Yoga has always its difficulties, whatever Yoga it be. Moreover it acts in a different way on different seekers. Some have to overcome the difficulties of their nature first before they get any experiences to speak of, others get a splendid beginning and all the difficulties afterwards, others go on for a long time having alternate risings to the top of the wave and then a descent into the gulfs and so on till the vital difficulty is worked out; others have a smooth path which does not mean that they have no difficulties—they have plenty, but they do not care a straw for them, because they feel sure that the Divine will help them to the goal, or that he is with them even when they do not feel him—their faith makes them imperturbable….
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, pp. 630 – 31
Difficulties come because there are possibilities in you. If in life everything was easy, then it would be a life of nothing. Because difficulties come on your way it shows you have possibilities. Do not be afraid.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 220
Surely all these troubles come from a resistance somewhere, something that opposes the work of transformation.
Always circumstances come to reveal the hidden weaknesses that have to be overcome.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 218
Each time we try to realise something and meet with a resistance or an obstacle or even a failure―what seems to be a failure―we should know, we should never forget that it is exclusively, absolutely, so that the realisation may be more perfect.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 218
Shocks and trials always come as a divine grace to show us the points in our being where we fall short and the movements in which we turn our back on our soul by listening to the clamour of our mental being and vital being.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 219
All the difficulties are bound to vanish in time under the action of the Force. They rise, because if they did not rise the action would not be complete, for all has to be faced and worked out, in order that nothing may be left to rise up hereafter. The psychic being itself can throw the light by which the full consciousness will come and nothing remain in the darkness.
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, p. 637
462) At first whenever I fell back into sin, I used to weep and rage against myself and against God for having suffered it. Afterwards it was as much as I could dare to ask, “Why hast thou rolled me again in the mud, O my playfellow?” Then even that came to my mind to seem too bold and presumptuous; I could only get up in silence, look at him out of the corner of my eyes—and clean myself.
Sri Aurobindo – Essays Divine and Human: CWSA, Vol. 12, p. 487
Thou biddest me strive without cease, and I could wish to have the indomitable ardour that prevails over every difficulty. But Thou hast put in my heart a peace so smiling that I fear I no longer know even how to strive. Things develop in me, faculties and activities, as flowers bloom, spontaneously and without effort, in a joy to be and a joy to grow, a joy to manifest Thee, whatever the mode of Thy manifestation. If struggle there is, it is so gentle and easy that it can hardly be given the name. But how small is this heart to contain so great a love! and how weak this vital and physical being to carry the power to distribute it! Thus Thou hast placed me on the threshold of the marvellous Way, but will my feet have the strength to advance upon it?… But Thou repliest to me that my movement is to soar and it would be an error to wish to walk…. O Lord, how infinite is Thy compassion! Once more Thou hast taken me in Thy omnipotent arms and cradled me on Thy unfathomable heart, and Thy heart said to me, “Torment not thyself at all, be confident like a child: art thou not myself crystallised for my work?”
The Mother – Prayers and Meditations: CWM, Vol. 1, pp. 338 – 39
All who enter the spiritual path have to face the difficulties and ordeals of the path, those which rise from their own nature and those which come in from outside. The difficulties in the nature always rise again and again till you overcome them; they must be faced with both strength and patience. But the vital part is prone to depression when ordeals and difficulties rise. This is not peculiar to you, but comes to all sadhaks—it does not imply an unfitness for the sadhana or justify hopelessness. But you must train yourself to overcome this reaction of depression, calling in the Mother’s force to aid you.
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, p. 635
Simply tell yourself: “We don’t know how to do things as they ought to be done; well, they are being done for us, come what may!” And if we could see to what extent all that seems to be, yes, a difficulty, a mistake, a failure, an obstacle―all that is just to help us, so that the realisation may be more perfect.
Once you know that, everything becomes easy.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 219
Be absolutely convinced that everything that happens, happens in order to give us precisely the lesson we needed, and if we are sincere in the “sadhana”, the lesson should be accepted with joy and gratitude.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 219
If truly you love the Divine, prove it by remaining quiet and peaceful. All that comes to each one in life, comes from the Divine to teach us a lesson, and if we take it in the right spirit, we make rapid progress.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 219
The hours preceding Victory are most often the most difficult.
For the individual’s surrender, it is the last resistances, sometimes quite insignificant, that are the most obstinate and difficult to conquer.
But with a greater obstinacy a victorious conclusion of the fight is certain.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, pp. 220 – 21
He who wants to advance on the path of perfection must never complain about the difficulties on the way, for each is an opportunity for a new progress. To complain is a sign of weakness and insincerity.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 221
Never grumble. All sorts of forces enter you when you grumble and they pull you down. Keep smiling. I seem always to be joking but it is not mere joking. It is a confidence born from the psychic. A smile expresses the faith that nothing can stand against the Divine and that everything will come out all right in the end.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 221
The more you grumble, the more your pains will increase.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 222
If you are not satisfied with what you are, take advantage of the Divine’s help and change yourself. If you haven’t the courage to change, submit to your destiny and keep quiet.
