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=== How? ===
 
==== Identification ====
The easiest way is to identify yourself with something vast. For instance, when you feel that you are shut up in a completely narrow and limited thought, will, consciousness, when you feel as though you were in a shell, then if you begin thinking about something very vast, as for example, the immensity of the waters of an ocean, and if really you can think of this ocean and how it stretches out far, far, far, far, in all directions, like this (Mother stretches out her arms), how, compared with you, it is so far, so far that you cannot see the other shore, you cannot reach its end anywhere, neither behind nor in front nor to the right or left... it is wide, wide, wide, wide... you think of this and then you feel that you are floating on this sea, like that, and that there are no limits... This is very easy. Then you can widen your consciousness a little.
(The Mother, 29 September 1954)
<ref>The Mother. (2003). 29 September 1954. In Questions and answers (1954).
http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/29-september-1954#p35</ref>
 
 
==== Do Many Different Things ====
 
I say there that a great variety of subjects should be studied. I believe that is it. For instance, if you are at school, to study all the subjects possible. If you are reading at home, not to read just one kind of thing, read all sorts of different things.
And as for me, I was scolded all the time because I did many different things! And I was always told I would never be good at anything. I studied, I did painting, I did music, and besides was busy with other things still. And I was told my music wouldn’t be up to much, my painting wouldn’t be worthwhile, and my studies would be quite incomplete. Probably it is quite true, but still I have found that this had its advantages—those very advantages I am speaking about, of widening, making supple one’s mind and understanding.
(The Mother, 10 february 1954)
<ref>The Mother. (2003). 10 february 1954. In Questions and answers (1954).
http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/10-february-1954#p1</ref>
 
It is the same thing everywhere. Only those who have developed a little artistic taste, have travelled much and seen many things have widened their consciousness and they are no longer so sectarian.
(The Mother, 21 October 1953)
<ref>The Mother. (1998). 21 October 1953. In Questions and answers (1953).
http://incarnateword.in/cwm/05/21-october-1953#p61</ref>
 
… this is being continuously repeated to me: if anything is to be done properly, one must specialize. It is the same thing for sports also. It is the same for every thing in life. It is said and repeated, and there are people who will prove it: to do something well one must specialize. One must do that and concentrate. If one wants to become a good philosopher, one must learn only philosophy, if one wants to be a good chemist, one must learn chemistry only. And if one wants to become a good tennis-player, one must play only tennis. That's not what I think, that is all I can say. My experience is different. I believe there are general faculties and that it is much more important to acquire these than to specialise—unless, naturally, it be like M. and Mme. Curie who wanted to develop a certain science, find something new, then of course they were compelled to concentrate on that science. But still that was only till they had discovered it; once they had found it, nothing stopped them from widening their mind.
(The Mother,10 February 1954)
<ref>The Mother. (2003). 10 February 1954. In Questions and answers (1954).
http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/10-february-1954#p4</ref>
 
Naturally, as soon as races, species, nationalities intermix, it produces a mixture of egos. And then the horizon begins to widen. It is as when one tries to widen his mind, to understand many different things, study many languages, the knowledge of many countries and ages, one widens his ego very much, one begins to grow less narrow-minded. Naturally, with yoga one can overcome all this consciously.
(The Mother, 12 January 1955)
<ref>The Mother. (2003). 12 January 1955. In Questions and answers (1955).
http://incarnateword.in/cwm/07/12-january-1955#p29</ref>
 
It is like the people who cultivate their intelligence, who learn, read, think, compare, study. These people's minds widen and they are much vaster and more understanding than those who live without mental education, with a few petty ideas which sometimes are even contradictory in their consciousness and govern them totally because these are the only ones they have and they think these are unique ideas which should guide their life; these people are altogether narrow and limited whereas those who are trained and have studied—this at least widens their minds and they can see, compare ideas and see that all possible ideas are there in the world and that it is a pettiness, an absurdity to be attached to a limited number of ideas and consider them the exclusive expression of truth.
(The Mother, 23 February 1955)
<ref>The Mother. (2003). 23 February 1955. In Questions and answers (1955).
http://incarnateword.in/cwm/07/23-february-1955#p6</ref>
 
So, never come to me saying, "I am no good at this subject, I shall never understand philosophy" or "I shall never be able to do mathematics" or... It is ignorance, it is sheer ignorance. There is nothing you cannot understand if you give your brain the time to widen and perfect itself. And you can from one mental construction to another: this corresponds to studies; from one subject to another: and each subject of study means a language; from one language to another, and build up one thing after another within you, and contain all that and many more things yet, very harmoniously, if you do this with care and take your time over it. For each one of these branches of knowledge corresponds to an inner formation, and you can multiply these formations indefinitely if you give the necessary time and care.
(The Mother,12 December 1956)
<ref>The Mother. (2003). 12 December 1956. In Questions and answers (1956).
http://incarnateword.in/cwm/08/12-december-1956#p15</ref>
== Universalising Oneself ==