WRITINGS BY THE MOTHER
© Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust

The material mind and the physical mind

21 August 1965

Then what is the difference between this material mind and the physical mind?

The physical mind is the mind of the physical personality formed by the body. It grows with the body, but it is not the mind of Matter: it is the mind of the physical being. For example, it is this physical mind which gives the character--the bodily character, the physical character--and which is in a large measure formed by atavism and by education. All this is called the "physical mind". Yes, it is the result of atavism, of education and of the formation of the body; it is what forms the physical character. For example, there are people who are patient, people who are strong, etc.--physically I mean, not for vital or mental reasons, [new p. 19]but purely physically; you have a character. It is [old p. 19]the physical mind. And this is part of all integral yoga; you go through the discipline of this physical mind. More than sixty years ago I did it.

Collected Works of The Mother, First Edition, Volume 11, pp. 18-19