On Simplicity
On Simplicity
Q. Does Simplicity play any role in our Sadhana? Living in this complex material world, how do we nurture our Simplicity?
What is Simplicity?
We all know What is Simplicity. But we fail to become Simple.
Simplicity means live simple, act simple, speak simple, behave simple.
Simplicity is the quality when one accepts the Divine command with heart and follow his true being consciously and not by calculative mind.
Examples of Simplicity
Simplicity of Children
Children are the simplest when they are born. They are crystal clear, truthful and pure both inwardly and outwardly. Children hardly speak lies unless they are trained or forced or influenced by others. They do not keep one thing in the heart and other thing in mind. They do not add or subtract anything while speaking a fact, they speak as they see it. A Child’s life is an open book for the entire society to read.
But gradually, the same children become adults with a different complex personality when growing up with other humans, learn the ways of living in the society. All kinds of positive and negative qualities develop in children.
Simplicity of Nature
Nature, which includes animals, plants, and non-living beings have a great simplicity within them. Humans are cunning where as nature is simple from their origin. There is no hypocrisy in the world of nature outside of human nature; that’s why all things in nature are so beautiful and balanced. If we look at a cow, we will be mesmerized by its simplicity of living. It is characterized by its immense love and simplicity for its children and for everyone. Ants lead a happy and simple life, work together for their mission and protect themselves jointly by storing food in advance even before rain arrives. A flower just offers itself completely, spreads its fragrance everywhere, mesmerizes everyone with its simplicity. There is a beauty in simplicity in nature.
The Mother: As soon as all effort disappears from a manifestation, it becomes very simple, with the simplicity of a flower opening, manifesting its beauty and spreading its fragrance without clamour or vehement gesture. And in this simplicity lies the greatest power, the power which is least mixed and least gives rise to harmful reactions. Simplicity, simplicity! How sweet is the purity of Thy Presence!
Examples of Great Simple Lives:
Only simplicity has given the world too much, and not any other things. All great people make simplicity as their benchmark before reaching their goals.
Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Maharshi Ramana lead a simple life always. Whatever they wanted to convey was free from any kind of multiplicity. They were men of character with deep concern for the welfare and well-being of others. Simplicity is also one of the divine qualities as enumerated in the Bhagwad Gita.
Sri Aurobindo’s Simplicity
Sri Aurobindo used to use the same towel which was shared by 7 other disciples. Can we ever lead such life? He says if he keeps things beyond his wants he should be termed as a Thief. He used to write letters to Motilal Roy asking for monetary support for the needs of the Ashram. His letters show his immense gratitude for Motilal Roy requesting for monetary contributions for the benefit of Ashramites
The Mother’s Simplicity
The first time Sri Aurobindo happened to describe her qualities, he said he had never seen anywhere a self-surrender so absolute and unreserved. He had added a comment that perhaps it was only women who were capable of giving themselves so entirely and with such sovereign ease. This implies a complete obliteration of the past, erasing it with its virtues and faults …. When she came here, she gave herself up to the Lord, Sri Aurobindo, with the candid simplicity of a child, after erasing from herself all her past, all her spiritual attainments, all the riches of her consciousness. Like a new born babe, she felt she possessed nothing, she was to learn everything right from the start, as if she had known or heard about nothing.
(This was written by Nolini Kanta Gupta about the Mother)
The Mother: One is never anything but a divine apprentice: the Divine of
yesterday is only an apprentice to the Divine of tomorrow.
I am only an apprentice, a simple apprentice. I am learning the trade!
Missing Simplicity in Humans
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Anonymous
Hypocrisy and Dual Standards of Man
As a child grows up to a human being, he loses all its simplicity in the process. A man gradually develops dual or multiple personalities. He tends to look and act differently both inwardly and outwardly. That childlike simplicity gets lost in the process of becoming a complicated and hypocrite adult. He becomes a complex character with full of hypocrisy, untruthfulness, pretension. His behaviour pattern changes drastically. He vows to become inwardly one type but behaves just the opposite in public and private. Man’s life becomes full of duality, secrets and dark chapters. That childlike innocence kindness, wideness, simplicity gets lost and erased completely. He becomes more arrogant, violent, angry, jealous, doubtful, greedy, narrow, and senseless.
Characteristics of a Simple Life
1. Conscience / heart is very clear without any double mind.
2. There is no hypocrisy or ambiguity.
3. More pure, crystal clear in his heart.
4. The simple people do what is necessary and are more balanced.
5. Always Truthful about life and all activities.
6. Create plenty of space in their mind to allow noble thoughts to enter.
7. They lead life with minimum needs and desires.
8. Life full of Clarity, Purposefulness, directness and purity.
9. These people spread an Divine aura, glow, vibration and charisma around themselves.
Why Simplicity is Essential in our Sadhana?
