Manifesting the Supermind

The next morning, in preparation for my interview with Heehs, I ventured down to the ashram library to see what I could find out about this portentous event in which, I was told, the Mother had "manifested the Supermind in 'the earth's atmosphere.'" There, amidst the archives, I learned that after Sri Aurobindo's death in 1950, the Mother had begun an intensive immersion in her own yogic efforts, an immersion so deep that at one point she even warned people not to touch her because the force coming through her was so powerful (a claim that was reportedly proven when one disciple accidentally touched her finger, only to be knocked unconscious by the strength of the force). It was in the midst of this intensive yogic effort that on February 29, 1956, the unprecedented and long-awaited "Golden Day" finally arrived. As the story goes, it was a typical Wednesday evening, and all of the disciples had gathered at the ashram playground for the Mother's weekly talk and meditation. But as she later wrote in a message to her disciples, what happened that fateful night was much more than a meditation:

As it's reported, the Mother's experience that night was overwhelming. So much so that, as Peter Heehs would tell me, at the end of the meditation "she looked up, and she thought everyone would be knocked flat on the sand of the playground." But to her amazement, Heehs explained, "They were all just sitting there like nothing had happened. And as far as they were concerned, nothing had." But in spite of the lack of an immediate impact, the Mother remained rooted in her conviction that the great breakthrough had in fact occurred. Two months later, in the ashram journal, the following message appeared:

The "things that were promised" in this case meant nothing less than the introduction of a new evolutionary dynamic into "the earth consciousness"—one that, as Sri Aurobindo put it, "could not fail to exercise an immense influence on mankind as a whole," and which, given enough time, would ultimately bring about a wholesale transformation of life on earth.

Both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother expected this evolutionary breakthrough to unleash sweeping global changes. I wanted to know from Heehs, from his perspective as a historian, how did he think it was going? Had history borne out the predictions? As he summed it up: "I hate to say it, but it's forty-five years later and, at least visibly, things haven't changed much for the better. Of course, we're talking about a cosmic development so you don't necessarily expect everybody to be golden the next day, but . . . "

As I made the rounds of the ashram that afternoon, saying my farewells and thank-yous to the many extraordinary people I had met during my week there, I asked everyone I encountered: What did they think about the supramental manifestation? Had it really happened? And if so, what had been the effects? And over those last few hours in Pondicherry, a very different picture began to emerge. A picture that, with a little imagination, even started to look something like the faint beginnings of the new world Sri Aurobindo and the Mother had envisioned so long ago. It was clear that almost everyone thought the supramental manifestation had definitely happened. In fact, in their eyes, its unifying effects could be seen everywhere. From the trend toward globalization to the increasing interest in mysticism in the West, from the growing concern for the environment to the fall of the Berlin Wall, from the international coalition against terrorism to the emergence of the Internet, from the end of apartheid to the increase in women's rights, from the New Age to the new physics, everywhere we look, they feel, there are unprecedented movements toward unity that would not have been possible before. And all of it, in the minds of the most dedicated believers, can ultimately be traced back to what happened on this one otherwise quiet night in the ashram playground.

The Call to Evolve

"So, what's the final report from the laboratory?" Andrew asked, at the beginning of our first editorial meeting following my arrival back in the States.

"Well, it's a lot to take in," I answered. "In only four days, I feel like I hardly scratched the surface. But even after just a brief visit, I definitely feel like I've got a flavor of what Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were about. There's a dynamism in the people there, a kind of awakened interest in life, in others, that's unusual around a spiritual group, particularly in India. I mean, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were both so dynamic themselves, and you really feel that same kind of evolutionary current in the air there. It's a powerful place."

"But, you know, in terms of my original point about Sri Aurobindo—I have to tell you, after everything I've learned, I am more convinced than ever that both he and the Mother really were incredibly cool."

Carter laughed. "Oh come on, enough of that already."

"I'm serious. Check this out: At a certain point, Sri Aurobindo wrote something about the importance of cultivating a strong and healthy body as part of preparing for a truly integral transformation. Well, guess what the Mother did in response. She built a gym for weight lifting, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, a running track and soccer field with stadium, a basketball court, and an aerobics studio."

"An aerobics studio?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Just testing you," I laughed. "But the rest is all true. She had the whole ashram school on a compulsory, seven-days-a-week athletic regimen that included martial arts and boxing—even for the girls."

"Boxing in an ashram? Nice try." Elizabeth wasn't going to fall for that again.

"I'm serious about that part. And all this was back in the fifties. In India! And do you know what else I learned? Apparently, way back at the start of World War II Sri Aurobindo actually donated money to the British to help them fight the war. Now, remember, he had been their number one enemy over there not so many years before, and at that point, India's independence was still unresolved. I mean, talk about having a global vision—he was seriously walking his talk. As to the whole question of whether he also helped fight the war with his spiritual power, well, I mean, I did hear this one amazing story. There was an American field sergeant in the trenches in World War II whose platoon was about to get surrounded by the Nazis, when suddenly this sort of ethereal figure appeared to him in the air and gave him explicit instructions as to how to get his troops to safety, which worked. And then, after the war, the sergeant was in India and happened to visit Pondicherry, and realized it had been Sri Aurobindo who had appeared to him! I mean I don't know whether I believe it or not, but . . . what's that Shakespeare quote: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in . . .'"

"Well, there is no doubt that he is, as you said, completely outrageously cool," Andrew agreed. "He's done so many remarkable things that I keep having to remind myself that we're talking about a real person. But you know, more than anything, what I find so extraordinary about him was his willingness to stand alone in this evolutionary vision at a time when he was really the only one who saw it this way. It's as if once this fire for manifesting the divine life caught hold of him, that was it, and he never backed down. The world needs more people who are willing to fight that kind of fight for the highest possible reasons. And look how much he opened up for all of us as a result."

Carter nodded. "It is extraordinary. I'm amazed at how much he illuminated, and how much it still resonates half a century later. By the way, Craig, wasn't that one of your missions for this trip, to show our readers why Sri Aurobindo is not only cool, but relevant to enlightenment in the twenty-first century?"

"It definitely was. And, to be honest, at this point, I'm so fired up about his teachings that I think I could write a book about it."

"How about giving us the short version?" Carter smiled.

"Well, what I think Sri Aurobindo has to say to humanity today, which I think will be relevant until the day the entire world has indeed become divine down to the quarks, is that evolution needs our participation. In a way, this is the most inspiring and empowering part of his vision: That through the choices we make every day, we can help to move evolution forward toward this glorious, divine end he spoke of. It's as if he was saying, in some sense, that the direction is already set, but the power to bring it about lies entirely in our hands. And that's the good news. We can bring it about. In fact, given the state the world is in, we have to. There's so much that's possible. So for any of us who still think enlightenment is about waiting for the big blast that will get us out of here, he's saying, 'Wake up and join the revolution. The revolution of consciousness. The revolution of evolution.' Because there's something to bring into being here that the world hasn't seen yet. And that, to me, is where Sri Aurobindo is going to be relevant for a long time to come."