Thoughts and Aphorisms 12

12. They proved to me by convincing reasons that God did not exist, and I believed them. Afterwards I saw God, for He came and embraced me. And now which am I to believe, the reasonings of others or my own experience ?

Thoughts and Aphorisms [Sri Aurobindo]

In the history of human thinking, reason has sometimes tried to prove the non-existence of God. And that is what Sri Aurobindo has referred to in this Aphorism. As we know some schools of thinkers have tried to lead us to conclude that God does not exist. There are some atheists, some non-believers, and also some are there who reason that God is beyond human reason — which can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God.

Human mind can prove and disprove anything. The Mother has said in this regard: “You can prove anything with the mind. When you know how to use it and have mastered reasoning and deduction, you can prove anything.”

Indeed, Mind can prove something — as a thesis — and disprove it also and prove its opposite — as an antithesis — and therefore, it is better to turn towards the synthesis. Synthesis is the best approach of Mind towards Truth.

Mind, through Reason, can approach Truth in the way of synthesis. But Mind, untouched by any higher Consciousness, untouched by the Realization of the Supreme Truth, cannot reach the Troth of Reality through Reason.

Sri Aurobindo speaks of God having to come to Him and embracing Him. Sri Aurobindo saw God as God came to Him and embraced Him.

In simple words, He has spoken of the Supreme experience of Man. He saw God — experienced the Divine through His Vision. God came to Him — Man cannot realize the Highest Consciousness unless the Highest comes own, descends to the human stage of consciousness — He responds to the human Call and comes to him. Sri Aurobindo, though Himself the Divine incarnate, represented the Mankind to call the Divine, to aspire for the Divine. And God embraced Sri Aurobindo. God’s coming to Man is unlike another being’s coming to him. Indeed, the Divine is already involved and hidden in Man, as the Psychic Being. When the Highest Consciousness comes to us as a Person, there is no more of difference, no more of any distance. Man knows the Divine and becomes the Divine — he will have his individuality, but there will be no distance, no separation, and no difference from the Supreme Being. And that is God’s embrace.

This experience, this Realization, is something that reasoning Mind, as such, cannot reach — but when there is this Realization, this Embrace by a Consciousness, higher than any Plane in the mental system, namely the Supramental Consciousness, then obviously Mind is touched and even transformed. And Mind moves, not only by thesis and antithesis, but by Synthesis. One of the earliest and greatest examples thereof is The Synthesis of Yoga. Through a Synthesis, originated from the Highest Consciousness, the transformed Mind reached the Idea: All life is Yoga.

Some “others” may still continue with the rational conclusion that there is no God, or any other similar conclusion of the incomplete and imperfect consciousness of the ordinary mind. Though the Person, who is embraced by the Divine, knows that the external differences between him and the “others” are but superficial and not real, not fundamental, still the “others” may have no such Realization and Experience and they may continue with their rational journey. They may not accept the Truth unveiled and realized by the Person embraced by the Divine. But the Person having the Divine Realization is firm and confirmed in the authenticity of the Truth reached.

If you move one step towards the Divine, He then comes down towards you with more steps. For, your transformation is part of the Divine’s Work. When you are transformed, it is then a step of progress in the Divine’s Work. But if we are not sincere and true to ourselves, the Experience will be far away.

But even if one is a non-believer, if the Divine wants, one will have the Realization, the Experience. The Mother has said:
“Someone has asked me, ‘How is it possible for God to reveal Himself to an unbeliever?’ That is very funny; because if it pleases God to reveal Himself to an unbeliever, I don’t see what would prevent Him from doing so!”

It is indeed our task to evolve beyond reason so that we may not for ever grope in our half-darkness (and half-light) and in our uncertainties and probabilities and in the deductions and inductions of our never-sure logical endeavors.

To be illogical is no wisdom. But to be logical at the cost of the Real Truth and at the cost of the Realization is also no wisdom.

Barindranath Chaki
07-04-2009