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SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY

Singapore
Permit No. MICA (P) 249/06/2009

December 2009

NEWSLETTER

VOL 23.12

Above was the brooding bliss of the Infinite, Its omniscient and omnipotent repose, Its immobile silence absolute and alone. Sri Aurobindo in Savitri

Photo of Sri Aurobindo published with the permission of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust

Month Guiding Light of the Month

O my sweet Master, what childishness to think oneself responsible for anything at all and want to individualise Thy supreme and divine Will ! Is it not enough to unite with Thy heart and live there permanently, Then Thou takest all the responsibilities and Thy will works without even our needing to know it.....
- The Mother

From the Editors Desk

day of December, Sri Aurobindo willfully left his earthly sheath, terminating his physical tenure here upon earth. The occasion is before us again to contemplate upon the divine departure. But can the Divine depart? There is much to this, one instinctively knows. This so called departure was too different and poignant, by all accounts, to brush it aside as a natural occurrence. Truly, it was a divine departure. But again, can the divine depart? Sri Aurobindo left behind a sacred body, the body of the Golden Purusha encased by a golden crimson hue which The Mother referred to as the Supramental Light, the same Light Mother had seen him pulling down during his last days. In Twelve Years with Sri Aurobindo, Nirodbaran records that the Supramental Light had been descending into the most outward physical since 1938. With his departure was possible the direct descent of the Light into his body and through it into all Matter. This sequence of events culminated in the spectacular Supramental manifestation of 1956. However, the details are still to be consciously worked out and a concentrated yogarequired to hasten the evolution. Sri Aurobindos departure is termed a divine sacrifice, the Purushas plunge into death, for the sake of all of Earth.

Fifty-nine years ago, on the 5

th

In 1972, on His birth centenary, The Mother called on all to strive to be worthy of Sri Aurobindos birth centenary. The message on the Samadhi testifies to all that one ought to be thankful to Him, for all that he was and has done. One senses a feeling of smallness, as one gradually realizes what it may mean to be worthy of Sri Aurobindo, and his presence in our midst, in our hearts. Where does one start? This is a helpless question. But the helplessness of this is immediately quelled as one cries out to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. All the help and guidance is always with us, we are assured, as well as the certainty of the divines victory. Only one thing is asked of us - an utter consecration, a self-giving total, of our entire being at the feet of the Divine. It is for each one of us to work out within ourselves what is asked of us. There is a promise of victory, a divine victory, an eventual evolution of the animal-man into mandivine. Meanwhile, the word departed must lose its flavour, its meaning too, when we discover and realize other realms in which the essence of the divine can exist, in concrete terms. That remains a personal experience for each one of us to live and savour. The Divine, then, has not departed. He simply cannot. Here are The Mothers words of Dec 7 1950, clear as crystal: Lord, this morning Thou hast given me the assurance that Thou wouldst stay with us until Thy work is achieved, not only as a consciousness which guides and illumines but also as a dynamic Presence in action. In unmistakable terms Thou hast promised that all of Thyself would remain here and not leave the earth atmosphere until earth is transformed.

Yet all his children have been taught that to grieve would be an insult to Him who is with us conscious and alive. The physical loss has been more than compensated by something else that his true child would sense - His presence felt in the midst of ones day to day life, in ones heart Another opportunity for introspection and space, to converse with Him, receiving his help contemplation avails itself at our doorsteps and guidance.

Savitri
To the still heights and to the troubled depths His equal spirit gave its vast assent: A poised serenity of tranquil strength, A wide unshaken look on Times unrest Faced all experience with unaltered peace. Indifferent to the sorrow and delight, Untempted by the marvel and the call, Immobile it beheld the flux of things, Calm and apart supported all that is: His spirits stillness helped the toiling world.
(Savitri, Book 1, Canto 3)

*********** The poison of the world has stained his throat. In the market-place of Matters capital Amidst the chafferings of the affair called life He is tied to the stake of a perennial Fire; He burns on an unseen original verge That Matter maybe turned to spirit stuff: He is the victim of his own sacrifice. The Immortal bound to earths mortality Appearing and perishing on the roads of Time Creates Gods moment by eternitys beats. He dies that the world may be new-born and live.
(Savitri, Book 6, Canto 2)

