EVOLUTION OF MANKIND - Is it over ?

February 3, 2001

As we enter the third millennium in the current phase of human civilisation,

grand experiments are afoot to unravel the 'mother of all secrets' ie.

origin of life. In the past 50 years or so, a series of our most brilliant

men have been struggling to postulate a universally acceptable theory about

origin of life but all in vain. A clear-cut hypothesis about the 'first form

of life' - let me call it fifol - still eludes us. In spite of our best

efforts we have been unable to recreate that first spark of life neither are

we able to put forward a convincing alternative theory.

Different Perspective

If we take a broad look at all the happenings in this universe, we can find

three aspects standing out - logic, symmetry and repetition (cyclic). All

said and done, there is a definite logic in all that is happening around us,

be it earthquake in Turkey or NATO bombing in Kosova. As each of them

happens, we feel sad and disillusioned. But when historically put together,

we find all such events do fall in place and the overall picture looks

logical. There is always a certain direction but quite often we fail to

identify it momentarily, but realise it historically.

All these years, we have believed that a freak lightning kindled the first

spark of life in a peculiar organic mixture millions of years ago. However,

all our efforts in redoing it have proved unsuccessful so far. All this

while, one theory that gained universal acceptance in the mind of all

literate men the world over is Darwin's theory about evolution of mankind.

Save for the fundamentalists, almost the entire world has come to accept it

as the truth. Quite interestingly, the oldest surviving religion viz.

Hinduism covers it well in its various scriptures and beliefs. The ten

incarnations (avatars) of the lord starting from fish and close friendships

of Lord Rama with monkey clans (in the epic Ramayana) in the not-so-distant

past are just glimpses of this.

Being logical in all its designs, it is not prudent to believe that 'fifol'

presented itself due to a lightning when the evolution theory postulates an

underwater beginning for life. Also, in keeping with the symmetrical nature

of all creations, it is quite possible that 'fifol' must have been bisexual,

which later on split up into 'Adam' and 'Eve' as it evolved, probably in the

shores of Yemen. If life started in this planet, it would be more logical to

believe that an underwater phenomenon in the Mariana Trench produced the

'fifol' at about -40 deg C and 10,000 bar. Over the ages, a few of the

fittest 'fifols' would have ventured up the ocean and developed the

physiological capabilities to survive at higher temperatures and rarer

atmospheres. They must have eventually got on the ground and advanced into

homo sapiens as we know it now. Incidentally, it is quite possible that

some of those 'fifols' are still left and our marine biologists should be

able to locate one with all the modern gadgets and resources available now.

Evolution

Evolution of life so far has been highly logical and it is well documented.

It leaves very little room for any doubts or disbelief. A whole lot of

living things have since evolved and the full spectrum is truly mind

boggling. But what we need to look at now, as members of the mankind, is

about our evolution atleast in the last two millenniums. It is very

important to do so because of three reasons :-

§ Have we evolved in a desirable direction so far ?

§ Who is at the forefront of the evolution chain right now ?

§ Where do we go from here ?

Opinions will vary among social scientists about all these aspects but it is

most significant to identify who is 'leading the evolutionary chain' at this

point of time. This is very important because a whole lot depends on these

'evolutionary' leaders (not revolutionary) as to where we are headed for. If

we are sure that Americans are leading, then we are headed in one direction

and if Iraqis are the leaders, it is another. Also if Whitemen are at the

forefront, we are heading in one direction and it is different if Yellowmen

or Blacks are the true leaders. Individually also, it matters as to who is

the most evolved? We need to point out the role models to our children.

Years ago, some of our doctors identified 'herdity' - common characteristics

of a herd - as a parameter closely identified with cancer. The tendency of

all of us humans to follow the crowd (especially in this information age

when tendencies can be highly contagious) indicating common characteristics

is some thing that will decide the future of mankind. Unless we identify the

most evolved human being(s) and follow their lead the consequences can be

disastrous. If we are following the wrong lead it is most likely that the

evolutionary chain will terminate sooner and it will be time again for the

next 'fifol'.

Reason for Hope

In the prevailing air of acute pessimism, we can always expect that mother

nature will eventually throw up yet another logical phenomenon by which the

ideal lot at the forefront of evolution will be identified. This phenomenon

can take any form viz. a massive earthquake or epidemic or crashing into a

black hole. As it has always been proven, only the fittest will survive and

the fittest need not necessarily be the mightiest, as some of us believe.

