06-17-2007, 10:50 PM
Also the term "subconscient" as used by Sri Aurobindo to critique the modern-art should not be confused with Freud's usage of the term.
The layers of consciousness as enunciated by Sri Aurobindo are in ascending order:
(i) inconscient
(ii) subconscient
(iii) mind ( normal waking consciousness)
(iv) subliminal (mostly in dreams, but can also be seen in waking by adepts)
(v) higher mind (first knowledge on the mental level of the Self, the one self everywhere.
(vi) illumined mind ( An inwardly visible downpour of diffuse "light" manifests here.)
(vii) intuitive mind ( Truthful intuitions come as visible "lightnings". This becomes possible only after mind's self-will or ego has been completely silenced, and the yogi has surrendered to the divine will. )
(viii) overmind ( The level of great-Gods or cosmic-Gods. Here the "lightinings" of the intuitive mind become so numerous as to make a continuum. And towards the upper reaches of overmind, all these waves of lightnings merge into a single whiteness. All the great personalities/aspects of the Divine, the various Gods belong to this level, where they appear as individuals but are still unified as aspects of one Truth. In that sense they are truth but don't represent the whole-truth, but are in contact with it. Great Divine-personalities like Krishna, Shiva, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati, Durga etc belong to this realm).
(ix) supermind (Above the overmind, is the realm of absolute-Truth consciousness )
P.S. Regarding Gods:
The Overmind level is the true level of Cosmic-Gods with distinct personalities and cosmic consciousnesses. But there are many lower level beings that try to pass themselves off as "gods". Especially many vital-beings love to be called gods and worshipped as such. It makes their vital tendencies puff up with vital pride. One easy way to discern them is from the demands they put on, which will have a strong vital coloring, such as vehemence, passions, insistence, wrath etc. Unfortunately many such vital beings try to pass themselves off as established Gods/Goddesses on unsuspecting people. Mother had mentioned that she knew many such "kali-s", who were mainly vital-beings and not at all the same as the Cosmic-Goddess Mahakali.
The layers of consciousness as enunciated by Sri Aurobindo are in ascending order:
(i) inconscient
(ii) subconscient
(iii) mind ( normal waking consciousness)
(iv) subliminal (mostly in dreams, but can also be seen in waking by adepts)
(v) higher mind (first knowledge on the mental level of the Self, the one self everywhere.
(vi) illumined mind ( An inwardly visible downpour of diffuse "light" manifests here.)
(vii) intuitive mind ( Truthful intuitions come as visible "lightnings". This becomes possible only after mind's self-will or ego has been completely silenced, and the yogi has surrendered to the divine will. )
(viii) overmind ( The level of great-Gods or cosmic-Gods. Here the "lightinings" of the intuitive mind become so numerous as to make a continuum. And towards the upper reaches of overmind, all these waves of lightnings merge into a single whiteness. All the great personalities/aspects of the Divine, the various Gods belong to this level, where they appear as individuals but are still unified as aspects of one Truth. In that sense they are truth but don't represent the whole-truth, but are in contact with it. Great Divine-personalities like Krishna, Shiva, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati, Durga etc belong to this realm).
(ix) supermind (Above the overmind, is the realm of absolute-Truth consciousness )
P.S. Regarding Gods:
The Overmind level is the true level of Cosmic-Gods with distinct personalities and cosmic consciousnesses. But there are many lower level beings that try to pass themselves off as "gods". Especially many vital-beings love to be called gods and worshipped as such. It makes their vital tendencies puff up with vital pride. One easy way to discern them is from the demands they put on, which will have a strong vital coloring, such as vehemence, passions, insistence, wrath etc. Unfortunately many such vital beings try to pass themselves off as established Gods/Goddesses on unsuspecting people. Mother had mentioned that she knew many such "kali-s", who were mainly vital-beings and not at all the same as the Cosmic-Goddess Mahakali.