The Next Evolution

The Next Evolution 4

When we look at the question of survival, as viewed by Darwin, we find that the fittest only survives. The principle of the survival of the fittest is the Way of Evolution. It is also observed by some, that the survival of animals is enhanced by the formation of groups. In human society also, it is seen that survival is enhanced by the formation of groups. It is found that all groups have a ‘core’ leader, and following such a leader means subservience both on the physical plane and the mental and philosophical plane also. It is further observed that subservience mentally and philosophically is a vital instinct for the survival and the mind does not work there. Ants have survived, as they are always in a group. These are scientific observations and they are true — but true within certain limitations.

Science has seen the past only and it does not look much into the future, and even it does, it is in a very limited way, limited within the senses and sense-bound limitation.

On the onward march in Evolution, especially in the Next Evolution beyond Man, such limits are passed. Whatever Darwin has told is true of a certain level — in Sri Aurobindo’s language, of the vital plane. That may also be true of the crude humanity in the rudimentary stage of the Homo Neanderthal, or even of the early stages of the Homo Sapiens.

But Man is on the Way towards a higher Evolution. Evolution has not reached is culmination with the human beings. It is going, and it will go farther.

From the scientific viewpoint, now man is at the apex of Evolution. But as we know, Man is not perfect. He lives with ignorance, incapacity, imbalance, disharmony, chaos, disorder, aimlessness, unhappiness, sufferings, diseases and death. We live only in moments, having inherited a ‘brief animal' mind. We do not know our past, our future, or our destiny.

But civilized man, in spite of all his imperfections and incompleteness, has already passed and left behind the herd mentality, the group mentality, to a very great extent. And the Idealist in him is dreaming and aspiring for a larger life, more conscious and perfect and divine a life.

Sri Aurobindo and His spiritual collaborator The Mother [Mira Alfassa] speaks of the Next Evolution.Sri Aurobindo and His spiritual collaborator The Mother [Mira Alfassa] speaks of the Next Evolution. They have told of a New and Higher Consciousness, the Supramental Consciousness, and of the Advent of this Higher Consciousness. The Mother has also declared that the said Supramental Conscious is the Next plane of Consciousness that has to be evolved, for that is the Aim of Evolution. Evolution is the Manifestation of All that is ‘involved’ in Matter. And what is involved is nothing less than the Highest Principle of Existence, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, or in simple language, the Divine.

Matter is apparently Inconscient, and evolution from Matter to till the appearance of Man is through Ignorance. Man has been evolved with more consciousness and knowledge in him in comparison with the Ape and other living beings. Yet he is half-conscious, half-fulfilled, with incomplete, insufficient and inconclusive knowledge, with more or less ineffective and superficial knowledge. Man has been evolved with Mind, and is still being evolved with Mind, but what he carries with him as the Mind, is only a very small and miniature fragment the real principle of Mind. The humanity as a whole has not yet evolved or used or even become conscious of the higher and deeper ranges of Mind, which are touched and partly used only by a few. However, these few persons let us believe that transcendence of the present state is possible. Our endeavor for self-discovery and world-discovery is also only half-fulfilled, partial and inconclusive and insufficient. Our previous Leaders have led some, but the mass still gropes in darkness, and the followers have begun clashes, feuds and wars, and have the journey regressive and backward towards the primitive state of mind, though dressed and decorated with ornaments of modern superficialities.Blessed with an incomplete and imperfect mental consciousness that Nature has bestowed on him, Man lives with Ignorance in all walks of his life and existence. He is uncertain about the results of his actions or about the certainty of his thoughts, of his future achievements and even about his own survival or his purpose on earth or his destiny. Our history is filled with stories of our repeated bloodsheds, battles and massacres, including two World Wars. And instead of loving our earth, we have divided and sub-divided and further subdivided it into smaller and smaller regions and fought against each other. We live thus backwards towards a regression.We are not conscious that there is some higher aim and meaning for our life and existence. We live with our narrow egoistic choices and more or less selfish activities. We do not want to know beyond our nose and most of the time shut up our eyes, outer and inner.

However, that is only an aspect of the Truth. Inborn with him is a longing for happiness, joy, for light and knowledge. And always with him there is Hope. Without hope, he cannot be. Hope is an eternal companion of man.

A beautiful, joyous, harmonious and luminous Future of divine perfection is waiting for Man as his evolutionary possibility and goal. This is his evolutionary Future. He cannot continue for ever as he is and has been now. He has to proceed ahead from the present square. Or else, the evolutionary forces of Nature - Supernature -will surpass him and choose some other means for fulfilment of the goal : ever-progressive manifestation of Consciousness.

That is our Future, preordained. We shall have to ascend. Despite all Darkness and Ignorance around us, we have relentlessly endeavored to conquer the situation we are born in on this earth. The results are civilization, science, medicine, philosophy, arts, education, social activities, spirituality and yoga. We are not sure whether our present ignorant activities would lead us to extinction, like that of the Dinosaurs that existed during the Mesozoic Era.

However, though we are imperfect in all our attempts, we have not given up. And to all our endeavors for more than last fifty millennia, the inner askesis and inner necessity and aspiration of the humankind has been answered by the Supreme with the New Possibility, with the New Hope, that Sri Aurobindo has brought for us.

The Mother has said that the Supramental Consciousness has already descended on earth on the 29th February 1956. And that will lead the Evolution towards the Manifestation of the Supramental on earth, towards the New Creation, towards the Coming of the New Race, the Race of the Supramental Beings.

Supermind is term given by Sri Aurobindo for the Divine Truth Consciousness, the Logos, the Manifest Godhead, Existene-Consciousness-Bliss or Sachchidananda in manifestation. The Aim of Integral Yoga, the Integral System of Yoga given to us by Sri Aurobindo, is to bring down the Supermind into the terrestrial existence, which will put an end to the present imperfection of physical life and existence, and begin and establish the Divine Life on Earth, through an Evolution of harmony and perfection, an Evolution of Light and Truth towards a greater Light and a greater Truth. It will fulfil the Vedic prayer : Lead me from Falsehood to Truth, lead me from Darkness to Light, lead me from death to immortality [Asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, mrtyormamrtam gamaya.]

The Advent of the Supramental Race is thus the goal and the aim and the inevitable result of the Next Stage of the Evolution. However, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo said that there will be a New Man, an intermediary being, the superman, before the coming of the pure Supramental Race.

The Mother has said : ‘He [the Superman] will still belong to the human species of animal origin by most exterior form, but who will transform his consciousness in a sufficient manner to belong, in his realization and activity, to a new race, a race of supermen.’

Obviously, the race of the supermen will not be the race of the supramental beings. With the supramental beings, the question of survival will no more be there. For, they will have the supramental body, which will be immortal. Its cells will be capable of renewing themselves and the body will be flexible and will master itself, so that the old age will never come in. The race of the supermen will definitely be able to master the body and will be able to live long enough so that they can finally transform and supramentalize their body.

The group-mentality or the herd-mentality and the question of thoughtlessly and blindly following the ‘core’ leader will no more be there.

Barindranath Chaki
06-02-2007