Instead of waiting for that eventual intervention of mother nature, perhaps

it is worthwhile now for another Darwin to identify the best amongst us and

guide mankind in the right direction. There is definitely much reason for

hope in our world-wide scientific community who have already evolved as

international citizens.

by J. Ajith Kumar,P.O. Box 795, P.C.133, Al-Khuwair, OMAN

--//--

_______

Get your free @ address at

February 5, 2001

Dear "Goodman" <jajithkumar

and Ajith Kumar, P.O. Box 795, P.C.133, Al-Khuwair, OMAN:

In the interest of correcting and setting both of you "straight"

concerning your erroneous, dead-end, materialistic and one-sided view of

evoultion, I offer the following:

http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Onto/OntoVern.htm

Aurobindonian Ontology: Salient Peculiarities

By Sanjyot D. Pai Vernekar

ABSTRACT: Aurobindo envisages a cosmic salvation via an endlessly

open-ended, eternally optimistic, and forward-looking ontology. The

purpose of humankind is to go beyond its present form of ordinary

(mental) consciousness until it attains the Supermind. Aurobindo says

this can be done by a technique he calls Integral Yoga that enables

humankind to purposefully cooperate with the cosmic evolutionary urge

and thereby rise from the present mental stage to the supramental stage.

Another peculiarity of Aurobindo’s ontology is his concept of Brahman.

It negates illusionism and gives his metaphysical scheme a religious

dimension. There is no room in his system for any adversary, anti-Divine

or Satan as an independent entity. Thus, evil and suffering also stand

accounted for. Peculiarities of this order make him the very first and,

so far, the only ontologist claiming a preordained divination of the

universe.

Aurobindo Ghose (1872 - 1950) was extraordinary as a man of learning.

His knowledge of the world was encyclopaedic. The Wisdom he derived from

it was astonishing in being synthesising, comprehensive and

interpretative. Hence his familiarity with the scientific -

materialistic nature of the West as also with the spirituality of the

East. From 1901 onwards, especially from 1908, he turned to the study

and practice of yoga after unravelling the secret of the Veda, the

Upanisads, the Bhagavadgita and other sacred writings of India. Factors

like this account for the distinctive nature of the Integral philosophy

and Yoga and ontology he has propounded. The most outstanding

peculiarity of Aurobindonian ontology is its synthesising integrality

leading to holism. It harmonises the western theories of evolution and

life sciences with the mystical ? spiritual theories of the Absolute as

revealed in the Veda. On account of this, "spiritual evolution" or the

evolution of consciousness becomes the sheet anchor of Aurobindo’s

ontological argument.

"Consciousness" for Aurobindo, is a rich and complex term. He believes

that consciousness is inherent as much in seemingly inert matter as in

plant, animal, human and suprahuman life. It participates in the various

levels of being in various ways. The Spirit or Sachchidananda which

means the highest level of "being, consciousness, and bliss" is nothing

but the Absolute. Therefore, Aurobindonian ontological argument emerges

from his ‘hierarchical view of consciousness or Spirit’. Accordingly

Sachchidananda or the Divine is at the transcendent summit.

The Supermind mediates Sachchidananda to the multiplicity of the world.

The Overmind serves as delegate of the Supermind. Intuitive Mind, the

next lower level of the descent of Sachchidananda , is a kind of

consciousness of the heart. It discerns the truth in momentary flashes

rather than in a comprehensive grasp. Illumined Mind communicates

consciousness by vision and Higher Mind through conceptual thought. Then

enters Mind with its propensity to integrate reality through cognitive,

intellectual and mental perceptions rather than through direct vision.

Yet mind is open to the higher levels of consciousness, for it is

basically oriented to Supermind in which it participates in a derivative

way. In the course of this hierarchical view, Aurobindo introduces the

new concept of the Psyche, the conscious form of the soul. He maintains

that Psyche makes possible the evolution from Ignorance to light, from

the inconscient form of consciousness with which the creation of the

universe commenced to the superconscient form of consciousness which is

destined to emerge. Aurobindo’s Supermind is supramental in nature.