************ It is finished, the dread mysterious sacrifice, Offered by Gods martyred body for the world. He who has found his identity with God Pays with the bodys death his souls vast light. His knowledge immortal triumphs by his death.
(Savitri, Book 6, Canto 2)

Grant that we many be worthy of this marvelous Presence and that henceforth everything in us be concentrated on the one will to be more and more perfectly consecrated to the fulfilment of Thy sublime Work. - The Mother

Question of the month

here? Q: What is the part of the samadhi of Sri Aurobindo here? A: Sri M.P. Pandit : The Samadhi is the physical concentration of the consciousness that Sri Aurobindo embodied in his material body. Those who have faith can draw as much spiritual sustenance from the Samadhi as they did when he was physically present. The Samadhi is not a tomb where the physical remains of the Master are preserved. It is a living reservoir of Spiritual consciousness and force, emanating its vibrations incessantly. I hope I am not revealing any great secrets in recording here that there is in these vibrations a powerful sanction to every deep prayer that is offered at the Samadhi. I have known of countless instances where confirmed skeptics have returned men of faith after a visit to the Samadhi.
(From All Life is Yoga- M.P. Pandit, Dipti Publications, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry)

Luminous Preservation of Sri Aurobindos Body (Though Sri Aurobindo withdrew from his physical body on December 5, 1950, the body did not show any signs of decomposition till four days later. The body was aglow with a special light which the Mother confirmed as being the light of the Supramental.) Regarding the preservation of Sri Aurobindos body for several days after his withdrawal: You are right; the mere fact of preservation does not give special significance to the event. What was unique and important about the phenomenon was the presence for so many days of the Supramental Light in the body. It was the first time that the said Light was seen by many physical eyes, illumining a physical form. It was an irrefutable testimony to the fact of the great Light having concretely descended on the earth plane and found a material habitation, for however short a period. Preservation of the body by yogic means is not very uncommon. There are scores of instances of Hathayogins withdrawing their life-breath, leaving their bodies intact for days together. There are certain currents of life-force- called sub-pranas in the Indian system- which keep the body without disintegration even when the main life-breath has ceased. One need not be a yogi or a spiritual man or a saint for that. Persons who are used to pranayama in one form or another can have this effected in their systems. The greatness of saints is always their own. It is not conferred on them by the beliefs or superstitions of the devotees.
(From All Life is Yoga- M.P. Pandit, Dipti Publications, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry)

The Mother on Sri Aurobindo The truth of Sri Aurobindo is a truth of love and light and mercy. He is good, great, compassionate and divine. And it is he who will have the final victory. I always saw him with a perfectly peaceful and smiling face, and above all, the dominant expression was one of compassion. That was what stood out in his appearance. An expression of compassion so. so peaceful, so tranquil, oh, magnificent. The manifestation of the love of the Divine in the world was the great holocaust, the supreme self-giving. The Perfect Consciousness accepted to be merged and absorbed into the unconsciousness of matter, so that consciousness might be awakened in the depths of its obscurity and little by little a Divine Power might rise in it and make the whole of this manifested universe a highest expression of the Divine Consciousness and the Divine Love. Sri Aurobindo came to tell us One need not leave the earth to find the Truth, one need not leave life to find ones soul, one need not abandon the world or have limited beliefs to enter into relation with the Divine. The Divine is everywhere, in everything and if He is hidden, it is because we do not take the trouble to discover Him.

To the Heights Lord, Thou hast heard our prayer, And come down into our mortal waysAssumed the form, the flesh that build our weakness, Thou hast designed to be close to us and wear our make, To be with us and to be of us. But we have taken thy humanity in a too literal and familiar way, We have forgotten the Aspiration and the Descent, the answering Grace That took shape in thy advent; And now we blame thee and slight thee, because thou art become like us - earthly and human. Divine, thou art too far- human, too near! For, the aberration of our petty minds knows no limits! But thou sufferest all And keepest thy unruffled and unabated benignityOn thy lips is the smile of eternal and infinite Grace, The smile that is thine alone. June 1 st, 1933.

