The Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo

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About the Book Aurobindo's General Philosophy of Life Sri Aurobindo's philosophy of life is based on an experienced integralism. It is a synthesis of idealism, realism, naturalism and pragmatism. His life began with psychic experiences connected with his political, philosophical and poetic life. The general philosophical ideas of Aurobindo are found mostly in his weekly newspaper "karma yoga".

Aurobindo's Philosophy of Education Aurobindo Ghosh is a true yogi, a great philosopher and an eminent educationist. He starts his life as a political thinker but very soon he becomes a spiritual integralist. He shows mankind the way to the highest spiritual growth. His philosophy of education directly emerges from his philosophy of life based on spiritual penance, practice of yoga and brahmacharya. He believes that any education, which involves all the three factors, will definitely develop man to the fullest extent. The journey of his life is a unique experience in harmonising the two important ends of existence, that is, spirit and matter. He tries to translate these ideals into a system of education through his Pondicherry ashram school now grown into Auroville-a city of universal culture. According to Aurobindo, real education is that which provides a free and creative, environment to the child by developing his interests, creativity, mental, moral and aesthetic senses. Finally, they lead to the development of his spiritual powers.

Preface THE idea of this Commemorative Symposium on the integral philosophy of Sri Aurobindo was first conceived while celebrating his birthday anniversary at San Francisco Ashram in August 1957. It was felt that the time was ripe for the message of Sri Aurobindo to be increasingly known to the wider public in different parts of the world. It is a message which silently took shape over a long period of time in the medium of a life such as transcended all geographical and national boundaries, and unconditionally offered itself at the altar of human welfare, or rather at the altar of the Divine in human evolution. The message is one of human unity, and of 'the out- flowering of the Divine in collective humanity'. Occasioned by an intermingling of the two broad streams of culture, eastern and western, it envisages a new world-order of peace, progress and international harmony, broadbased upon a radical change of man's collective consciousness. It indicates the lines along which the unification of all human races is to be achieved through increasing participation in the creative adventure of the world-spirit. It utters forth the secret of collective and co-operative living toward the fulfilment of the ultimate destiny of man.

Introduction Humanity today is at a crucial crossroads in its long and tortuous his tory upon this planet. After billions of years of evolution humanity has reached the stage where science and technology has given it tre- mendous power, power which can be used to eradicate poverty and suffering and misery from the face of this earth, or power that can be used to destroy all life on this planet. We live in an age of bewildering change, between a collapsing past and an indeterminate future. Be- fore we know it, the present has collapsed and the future is upon us in a sort of an avalanche which bewilders and disorients many people.. Indeed it often appears that we are adrift on a limitless sea without any clear sense of direction or any guidelines to show us the way. It is at times like these, times of great change and transition and conflict, that we turn to the great spiritual figures that have illuminated the path of mankind down through the tortuous corridors of time.