The Mother

Agenda

Volume 10

December 17, 1969

I've had a revelation.

Ah!

It was very interesting. That is, I was completely silent, and all of a sudden, it came, and as always it kept insisting until I noted it down.

It came in the wake of a question: “What is death?...” But then, the answer wasn't at all on the ordinary plane, which means that the mind was perfectly silent.

It came like this, imperative (Mother laughs):

Death is the decentralization of the consciousness contained in the body's cells.

With a whole world of perceptions at the same time (Mother makes a gesture around her), like a general terrestrial consciousness, with examples showing that it's only when the consciousness contained in the cells is decentralized that one is dead. Otherwise, nothing, not even the heart stopping, can cause death.

Naturally, this decentralization stems from innumerable causes, but they are causes we might call psychological. And the cells contained in the body, or composing the body, are held in form by a centralization of the consciousness in them, and as long as that power of concentration is there, the body cannot die. It's only when the power of concentration disappears that the cells scatter. And then one dies. Then the body dies.

The sequel was like this ....

(Mother takes another note)

The habitual concentration of Nature (produced by Nature) is a MECHANICAL concentration which is subject to all sorts of mechanical laws too, but... (Mother reads out her note) Here is what came:

The very first step towards immortality is to replace the mechanical centralization by a willed centralization.

...which comes from the inner Presence, which means that through its will, the divine Presence concentrates the cells.

There.

In English, I put it like this:

Death is the consequence of the decentralisation of the Consciousness contained in the cells composing the body.

And then:

This centralisation produced by Nature is mechanical and it must be replaced by a willed centralisation.

*
*   *

Then... (Mother takes other notes) I am continuing the answers to the Aphorisms, and yesterday... (those Aphorisms of Sri Aurobindo are extremely interesting, I had forgotten), yesterday T. asked me a question (because in those Aphorisms, Sri Aurobindo speaks of courage and love, meanness and selfishness, nobleness and generosity¹), so she asked me, “Could you give me the definition of these words?” At first, I thought it wouldn't come, but all of a sudden it came. So I noted it down, it's interesting.

(Mother reads)

COURAGE is the total absence of fear in all its forms.

It shouldn't be understood mentally, it should be understood like this (gesture above the head), because the words have a very vast meaning, as vast as possible, very universal.

LOVE is self-giving without asking for anything in exchange.

I repeat, it's not at all on this plane (gesture below), because it was... the exact definition of divine Love as it acts.

Then the two dark things:

MEANNESS is a weakness that calculates and... (laughing) demands from others the virtues one does not have.

SELFISHNESS is to put oneself at the center of the universe and to want everything to exist for one's own satisfaction.

NOBLENESS is to refuse to make any personal calculation.

GENEROSITY is to find one's own satisfaction in the satisfaction of others.

Those things come in an imperative way – I don't try, I don't call. Even, after I read the questions, I said to myself, “Oh, I'm not going to answer this” – and poff!

*
*   *

(Then Mother listens to a few texts from Sri Aurobindo, in particular this one:)

“Certainly, when the Supramental does touch earth with a sufficient force to dig itself in into the earth consciousness, there will be no more chance of any success or survival for the Asuric Maya.”

(On Himself, 26.472)
October 18, 1934

It's interesting because the Asura is now thrashing about just like someone who expects to disappear. That's interesting ....

¹ 230 – “Courage and love are the only indispensable virtues; even if all the others are eclipsed or fall asleep, these two will save the soul alive.” 231 – “Meanness and selfishness are the only sins that I find it difficult to pardon; yet they alone are almost universal. Therefore these also must not be hated in others, but in ourselves annihilated.” 232 – “Nobleness and generosity are the soul's ethereal firmament; without them, one looks at an insect in a dungeon.”

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