness in terms of human behavior, my impression is that you may mean that some levels seem to relate less to the Divine and be therefore lower levels of consciousness. Perhaps you are considering that at some stages we are more subject to Nature than to Spirit. I believe this is so, nevertheless there is still the presence of the Divine within the being and the innate urge to evolve. Each stage of our development seems to be necessary to our growth, though sometimes perhaps prolonged more than necessary by human resistance. Fortunately, human beings have the capacity in their self-awareness to make conscious choices which can support their evolution and help them actively participate in it.

Response by learner S:

I thank you, Martha, for introducing us to the readings of Nolini Kanta Gupta. He has a beautiful presence, and I enjoyed reading his writings.

Nolini is clear and detailed when he describes descent of consciousness. This is how I see it. Sat-chit-ananda— Existence-Consciousness-Bliss—being One Luminous Presence (I will call Him ‘Lord’) descends, creating the universal planes of Him. The Lord had already the wish to be self-aware in multiplicity in order to become more or differently Blissful in this new awareness. Nolini pointed it out in the beginning of the chapter: “…it exists in delight—through delight and for and as delight; it has no other reason for existence but the pleasure and joy of simply existing.” (p. 32)

In the movement of creation the first phenomenon is the Birth. Something which is to grow first has to be born. But to be born, one has to have the origin or there has to be a seed. And this seed has to have a Mother and a ground to be put into, and the environment to grow in. So, all those attributes-entities are necessary for the creation to happen. If we observe the nature around us, we discover the same pattern of the Lord to create his kingdom. I mean pattern in its original movement: Love, Father, Mother, Nest, Seed, Birth, Growth, Development, and a Father-Mother-like Formation. I see it with my Mind, therefore I give this primitive line structure. So, what is descending of Consciousness here— it is nothing else than a preparation of the space and environment for the seed to grow and develop to the Father-Mother-like state. But it is not only that. Descending to the lower planes, the triune Sat-chit-ananda separates itself. Consciousness became separate from the existence and bliss. The closer to Matter they come, the farther from each other they are. In this manner the field for the work of realisation was created. The process of descent and ascent of the Consciousness is much more complex and beautiful; it is all inclusive self-establishing, a mutually synthesizing process of the Consciousness in the manifested living and thinking material creation. The Supermind, which is in our higher hemisphere, through the Overmind and through the Pure Intuition, Illumined Mind and Higher Mind, works with the Mind. Next are Mind, Life and Matter, which constitute our lower hemisphere.

Facilitator to S:

It is good to hear from you that you are enjoying reading Nolini-da. I have greatly enjoyed reading your description of the process of involution and all that results in the levels of consciousness which
Sri Aurobindo identifies. What you have written is beautifully expressed and conveys the essence very finely.

Response by learner MD:

There is a vertical gradation of consciousness and there is a horizontal gradient. The vertical begins with Sachchidananda at the top, which is the Supreme undivided, absolute state of consciousness holding within it all the possibilities and energies of creation. It is the triple status of existence, consciousness and bliss. When Sachchidananda decides to unfold, manifest and express itself in terms of multiplicity it begins a process of involution, of increasing self concentration, self-regard, a growing exclusiveness in order to experience itself as form and dense substance and in order to spill out all that it holds within it as seed and potential. This unfolding of its infinite potential begins with the Supermind consciousness, the first and most perfect state of unity and multiplicity, the One working in perfect harmony with the many, awareness and will being in perfect sync with each other. This then separates itself more and more from the source in larger and larger separative movements down to the Overmind, Intuitive mind, Illumined mind, higher mind, mind, vital, physical, subconscient and inconscient. In matter the Absolute assumes total oblivion of its Oneness, Consciousness and bliss and experiences itself as the very opposite of all its higher qualities; the Formless finds concrete and undeniable form and can’t descend any further. By sheer impossibility of another descent it assumes its upward march towards an evolution of consciousness.

The horizontal or concentric gradient begins with the outermost physical, vital, mental personality and moves inward to the inner physical, vital, mental; then comes the innermost being called the psychic supported by the soul or the atman. All external nature or personality is a distant and murky reflection of this innermost psychic personality, the divine individuality in man. All experience of life is aimed at the psychic awakening. The movement of ascent is correlated to the movement within. In man both work hand in hand.

