Originally posted on sciy.org by Ron Anastasia on Thu 15 Dec 2005 03:22 AM PST
Life Positive magazine
November 2001
Georges Van Vrekhem is best known for his two seminal works on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He spoke to Swati Chopra about life as an Aurobindonian and the next step in man's spiritual evolution.
It is quite a tongue twister, but the word 'Aurobindonian' crops up frequently when Georges Van Vrekhem speaks. 'A true Aurobindonian', 'a real Aurobindonian', 'you don't have to be an Aurobindonian to evolve to Superman'… That's what he sees himself as—an Aurobindonian. Not that this limits him in any way. It seems to give him the perspective from which to view the world, and his own self. It is also the basis of his work as a writer and translator, his two original works being Beyond Man: The Life and Work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and The Mother: The Story of Her Life (both HarperCollins publications).
A Belgian, Vrekhem has spent the last 31 years of his life in India, the initial eight years at the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, and the rest in Auroville, the Mother's experimental township. He was in Delhi, India, recently to deliver lectures on 'The Present Moment in the Global Evolution' and 'Overman: The Intermediary between Man and Superman'.
Following are excerpts from an interview with Georges Van Vrekhem:
What attracted you to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother? About 30 years ago, I came across a French book written by the Mother's disciple, Satprem, called The Adventure of Consciousness. I opened that book and read the first quotation by Sri Aurobindo: "Everything that man wants he can become because the Divine is within him." Something happened then. Strangely, I haven't been able to finish the book till today. Then
you came to India? Something seemed to be pushing me to go to Pondicherry. In a dream, I saw a stone with the imprint of a salamander and I knew this to be in the Aurobindo Ashram. The effect of this dream was so strong that even now, when I am walking in the ashram, I inadvertently look around for this stone! The salamander in the stone meant the transformation of matter, I suppose. This was in 1964 when Eastern spirituality was not known at all in the West. It took six years for me to finally make the decision. Being a poet, I thought I could afford to be a little crazy. So I came to the Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. Did
you get to meet the Mother? Why,
which flowers did you choose? |
What happened in the moments when you blanked out? With hindsight, I think as I sat before her, something in me recognized her. But my mind had blacked out. What
were your subsequent meetings with the Mother like? The last time I met her was a few days before she withdrew into silence. As I bent to touch her feet, I felt something preventing me from touching them too roughly. Then her hand fell on my head. Were
all the meetings silent? You
have been a poet and a playwright. What is the interface between your
creative spirit and your spiritual journey? Have the two fed each other? What
has been the response to your books, Beyond Man and The Mother? One
finds a lot of creative individuals being drawn to Sri Aurobindo. Why?
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Why is it good? Because the time has come only now to bring his thinking into the world's awareness. Whenever I am invited to give lectures, I say that I can either tell you about the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo or about the practice of it. About the philosophy, I explain the evolutionary aspect and say that the Aurobindonian vision is the most broad-minded there is. But if I am talking about the practice of Integral Yoga, I say that you have to be a fanatic—totally focused—otherwise it is pointless. How
has your own spiritual journey progressed? Where are you today? What
is the essence of Integral Yoga? We are living in interesting times. Both the West and the East have accomplished something important. The West has recognized the importance of personal freedom. As long as you remain an entity in a group, such as a joint family or caste, you cannot realize your true potential. The West, because it has overcome this to a large extent, is ripe for the journey within. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the West towards Eastern spirituality.But the Western worldview is still extremely Eurocentric. And they have no idea of the multiple avatars, of the possibilities of life. You see books like Karen Armstrong's A History of God. They always talk the same language of Christianity and Judaism. Of the East, if they know anything, it will be Buddhism. Through my books, I want to expound the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and arrive at a universal Sanatana Dharma. |
What is the next step in human evolution? According to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, evolution has to progress and the new must appear. The problem is that human beings think they are the end-station of evolution. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have predicted 'Superman', a divine being. However, the jump from our present level of being to the Superman is so enormous that it would be rational to suppose that there will be a transitional stage, 'Overman' according to Sri Aurobindo, in between. The Mother said the consciousness of Overman manifested in 1969. This is dealt with in my next book, Overman, to be published soon. Just as mental consciousness has helped us reach the present level of evolution, Supramental Consciousness will help us evolve to Superman. What
would distinguish Overman from us? Any
evidence of Overman's existence? The
general perception of the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
is that it is dense and obscure. So,
it is not for the common man? What
has been your experience of living in Auroville? You should go there only if you get the call, and then you have to heed it, no matter where you are. This yoga is a matter of destiny, unlike other kinds of yoga, which depend on choice. The Mother has said: "If you want an adventure, please come aboard." What
was the mission of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother? —photographs by Martin Louis
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