It is in the subtle physical where the material life gets reorganized, that which cares for perfect form, where there is no more room for fault. This subtle physical is vast and it is a very curious place. There is a remarkable resemblance between what is seen there and things and objects that are here around us in the gross physical. In fact one would think if it is not the memory of these physical forms that is carried over there. But it is a coherent world, and not a disorderly imagination. If one is to extend this kind of thinking, it might even appear that the Overmind gods are also perceived in the same manner, that our physical habits give rise to those forms. Are all these objects and beings like that, seen in the way one is in that state, or is it that they are made out in that way because of our association with what is here? Is it anthropomorphism of a kind? The explanation becomes very simple, very easy when one enters into the consciousness where material reality itself becomes an illusion; it is illusory, it is not exact: the inner reality is truer than what we conceive it to be. It is perhaps only our mind that is astonished. This can even lead one to maintain that real ill-will, real hostility and real falsehood are very rare, that is to say, “real” in its absolute sense, in themselves, and conscious, deliberate—deliberate, absolute, conscious—that is rare. Sri Aurobindo used to say that all the rest is a kind of illusion of consciousness—of consciousnesses that intermingle with each other. That gives rise to a real problem, a problem in the context of the transformation to be achieved, a problem of immense magnitude. When one is there, in the subtle physical, things get done as if there is no sense of time, certainly not the sense of our time; it is the content of the action that matters. But what is done there, that disappears when one suddenly returns to this world. Even as the Presence becomes more intimate, more and more concrete, so concrete that it seems to be absolute, then another state of consciousness comes up and all has to be begun again. The great words, the great attitudes, the great experiences, but here nothing spectacular, everything is very modest. And this is the condition for progress, the condition for transformation.

30 August 1967

For the last several nights I have been passing almost the whole night, many hours, in a place which must certainly belong to the subtle physical and where the material life gets reorganised. It is vast—vast—the crowd is innumerable, but these are individualities, not a crowd; that is to say, I have to deal with each one of them. And then, it is as though at the same time there are documents and writing tables but no walls around! It is a curious place, a very curious place.

I have asked myself many a time whether it was the memory of physical forms that made me see this world in that way or whether it is really like that. At times there is no doubt, because it has a character altogether its own, but at other times there is a doubt and I ask myself if it is not in my active memory. Because I am very conscious at that time and everything is extremely natural, and indeed permanent: I find again the same things at the same place, sometimes with slight differences, but differences necessitated by action. That is to say, it is a coherent world, it is not a disorderly imagination. But to what extent are these forms the reflection of natural forms? To what extent are they like that or do we see them like that? I am not yet very sure. I had the same problem when I used to go into the Overmind and see the gods: I had always a kind of hesitation in knowing whether they are truly like that or whether we perceive them like that because of our physical habits.... There, after some time, I came to a conclusion; but here, physically...?

It is a curious thing: there are no doors, no windows, neither ceiling nor floor; all this exists in itself, it does not seem to obey the law of gravitation, that is to say, there is no magnetic attraction of the earth, and yet when one writes there seems to be a pen! And when one writes upon something, there seems to be a piece of paper; and when there are documents, they seem to be in dockets.... One feels that the substance is not the same, but the appearance is very close. And it is this appearance, and I am yet again putting the question to myself: “Is it because of our ordinary cerebral working that we put this appearance upon it or is it truly so?”

There I meet almost everybody. So when they tell me about it, I have altogether the feeling that it is the transcription in their brain that made it so.... And the objective reality of the material world comes from this, that if you see the same object ten times, ten times it resembles itself, with differences that are reasonable, which could be differences due to usage, for example; but there also it is like this! And if you study carefully, even in the physical world two persons do not see things exactly in the same way. There, perhaps it is more accentuated, but it seems to be a similar phenomenon.... The explanation becomes very simple, very easy when you enter into the consciousness where the material reality itself becomes an illusion; it is illusory, it is not exact: the inner reality is more true. Then in that case, it is simple. It is perhaps only our mind that is astonished.

Take writing, for example. I have not observed in detail, but when one writes there, one seems to write much more easily. I do not know how to explain it, it takes much less time and things are noted down on paper—but is it really paper? It looks like paper, but things are noted down much more directly.... There is perhaps a similarity, as for example when you use a pen or a pencil: it is not exactly a pen or a pencil but something resembling it, which is... the prototype or the principle of this object. But what I mean to say is that if we were still in the age of the quill or the pen that one dips in a liquid, probably I would see it like that! It is the essence or the principle of the thing that is translated in the memory by a similarity.

But it is an action. I know the time only when I come back, for I have made it a habit to notice the time whenever I come back to the material consciousness (I have a watch beside my bed and I look at it) and that is how I can say: “This lasted one hour, that lasted two hours.” But there, one has not the sense of time, it is not the same sense—it is the content of the action that matters, and during those hours many, many things are done, many. I am at many places at the same time!

And I have noticed that these things that are quite near the physical disappear if you wake up all of a sudden, particularly if you stir while waking up, if you make a movement or if you turn on your side. It is only afterwards, if at some time I am very quiet and go within myself, then slowly I can again come in contact with that state. Therefore, it does not surprise me that the majority of people do not remember. Experiences in the vital, in the mental are remembered much more easily, but that which is quite close to the physical...

It is very interesting. Oh! There were all sorts of problems which have been solved by that experience. ... Oh! A whole domain has been made clear, and not only made clear, but has brought with it the key to healing or to transformation. From an inner psychological point of view, this has explained things to an enormous degree, to an enormous degree. ... Sri Aurobindo used to say that cases of real ill-will, real hostility and real falsehood are very rare, that is to say, “real” in its absolute sense, in themselves, and conscious, deliberate—deliberate, absolute, conscious—that is rare; and it is that which is described as the hostile beings. But all the rest is a kind of illusion of consciousness—of consciousnesses that intermingle with each other. ...

So the result was to see the immensity of the problem to be solved and of the way to follow and the transformation to achieve.... When you look from the purely psychological standpoint, it becomes relatively easy and quick, but when you come to this [the body], to the external form, to what is called Matter, oh, it is a world! Each lesson—it is like lessons that are given, it is so interesting! lessons with all the consequences and explanations; you pass a day, two days to make a small, a very small discovery. And then you see that in the bodily consciousness, after that, after these days or these hours of work, the light is there, it is changed—it is changed, the reactions are no longer the same, but...

And the Presence, the Presence becomes more and more intimate, more and more concrete, and at that time there are moments when it is so concrete that it seems to be absolute, and then another state of consciousness comes up and all has to be begun again.

It is interesting.

The great words, the great attitudes, the great experiences, all that is very good up there, but here... nothing spectacular—everything is very modest, very calm, very effaced—very modest. And this is the condition for progress, the condition for transformation.