(Nolini Kanta Gupta- To The Heights, translated from Vers Les Hauteurs, Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry)

Sri Aurobindos last darshan (The following selection is taken from pp. 198-202 of The Radical Thinkers, a book published in 1969 by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press and now out of print. The account describes the ashram atmosphere during November and December 1950, immediately preceding and subsequent to Sri Aurobindo's leaving the body).

At last it was the morning of November 24. At Golconda, rumors flew. Although thousands had now arrived for this darshan, it was said that Sri Aurobindo was ill and might find it impossible to appear. Then at the last minute, we were told he was well enough. A long line led from the main building around the block: people of every color, every style of dress, government officials and high-ranking professors, young and old, from dozens of countries, wanted to see the philosopher-sage. Each of us finally climbed the stairs to the floor where, at the end of a long narrow room, Sri Aurobindo in white and the Mother in a gold sari sat side by side upon a slightly raised platform. As a westerner, the idea of merely passing by these two with nothing being said had struck me as a bit ridiculous. I was still unfamiliar with the Hindu idea that such a silent meeting could afford an intensely spiritual impetus. I watched as I came up in line, and I noted that the procedure was to stand quietly before the two of them for a few silent moments, then to move on at a gesture from Sri Aurobindo. What happened next was completely unexpected. As I stepped into a radius of about four feet, there was the sensation of moving into some kind of a force field. Intuitively, I knew it was the force of Love, but not what ordinary humans usually mean by the term. These two were 'geared straight up'; they were not paying attention to me as ordinary parents might have done; yet, this detachment seemed just the thing that healed. Suddenly, I loved them both, as spiritual 'parents.' Then all thought ceased. I was perfectly aware of where I was; it was not 'hypnotism,' as one Stanford friend later suggested. It was simply that during those few minutes, my mind became utterly still. It seemed that I stood there a very long, an uncounted time, for there was no time. Only many years later did I describe this experience as my having experienced the Timeless in Time. When there at the darshan, there was not the least doubt in my mind that I had met two people who had experienced what they claimed. They were gnostic beings. They had realized this new consciousness, which Sri Aurobindo called the Supramental. Later, this same experience made me understand what Heidegger meant by 'standing presence.' Several days later, an English doctor staying at Golconda warned me that the condition of Sri Aurobindo's health was becoming worse. At 1:30 in the morning on December 5, 1950, he passed away of a kidney infection. About 3:30 that same morning, this was announced to everyone in the ashram. With great sorrow, I realized I had been at the last darshan at which both of them would appear together! 6

During the day of December 5, I hovered about the ashram grounds, feeling desolate. Already it has been decided, despite the objections of the French colonial governor, that Sri Aurobindo would be buried in the courtyard of the main building beneath a huge spreading tree. The male ashramites, including the visiting doctor, began to build the tomb. I watched the doctor, who had confided to me that he expected Sri Aurobindo to 'reveal himself as an avatar,' and he beat with his sledgehammer on the concrete slab as if he would destroy death itself. There was weeping but no hysteria. By afternoon, men and women passed baskets of earth from hand to hand, as the digging continued beneath the tree. Then there was a new announcement. For all of us there, there would now be a second darshan. In lesser numbers, we filed through to view the body of the poet-philosopher lying upon his couch in the upper chamber. Again, the following morning on December 6, we all filed past. The 'force field' which I mentioned earlier seemed to remain about the body and throughout the room. Dressed in white, upon a white couch before the windows, Sri Aurobindo now lay in state. Bowls of flowers stood around the couch; and at the bed's head and foot, disciples of long standing sat quietly, heads bowed. Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, there was another darshan. Sri Aurobindo's face still did not look deathlike. The skin was golden in color, the white hair blowing on the pillow in a breeze from a fan. The aquiline profile continued to have a prophetic look. There was no odor of death and little incense was burning. To my astonishment, the repeated viewings of his body had a comforting effect. By December 7, everyone momentarily expected the funeral. This was, after all, a tropical climate. Bodies were usually burnt as quickly as possible in India. Even the planned burial in earth was a major departure from the usual Hindu custom. The grave had now been completed with large cement blocks lining the tomb. But instead of the burial, an announcement came from the Mother: 'The funeral of Sri Aurobindo did not take place today. His body is charged with such a concentration of Supramental light that there is no sign of decomposition and the body will be kept lying on his bed so long as it remains intact.' From the French colony, already exploding with disapproval and its officials much disturbed by the burial plans, came the rumor that the body must have been 'shot with formaldehyde' secretly, to preserve it. Moreover, said the officials, the ashram was not only breaking the law in burying anyone in the garden, it was worse to keep it so long unburied. (The legal regulation was that no body should be kept unburied longer than 48 hours.) On the morning of December 7, therefore, a French doctor representing the government, a Dr. Barbet, arrived to inspect the body of Sri Aurobindo. At the end he reported it was a 'miracle'; there was no deterioration, no rigor mortis. It was an unheard of occurrence; the weather had continued to be hot during the entire time. After this official and scientific approval, nothing further could be done to prevent another darshan. Visitors were flocking from all over India; and the Indian newspapers now proposed that Sri Aurobindo be suggested, posthumously, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

