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Read more about '''[[Perfection Compilation|Perfection]]''' from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
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=What is Perfection?=
  
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Perfection is all that we want to become in our highest aspiration <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/15/perfection#p10</ref> Man as a being is capable of self-development and of some approach at least to an ideal standard of perfection which his mind is able to conceive. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-integral-perfection#p1</ref>
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The characteristic law of Spirit is self-existent perfection and immutable infinity. It possesses always and in its own right the immortality which is the aim of Life and the perfection which is the goal of Mind.<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/23/the-threefold-life#p7</ref>
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As you pursue this labour of purification and unification, you must at the same time take great care to perfect the external and instrumental part of your being.<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/12/the-science-of-living#p6</ref>
  
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One can attain perfection in the different parts of the being - in the mind, the vital and the physical.
  
[[File:Perfection 1.png|center|1000px]]
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'''Perfection of the Mind'''
  
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When the higher truth manifests, it must find in you a mind that is supple and rich enough to be able to give the idea that seeks to express itself a form of thought which preserves its force and clarity. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/12/the-science-of-living#p6</ref>
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Our mind, in its search for what must be, turns towards a concentration on our own inner spiritual growth and perfection, on our own individual being and inner living; or it turns towards a concentration on an individual development of our surface nature, on the perfection of our thought and outer dynamic or practical action on the world, on some idealism of our personal relation with the world around us; or it turns rather towards a concentration on the outer world itself, on making it better, more suited to our ideas and temperament or to our conception of what should be. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/22/the-divine-life#p7</ref>
  
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'''Perfection of the Vital'''
  
[[File:Perfection 2.png|center|1000px]]
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Many of the things we need for our perfection, courage, will-power effective in life, all the elements of what we now call force of character and force of personality, depend very largely for their completest strength and spring of energetic action on the fullness of the psychic prana. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-power-of-the-instruments</ref>
  
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'''Perfection of the Physical'''
  
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The body’s perfection means that the body becomes conscious, is filled with consciousness and that as this is the Truth consciousness all its actions, functionings etc. become by the power of the consciousness within it harmonious, luminous, right and true—without ignorance or disorder. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/28/transformation-and-the-body#p3</ref>
  
[[File:Perfection 3.png|center|1000px]]
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=Why is Perfection Important?=
  
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There can be no real perfection for us except by our inner self and truth of spiritual existence taking up all truth of the instrumental existence into itself and giving to it oneness, integration, harmony. As our only real freedom is the discovery and disengagement of the spiritual Reality within us. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/22/the-divine-life#p37</ref>
  
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Mind, life, body, all the forms of our nature are the means of this growth, but they find their last perfection only by opening out to something beyond them, first, because they are not the whole of what man is, secondly, because that other something which he is, is the key of his completeness and brings a light which discovers to him the whole high and large reality of his being.
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<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-integral-perfection?search=perfection</ref>
  
[[File:Perfection 4.png|center|1000px]]
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So long as one remains in the world-existence, this perfection must radiate out from him,—for that is the necessity of his oneness with the universe and its beings. <ref>ttp://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-perfection-of-the-mental-being?search=perfection</ref>
  
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=How to Cultivate Perfection?=
  
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If we renounce what has already been given us from eagerness for our new attainment, if in reaching the mental life we cast away or belittle the physical life which is our basis, or if we reject the mental and physical in our attraction to the spiritual, we do not fulfil God integrally, nor satisfy the conditions of His self-manifestation.
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We do not become perfect, but only shift the field of our imperfection or at most attain a limited altitude. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/21/the-destiny-of-the-individual#p9</ref>  For this shifting of imperfection to perfection, the first step is to become conscious of yourself, of the different parts of one’s being and their respective activities. For becoming conscious of oneself, one must be quite awake,<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/12/the-science-of-living#p5</ref> in a state of observation of one’s thoughts and actions; becoming clearly aware of these movements, noticing their reaction, impulses etc. With a constant observation and practice, one does not only become a witness of what is happening within them but will also be aware of the origin of these movements.
  
