June 26, 2006

Sri Aurobindo's philosophy of integralism

A poet, philosopher and mystic, Sri Aurobindo has through his theory and practice, pioneered the understanding the message of the Vedic heritage and the meaning of the modem renaissance. He is one of the outstanding 'builders' of Indian philosophy in recent times. He formulated his philosophy of integralism on the basis of his own authentic experience. Experience is manifold; it may relate to any field of life - art, poetry, religion, philosophy, occultism, and so on. When it is organized as a verifiable field of knowledge, it is philosophy. Sri Aurobindo's philosophy is described as integral for two reasons.
  • It takes into account the whole of reality as it reveals itself to the uplooking / inlooking human mind.
  • It is also integrative as it leaves no grade of experience behind once another experience comes by. The lower is taken up and integrated into the higher, the smaller into the larger.

Sri Aurobindo did not arrive at his philosophy by a sudden revelation. His was a steady growth of consciousness with dimension adding itself to dimension. Though he started as an agnostic, he turned out to be a passionate minstrel of God, a prophet of the message of life divine for humans, a revolutionary who initiated radical departures from the established traditions not only in the sphere of politics and social structure, but also in the practice of spiritual life and philosophical thought. Sri Aurobindo's philosophy continues to shape the lives and minds of human beings in various ways, at different levels. SAKSI

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