The Science and Spirituality summit

The first day of the conference saw interesting presentations on the ‘new’ science which, according to Dean Rabin of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, unlike traditional science acknowledges that consciousness rather than matter is primary. This means, he continued, that consciousness can influence matter. 

Sraddhalu Ranade expanded upon this, pointing out that Sri Aurobindo had said there are no fixed laws, only ‘habits of nature’. “Consciousness can rewrite those habits. Once this is recognized, there will be a new civilization”. He referred to the Global Consciousness Project (which tracks unified consciousness events happening worldwide) seeing a peak in intensity nine hours before 9/11. This, he pointed out, shows that our subtle bodies can sense such things. “If we can sense the future, we can act consciously upon it”.

However, the neuroscientist Dr. Arnaud Delorne pointed out that “We are in the prehistoric stage of our extended mind capacities”. This led Sraddhalu to suggest that Auroville could become a centre for consciousness research which could lead the world. 

Referring to more traditional forms of consciousness raising, Dr. Mishra pointed out that “It is man’s ignorance that he thinks he can protect nature. We cannot save it unless we transform ourselves”. Here mantras have transformative possibilities, he said, for every word has an impact on the environment. And when, in Sri Aurobindo’s words, there is the higher intensity of rhythm and the soul’s force in the words, they become transformative. For “through mantra one can touch the core vibration of everything.”

For Manoj, however, the keys to spiritual evolution are surrender and silence. He noted that somebody had once said that “It takes tremendous courage to become a stupid Aurovilian”, meaning to give up one’s sole reliance upon the mind. Manoj suggested that the way to do this is to “Relax and open, and then you realize there is one Being acting through everyone”. One also discovers there is an evolutionary compulsion of universal force with which we can collaborate. He asked, “Can we listen to that?” 

But what prevents us doing so? Laila Atshan, a Palestinian therapist and counsellor, pointed out that as individuals we are conditioned by the messages our parents and others have instilled in us. Moreover, whatever we experience gets remembered in the body mind as a samskara, “and all samskaras bind us into a fixity of experience”. For her, the only way to get to a higher spiritual level is to deal with these feelings which are locking us into the past. And to do this, “We need to become fearless, to step out of our comfort zone.” 

For Krishna Das, the only thing that keeps us locked out of our own hearts is our programmes, the stuff we believe about ourselves. Speaking of Babaji, his guru, he said, “He let us into a room where love lives, and we dragged ourselves out with our own minds and stuff. And then he would let us in again. This is how he taught. All we can do is try to remember because we have forgotten. The love lives inside of us, that’s who we are. It’s our true being.”

Jeff Genung of Prosocial World (US) pointed to indicators that transformative change is already happening in the world. He noted the speeding up of synchronicities, which, for him, were signs that we are ‘stepping on an escalator of grace’. He also felt that the pandemic had impacted a shift in consciousness. “I notice that humanity now has an increased sense of the whole, of how fragile we and the whole system is. And how interconnected we are… Perhaps the most important thing that emerged from this was an increased sense of the need for cooperation.” 

Dena Merriam, in concluding the conference, agreed that “the need for collaboration, and the need to draw upon our spiritual resources for humanity to take the next step in our awakening evolution” seemed to be the most important message that was emerging. 

The summit brought together presenters from many different traditions and backgrounds to provide interesting insights and much food for thought. One problem, however, was that the term ‘spirituality’ was never defined. Instead, it seemed to function as a vague umbrella term to encompass paranormal powers, traditional religious practices and healing therapies. But both Sri Aurobindo and The Mother emphasized that spiritual life was something very different from any of these.

Dena Merriam, who organised the conference, asserted that “the intention of this summit is to share Sri Aurobindo with the world”, so one would have expected a clearer focus upon his yoga and his teachings. As one Aurovilian put it, “Would such a seminar not be the ideal occasion for studying His message for our world in the throes of transition to the New Creation, the manifestation of which He came to announce and hasten? Remembering what the Mother said about Their Yoga, that ‘we are not here to repeat what others have done before us….. ‘, I am curious to know what prompted the choice of inviting a variety of contemporary spiritual approaches which do not appear to be in obvious relation with that of our masters?” 

In fact, the real question is how far the presenters and organisers of this conference understood the uniqueness of Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s yoga which, while drawing upon the spiritual achievements of the past, charts a different path, one which Mother described as an ‘adventure’ which had never been embarked upon before. 

The Secretary expressed the hope that these summits would become an annual event in Auroville. However, perhaps it would be worthwhile to achieve greater clarity on this basic question first. Otherwise, there is a real risk that such conferences, while undoubtedly mounted with the best of intentions, will serve to obscure rather than enlighten.