[[File:Perfection 5.png|center|1000px]]
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By silencing the mind and living in calm state is a step on the path of perfection. Those who have thus possessed the Calm within can perceive always welling out from its silence the perennial supply of the energies that work in the universe. It is
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not, therefore, the truth of the Silence to say that it is in its nature a rejection of the cosmic activity.
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<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/21/reality-omnipresent#p5</ref>
  
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The calm established in the whole being must remain the same whatever happens, in health and disease, in pleasure and in pain, even in the strongest physical pain, in good fortune and misfortune, our own or that of those we love, in success and failure, honour and insult, praise and blame, justice done to us or injustice, everything that ordinarily affects the mind.
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<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-action-of-equality#p5</ref>
  
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Another important aspect is Faith. There is one kind of faith demanded as indispensable by the integral Yoga and that may be described as faith in God and the Shakti, faith in the presence and power of the Divine in us and the world, a faith that all in the world is the working of one divine Shakti. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/faith-and-shakti?search=perfection</ref>
  
[[File:Perfection 6.png|center|1000px]]
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=Difficulties in Perfection=
  
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The ego-sense is contrary to spiritual realisation, so how can any kind of ego be a thing to be encouraged? As for the magnified ego, it is one of the most perilous obstacles to release and perfection. There should be no big I, not even a small one. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/31/ego-and-its-forms#p54</ref>
  
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The difficulty that the mind cannot wholly mentalise life and matter; there are considerable parts of the life being and the body which remain in the realm of the submental and the subconscient or inconscient. This is one serious obstacle to the mind's endeavour towards the perfection of the nature.<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/22/the-ascent-towards-supermind#p16</ref> The mind in ignorance is the main difficulty on the path of perfection.
  
[[File:Perfection 7.png|center|1000px]]
 
  
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'''Content curated by Prema Sankar'''
  
=Perfection=
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{|class="wikitable" style= "background-color: #efefff; width: 100%;"
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Read more about '''[[Perfection Compilation|Perfection]]''' from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
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<span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">Perfection is something which lacks nothing</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">It is about equilibrium and harmony</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">.</span>
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==References==
 
 
= Why =
 
 
 
<div style="color:#000000;">Perfection is the true aim of all culture, the spiritual and psychic, the mental, the vital and the physical.</div>
 
 
 
= What =
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">Perfection is not a maximum or an extreme. It is an equilibrium and a harmonisation.</div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">Perfection is not a summit, it is not an extreme. There is no extreme: whatsoever you do, there is always the possibility of something better and exactly this possibility of something better is the very meaning of progress.</div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">Perfection is eternal; it is only the resistance of the world that makes it progressive.</div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">It may be said that perfection is attained, though it remains progressive, when the receptivity from below is equal to the force from above which wants to manifest.</div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">Perfection is all that we want to become in our highest aspiration.</div>
 
 
 
= How =
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">We do not become perfect, but only shift the field of our imperfection or at most attain a limited altitude</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. &nbsp;&nbsp;For this shifting of imperfection to perfection, </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">the first step is to become conscious of yourself,</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">of the different parts of one’s being and their respective activities. For becoming conscious of oneself, one must be quite awake, in a state of observation of one’s thoughts and actions; becoming clearly aware of these movements, noticing their reaction, impulses etc. With a constant observation and practice, one does not only become a witness of what is happening within them but will also be aware of the origin of these movements. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Perseverance, endurance, patience, and sincerity with a calm determination are the tools required to progress towards perfection.</span>
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">To grow towards self perfection</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">whatever is the task at hand, one must strive for progress and perfection. It will help to move towards self-mastery.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">Often the surface vital nature in </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">us distinguishes a task in hand as big or small. However, there is a scope for progress even in a task which is seen as small. It can be used for progress in self-perfection. </span>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">With a perfect sincerity to transform imperfections, one can move towards perfection. </div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">The Vital (emotions) and Ego present in us makes no man perfect; however, the transformation of this surface vital nature perfection becomes possible. </div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">Self-observation and sincerity are key. </div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">Seeing the imperfections with a courage to progress one can attain future perfection</div>
 
 
 
*<div style="color:#000000;">Transforming this imperfection towards perfection is part of our evolution.</div>
 
 
 
= Perfection of Oneself, Community and Others =
 
 
 
