Santosh Krinsky has endeavoured to make Sri Aurobindos teachings relevant and readable to the very different audience today, without compromising the essence of this teaching. The Synthesis of Yoga in four volumes of which this current book is the second, focusing on The Yoga of Knowledge. He clearly explains Aurobindos vision of Yoga in the world today and the many-sided approach that is needed to make it work in our daily lives.
Santosh Krinsky has endeavored to make Sri Aurobindo's teachings relevant and readable to the very different audience today, without compromising the essence of his teaching. I do not think that any other writer in America has better represented Aurobindo's teachings today than Santosh. This is a difficult task to be sure but one that he has been able to do consistently and with depth of thought. The reader is guided through short episodes that can constitute a simple yet direct immersion into the heart of Aurobindo's teachings. Krinsky has approached The Synthesis of Yoga in four volumes of which this current book is the fourth and final one, which addresses Sri Aurobindo's unique contribution of the Yoga of Self-Perfection. This helps the reader understand the depths of Yoga and how it can be used to make fundamental changes in our being and character that are more important and enduring than mere outer changes in our body. - David Frawley, author of Yoga and Ayurveda
The Gita, which is older than the New Testament, is one of the most widely read books in the world, honored by a number of great thinkers in all countries, and the subject of much renewed interest in modern times. Santosh highlights key revevant points of Aurobindos Essays on the Gita, explains them and reveals their depth and implications today. Each of his well chosen selections and lucid comments constitutes a luminous doorway into the heart of the Gita and the consciousness of Krishna, as well as into the mind of Yogi Aurobindo.
Readings in Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine Volume 2 There is probably no other book [Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine] that I know of which so well, completely, rationally and intuitively addresses the questions of our existence and the meaning of life, and provides a cogent answer rooted in the highest spiritual realization and yogic experience that can be adapted by all, regardless of their particular background or inclinations. Santosh Krinsky, a life long student of Sri Aurobindo, with great devotion, dedication and attention has served this crucial role of providing a bridge to help us enter more deeply into the vast universe of consciousness that Aurobindo holds open for humanity today. He leads the reader through each page of The Life Divine by extracting its essence. In this way, he makes the book easier to access, with no loss of its broader meaning. - from the Foreword by Dr. David Frawley, author of Yoga and Ayurveda
Sri Aurobindo calls us to what he terms an “adventure of consciousness”. Integral yoga was not intended to set forth a specific and rigid set of practices for everyone to follow; rather, it was developed to understand the specific needs of each individual at each stage of development and to employ those methods and practices that would best aid in the further progress for the individual seeker. It also was not targeted at abandoning life. The integral yoga first focuses on achieving the necessary liberation from the fixed habits of body, life and mind that create a framework around each person's life, and then, on bringing down into the being a higher status of consciousness and aiding its transformation of the being in all its aspects. The eventual objective of the integral yoga was to provide conscious support to the natural process of evolution of consciousness, and thereby speed up its advent. The book Integral Yoga: Sri Aurobindo's Teaching and Method of Practice was compiled and organised from among the thousands of letters on yoga that Sri Aurobindo wrote to disciples and others over a number of years. It outlines his philosophical outlook, the background and basis of the integral yoga, and delves into a vast array of details which aid the sincere seeker in understanding the inner workings of consciousness, and helps the seeker to work through the difficulties, obstacles and resistances of nature to truly bring about a transformation of consciousness in all parts of his being.
