New Spirits – Reading Deleuze in India
Consciousness exists only in connection with other consciousness
Bodhi Zendo I had ordered a book to take with me to Bodhi Zendo: “Zen in der Kunst der Tuschemalerei” (“Zen in the Art of Ink Painting”) by Katharina Shepherd-Kobel. It is a beautiful book; it speaks to me and nourishes my longing to learn ink painting and deepen my meditation. When I first entered into Zen meditation three and a half years ago, the impulse to go to Auroville awoke. The meditation in Bremen was strict. We followed the…
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When I began reading the Upanishads, I realized that the inner path I had embarked upon was leading me into an extraordinarily beautiful inner landscape. Discovering that this inner landscape is connected to cosmic consciousness made me aware of the important work I must undertake—what people often call “inner work.” As I committed myself to this inner work, I focused on how I was feeling, who I am, and what I must face. What are my shadows? My insecurities? My…
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The Enlightenment — Spiritual Enlightenment: the Paradox of Enlightenment Enlightenment is a tricky thing. Recently someone asked me whether I was seeking enlightenment. I faltered a little. But because I valued this person especially highly, I tried to be honest — yes, no, um, I don’t quite know, really I am, if I am completely honest … Why this hedging? Why not simply say directly: yes, I am, as she did when she replied that she thought most people were…
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Many people have the idea that we live in a world made of matter, following the laws of physics and various theories, such as the theory of evolution. This is strange, for matter as such does not really exist; E=mc² stands for this. I do not really understand this formula, but it stands symbolically for everything ultimately being energy, possibly even simply vibration, as string theory claims. Then there is the physics of the macrocosm and the microcosm. They contradict…
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I am fascinated by the synchronicities here in Auroville. The spaces of thought, mind, spirit, body and emotion that intertwine here often do so over several days, seemingly effortlessly, intuitively, lightly. I was exhausted. A friend had left his body, as people say here. The community had provided support for over a month; many had grown closer. The death ceremony Karumadhi was held in a small circle, a particular kind of Puja on the 16th day, when the soul leaves…
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Recently, a friend told me how she had grown up at the Ashram school. Mirra Alfassa founded this school with a radical pedagogy. Children could freely choose what they wanted to learn and when. Quite radically: there was a timetable for languages, history, mathematics, philosophy, gossip, sports, and so on, but the kids could go wherever they wanted. And so each child received exactly what they needed for their own development. If a child needed gossip, then that was simply…
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For very many years I have known that I want to practice ‘yoga’, but I have never done it. As with meditation, I did not feel ready for it, or was put off by Western esoteric forms that ultimately understand both meditation and yoga as self-optimization. Meditation and yoga are philosophical, spiritual and ultimately transcending practices for overcoming one’s own Self, opening oneself to a greater consciousness. All this seems so clear now. My “study” of Indian philosophy is slowly…
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I still lack the words. The past few days have been shaped by thoughts about the Vedic scriptures. A fellow traveler from another life took me to Nishtha Muller, an Aurovilian who has devoted his life to the Vedic scriptures. For almost two hours, in his very modest dwelling in the forest he planted himself, he told us about Sanskrit, its roots, grammar, pronunciation, the deep spiritual force of the mantras, the cultural history and historical dimension. What stayed with…
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