Sri Aurobindo

Letters on Yoga

2. Integral Yoga and Other Paths

Fragment ID: 146

There are many planes above man’s mind,– the supramental is not the only one, and on all of them the Self can be realised,– for they are all spiritual planes.

Mind, vital and physical are inextricably mixed together only on the surface consciousness – the inner mind, inner vital, inner physical are separated from each other. Those who seek the Self by the old yogas separate themselves from mind, life and body and realise the self of it all as different from these things. It is perfectly easy to separate mind, vital and physical from each other without the aid of supermind. It is done by the ordinary yogas. The difference between this and the old yogas is not that they are incompetent and cannot do these things – they can do this perfectly well – but that they proceed from realisation of Self to Nirvana or some Heaven and abandon life, while this does not abandon life. The supramental is necessary for the transformation of terrestrial life and being, not for reaching the Self. One must realise Self first, only afterwards can one realise the supermind.