This time, I suspected it might be the last time. Everyone and anyone was allowed into the ashram to pass by Sri Aurobindo's body: beggars in rags, curiosity seekers, villagers, ashramites, and visitors. By December 8, silence was observed throughout the ashram grounds. Only latecomers who had just arrived in Pondicherry were allowed to view the body. Tension grew among the ashramites, and incredible speculations became the order of the day. An Indian representative of Life magazine came around, wanting to talk to those of us from America. He told us that this phenomenon of bodily preservation after death had never taken place anywhere in India. Why, even yogis who specialized in 'live' burial had never performed such a feat. No Indian 'living saint' in history had preserved his body after death in this fashion. The Indian magazine representative wondered if Sri Aurobindo was not, after all, still alive and only in some kind of trance state or coma. On December 9, at noon, a notice was posted that there would be a final darshan for those in the ashram at one o'clock. Later the time was changed to 2:30 p.m. and visitors from outside were allowed in first. The night before, a plane chartered by 19 people from Darjeeling had flown in. By now, in Golconda, everyone was sharing his or her room; bedrolls crowded the floors and halls of the guest house. I had, of course, postponed my planned departure date. All of this, I realized, was a situation which would remain entirely unduplicated in my own life. I intended to remain until the end. On the afternoon of December 9, at 5:00 p.m., the burial service finally took place after another final darshan. A feeling of force and energy remained in the atmosphere around Sri Aurobindo's vicinity, but that force had now weakened. Afterwards, in absolute silence, everyone in the ashram sat in the courtyard. The gates were locked against further curiosity seekers. There was no orthodox religious service at the burial. The coffin, of rosewood with metal gold rings, much like an old and beautiful sea chest, was borne from the ashram and lowered into the earth. French officials, all dressed in white, made a line to the left, their faces stern, a bit superior in expression and definitely disapproving of the entire affair. Over the coffin, concrete slabs were laid. Then everyone lined up and, one by one, we scattered earth from wicker baskets. It was dark under the spreading tree when each of us had made this last farewell. On the morning of December 10, when I visited the grave, it was already covered with flowers, incense sticks burning. It was announced that the Mother would carry on at the ashram and that a new International University would be opened. Although the Mother had announced there would be two weeks of meditation during which she would see no one, she graciously granted me a farewell interview on December 15, at 6:00 p.m. At 5:30 I went into the meditation hall, still very much mentally and emotionally upset by everything that had occurred. She appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed in white. When I smiled, she nodded and said: 'Come on up.' All the questions I had meant to ask seemed to vanish. I was intensely aware that the interview itself was an imposition, when she had so recently lost the companion of 30 years. 'They say 8

you wish to see me,' she said quietly. Before I could think I blurted out that I seemed to be full of fears, fears of new wars, fears of this or that in my personal life. 'One must not fear,' she said. 'By fear you bring about what you fear.' I nodded, then she added; and I had a feeling she spoke to the world, not just to me: 'It's ego! Ego!' Several personal matters were discussed, and then of spiritual development she said: 'One must have a spirit of adventure in all this, you know.' When our brief talk was over, she took a double French marigold from a bronze bowl on the edge of a small dark table, against which she had leaned an elbow while we talked. With a long look, she handed the flower to me. Only much later, many years later, did I realize how fortunate I had been. Within the space of a year, far from my own shores, I had met three of the world's greatest human beings: Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, who had said that man had outgrown his concept of God; and these two: Sri Aurobindo and Mira Alfassa, or the Mother, who together, had attempted to give the world that new needed concept of God, as those of spiritual genius always do. Because of them, life continues to have hope and meaning. - Rhoda LeCocq
(Rhoda LeCocq received a degree in philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies).

