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SMRITI GRANTH
tive on the individual nature; the spiritual law respects the individual nature, modifies it and perfects it, and in this sense it is unique for each individual and can be known and made operative only by a change of co nsciousness and by an entry into the real self. In its progressive movement, it may, if necessary, permit a short or a long period of governance by a moral law, but always as a provisional device and always looking for going beyond into a plane of a spontaneous expre ssion of the Right and the Gocd. To the spiritual consciousness, moral virtue is not valuable in itself. but as an expression of a complex of certain qualities which are for the time being for a given individual no cessary and useful in an upward journey. Again, for the spiritual consciousness, what is commonly called a vice has, too, behind it, a complex of certain qualities which have a cetain utility in the economy of Nature, and can therefore be converted by placing them in their right place, into a complement to what lies in consci ousress behind the commonly called virtues.
Spirituality is not confied to the aspect of conduct; the conduct dealt with by morality is only a minor aspect of the totality of works, inner no less than outer. Spiritual consciousness includes all these works and strives by the method of a progressive change of consciousness for the perfect expression of all the aspects of the works and this striving it realises also the unity of works with the highest Knowledge and the deepest Love.
Religion to is an attempt to include all aspects of works and to arrive at some sort of unity of works with knowledge and love; but once again, its method is mechanical, mental, moral and dogmatic and, instead of arriving at a compehension of all the values. it ends only in a system of compromises. The progressive law of the spiritual development may permit, if necessary, a short or a long period of govern:nc: of the individual or of the race by religion, but only as a provisional device: what it always makes for is a passage beyond into the plane of a comprehensive consciousness where the distinctive religious methods disappear or cease to have any fundam:ntal or useful meaning To the spiritual consciousness, religion is not valuable es form, but only in so far as it may aid the to igoant consciousness of man to turn towards something hat is deeper and higher and, even the. e, it stresses e necessity for every man to have his cwn distinctive igion. And, again, for the spiritual consciousness, at is commonly called agnosticism, scepticism, atheism.
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positivism or free thinking, has behind it a concern and a demand for a direct knowledge, which, if rightly understood, recognised, respected and fulfilled, would become a powerful complement to what lies in consciousness behind the commonly accepted religious qualities of faith and unquestioning acceptance of dogmatic teachings and injunctions.
For spirituality always looks behind the form to the essence and to the living consciousness; and in doing so, it brings to the surface that which lies behind, and its action is therefore of a new creation. Spirituality transcends the forms and methods of morality and religion and creates and recreates its own living and progressively perfecting forms. In the words of Sri Aurobindo:
"Spirituality is in its essence an awakening to the inner reality of our being, to a spirit, self, soul which is other than our mind, life and body, an inner aspiration to know, to feel, to be that, to enter into contact with the greater Reality beyond and pervading the universe which inhabits also our own being, to be in communion with It and union with It, and a turning, a conversion, a transformation of our whole being as a result of the aspiration, the contact, the union, a growth or waking into a new becoming or new being, a new self. a new nature."
(ii) Spirituality and spiritual values and the methods of realising them are distinctive and must not be confused with either morality or religion, and their methods. The method of spirituality is purely yogic, and nothing short of Yoga can bring about the realisation of the spiritual values.
A more learning about Yoga is not Yoga, and even the most catholic book on Yoga cannot be a substitute for the direct yogic practice of an inner change of consciousness by which one can perceive and realise the inner and higher Self and trasform the working of the outer instruments of nature. Nor can Yoga be practised in a casual way or only as a part-time preoccupation Yoga to be properly practised must be taken as a sereg and central occupation and must govern and permeats every aspect of life and its activity. Then alone can there be any promise of realisation of the spiritual values.
(iii) An education that aims at the inculcation of spiritual values and at the reconciliation of these values with the dyn mic demands of life must also be as
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