1. Prerequisite for Divine Realisation.
2. Allow us to lead a Stress-free life.
3. All Great Men or Gurus led a simple life.
To Come Closer to the Goal
The Mother to Champaklal:
Champaklal,
I am very much astonished by your questions. Are you not here to serve the Divine and are you not actually doing it? lt is when you are doing it in all simplicity and full-heartedly that you are nearer to the goal.
Beware of hostile suggestions or dangerous talks which make your mind restless and blind your consciousness.
Our love is always with you.
26 May 1935
In simple clay pots there is greatness within. As in the mortal clay pot there is an Immortal Being. He is our best and great friend. We need to discover the Soul or the Real Person present within us through a simple lifestyle. To serve the Divine, we have to lead a simple life, not a glamorous lifestyle.
Sri Aurobindo: Where you are? In the Mother’s presence here and close to me.
Where you are going? Towards union with the Divine through dedication and service.
What you are doing here? Service and self-giving to the Divine.
The rest depends, as the Mother writes to you, in the simplicity and fullness with which you give yourself and serve.
To Get the Mother’s Constant Help
The Mother: Welcome to the path. It is long and difficult but supremely interesting for those who are sincere and persistent.
Open your heart with simplicity and make your mind attentive so that you may experience my close and constant help.
To Stay in touch with the Divine Grace
The Mother: If you have had even a second’s contact with the Grace — that marvellous Grace which carries you along, speeds you on the path, even makes you forget that you have to hurry — if you have had only a second’s contact with that, then you can strive not to forget. And with the candour of a child, the simplicity of a child for whom there are no complications, give yourself to that Grace and let it do everything.
What is necessary is not to listen to what resists, not to believe what contradicts — to have trust, a real trust, a confidence which makes you give yourself fully without calculating, without bargaining. Trust! The trust that says, “Do this, do this for me, I leave it to You.”
That is the best way.
[The Mother, Questions and Answers 1957–1958, CWM volume 9, pages 425–427.]
The Mother: Above all the complications of the so-called human wisdom stands the luminous simplicity of the Divine’s Grace, ready to act if we allow It to do so.
THE MOTHER — 21 February 1965
It is better not to worry about progress, because worrying only hinders the advance. It is better to open in all trust and simplicity to the divine help and to have faith in the Victory.
- The Mother (CWM-14, p. 223)
To Stay in Touch with the Divine Beauty Every Moment
The Mother:
Simplicity, indeed great is your beauty. January 23
Simplicity, simplicity! How sweet is the purity of Thy Presence!
There is a great beauty in simplicity.
If we lead a life of simplicity, we will stay closer to the Divine Beauty every moment. We will be expressing one aspect of Divine Purity in our thoughts, action and speech. Simplicity is the ultimate beauty, sophistication, a true elegance, a great attitude, a comfort, less is more etc. Simplicity is that the less I needed, the better I felt. The real beauty and glamour lies in simplicity. There is sobriety and gracefulness in simplicity.
Simplicity is clarity, directness and purity. It is freedom from complication, clutter and confusion. You can be luxurious and elegant, yet simple. In fact, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
To Stay Grounded and Connected with Divine Realisation
The Mother: “Probably they would have been more refractory! …For what is most difficult is to convince someone who has already had a realisation. He believes he is above all progress.
“Not necessarily. It is not necessarily someone with experience who is most advanced. He lacks the element of simplicity, of modesty, and the plasticity that comes from the fact that one is not yet totally developed.
How to Lead a Life of Simplicity?
Live Only in the Depth of Our Being
The Mother: Be simple, be happy…..After all, it is very simple, we have only to become what we are in the depths of our being.
The Mother: From the spiritual point of view, India is the foremost country in the world. Her mission is to set the example of spirituality.
Sri Aurobindo came on earth to teach this to the world. This fact is so obvious that a simple and ignorant peasant here is, in his heart, closer to the Divine than the intellectuals of Europe.
All those who want to become Aurovilians must know this and behave accordingly; otherwise they are unworthy of being Aurovilians.
Become a child once more
We all have to get back that lost childhood. There is something divine in the purity, innocence and simplicity of a child. Champaklal had and was all these. He handed himself over to the Divine and through Their Grace found a way to enlightenment. The Sadhaks led a life of simplicity, in presence of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. We have to develop that childlike simplicity.
A child asked the Mother in his simplicity: “How do you know, Mother, what we do, what we think, what we feel, how do you know it?”
The Mother smiled and answered, “My child, because you are within me, within my embrace always. Therefore I know. I know what is happening in me, isn’t it? That is why I see what is happening in you. You are not outside me, you are part of myself, I am you”.
The Mother: Think that: The Mother loves me and I am the Mother’s; if you
base your life on that thought, everything will soon become easy.