The colloquy at Kurukshetra will yet liberate humanity (Part 3)

Only those scriptures, religions, philosophies which can be thus constantly renewed, relived, their stuff of permanent truth, constantly reshaped and developed in the inner thought and spiritual experience of a developing humanity, continue to be of living importance to mankind. Page 5 Essays on The Gita by Sri Aurobindo. The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race, a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization. - Sri Aurobindo. The Gitas teachings should not be confined to narrow boundaries of ritualistic practices and religious beliefs belonging to a particular geographical location or age in the history of mankind. This perennial scripture is a comprehensive analysis on human psychology and a profound treatise on the different elements constituting our being. It systematically explains the meaning of Dharma and its relationship with Karma (action) in the evolutionary perspective of man. It shows us how to remain fully involved in our worldly actions and yet be detached from them by a change in our attitude. It begins with Arjunas sinking outburst of depression, confusion and escape from the battlefield of life and ends with the enlightenment of Arjuna who finally understood the multiple aspects of Dharma with respect to his own Swabhava and Swadharma. We may try to grasp the meaning behind Sri Aurobindos profound words will yet liberate humanity expressed in 1921-22 and observe how Gitas universal message is gradually spreading across the globe promoting positive attitude towards righteous action (Dharma) in all spheres of life despite the religious attribute attached to it, of initially being a Hindu scripture. It provides equally appealing answers to questions posed by those with scientific and practical thinking as well

as those possessing a deep philosophical outlook of life. Its guiding principles inspire everybody in all walks of life ranging from those engaged in the most menial physical work up to those involved in the most enlightened intellectual activities, for it addresses the root cause behind the binding of oneself to Karma or action and practically guides us how to be and act in the material world and yet remain continuously connected with the spirit inside. Karma becomes an ecstatic prayer when done in an attitude of offering to the Divine for indeed we would always want an offering to be perfect. Every perfect action will get the most perfect expected results as per the laws of nature controlled by the unseen Divine Will. These basic principles, not limited by any religious or geographical boundaries are unchanged for the past, present and future generations and science too cannot ignore their validity. When we compare the statistics of those with clarity of mind and purpose and happy in all circumstances with those depressed, stressed and confused in life in modern times, we shall surely find today the highest number of Arjunas with a state of mind as that he was in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, even though we have made magnanimous progress in acquiring the best material comforts. We often notice that our inner and the outer beings are in conflict with one another. It is only when our actions are in harmony with our feelings and thoughts aspiring for a higher purpose in life that the most mundane daily activities of life would become a means of Sadhana. As per Sri Aurobindo and Divine Mother - we are a composite being and an inseparable entity made up of our physical, vital, mental and spiritual or psychic parts. For different people and for the same person the controlling part of the self takes its turns and consequently our reaction to external stimuli varies at different times and situations without our being conscious about it. When we do an introspection of our own actions seeking Divine help we would certainly know which part of our being has controlled a particular action or speech of ours. It is only for a few seconds in our routine life that we attempt to come in touch with our luminous psychic being and all our actions and outer life appear to be guided by that luminosity. To remain longer in that state of consciousness of being connected with our psychic self is all about Yoga and Sadhana, possible only as said by Sri Aurobindo in the book The Mother in its opening page There are two powers that alone can effect in their conjunction the great and difficult thing which is the aim of our endeavor, a fixed and unfailing aspiration that calls from below and a supreme Grace from above that answers. The three types of Yoga- Karma, Bhakti and Jnana are not different paths for self realization but are self complementary with one another as they all aim at the transformation of different parts of our being ( Sri Aurobindos Poorna Yoga - Integral Yoga book Bases of Yoga). Bhakti Yoga gives a direction to the erratic vital being with its unpredictable and devastating emotions. Karma Yoga releases the binding of the physical being to the actions and consequently induces total surrender of this being to the Divine. It is the Jnana Yoga that addresses the reasoning mind with its thinking capabilities and opens its closed windows towards higher inspiration and intuition Only after all parts of our being are transformed and surrendered to the Divine is our Self freed to come under the control of our psychic being. Then only we shall be able to experience Ekameva Advitiyam Brahma as per Chandogya Upanishad - Divine Oneness in all and all in the Divine Oneness. We can memorize these words and utter them as many times but it would take many