Who are we? Why are we alive? What are we here to do? What is the meaning and significance of our lives? These questions nag at us at times in our everyday lives until finally we take them up and try to unravel the mystery of our existence and the existence of the universal creation. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have taken up these questions and provided a way of understanding and a method for progress in finding and applying the solutions we find. They do so by showing us the complex and multiple different ‘selves’ that make up what we believe to be a unified external personality. In fact, we are not so simple, and not so unified in our being. There are conflicting drives and forces at work which create internal conflict and, in many cases, defeat us in the achievement of our highest goals and aspirations. By understanding this complex makeup of our being, we are able to find a path to liberation from this bondage without at the same time, having to totally abandon all action in the world. Our Many Selves: Practical Yogic Psychology, compiled by Dr. A.S. Dalal from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, is an extremely useful text to aid us in the process of self-discovery and self-actualization. It is a benefit to spiritual seekers regardless of the specific path followed, as it is not based on any particular religious or philosophical dogma. At the same time, the deeper understanding provided by this text can aid even those who are not actively and consciously practicing yoga for the sake of self-knowledge or self-realization, as it will help each individual work through the pressures, the internal debates, and inner conflicts that frequently impact the individual's ability to act and succeed in their intended goals, even when they are purely based on fulfilling the external personality. If we can understand the forces that bring us to feeding addictions, procrastinating, living an unhealthy and imbalanced lifestyle, sabotaging our relations with others, then we can begin to achieve a more harmonious and successful life however we choose to define success. Dr. Dala states: “This book is meant to bear out Sri Aurobindo’s oft-quoted statement, ‘Yoga is nothing but practical psychology.’ Generally, yoga is viewed as made up of certain set practices and certain rules and norms pertaining to one’s outer life. In contrast to this view Our Many Selves… present Yoga as consisting essentially in inner psychological work aimed at the transformation of consciousness.”
Santosh Krinsky has endeavored to make Sri Aurobindos teachings relevant and readable to the very different audience today, without compromising the essence of his teachings. I do not think that any other writer in American has better represented Aurobindos teachings today than Santosh. This is a difficult task to be sure but one that he has been able to do consistently and with depth of thought. The reader is guided through short episodes that can constitute a simple yet direct immersion into the heart of Aurobindos teachings. Krinsky has approached The Synthesis of Yoga in four volumes of which this current book is the third, focusing on The Yoga of Divine Love. He clearly explains Aurobindos vision of Yoga in the world today and the many-sided approach that is needed to make it work in our daily lives. This helps the reader understand the depths of Yoga and how it can be used to make fundamental changes in our being and character that are more important and enduring than mere outer changes in our body.
A mystical experience, no matter what else, is a subjective occurrence in the psyche. However, when it appears in the psychoanalytic consulting room, its origin, content, and meaning are unknowable. Yet it is there in the room, and it must be addressed. It is not a minor illusion but rather one that requires attention as its occurrence may lead to a profound alteration of consciousness and, as Carl Jung suggests, a cure for neurosis. Leslie Stein interviewed twenty-nine mystics in order to understand the origin, progression, phasing, emotions, and individual variations of a mystical experience in order to make sense of how it should be addressed, the appropriate analytic attitude in the face of a mystery, the way to work with its content, and its psychological meaning. In doing so, he uncovered that there may be specific development markers that create a proclivity to be receptive to such an experience that has clinical significance for psychoanalysis.
In Growing Within, Dr. A.S. Dalal bridges the gap between Western psychology and Eastern spirituality as he explores the detailed inner workings of human life and provides at the same time a way of understanding, based on the ground-breaking work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, which puts the human potential for self-exceeding front and center. Dr. Dalal has compiled this book from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother after first providing a detailed introduction and outline of their approach to the awakening and the growth of consciousness. He calls upon the principles of yogic psychology to show us the way to move from our current state of human awareness to a new psychological status and a reversal of consciousness which brings about a sense of joy, fulfillment and purpose in life. Dr. Dalal writes: “This book aims at shedding some light on the meaning, nature and processes of inner development. Its purpose is to help seekers in understanding and recognising the processes and experiences of inner growth, so as to serve, in some measure, as a guide to those who may not have yet found a personal teacher and mentor.” The Readings in Growing Within systematically takes up each subject area covered in Dr. Dalal’s compilation with commentary to help the reader relate to and appreciate the depth and breadth of the yogic psychology described within the text.