According to Aurobindo, further, life which is next form of

consciousness is cosmic energy through which the Divine is received and

made manifest. Matter from which life has evolved is the lowest level

in Aurobindo’s hierarchy of consciousness manifestation. Therefore,

matter is an expression of Sachchidananda in a diminished form. It is

not reducible to mere material substance.

This hierarchical view of Sachchidananda indeed needs to be seen in a

process perspective according to which the Supreme is both "being" and

"becoming" manifest in these many levels of Being. Sachchidananda as

consciousness liberates itself through an inner law that directs

evolution, says Aurobindo. In his view, ‘spiritual’ evolution is a

series of ascents from material, physical existence, to supramental

existence in which human beings are able to reach their true being and

fulfillment.

This perspective , however, provides only one side of Aurobindonian

ontology ,only one of its two poles, as it were. The other pole is the

cosmic salvation he envisages in which humankind and the universe become

divine as decreed by the law of evolution. This bipolarity is the second

outstanding peculiarity of Aurobindonian ontology. Creation is nothing

but the descent of the Absolute Spirit into Supermind, mind and matter

as indicated in its hierarchical perspective of Sachchidananda’s

involution in the Inconscient. But involution leads to evolution. And

evolution is the ascent of matter to life, mind and supermind and

finally to Sachchidananda. After establishing this bipolarity of his

ontology, Aurobindo points out that so far only the first three stages

of evolution have emerged. But the time has come now for evolution to

take the remaining ascent-oriented steps that will carry it to the

Supermind and thereby to change the nature of the universe from death to

deathlessness, from finite to infinite, and from imperfection to

perfection and , ultimately, from gross matter to Supreme Spirit,

Sachchidananda.

Aurobindonian ontology is thus purposive, affirmative and

forward-looking. It invalidates the view that "becoming" is the

degradation of "Being". It proclaims that "Being" undertakes the process

of "becoming" solely for the purpose of re-acquiring its original

status. Equating "becoming" with evolution, Aurobindo redefines

"becoming" as a predetermined, inevitable, redemption-oriented

divinization of the involved Absolute, its homeward journey as it were.

The Absolute, for its delight initially effects its own complete

involution in Inconscience. Next it goes on retracing its steps back to

its primordial plenitude through the process of evolution. Its return is

from inconscient to subconscient, to matter, to life, to mind, to Higher

Mind, Illumined Mind, Intuition, Overmind, Supermind, Psyche and

Sachchidananda. This makes Aurobindonian ontology "endlessly open -

ended" since no one can tell exactly when the destined divinization of

the cosmos takes place.

Meanwhile, Aurobindonian ontology argues in favour of human aspiration

for a Kingdom of heaven on earth and proceeds to give a theoretical

framework in which such an aspiration would be not a figment of

imagination but a drive in Nature working through humankind to a higher

stage of perfection. The gulf between unconscious matter and fully

self-conscious Spirit is sought to be bridged by exhibiting them as two

poles of a series in which spirit continuously manifests itself. The

Vedantic concept of a transcendent, all - inclusive Brahman is sought to

be harmonised with a theory of emergent evolution. Illusionism is

totally rejected. The purpose of humankind is to go beyond its present

form of consciousness until it attains to the Supermind. Aurobindo says

that humankind can do it by Yoga which is a technique not for personal

liberation but for co-operating with the cosmic evolutionary urge that

is carrying humankind ahead from the present mental stage to a higher,

supramental stage.

According to Aurobindo’s theory of cosmic salvation, thus, the paths of

humankind’s union with the Absolute are two way streets : Enlightenment

comes to humankind from above, while the supermind of humankind strives

through yogic illumination to reach upward from below. When these two

forces blend in an individual, a gnostic human being is created. This

Yogic illumination eventually leads to the freeing of the individual

from the bonds of individuality and, by expansion, all humankind will

eventually achieve mukti (liberation). Obviously, this means that

Aurobindo’s ontology has created a dialectic mode of salvation not only

for the individual and all humankind but also for the whole cosmos.

‘Energy or Sachchidananda ("existence, thought, joy") comes down from

Brahman (thesis) to meet energy from the supermind of man striving

upward towards spirituality (antithesis) and melts in man to create a

new spiritual superman (synthesis). From these evolved divine beings, a

divine universe is also evolved’. Incidentally, Aurobindo’s superman is

the God-man, the gnostic being. He excels humankind not in physical

power but in things of the Spirit. He is not to be confused with the

superman of Nietzsche.