In Sri Aurobindo’s yoga, descent of consciousness has two immediate connotations. One is in terms of a fundamental and primal involution of Consciousness from Sachchidananda to the absolute inconscient in Matter. And the other is the periodic descent/intervention of consciousness at the various critical stages of the ascent or evolution of consciousness. For example, Nolini-da points out that matter, however changed or prepared and transmuted, could not have grown to incorporate life and mind if life and mind had not descended to enter into it and helped by that pivotal descent to infuse it with the next higher principle of consciousness. Similarly, now that the Supramental consciousness has been brought down into the physicality of Earth nature by Mother and Sri Aurobindo, it is possible for man, this triple nexus of matter, life and mind, to grow into the Gnostic being, its next future.

There is also the sense of Grace and Will of the Divine Mother when we speak of a descent in
Sri Aurobindo’s yoga. The descent also symbolizes the marriage of earth and heaven, it is the coming together of our original (Vedic) Mother and Father, it is the consent of the Feminine Energy and will factor to the manifestation, sublimation and integration of the lower with the higher, a taking up of all that the static soul factor holds silently within it in order to manifest it fully and perfectly in matter. This descent of consciousness is also about a deep Joy and Energy and Love. It happens at once in the macrocosm and in the microcosm. Descent is also Shakti of Ishwari and her four aspects of knowledge, power, love and perfection. Descent is in the heart of creation, at its origin and in every strain of its unfolding. Nothing would ever move ahead without the action of the Descending Grace, the consenting Mother.

Response by learner BB:

Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga advances two systems that simultaneously explain the levels of consciousness. One system consists of concentric rings while the other is a vertical flight of steps.

Under the concentric system there are three primary rings or levels— the outer or surface being, the inner being, and the inmost or the psychic being. The inmost being is the subtlest level that supports that inner and the psychic beings. Both the inner and the outer beings have three sub-parts each— the mental, vital and the physical. Therefore, “There are, we might say, two beings in us, one on the surface, our ordinary exterior mind, life, body consciousness, another behind the veil, an inner mind, an inner life, an inner physical consciousness constituting another or inner self.”
(Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga, pp. 1020-21).

Under the vertical system there are 11 chief levels of consciousness, viz. Inconscient, Subconscient, Physical, Vital, Mind, Higher Mind, Illumined Mind, Intuition, Overmind, Supermind, and Sachchidananda. Seen from the bottom upwards, the levels of consciousness under the vertical system are in an ascending order. At the inconscient level, consciousness is at a potent state, that is to say it does not express itself in a manner so as to become intelligible to the untrained eye. On the other hand at the highest level, that is at the level of Sachchidananda, the expression of consciousness is optimum. I venture to say that the Sachchidananda is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman.

The descent of consciousness, as I understand it, is the process by which the Supreme Brahman becomes many from one. It could be understood as the involution of consciousness as against the evolution of consciousness. It is a good idea to discuss involution of consciousness with reference to the vertical system of consciousness. Under involution there is a steady downward flow of consciousness from Sachchidananda level to the inconscient level. Mathematically speaking, one would expect that the descent of consciousness from one level say ‘level P’ to the next below level say ‘level Q’ would imply the termination of ‘level P’. However, this descent does not follow this mathematical correspondence. Under the descent of consciousness, while consciousness descends from ‘level P’ to ‘level Q’ both levels P and Q exist simultaneously. This is an ethereal process and as such does not necessitate the termination or the expense of the higher level for effecting the downward flow of consciousness. All the 11 chief levels of consciousness and other intermediate levels exist simultaneously in their substantive realities during the course of the descent of consciousness. It must be noted that the evolution of consciousness is the reverse of the descent of consciousness whereby consciousness steadily ascends from the inconscient level to the Sachchidananda level. Describing the evolution of consciousness, Sri Aurobindo writes,

…this one Being and Consciousness is involved here in Matter. Evolution is the method by which it liberates itself; consciousness appears in what seems to be inconscient, and once having appeared is self-impelled to grow higher and higher and at the same time to enlarge and develop towards a greater and greater perfection. Life is the first step of this release of consciousness; mind is the second; but the evolution does not finish with mind, it awaits a release into something greater, a consciousness which is spiritual and supramental. In my explanation of the universe I have put forward this cardinal fact of a spiritual evolution as the meaning of our existence here. It is a series of ascents from the physical being and consciousness to the vital, the being dominated by the life-self, thence to the mental being realized in the fully developed man and thence into the perfect consciousness which is beyond the mental, into the supramental Consciousness and the supramental being. (Letters on Yoga, p. 47)

Facilitator to BB:

As Sri Aurobindo explains in his description of the processes of involution and evolution, particularly as detailed in The Life Divine, it is the involution of the Divine in matter in the process of creation which makes the evolution not only possible, but evident.