The Mother: Always she will be in you and you in her; it will be your constant, simple and natural experience that all your thought and seeing and action, your very breathing or moving come from her and are hers.
Remain Satisfied with What We have
The Mother:
The true attitude is neither to be an ascetic nor to indulge in desire. The true attitude is to take in all simplicity what I give, to be perfectly satisfied with it and neither to ask for more nor to refuse what is given. This is the true example to give, the one that can help the others towards a better understanding of their duties as sadhaks.
Remain my child, simple, quiet and content, and all will be all right.
Words of the Mother II, CWM volume 14, page 47
Minimize our Material Desires and Wants
To develop Simplicity, we all have to minimize our desires, needs, wants of life. We always crave for more despite having everything. But Simplicity is moving away from having lots of things without thinking to a stage where every possession serves a purpose. We have all we need without the excess that prevents us from enjoying it. We should know that even the most expensive dress or a house or a mobile or a car cannot change our inner life.
Mother knows everything, we just have to open up ourselves more and more in front of The Mother. She will send what is required for our Soul’s Progress. Our Soul’s Need is more essential than outer material needs.
The Mother: My child, Hide nothing from me, Depend on me for all your needs.
Must Come out of the Perversions of Mind:
The Mother: There will be other consequences which will tend to eliminate in an opposite way what the intervention of the mind in life has created, the perversions, the ugliness, the whole mass of distortions which have increased suffering, misery, moral poverty, an entire area of sordid and repulsive misery which makes a whole part of human life into something so frightful. That must disappear. This is what makes humanity in so many ways infinitely worse than animal life in its simplicity and the natural spontaneity and harmony that it has in spite of everything. Suffering in animals is never so miserable and sordid as it is in an entire section of humanity which has been perverted by the use of a mentality exclusively at the service of egoistic needs.
We must rise above, spring up into Light and Harmony or fall back, down into the simplicity of a healthy unperverted animal life.
That part of humanity, of human consciousness, which is capable of uniting with the supermind and liberating itself, will be completely transformed — it is advancing towards a future reality which is not yet expressed in its outer form; the part which is closest to Nature, to animal simplicity, will be reabsorbed into Nature and thoroughly assimilated. But the corrupted part of human consciousness which allows perversion through its misuse of the mind will be abolished.
This type of humanity is part of an unfruitful attempt — which must be eliminated — just as there have been other abortive species which have disappeared in the course of universal history.
Lead a Truthful Life Alone
The Mother: Men, countries, continents, the choice is imperative — Truth or the Abyss?”
The Mother: To give to the Divine what one has in excess is not an offering. One should give at least something out of what one needs.
The only offering that truly enriches is the one made to the Divine.
Cast off our Ego
To remove the dual life, we first need to remove our Ego. Get connected only with the Divine.
The Mother: But to know that, one must stop being egoistic, being a separate person turned in on oneself and cut off from the supreme origin. That is what must be done: to cast off one’s ego. Then one can know the true goal — and this is the only way!
To cast off one’s ego, to let it fall off like a useless garment.
The result is worth the efforts that must be made. And then, one is not all alone on the way. One is helped, if one has trust
Need to be Courageous and Strong within
Simplicity is most difficult to walk. For this we need to be strong from within. To lead a simple life and walk is a great karma. In fact, leading a simple life is the most complex and challenging. It is highly difficult to be simple and great.
Declutter our Life
We must look around ourselves. Is our home, office, environment cluttered and messy? Even our Mobile has become our Biggest Destructive Agent Against Simplicity. Reduce WhatsApp Chats, Instagram, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, YouTube Addiction. A small mobile is dictating our life which was not present a few decades ago.
These are all sign of intense inner confusion and chaos. We have to start by clearing up the mess created by us. We must throw out all that is redundant. We must clean up our calendar which looks so junk. We have to prioritise our activities. We cannot do everything in a day. We have to identify the things that are really important and delete everything else. We have to de-clutter not only our tables, wardrobe, desktop, laptop, mobile but also our inner junk elements that gets daily stored from outside.
Realign Our Life with the Divine Truth
We must ask ourselves, what is it that we really want in life? How can we realign our thoughts and attitude to find more enlightenment and fulfilment? Do we have the courage to knock out unnecessary things that do not add value to us. Then we will have all the time to focus on what is important.
People have started realizing now in the name of technology, we have become slaves to the Technology. We are getting fooled by the technological advancement. At the bottom of all there is a growing underlying discontent and dissatisfaction as man fails to race against time. Man fails to save his precious time due to various reasons now in this material world. We can never get enough of what we really do not want. We do not want more objects of the world. As a seeker, our only goal is to realign our life with that single purpose of existence, for which we have been brought to this world.