Besides reinterpreting the Vedic concept of the Divine Being in the

light of his own Western education, Aurobindo modifies traditional

accounts of the relation between the world and Brahman, again by

introducing the concept of evolution. Note that he rejects the doctrine

that the cosmos is illusory, Brahman being the sole reality. Despite

that, his ontological doctrines retain the contemplative ideal and

reject the world negation. They delineate the evolutionary process as

centering on the progressive manifestation of the Spirit. Aurobindo

avers that the emergence of consciousness is not satisfactorily

explained either as the consequence of the increased complexity of

material organisms, or as the work of an extracosmic deity. Secondly,

his own spiritual realisations, contemplative intuition and study of the

Indian religious traditions impelled him to believe in a Divine Being.

Invoking the Vedantic explication, he defines the Being as a Triune of

External existence, External consciousness and External bliss. Since he

is All-benevolent in addition to being Omniscient, Omnipotent and

Omnipresent, the Supreme Spirit involved himself into Inconscience for

the sheer delight of retracing his steps back to his Triune supremacy

employing the consciousness aspect of his Being as an ever evolving

modality in his slow but inevitably certain return to his native

divinity by rendering all earthly life into the life divine, by

bestowing emancipation (Mukti) to the cosmos at large. In view of this,

in Aurobindo’s belief, consciousness is somehow already concealed in

living matter before its evolutionary emergence, and the Divine Being is

immanent in the process. Accordingly, he argues that Brahman by a

transmutation in the form of "involution" manifests itself as matter and

then progressively brings about an unfolding of its powers through the

evolution. Here, too, there is a hierarchy of substances appearing

successively but in such a way that each higher stage includes its

predecessor. For instance, rational beings are also material organisms

but the animal characteristics of humankind are transformed because of

the presence of his mental powers. Humankind should now consciously

choose to collaborate with Nature (read as evolution) in her task of

divinizing all existence by preparing the necessary circumstances for

the arrival of "superman" and for the evolutionary purpose of changing

the character of social, cultural and individual life.

Aurobindo’s ontology is peculiar in yet another respect too. His

concept of Brahman and associated ideas gives his metaphysical scheme a

religious dimension. For, in one respect the Divine Being , he

maintains, is in repose : as the Absolute, it is a timeless and

nonspatial being. But in its creative energy the Absolute manifests

itself as the Supermind which is an intermediary between the world and

the Absolute. Thus, the next stage of spiritual progress for human

beings is to attain Godhood or the life divine through "Integral Yoga".

It will enable them to acquire a spiritual insight which should permeate

their physical, social and cultural life. Besides, God must "descend"

into human experience. This is indicated in the following words of

Aurobindo’s yogic collaborator, The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram,

addressed to the Divine: ‘In all the states, in all the modes, in all

things, all worlds, all the elements we must discover Thee and unite

with Thee and if one element is left aside, however small it may be, the

communion cannot be perfect, the realisation cannot be accomplished.’

This holistic illumination of individuals will lead to the emergence of

a divinized community. In this way, Aurobindo’s ontology produces a

synthesis between older Indian religious ideals and the world-affirming

attitudes of Christian theism. According to him, religious mysticism

should give a new character to ordinary life, not negate it.

Significantly all this process is divine. All the human possibilities,

postulated by Aurobindo, are released by the descent of God, the

Absolute, the Spirit, into the world. There is no room in his system for

any Adversary, Anti-Divine , or Satan as a separate, independent entity

determined to work against the Divine. Everything that appears to be

evil, suffering, pain or catastrophe is merely a process or part

thereof. Aurobindonian ontology is original and extraordinary in yet

another respect : its propounder is the first, and so far the only,

ontologist unequivocally claiming an inevitable divinization (and

therefore "emancipation" or "mukti") for the universe at large. What is

predestined and inevitable is the cosmic emancipation through the

process of a divine "involution-evolution". No doubt, evolution by

itself is sure to carry on its onward march through a natural process

until its predestined purpose is fulfilled. But it proceeds slowly and

indirectly. In contrast, Integral Yoga functions more quickly and

directly. ‘Evolution seeks the divine through nature, while yoga reaches

out for the divine as transcendent to nature’. Integral Yoga ,besides,

‘seeks an integral and total change of consciousness and nature’, not

for the individual alone but for humankind as a whole, for the entire

cosmos. Unlike some yogas of the past, ‘Integral Yoga does not seek

release from the cycle of birth and death’. It ‘seeks a transformation

of life and existence, by, for, and through the divine. In most yogas,

ascent to the divine is emphasized as the sole objective. In Integral

Yoga, this ascent is but the first step. The real goal is the descent of

the new consciousness that has been attained in the ascent’. Humankind

has to consent to collaborate with Nature in this process of

ascent-descent by resorting to Integral Yoga.