***

Learners’ Questions for the Facilitator

MD to Facilitator:

I had several questions when I started reading for block two. As I went ahead most of the questions were answered either in the text or inside me. Few of them though are still unclear. I ask these knowing that the answers will never be finite and full but indicative and suggestive. On the whole these texts have been a wonderful journey within, a deep meditation and full of quiet joy!

Can it be said that purusha or soul are the awareness aspects of consciousness and prakriti or psychic the active Will aspects?

Are purusha, self, psychic and prakriti different realities of being and consciousness the movement of stress that we place in each or either of them?

If Brahman is Sat-chit-ananda or existence, consciousness and bliss, then surely all three are fundamental realities and more or less equal in status! Then how can we say, “…consciousness is a fundamental thing of existence”? Is consciousness a subset of existence? Is there consciousness without existence? Why is ‘Sat’ in Sat-chid-anada translated as existence and not truth?
The ascent or evolution happens in time and space… where did the involution happen? In which dimensions? Why?

If matter is the last level of consciousness then what is subconscient? And inconscient? Why do they appear below matter in the vertical chart of planes of consciousness? How come matter or form falls lower down to something less material and more subtle in terms of physicality?

You pose some very deep questions, the answers to which should emerge as we continue our studies. I will venture to give a few explanations, in any case.

With regard to the following question: “Can it be said that purusha or soul are the awareness aspects of consciousness and prakriti or psychic the active Will aspects?” Perhaps they may be described as such, in that the purusha is the silent will and power, the witness consciousness, while the prakriti is the dynamic, effective power in action. Yet we need to be aware that they are still only aspects of one thing. This is so whether we consider Purusha/Prakriti aspects of the Divine or of the individual being. For example, speaking with regard to these in the larger sense, Sri Aurobindo resolves the duality of Soul and Nature, explaining this in The Life Divine and in doing so explains that they are both One, with the Soul being master of Nature.

You further ask: “Brahman is Satchidananda or existence, consciousness and bliss, then surely all three are fundamental realities and more or less equal in status! Then how can we say “…consciousness is a fundamental thing of existence”? Is consciousness a subset of existence? Is there consciousness without existence? Why is ‘Sat’ in Sachchidanada translated as existence and not truth?”

The last part of this question is the easiest to answer: ’satya’ is ’truth,’ not ’sat,’ which is ’being’ or ’existence.’ As for the larger philosophical question: Simply put, Sachchidananda is a single indivisible Reality. In the example you cite, I believe that consciousness is singled out since it is its evolution that is being discussed in particular. As consciousness reveals itself through the evolution, so also progressively do being and bliss. Essentially, as higher levels of consciousness are attained by individuals, their state of being is also a higher one (wider, more true, etc.) and so also for their realisation of ananda.

Next question: “The ascent or evolution happens in time and space… where did the involution happen? In which dimensions? Why?” Answer, in brief: Time and space were developments which came to be when the Divine extended Itself into matter, creating the manifestation. The creation is finite, manifested out of the Infinite. When you read The Life Divine, the answers are all there.

For your last question, the subconscient is well described by Dalal as “the part of the being which is below the level of the mental, vital and physical consciousness; in the average person it includes the larger part of the physical , the vital being and the body-consciousness” (p. 416). The inconscient is more than the name appears to suggest since it is “the most involved state of the Superconscience” (Dalal, p. 410). In fact, the first power to emerge from the inconscience is matter, then all the other powers come forth.

GP to Facilitator:

Thank you for your input. Your words of encouragement light up my journey as I go through the reading assignments; yes, you did get the meaning that I intended, that humans get involved in ‘Maya’ and forget the spiritual aspects of life.

I wish I got to see you in person when I was at Pondicherry for the Personal Contact Programme (PCP), nonetheless I hope we have a chance to meet you in person in the future.

I have one question about the symbol of the two triangles intersecting and the lotus bloomimg in the centre that is on the Ashram books. Could you please elucidate for us both the symbols of Mother and Sri Aurobindo? I understand that the symbols have to do with ‘descent of Consciousness’ and ascent of human aspiration for divinity.

Facilitator to GP:

I appreciate your kind words. I would like to have been at the PCP this time, but it was not possible for me to attend. I would like very much to meet you and the other participants in person. I’m hoping I will be able to attend next time.

Regarding the meaning of symbols, the link below gives the explanations offered by the Mother: http://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/ashram/mother/symbol.php

You have also probably seen the two symbols combined, which is the form used primarily by the
Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. I find these symbols extraordinarily beautiful and meaningful.