<div style="color:#000000;">We tend to feel that our personal perfection depends on ourselves as long as we are interacting with others and the world. Our personal egos and view of the world interfere with the journey towards our perfection. However, commitment towards personal perfection and spiritual growth leads us to the inevitable path of perfection. </div>
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">One must be concerned with one’s own imperfections than with those of others.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">If each one of us worked seriously at one’s own self-perfection, the perfection of the whole world would follow automatically. A perfected community also can exist only by the perfection of its individuals, and perfection can come only by the discovery and affirmation in life by each of his own spiritual being and the discovery by all of their spiritual unity and a resultant life unity. &nbsp;</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span>
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">As one does not know himself, one is incapable of knowing the other. &nbsp;One infers, concludes based on one’s observations, mental constructs an idea about the other. This imperfection in knowledge brings disharmony with another. Knowledge can come from conscious identity, and this helps one arrive at a perfect relation. Therefore we must arrive at a conscious unity with our fellow-beings and this conscious oneness can only be established by entering into that in which we are one with them. This view must not come from the mental construct of love but directly through the inner eye that sees through the eyes of the Divine. </span>
 
 
 
<div style="color:#000000;">Thus the best way of helping others and helping the world is by transforming oneself. &nbsp;</div>
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">F</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">inding absolute calm within themselves</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">would help in bringing forth this transformation on to the world. </span>
 
 
 
= Mind, Body, Life & Integral Perfection =
 
 
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Our mind is partial, biased and always in search of what must be. It can turn towards the outer world and watch the world for what should be or turn inwards & concentrate on our own spiritual growth and perfection. </span>
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The obstacle to mind’s endeavor to perfection is its limitation to go beyond itself . The mind finds fully its force and action only when it casts itself upon life energy and accepts equally its possibilities and its resistances as the means of a greater self-perfection . </span>
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">On the other hand, our </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">body is a remarkable instrument - the most difficult to transform yet the most capable. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Sleep, dream, exercise, illness, posture, beauty in movements are a few aspects of the physical culture through which perfection in the body can be brought. &nbsp;The physical body is a basis of action, pratiṣṭhā, which cannot be despised, neglected or excluded from the evolution: a perfection of the body as the outer instrument of a complete divine living on earth will be necessarily a part of integral perfection.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#333333;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">When the body has learned the art of constantly progressing towards an increasing perfection, </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">we shall be well on the way to overcome the inevitability of death</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. </span>
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Mind, life, body, all the forms of our nature are the means for the growth of the spirit. They find their last perfection only by opening out to something beyond them.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The ego generally governs the development of the individual; however, as the individuality perfects itself, the power of the ego diminishes, the true individuality emerges, the individual upons to the force descending from above and thus moves towards perfection.</span>
 
 
 
== Yoga of Integral Perfection ==
 
 
 
<div style="color:#000000;">A Yoga of integral perfection regards man as a divine spiritual being involved in mind, life and body; it aims therefore at a liberation and a perfection of his divine nature. It seeks to make an inner living in the perfectly developed spiritual being his constant intrinsic living and the spiritualised action of mind, life and body only its outward human expression.</div>
 
 
 
= Practical Tips to Perfection =
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">It’s important not to worry over the mistakes</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">To make the effort for one's own perfection and not to be disturbed by any mistake. The right attitude is to silently will for personal perfection.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> If one carries true perfection in oneself, one would discover more of perfection in others..</span>
 
 
 
= Concluding Note =
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
<span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">One can perfect oneself for evermore, as Divine is the perfection towards which we move</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;">It is our confidence and sincerity to transform personal imperfection which would help one become more and more perfect in the thoughts and actions. &nbsp;Our patience with ourselves to self-awareness and observation is key to this transformation. Inner and outer perfection is in the process of natural evolution, however, the personal perseverance of each individual would help to transform to greater perfection consciously. </span>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[Perfection Compilation]]
 

Latest revision as of 07:43, 26 January 2023

Read more about Perfection from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

What is Perfection?

