Omsriaurobindomira
All
Life
is
Yoga
“All life is Yoga.” – Sri Aurobindo
Sleep and Dreams
Sri Aurobindo | The Mother
SRI AUROBINDO BHAVAN
BERCHTESGADENER LAND
Copyright 2021
AURO MEDIA
Verlag und Fachbuchhandel
Wilfried Schuh
Germany
www.sriaurobindo.center
www.auro.media
ALL LIFE IS YOGA
Sleep and Dreams
Selections from the Works of
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
Second edition 2021
ISBN 978-3-96387-010-1
© Photos and selections of the works of
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother:
Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust
Puducherry, India
Flower on the cover:
Aloe vera. Light orange. Spiritual significance and explanation given by the Mother: Dreams One can learn much by observing one’s dreams.
Publisher’s Note
This is one in a series of some e-books created by SRI AUROBINDO DIGITAL EDITION and published by AURO MEDIA under the title All Life Is Yoga. Our effort is to bring together, from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, simple passages with a practical orientation on specific subjects, so that everyone may feel free to choose a book according to his inner need. The topics cover the whole field of human activity, because true spirituality is not the rejection of life but the art of perfecting life.
While the passages from Sri Aurobindo are in the original English, most of the passages from the Mother (selections from her talks and writings) are translations from the original French. We must also bear in mind that the excerpts have been taken out of their original context and that a compilation, in its very nature, is likely to have a personal and subjective approach. A sincere attempt, however, has been made to be faithful to the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. These excerpts are by no means exhaustive.
Bringing out a compilation from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, which have a profound depth and wideness unique, is a difficult task. The compiler’s subjective tilt and preferences generally result in highlighting some aspects of the issues concerned while the rest is by no means less significant. Also without contexts of the excerpts the passages reproduced may not fully convey the idea – or may be misunderstood or may reduce a comprehensive truth into what could appear like a fixed principle.
The reader may keep in mind this inherent limitation of compilations; compilations are however helpful in providing an introduction to the subject in a handy format. They also give the readers a direct and practical feel of some of the profound issues and sometimes a mantric appeal, musing on which can change one’s entire attitude to them.
The excerpts from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother carry titles and captions chosen by the editor, highlighting the theme of the excerpts and, whenever possible, borrowing a phrase from the text itself. The sources of the excerpts are given at the end of each issue.
We hope these compilations will inspire the readers to go to the complete works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and will help them to mould their lives and their environments towards an ever greater perfection.
“True spirituality is not to renounce life, but to make life perfect with a Divine Perfection.” – The Mother
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ContentsTitle PageCopyrightPublisher’s NoteSLEEP AND DREAMSQuotation1. The Necessity of Sleep2. How to Sleep3. What Happens During Sleep?4. Dreams – Nature and Importance5. Why Do We Forget Our Dreams?6. Control Over Dreams7. Dreams and Their Interpretations8. Premonitory Dreams9. Somnambulism10. Nightmares11. Yogic Repose12. Some GuidanceAPPENDIXReferencesGuideCoverContentsStart
Sri Aurobindo
Ordinarily when one sleeps a complex phenomenon happens. The waking consciousness is no longer there, for all has been withdrawn within into the inner realms of which we are not aware when we are awake, though they exist... — Sri Aurobindo
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Chapter 1
The Necessity of Sleep
Words of the Mother
Mother, what is sleep? Is it only the need of the body to rest or is it something else?
Sleep can be a very active means of concentration and inner knowledge. Sleep is the school one has to go through, if one knows how to learn his lesson there, so that the inner being may be independent of the physical form, conscious in itself and master of its own life. There are entire parts of the being which need this immobility and semi-consciousness of the outer being, of the body, in order to be able to live their own life, independently.
Only,