When this predetermined goal is consciously reached by humankind, the

intended divine transformation commences. ‘ . . . the hour of the Divine

draws near’. Some human beings shall be made ‘the glory’s

receptacles/And vehicles of the Eternal’s luminous power’, ‘The first

born of a new supernal race.’ Then, ‘Eternal supermind’ shall ‘touch

earthly Time / The Superman shall wake in mortal man / And manifest the

hidden demi-god’. ‘Then shall the earth be touched by the Supreme’. ‘The

superman shall reign as King of Life’. ‘And lead towards God and truth

man’s ignorant earth / And lift towards Godhead his mortality’. ‘Thus

shall the earth open to divinity’ and ‘This earthly life’ shall ‘become

the Life Divine’. All this is foreshadowed in a letter Aurobindo wrote

to a disciple in 1934. The letter states ‘that behind the appearances of

the universe there is the Reality of a Being and Consciousness, a Self

of all things, one and eternal. All beings are united in that One Self

and Spirit but divided by a certain separativity of consciousness, an

ignorance of their true Self and Reality in the mind, life and body. It

is possible … to remove this veil of separative consciousness and become

aware of the true Self, the Divinity within us and all’. ‘This One Being

and Consciousness is involved here in Matter. Evolution is the method by

which it liberates itself; consciousness appears in what seems to be

inconscient and once having appeared is self-impelled to grow higher and

higher and at the same time to enlarge and develop towards a greater and

greater perfection. Life is the first step of this release of

consciousness; mind is the second; but the evolution does not finish

with mind, it awaits a release into something greater , a consciousness

which is spiritual and supramental. The next step of the evolution must

be towards the development of Supermind and Spirit’. ‘Only then will the

involved Divinity in things release itself entirely and it becomes

possible for life to manifest perfection’. ‘The former steps in

evolution were taken by Nature without a conscious will’. But ‘in man

Nature becomes able to evolve by a conscious will’. ‘It is not, however,

by the mental will in man that this can be wholly done’. ‘A conversion

has to be made, a turning of the consciousness by which mind has to

change into the higher principle. This method is to be found through the

Integral Yoga’. Thus, Aurobindo teaches that ‘a descent of the higher

principle is possible which will not merely release the spiritual Self

out of the world, but release it in the world, replace the mind’s

ignorance or its very limited knowledge by a supramental Truth -

Consciousness which will be sufficient instrument of the inner Self and

make it possible for the human being to find himself dynamically as well

as inwardly and grow out of his still animal humanity into a diviner

race’.

‘Yoga can be used to that end by opening all the parts of the being to

a conversion or transformation through the descent and working of the

higher still concealed supramental principle. This, however, cannot be

done ... by any rapid or miraculous transformation. Many steps have to

be taken by the seeker before the supramental descent is possible. Man

lives mostly in his surface mind, life and body, but there is an inner

being within him with greater possibilities to which he has to awake ...

and that pushes him to a constant pursuit of a greater beauty, harmony,

power and knowledge’. ‘He has to learn to live in his soul and purify

and orientate by its drive towards the Truth the rest of the nature.

There can follow afterwards an opening upward and descent of a higher

principle of the Being. But even then it is not at once the full

supramental Light and Force. For there are several ranges of

consciousness between the ordinary human mind and supramental Truth -

Consciousness. These intervening ranges have to be opened up and their

power brought down into the mind, life and body. ... The process of this

self - discipline or Sadhana is therefore long and difficult ... . For

the whole being has to be trained so that it can respond and be

transformed when it is possible for that greater Light and Force to work

in the nature’. ‘The one aim of Aurobindo’s teaching and Yoga is an

inner self - development by which each one who follows it can in time

discover the One Self in all and evolve a higher consciousness than the

mental, a spiritual and supramental consciousness which will transform

and divinize human nature’.