Man has been searching for the meaning of life even before the birth of Christ. Various religion/spiritual disciplines have been developed over the centuries. But inevitably the solution was to escape from life towards a nirvana or a heaven that gave peace and salvation but left this earth unchanged.
The Mother and Sri Aurbindo had a contrary view however, formulated upon their experiences and realization. There is more to life than to escape from it. Even though they recognized the value of other's transcendental experience, they believed them to be incomplete. Meanwhile, the more materialistic planetary dwellers immersed in life's pleasures inevitably reach a dead-end street. Where was the fulfillment? Although there is a truth here too in the joy of earthly existence, the result has been incomplete.
There were to half-truths, two ends of the spectrum. The Mother's pursuit was to harmonize these two extremes leading ultimately to an integrated, holistic person. At the foundation of this next step in evolution is a purified mental, vital and physical being centered on the soul and dynamited by the Divine will. The Soul and its Powers gives a practical and realistic guide to these essential ingredients that make up all of us.
About the Author:
Born in Paris in 1878, the Mother studied painting at an art studio and became an accomplished artist. Primarily interested in inner development, she was associated with several groups of spiritual seekers in France.
In 1914 she journeyed to India to meet the Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo in Puducherry and settled there permanently in 1920. For nearly fifty years, she was the head of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, from its founding in 1926 until her passing in 1973. She also established a school, the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, in 1952, and an international township, Auroville, in 1968.
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