Perfection is all that we want to become in our highest aspiration [1] Man as a being is capable of self-development and of some approach at least to an ideal standard of perfection which his mind is able to conceive. [2] The characteristic law of Spirit is self-existent perfection and immutable infinity. It possesses always and in its own right the immortality which is the aim of Life and the perfection which is the goal of Mind.[3] As you pursue this labour of purification and unification, you must at the same time take great care to perfect the external and instrumental part of your being.[4]

One can attain perfection in the different parts of the being - in the mind, the vital and the physical.

Perfection of the Mind

When the higher truth manifests, it must find in you a mind that is supple and rich enough to be able to give the idea that seeks to express itself a form of thought which preserves its force and clarity. [5] Our mind, in its search for what must be, turns towards a concentration on our own inner spiritual growth and perfection, on our own individual being and inner living; or it turns towards a concentration on an individual development of our surface nature, on the perfection of our thought and outer dynamic or practical action on the world, on some idealism of our personal relation with the world around us; or it turns rather towards a concentration on the outer world itself, on making it better, more suited to our ideas and temperament or to our conception of what should be. [6]

Perfection of the Vital

Many of the things we need for our perfection, courage, will-power effective in life, all the elements of what we now call force of character and force of personality, depend very largely for their completest strength and spring of energetic action on the fullness of the psychic prana. [7]

Perfection of the Physical

The body’s perfection means that the body becomes conscious, is filled with consciousness and that as this is the Truth consciousness all its actions, functionings etc. become by the power of the consciousness within it harmonious, luminous, right and true—without ignorance or disorder. [8]

Why is Perfection Important?

There can be no real perfection for us except by our inner self and truth of spiritual existence taking up all truth of the instrumental existence into itself and giving to it oneness, integration, harmony. As our only real freedom is the discovery and disengagement of the spiritual Reality within us. [9]

Mind, life, body, all the forms of our nature are the means of this growth, but they find their last perfection only by opening out to something beyond them, first, because they are not the whole of what man is, secondly, because that other something which he is, is the key of his completeness and brings a light which discovers to him the whole high and large reality of his being. [10]

So long as one remains in the world-existence, this perfection must radiate out from him,—for that is the necessity of his oneness with the universe and its beings. [11]

How to Cultivate Perfection?

If we renounce what has already been given us from eagerness for our new attainment, if in reaching the mental life we cast away or belittle the physical life which is our basis, or if we reject the mental and physical in our attraction to the spiritual, we do not fulfil God integrally, nor satisfy the conditions of His self-manifestation. We do not become perfect, but only shift the field of our imperfection or at most attain a limited altitude. [12] For this shifting of imperfection to perfection, the first step is to become conscious of yourself, of the different parts of one’s being and their respective activities. For becoming conscious of oneself, one must be quite awake,[13] in a state of observation of one’s thoughts and actions; becoming clearly aware of these movements, noticing their reaction, impulses etc. With a constant observation and practice, one does not only become a witness of what is happening within them but will also be aware of the origin of these movements.

By silencing the mind and living in calm state is a step on the path of perfection. Those who have thus possessed the Calm within can perceive always welling out from its silence the perennial supply of the energies that work in the universe. It is not, therefore, the truth of the Silence to say that it is in its nature a rejection of the cosmic activity. [14]

The calm established in the whole being must remain the same whatever happens, in health and disease, in pleasure and in pain, even in the strongest physical pain, in good fortune and misfortune, our own or that of those we love, in success and failure, honour and insult, praise and blame, justice done to us or injustice, everything that ordinarily affects the mind. [15]

Another important aspect is Faith. There is one kind of faith demanded as indispensable by the integral Yoga and that may be described as faith in God and the Shakti, faith in the presence and power of the Divine in us and the world, a faith that all in the world is the working of one divine Shakti. [16]

Difficulties in Perfection

The ego-sense is contrary to spiritual realisation, so how can any kind of ego be a thing to be encouraged? As for the magnified ego, it is one of the most perilous obstacles to release and perfection. There should be no big I, not even a small one. [17]

The difficulty that the mind cannot wholly mentalise life and matter; there are considerable parts of the life being and the body which remain in the realm of the submental and the subconscient or inconscient. This is one serious obstacle to the mind's endeavour towards the perfection of the nature.[18] The mind in ignorance is the main difficulty on the path of perfection.


Content curated by Prema Sankar

Read more about Perfection from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

References