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lives of Sadhana to put them into practice. We the children of Divine Mother are sitting on the coastal sands of the endless ocean of Her Grace and trying to collect a grain or two of Her Knowledge and taste a drop or two of her nectarous benevolence. The above principles offer the best antidotes today for these ever increasing levels of stress and aimlessness. Knowing the world around is given higher priority than knowing oneself. Knowledge of the Self is being forgotten while we are busy overloading ourselves with the knowledge of the world around us. We can narrate pages about people or events around us but when asked to describe about our own self, words fail us. This reminds us of Katha Upanishad where the student Nachiketa asks his teacher Yama for that knowledge knowing which everything else is known This doubt that arises, consequent on the death of a man - some saying 'It (The SELF) exis, and others saying 'It (The SELF) does not exist'. I would like to know this, under your instruction, O Death, what is the Truth." Kathopanishad, Part I, Ch 1, Sloka 20. The above references were mentioned to us on the first day in our class of Study of Sri Aurobindos works in Ashram school...........to be cont.
Note : All the concepts expressed here are from recollections of the words and explanations given by our teachers in Sri Aurobindo International Centre in the class on Essays on The Gita and the weekly enlightening talks held in the school premises by Nirod Da and Amal Kiran Ji.

Divine Sacrifice

Sundari

For the Divine it is not a supreme sacrifice to renounce the beatitude of His unity in order to create the painful multiplicity of the world.

Common Name: Pomegranate Botanical Name: Punica granatum Spiritual Name: Divine Sacrifice

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Divine Smile

We can contemplate the smiles of the Divine when we have conquered our ego.

Common Name: Fragrant champaca Botanical Name: Michelia alba Spiritual Name: Pure Spiritual Surrender

SPOTLIGHT ON INTEGRAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME (IEP) - Jaishri Sri Aurobindo stated that Each human being is a self developing soul and that the business of both parent and teacher is to enable and to help the child to educate himself, to develop his own intellectual, moral, aesthetic and practical capacities and to grow freely as an organic being, not to be kneaded and pressured into form like an inert plastic material. Sri Aurobindo saw the flowering of the divine in the child. Integral child education aims at self knowledge and thereby to realise the Divine Reality which is within him and manifest it in his thoughts, feelings and actions. The Intergral Enrichment Program (IEP) conducted by Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore, began as a small experiment at putting into practice what The Mother and Sri Aurobindo have said about true education, that is, the education centred around the soul of a being. From our humble beginnings in 2004, IEP runs into its 6th year currently. A group of committed, sincere facilitators put their time and effort every fortnight running activities for children from toddlers to 12 year olds, each time trying to realize the integral goals of education during the period spent with the children and during time spent preparing for activities and perhaps, during moments of quiet introspection as well. A 100-odd happy young children have passed through the portals of IEP. We are constantly discovering and rediscovering our own selves in this process and therein lies the intrinsic worth of this programme for all facilitators as well as children. 12

