Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1. 1935

Letter ID: 1319

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

April 27, 1935

I don’t know if Buddha would have anything to do with Durga’s or your principle of compassion with regard to killing.

No, of course not. I only put that in on my account, as to compassion.

I don’t think that Buddha would ever give his assent to killing of animals or taking any life.

I don’t know. People used to say he died of eating too much pork. Now they say that this particular pig was a vegetable.

Personal and Impersonal are two aspects of the Divine, aren’t they? How is it possible for one who realises the Impersonal to be in darkness about the existence of the Divine from which his truth is coming? And why do you say that Impersonal does not guide or help, that one has to rely on oneself absolutely?

Whatever impersonal Truth or Light there is, you have to find it, use it, do what you can with it. It does not trouble itself to hunt after you. It is the Buddhist idea that you must do everything for yourself, that is the only way.

Since it is the Truth one is seeking and the Impersonal also is one aspect of the Divine why should the Divine keep himself aloof from the seeker? Is it simply because one is guilty of seeking his impersonal aspect?

You speak of the Impersonal as if it were a Person. The Impersonal is not He, it is It. How can an It guide or help? The Impersonal Brahman is inactive, aloof, indifferent, not concerned with what happens in the universe. Buddha’s Permanent is the same.

People say that Buddha’s Ahimsa was the main cause of India’s falling an easy prey to foreign invasions, for it made her absolutely devitalised, inert, passive.

Rather doubtful. Buddhist kings generally did not hesitate to fight or to take life.

Though I don’t believe in Ahimsa, Buddha’s or Gandhi’s, I feel a shrinking when I go to kill anything or see others doing it. Ahimsa in blood?

Nerves.

S’s story is out. In addition to green mangoes he had some rasagollas too. This food business is almost a possession with him.

So I heard. Why almost?

We have decided to remove his stove for good. Rather childish, but what else can be done?

Quite right. The Doctor said that he was surprised by the relapses of S’s health until he found that when he was not there, S used to get up and secretly cook food for himself on the stove! Palate satisfaction seems to be more precious to him than his life.

R says he has still headache although the “cause” is not there. Some investigations? I wonder whether he needs a régime? The difficulty is to keep him to anything. Tried eggs – excellent effect, he got tired, we had to drop it. Next tried Nergine, next cod-liver oil – each thing had a good effect, then he dropped it.

I think there is something in his vital clinging to the illness, while the other parts grumble about it.