But to constantly complain about the condition you are in, without doing anything to change it, is a waste of your time and energy.
The difficulties can disappear only when the egoistic concentration upon desires and conveniences disappears.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 222
Never worry. Do with sincerity all you do and leave the results to the Divine’s care.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 222
We must always keep in mind the big ideal and work that is to be achieved so that we should not give too much importance to small details, trifles that must not draw our attention; let them come, let them go like small clouds in the sky, which do not affect the fine weather.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 224
If you go on thinking of the trouble, it will go on increasing. If you concentrate upon it, it will swell up, it will think that it is being welcomed. But if you don’t pay any attention, it will lose interest in you and go away.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 224
The best remedy is to stop thinking of yourself and your defects and difficulties.
Let us think only of the big work to be done, the ideal that Sri Aurobindo has given us to realise. The work and NOT how we do it.
I will help.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 224
Forget your difficulties. Think only of being a more and more perfect instrument for the Divine to do His work and the Divine will conquer all your difficulties and transform you.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 225
The grace and protection are always with you. When in any inner or outer difficulty or trouble, do not allow it to oppress you; take refuge with the Divine Force that protects.
If you do that always with faith and sincerity, you will find something opening in you which will always remain calm and peaceful in spite of all superficial disturbances.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 226
Those who are sincere I can help and turn easily towards the Divine. But where there is insincerity I can do very little. And as I have told you already, we have only to be patient and wait for things to become better. But surely I do not see why you should get disturbed and in what way your disturbance would help things to be better. You know by experience that there is only one way of getting out of confusion and obscurity; it is to remain very quiet and peaceful, firm in equanimity and to let the storm pass away. Rise above these petty quarrels and difficulties and wake up once more in the light and the power of my love which never leaves you.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 226
Surely you could not believe that sadhana could be done without facing some difficulties. As your aspiration is sincere, whatever was in the subconscient standing in the way of the Divine Realisation, has come to the surface in order to be transformed. There is nothing there to make you sad or depressed—on the contrary you ought to rejoice at these occasions to make progress and never forget to lean for support and help on my love, force and blessings.
If you keep your faith unshaken and your heart always open to me, then all difficulties, however great, will contribute to the greater perfection of your being.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 227
Always when one faces difficulties and overcomes them it begins a new spiritual opening and victory.
When you want to make a progress, the difficulty you wished to conquer increases tenfold in importance and intensity in your consciousness. You have only to persevere. That is all; it will pass away.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 227
…life is always full of difficulties, hardships and sufferings; this is a common fact and each one has to face his own lot of them. The only way to face them properly is to endure and to put one’s interest, hope and faith in the inner life and consciousness turned towards the Divine, aspiring for the Divine and capable of receiving the Divine’s Force and Help. But often the vital being or some part of it takes a kind of perverse pleasure in giving a dramatic importance to each and every difficulty and thus cuts the contact with the inner being and the Divine’s Force.
This bad habit which is common to many people must be stopped and then each one can and will feel that he receives very concretely the help he needs to go through the ordeals of life.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, pp. 230 – 31
Life upon earth as it is now is full of miseries and any sensitive heart is full of sorrow because of that. To get in contact with the Divine Consciousness and to live in its mercy, its strength and its light is the only truly effective way to get out of this difficulty and suffering and by uniting with the psychic we can obtain this condition.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 231
The Divine is present among us. When we remember Him always He gives us the strength to face all circumstances with perfect peace and equanimity. Become aware of the Presence and your difficulties will disappear.
To live within, in constant aspiration towards the Divine—that renders us capable of regarding life with a smile and remaining in peace whatever the external circumstances.
The Mother – Words of the Mother – II: CWM, Vol. 14, p. 232
The difficulties are there in vital and physical nature because they are full of obscurity, falsehood, inertia and ignorance. They have to be got rid of by opening the vital and physical wholly to the power of the psychic and the power of the Truth from above.
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, p. 635
It is quite true that falsehood reigns in this world; that is the reason why these difficulties manifest. But you have not to allow yourself to be shaken. You must remain calm and strong and go straight, using the power of Truth and the Divine Force supporting you to overcome the difficulties and set straight what has been made crooked by the falsehood.
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, p. 635
The Power does not descend with the object of raising up the lower forces, but in the way it has to work at present, that uprising comes in as a reaction to the working. What is needed is the establishment of the calm and wide consciousness at the base of the whole Nature so that when the lower nature appears, it will not be as an attack or struggle but as if a Master of forces were there seeing the defects of the present machinery and doing step by step what is necessary to remedy and change it.
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, p. 636
The safest way is to remain in the higher part of the consciousness and put a pressure from it on the lower to change. It can be done in this way, only you must get the knack and the habit of it. If you achieve the power to do that, it makes the progress much easier, smoother and less painful.
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, p. 636
There are higher forces and the lower—the latter have to be worked out by contact with the higher and in the working out sometimes they rise, sometimes disappear till they are done with. It is not necessarily due to some mistake or fault that they rise.
Sri Aurobindo – Letters on Yoga – IV: CWSA, Vol. 31, p. 636