We aim, through this column on IEP, to capture some of the magical moments of interaction with children in words and pictures and to keep our readers abreast with some of the activities conducted in the fortnightly IEP sessions that take place every 2 nd and 4th Sunday afternoon at the centre. The special outdoor programmes at different venues are meticulously planned and executed by the facilitators, the highlight of it being the yearly overnight camps held at scenic campsites around our green and clean Singapore. Here are some of the views and visions for IEP from our facilitators. A venue for collaborating the thoughts, actions and aspirations of young minds towards achieving the greater good of bringing out beauty in them Shree Valli To tickle the creative minds and help them think out-of-the-box through hands-on activities and stories, giving expression to their inner beauty - Jaishree To nurture a confident, cheerful, wholesome individual and being in harmony with their peers - Kala An environment where positive feedback and creative exploration provide nurture Kiruthika An opportunity at perfection, an opportunity to get into ourselves and know our intent, an opportunity to avail ourselves to a higher force at work, an opportunity to aspire together for all our transformations in all ways possible and loads of sweet moments with beautiful children. That is what IEP means for me. There is great scope for this programme to evolve from an enrichment activity conducted on odd/even Sundays to a full-fledged educational activity, in its truest sense. Jayanthy There is much in IEP.there is much that can unfold for all children through this programme. - Jayanthi REFLECTIONS from Facilitator Quiet Afternoon of 25 October 2009 The quietness of the afternoon had nothing to do with the lack of activities at the centre, it was more to do with the final exams going on for many IEP children, so the full strength was not there. It did not deter the little ones and the facilitators from a squishy squashy session with white clay, moulding away different things, which were then left to dry. Look out for pictures of painted articles in this very column, in the coming months. Vishnu, Pranav and Kiruthika took the children out for physical activities after the clay modeling sessions. It was a fun-filled session with a ball and two teams. The childrens game enthusiasm was spelt out during circle time, not to mention the nice story at the beginning of the IEP session. - Jaishree REFLECTIONS from our teen participant Trip to Marina Barrage The wind was pleasant and unfluctuating. All of us were gathered together at the Marina 13

Barrage. Seated in a ring, we listened to a story from my mother, a facilitator. Since we were at the barrage that beautiful evening to do some kite flying, the story was on the Wind God. Afterwards we all split up into groups and worked on making some kites for us to fly. Each group used a different method of making the kites. One group made theirs using straws. As for my group, we used satay sticks as the spine of our kite. Ours was large, diamond shaped and red. All members of their respective groups contributed in the making of their groups masterpiece. Soon we were all armed with string and our kites were all set for take off. We headed to the roof. The sight that awaited us was amazing! I was awestruck. The Green Roof as it was called was covered fully with grass. But that was not all. There were so many kites in the sky. We all set about trying to make our kites fly. Though my group failed considerably, seeing our kite go up a few meters into the air give us a sense of satisfaction and achievement. Later it was time for a debrief and some snacks. During our snack time, kite flying continued except that this time the kites were empty potato chip packets. - Pradeeptha

PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2009

DATE 5 Dec, 2009 Saturday 6th Dec, 2009 Sunday 13th Dec, 2009 Sunday 20th Dec, 2009 Sunday 27th Dec, 2009 Sunday 31st Dec, 2009 Thursday st 1 Jan, 2010 Friday
th

TIME 6:00 pm 6:00 pm 6.00 pm 6.00 pm 7.00 pm 10.30 pm 11:00 am

DETAILS
Darshan Day Screening of Sri Aurobindo His life and his Ashram (Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi Day)

Living Question and The Mothers Answer conducted by Shailaja Guided Meditation Savitri Circle

Savitri - Talk by K.S. Rajah

Beginning 2010 with The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Special New Year Meditation & Prayers

WALKING IN LIGHT A Peek at Physical Culture

- Jayanthy Aspiration. For every move, every stride forward, in anything and everything, it appears then, that it is aspiration that is the seed, the initiate behind a driving force. What is aspiration then? Is it an asking? It is a yearning? Is it a desire, a want? It appears to be some of all these, in small bits, and yet, stands out amongst these little things, high, lofty and mighty. Aspiration. It is a sweet, soft word that holds in it all the forces of change. To aspire for something appears to be an asking for something more than for oneself, more than oneself. It has the distinct shades of a more self-less seeking, a searching more from within and an intense need put across to the highest one can perceive in ones consciousness or even in ones imagination. It appears that when one aspires, one, without exception, can only aspire for the highest ideal one can perceive. That alone puts aspiration above all other wants and needs. This aspiration that flowers from within has to come out of a deeply felt need, understood by the mind, perceived by the heart as the inevitable, indispensable. Then perhaps, there is hope 14

