Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume III - Part 4

Fragment ID: 13291

It must have been the descent of the higher silence, the silence of the Self or Atman. In this silence one perceives, but the mind is not active,– things are sensed, but without any responsive connection or vibration. The silent Self is there as a separate reality, not bound or involved in the activity of Nature, aloof, detached and self-existent. Even if thoughts come across this silence, they do not disturb it; the Self is separate from the thinking mind also. In this connection the feeling “I think” is a survival from the old consciousness; in the full silence what one feels is “thought occurs in me” – the identification with thoughts as well as with the perception of objects ceases.