WRITINGS BY THE MOTHER
© Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust

Quiet Mind, Calm Mind, Silent Mind

Quiet mind: the best way of learning.

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Perfect quietness in the mind: essential condition for true progress.

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Quietness established in the mind: the essential condition of its transformation.

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You should not confuse a calm mind with a silent mind. You can calm your mind and stop its ordinary activity, but it may still be open to ideas coming from outside and that too disturbs the calm. And for the mind to be completely silent, you must not only stop its own activity but shut out all that comes from other minds. This is not easy.

Moreover, you must learn to distinguish between a phenomenon of consciousness and a mental phenomenon. One can be conscious of an experience in such a way that this consciousness is not formulated into a thought or thoughts. This is very important if the mind is to remain absolutely quiet and silent.

26 September 1963

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But one thing is indispensable if they want a result: the mind must be silent. Then there is hope for the consciousness to be concentrated.

To begin with, they must know by experience the difference between mind and consciousness, two quite different things.

Unless they have the experience of it nothing can be done.

12 April 1964

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Practise silence of mind, it gives power of understanding.

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Always I answer your letters but rarely I have time to put my answer on paper. You are capable of receiving these answers directly, but for that you must learn to keep your mind silent--this is the true meditation--the brain blank, immobile and turned upward. This is the necessary condition to receive the answers. If you can hand over the care of your existence and your development to the Supreme Consciousness, then peace will enter your heart and your problems will be solved.

16 June 1966

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What exactly should I do to accelerate the sadhana?

Wait quietly for the exact indication; all mental intervention and decisions are arbitrary. The clear indication comes in the silence of the mind.

31 March 1970

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Mother, Your Voice said to me, "The Supermind is coming down in you." Mother, is it a false voice? Because I know that I am not at all ready for the Supermind.

It is only in mental silence that you can hear the voice without distorting it--be very peaceful.

29 May 1971

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Don't torment yourself, and keep your mind very quiet. True knowledge comes from beyond.

Blessings.

13 September 1972

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(A sadhak asked how to get rid of the invasion of wrong suggestions.)

The only radical way is to concentrate and go beyond your mental.

Silence and contemplation.

Blessings.

5 January 1973