Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM This dissertation is an analysis and interpretation of Shri Aurobindo's philosophical views on both the subtler (the Absolute) and the more tangible (the Relative) aspects of existence and reality as developed primarily in his Magnum Opus "The Life Divine". Here he expounded in detail his theories on the nature of Brahman, the methodology of creation and of the momentous journey of humanity. His qualifications for this task are based on his history as a scholar, intellectual and mystic. Shri Aurobindo (1872-1950) was an Indian brought up as an Englishman but he became an Indian political patriot because of the repressive British regime in India. He did not stop at politics; he realised a subtler dimension underlying the field of activity of the relative domain. This is a field of unbounded consciousness. He learned the methodology for contacting this realm of wisdom and of experiencing that component of the All, and wrote extensively about that from especially 1910 until his death in 1950. His philosophical masterpiece "The Life Divine" first appeared in instalments in a monthly journal "Arya" which he published from 1914 to 1921. He was a down-to-earth, pragmatic idealistic realist. He studied, and he knew of, the conflicting views about reality in Indian philosophy, one being that only the relative (the world of the materialist) is real, and the other that the Absolute (the province of the ascetic) is the only reality. He argued that both these aspects of existence are real, each on its own level. He integrated the apparent contradictions of the gross and the subtle into a holistic philosophy and said that humanity should develop in such a way that that holism became a normal everyday experience. This implies a growth of different facets of our being; it also implies that we possess those different aspects, albeit undeveloped. One of these parts operates beyond the field of logic, in the supramental arena. He obviously knew both these parts well, proof of which is the way he used them. Having that type of expertise, his warning that logic presents and describes only an insignificant and insufficient part of what is, should be taken seriously. This part that is beyond logic can only be comprehended by developing a further facet of our as yet unknown potentiality. He knows that humankind can attain and live in these further reaches. He detailed the roadmap to this region; this legacy is for all and is contained in his books. 2. A RELIGIOUS STUDIES ANALYSIS In order to understand the thought and experiential worlds of Shri Aurobindo, I examined some cardinal facets applicable to all scholarly religious research. A framework of the distinct analytical steps set out by Prof J S Krüger is followed in this outline: 1. The research material, 2. Introspection, 3. Understanding the intended meaning of his work, 4. Theory formulation or seeing patterns, 5. Evaluation, 6. Religious thought, 7. Mysticism and 8. Morality. The various elements of the outline overlap and are interrelated. Although all aspects mentioned are explicitly or implicitly dealt with and are mentioned below, this study is primarily concerned with the first three sections. 1. In religious science the understanding of a particular subject (here Shri Aurobindo) is tied to the consideration of the facts concerning him. These facts arise from the collecting of the data, the interaction of the different components, and the appreciation and eventual evaluation thereof. This process changes the data and results in the creation of the facts. The milieu in the case of Shri Aurobindo is shaped by the following data. He was born an Indian in 1872, his father was an anglophile and consequently he received his schooling in England, he started his career as a teacher and radic al politician in his home country that was ruled by the British, and he became a my stic, philosopher and writer nearly by accident. He was a Hindu but his spiritual life and development was virtually beyond organised religion. The research material that I used were mainly empirical data in that it contained detailed factual historical information concerning Shri Aurobindo gleaned from a variety of sources, but mainly from his own works. Further work done by others in the form of books and articles on him and his work, some more critical than others (and consequently perhaps more valuable, as alternative viewpoints with the creation of yet deeper insights are presented vigorously), were examined and mentioned or discussed. The material consulted is original and pure, in the sense that it was all written in English and that it is the actual work of the original authors. 2. In doing a study in religious science, the student that does the work should have as broad a background knowledge as is possible. The student too is a dynamic and constantly changing and interacting citizen of the universe. His duty is to observe and interact with what is available and presented to him, entering to the extent that he can into the spirit of the data at hand. This process is a subjective activity involving and requiring the student to access the internal constitution of the subject of study. His interaction with the data produces facts which he then has to treat objectively and neutrally. To the protest that objectivity is not possible, could be responded by stating that supreme subjectivity is arguably the essence of objectivity, the true marriage of the observer and the observed. This produces the truth of the facts. In this study I have observed the given data, and after internalising the data, I reproduced the facts as I see it. Inevitably, the end product, the facts, differed from the input data. This is because the sieve used (in the form of myself) to distil the essence and the meaning or true intention of my subject, was arbitrary in a way, not through intention but by virtue of my own history, and my ever-changing growth and development, which was effected even during the study done on Shri Aurobindo. This degree of discrepancy between my views of him and his philosophy, and that what he truly is and thought, is present despite my best intentions to enter into the spirit of the meaning of my subject. To objectively, neutrally and empathetically describe what I perceive and feel subjectively, implies an honesty that can only come from a lifetime of dealing with the realisation of the inevitable variance and divergence of my views and perceptions and of that of another person dealing with the world of the subtle spirit, and furthermore, of the appreciation of the limitations of concepts such as words to convey accurately any profound, or even mundane, insights. However empathetic my insights (which insights again is the result of years of reading of and introspection on this basic subject matter of the domain of esoteric reality, with a bias towards the wisdom of the thinkers of the "East"), it is no guarantee that I will touch and retrieve the essence of the philosophy of Shri Aurobindo. Suffice to say that it was my intention and wish to reveal or uncover and present this very essence gleaned by my reading of him, which reading lead me to believe that his philosophy is profound and important. 3. In a study such as this, I as an honest student have to understand the subject. The veil between my subject matter and me must be rend, and I must appreciate that particular you, your point of view and your universe. I must realise that you are constantly changing, you are not an absolute entity but a continuous process and that the you of yesteryear is not the same as the you now. Therefore, what is important here is you, your explicit intentions as well as your involuntary and unconscious inclinations, your inner world of attitudes, thoughts, feelings, motives. To achieve total true results is impossible. The safe and shallow way of observing your externalities and to report that is insufficient and unacceptable. It is in the subtle internalities where the truth and understanding is to be found. My commitment to the truth, not only mine but yours too, makes for traversing a fine, tenuous and delicate route, the intended destination being the convergence of our minds. In a subtle and gentle way this is how I can interpret the elusive existential you. In my study of Shri Aurobindo, to allow justice to be done to the representation and interpretation of his thoughts and intentionality, I approached his work with a sincere desire to understand him. My success will depend on the degree of my ability to fathom his thought and being. A true comprehension and insight of his total approach to his subject is arguably not possible, as our different ways of experiencing life and reality may at best approach convergence but never meet. However, in accepting the social responsibility of attempting to interpret his work, I adopted an as near as possible existential understanding approach, having already partic ipated in an intense dialogue over time with this very field of his, as well as with commentators and exponents thereof. This hopefully resulted in me representing him as honestly as possible, and interpreting his intentionality fairly and correctly, communicating empathetically what he thought, understood and meant in his work. 4. His background influenced his life. Historically, he knew the hard social and political conditions of the Indian people. His solution was gaining political independence and spiritual development for his people. Through this work he discovered his cultural and religious roots.