for the physical, made of grosser material, to be held up to the light to be transformed into perfections form? Who is the one who will ask for physical perfection or fitness, and when? Would one ask for physical well being after decades of ill-use and misuse and abuse of a docile instrument that can potentially move mountains, and an inevitable carrier, a cradle for and a sheath around the evolving soul that is carried from birth to greater birth? And who asks for this perfection and well-being? Yes, everyone wants a happy and healthy body that would serve him or her well in life. But the body follows a material law. It needs understanding of how it works, and how best to put it to its best use. But again, what is best use? To what use do we want to put our body to? This calls for introspection. This question drives us back to what we think to be our purpose of existence upon this earth. To whom or what do we want to dispose ourselves to? And it probably matters little where and in what station we are in life. Karma takes place, inevitably, work carries on. But what we do and how we do something takes on a greater meaning with the understanding of why we do something. And to top it up, with what attitude we do something. These introspections, if not anything more, will at least remove unnecessary activities we indulge in, for once one is focused on ones goals in life, ones path is more or less laid down. Our goal then, might as well be a high one, worth our birth here. Physical activities take a beautiful turn once our aim and purpose in life are ascertained through conscious choices based on faith and trust in the highest. Sri Aurobindo states: it is only on the basis of peace and calm that the true progress and realization can come. There must be no vital excitement in your seeking or your aspiration towards the Mother
DECEMBER 2009 MORNING WALK NO. 292 Date: Time: Sunday, 6th December 2009. 8. 00 AM sharp Pre-walk exercise will start on schedule. Please get to the starting point on time. Bedok Reservoir Park Meeting Point: By the Swimming Pool at The Tropica. Cars can be parked at The Tropicas Car Park. Following warm up exercises by the pool, we would walk over to the Reservoir Park. Directions to The Tropica: Exit PIE at Bedok Reservoir Road. Keep straight on the road. Then turn right into Tampinese Ave 10. From here, make another right into Tampinese Ave 1. MRT Station: Tampines Bus Services: 23 (from interchange), 518 (from Orchard and Pasir Ris), 15 (From Parkway Parade), 8 (fromToa Payoh) Directions to Park: MRT Station: Bedok Bus Services: 18, 21, 22, 28, 65, 67, 69, 228, 66, 506. Expressway: PIE Exit 8B (From Jurong towards Bedok)

Place:

The Tropica

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Contact:
Host:

Mr and Mrs Ramanathan 96490670.

Mr & Mrs K. S. Lok 61 Tampines Avenue 1, # 11- 02 The Tropica Singapore 529776

Telephone: (Res) 65883515 (HP) 94235415

Request: It is the walk that gives meaning to the brunch that follows. Do make it a point to attend the walk. However, the hosts will be pleased to welcome those unable to join the walk at their residence at 10.30am to participate in the prayers & meditation followed by brunch.

PREVIEW OF FORTHCOMING SUNDAY MORNING WALKS

WALK NO 293 294 295 295

DATE 03.01.10 07.02.10 07.03.10 04.04.10

TIME 8.00 AM 8.00 AM 8.00 AM 8.00 AM

PLACE East Coast Park Big Splash Bishan Park Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

HOST Ms. Nisha Maheshawary Mr. & Mrs. Krishnamurthy Mr. and Mrs. Rajah

MacRitchie Reservoir Mr. and Mrs. Ramachandran Park

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Membership Renewal for 2010 & Subscription to AIM All ordinary members are kindly requested to renew their membership subscriptions fee for the year 2010. The renewal fee is $80 per annum. From the $80 subscription collected, $20 will be paid to Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry for membership and subscription to the All India Magazine (AIM). Life members also will be required to pay $20 per annum for AIM. Payment by cheque should be made payable to "Sri Aurobindo Society Singapore". Kindly send your cheque to the treasurers address: Mr. Lok Kek Seng The Tropica 61 Tampines Avenue # 11 02 Singapore 529776

Printed and Published by The Sri Aurobindo Society of Singapore 2A Starlight Road 01-07, Singapore 217755 Tel: 62224194 (Daya); 96522197 (Jayanthy); 9164 7393 (Sumant); 64426266 (N.C. Patel) Email: sas_webteam@yahoo.com Visit our website at: www.sassingapore.cjb.net

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