We have to shift from the obsession with ‘I, me, myself, mine’ to a larger goal, to a universal goal, to a Divine Goal. Our only purpose is the Divine Mother, our only value is the Divine Mother’s Presence within us, our only calling is the Divine Chants.
When we set Divine as our values and goals clearly, then our life style, our life’s decisions and choices become simple. Then we can effortlessly say ‘no’ to the redundant, frivolous and unimportant.
Stop All Distractions and Deviations from the Path
We must make a concerted effort to stop all distractions, that come daily in various forms: from mindless gossip about someone, useless judging about the character of someone, hate filled content spread over Internet. We should stop unnecessarily hurting others in his presence or absence. We are sending negative force to the universe through our hate filled thoughts. If Divine is our Goal, we should stop all those persons or objects or media which create anger, hatred, distraction, jealousy , and deviate us from our path. Otherwise, it will destroy our life one day. We should enlarge our circle of love, widen our consciousness. We must consider the whole universe as our family, including our sworn enemies and detractors and hypocrite friends and well-wishers. If we lead a decluttered life, we will feel less insecure and less threatened. We will be free from the need to protect ourselves from imaginary enemies, because Divine will take care of our security and well-being.
Stay Aloof from Taking Sides
We are already living in a complex world by supporting this person, that person, this idea, that idea etc. We have to learn to stay aloof from taking sides. Only Take side with the Divine Path. We have to stay away from all kinds of divisions, hatred, competitions etc.
The Mother: The best one can do is not to take sides, not to have preconceived ideas or principles — Oh! The moral principles, the set rules of conduct, what one must do and what one must not and the preconceived ideas from the moral point of view, from the point of view of progress, and all the social and mental conventions… no worse obstacle than that. There are people, I know people who have lost decades in surmounting one such mental construction!…
If one can be like that, open — truly open in a simplicity, well, the simplicity that knows that it is ignorant — like that (gesture upward, of self-abandon), ready to receive whatever comes. Then something can happen.
And naturally, the thirst for progress, the thirst for knowledge, the thirst for transformation and, above all, the thirst for Love and Truth — if one keeps that, one goes quicker. Truly a thirst, a need, a need.
All the rest has no importance; it is that one has need of.
The Mother, from The Sunlit Path, page 214
Never Disturb the Inner Harmony
Nicos Hadjicostis a world traveller was known for his simplicity. He used to travel around the world not just to see and learn from various cultures but his was also an endeavour to find something higher in life. Nicos had been aware of Sri Aurobindo’s works and philosophy, particularly the works included in the Synthesis of Yoga and in Savitri. This knowledge enabled him to see events and circumstances in a spiritual perspective and to face challenges and difficulties in a philosophical way. It was clear from the talk, that virtues such as harmony, equality, deferral of judgement were a major influence in these travels. For instance, at a time of an unexpected difficulty, Nicos made sure that his inner harmony was not disturbed. This meant that the outlook on this difficulty changed and the nature of the challenge became irrelevant by acceptance of ‘things that have to be’.
This example shows how a person remains focused and centred towards his goal despite meeting numbers of people and visiting many places across the world. He used to lead a simple life.
Nicos’ book is entitled: Destination Earth — A New Philosophy of Travel.
Meditate Like A Child
We have to aspire like Dhruv, Prahalad the leading examples of simplicity with highest ever goals. Dhruv, with his child-like simplicity n faith kept repeating Om namo bhagabate vasudevaya and attained the Divine.
The Mother asks us to meditate with the simplicity of a child. Not demanding or expecting anything. Add to that a deep aspiration and even a call to The Divine can be answered.
When you sit in meditation you must be as candid and simple as a child, not interfering by your external mind, expecting nothing, insisting on nothing. Once this condition is there, all the rest depends upon the aspiration deep within you. And if you call upon Divinity, then too you will have the answer.
Turn All Moments to Beautiful Divine Moments of Life
Earlier we were leading a simple life, but not now. We live in a world where we have our moments of joy, from achieving little success or enjoyment from visiting malls, parks, or buying house or a car or a mobile. These joys do not last forever. When we introspect deeper, we find the moments of connection with nature or bringing help or healing to another needy person, spending time with an evolved soul is the most permanent moments in our life. In all moments, we have to create our own world, we have to pray aspire work for a universal harmony, oneness, wideness. For that we have to choose a right way of life. We should not be responsible for making this world more complex for others. We need to live a simple life, by our choices that we make. What kind of friends or companies we make, how are we spending our money for, what kind of likings we make in Social Media, what links we are sharing with others, what kinds of thoughts are we sharing. Every moment, we need to be models of right and simple way of living. A simple person becomes a magnet for others. We have to grow towards that Light, we have to be drawn towards the Light like an insect is drawn towards it spontaneously. Each moment we should try to act in a responsible manner in creating our own simple way of living but also act for the universal Light and Beauty.
