Sri Aurobindo Ashram is sitting on a volcano of land scams and shady deals

Tweets Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty - 18h An influential section of Auroville's elitehas been complicit in this power game and is happy with the status quo. http://savitriera.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/auroville-must-be-returned-to-its.html … - 18h The state of Auroville itself is highlytroubling. A complete negation of the original conception, it is verily acaricature and a betrayal. 18h Auroville must be returned to its rightfulowners. The Mother’s property has to be released from the hands of theunbelievers and atheists. 20h Sri Aurobindo Ashram responds only to theCourts or the Collector & not the general public. A public institution mustpractice transparency. 20h Visitors recall the abode of peace that theAshram is but are blissfully unaware that it is sitting on a volcano of landscams & shady deals. 20h How long the Devotees must wait beforetheir beloved Ashram rescued from the evil occupation by vile usurpers? Whyeven the Courts so slow? 21h The luminous legacy of The Mother & SriAurobindo is definitely not safe in the dubious custody of Manoj Das Gupta& friends of Peter Heehs. 21h The Mother recognised Sri Aurobindo at onceon arrival in Puducherry in 1914. Indians are yet to know his real worth evenafter a century. 21h It's ludicrous Manoj Das Gupta claimingDivine Right to rule over Sri Aurobindo Ashram by pathetically sponsoring well-wisherspamphleteering. 21h Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry must stopthe system of life-long appointment of Trustees to prevent sycophancy,nepotism, & black-mailing. 21h Peter Heehs has impersonated variously withfancy designations which the Ashram never conferred upon him. Why silence onthis? Conspiracy? 22h The Ashram will be stirred only when itspremises is attacked or property ransacked and not if the reputation of TheMother & Sri Aurobindo. 22h The Ashram maintains that it has got nobusiness with whatever people write about Sri Aurobindo including its inmates.Exemplary neutrality! 22h - @gchikermaneYou may say goodbye to me but you owe the nation an apology for perpetratingfalsehood with regard to Peter Heehs last year.  Viewconversation - 22h No amount of paid-media coverage andplanted panegyrical can exonerate Peter Heehs of the indiscretions committed inLives of Sri Aurobindo. 23h @gchikermaneThat's obvious but you should clarify on your Peter Heehs nexus and thehospitality by the Ashram enjoyed by you so frequently. Viewconversation - 23h Must be some serious groundwork for PeterHeehs' defence when @gchikermaneis in Puducherry. Admirable nexus between history and economics.  Viewconversation - 23h The world needs Peter Heehs' extraordinarygenius as historian and his fans are thirsty for his forthcoming book. Why ishe locking himself? 23h Vigilance needs to be beefed up andresistance augmented so that Sri Aurobindo Ashram is not hijacked by likes ofPeter Heehs the CIIS way. 23h Authentic historical account regarding TheMother & Sri Aurobindo can emerge only when the stranglehold of Peter Heehsover the Ashram ends. 23h Residence of just 1 person has beentroubling a whole community of devotees & admirers of Sri Aurobindo. Ashramshould throw Peter Heehs out. 23h Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry hasembarked upon a propaganda campaign to acquit itself of the sins committed byPeter Heehs but in vain. 30 Mar Peter Heehs hit upon the queer formulathat whatever others say about Sri Aurobindo is true but what he himself saidis suspect as history.

30 Mar [He whom we saw yesterday is on earth.His presence is enough to prove that a day will come when darkness shall betransformed into light..]

Unceasing aspiration is the sure means

It’s not without significance that Sri Aurobindo Ashram came into being in 1926 in the wake of Swarajya Party in 1923 and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Communist Party of India in 1925. Despite all disclaimers, establishment of a commune is a palpable political act by which the inmates, not only stay insulated against unwanted ideological propaganda, but also become example of lived values thereby offering an alternative socio-cultural paradigm. But as we observe at the end of 2012, none of the aforesaid four streams inspire confidence so far as the future of humanity is concerned.

Technological breakthrough has brought about quantum leap in integrating thinking all over the globe but opinions remain as opposed as ever. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, however, have asked for vigilant, constant, and unceasing aspiration for ushering in unity, mutuality, and harmony. [TNM55] 

Need for honest critique

The modernist/liberal protest against the Ashram was simmering from the time of Frederic Spielberg. So the outcry in the wake of Heehs imbroglio is not entirely unexpected as disagreements galore and Heehs camp siding with the Establishment may be a tactical move to incite more anger and acrimony. For, most people are now unanimous that the Ashram, in the present form, has no future. There has to be large scale modifications not only in the rules & regulations or management set up but also in its aims & objectives as well as accountability. If that happens, one can hope for a more proactive and direct role for the Ashram in popularizing the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, the world over.

But, understandably, this is not as easy as it sounds since Heehs imbroglio has also thrown the fault lines of Integral Yoga into sharp relief. And this, when the original stalwarts and pioneering ideologues are no more. Thus, interpretations and projections run the danger of (questionable) identity based mobilization of (false) consensus. Competitive maneuvering to prove more loyal than the king is another despicable byproduct of the conflict.

There is, of course, a limit to conducting critical interrogation by persons attached to various institutions. Besides, many are not intellectually equipped to undertake such an enterprise or recognize its necessity. There is a further category of people carrying multiple allegiances who quickly switch their attention and for them all this doesn't matter. If influential, they can always throw their weighty opinions around, however. So, the task of honest and impartial critique by informed and sympathetic sources has become scarce. [TNM55]  

All life is Yoga is for all

In chapter seven of Heraclitus, Sri Aurobindo writes on the role of philosophy. He praises critical reason for helping to arrive at the truth but calls a halt to it at that point. Thereafter, the dynamics of living the truth should be the guiding force and not philosophy.

The same can be said about the Yoga techniques too. They may help to a point but later prove to be a barrier. So, the formula - All life is Yoga - offered by Sri Aurobindo assumes significance. Not only it takes into account individual difference and destiny but also contains allowances as regards evolutionary possibilities. Unhinged from past formulations and dogma, it also ensures universality as well as integrality.

With such theoretical astuteness, one would imagine a course of spiritual practice that is smooth sailing and assured. But the truth is that for want of any standardization it escapes evaluation and emulation. This, however, must not be looked upon as a drawback but appreciated for its huge advantage. The open ended nature of human aspiration and imagination running in consonance with the Divine perfection is surely an empowering phenomenon.

Apart from the cultural prejudices and geographical bottlenecks, a major factor that restricts this knowledge system from reaching a wide spectrum of world population is the Ashram-centric approach. Monopoly over production of books is erroneously construed as the existence of some sort of supervisory authority or a rating system for granting hierarchy slots. The idea of being forced into membership of an alien community, too, is instantly repulsive for most. [TNM55]  

Avoiding over-promise

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have made use of highly optimistic and inspirational language in their interaction with the disciples and correspondents. The Ashram also has been publishing excellent motivational literature by means of various publicity materials. Apposite extracts in prose or poetry accompanied by attractive pictures are mainstay of this method that involves superior designing, printing, and diffusion. Needless to mention that all these have been accomplished in the spirit of Aesthetic Yoga and the tradition continues.

No one can dispute the power of The Mother & The Master’s words but there is no gainsaying of some level of over-promise involved. Their eloquence, in a way, is utilized to camouflage the situation on ground, thus removing from focus issues of injustice and exploitation that should have received urgent attention or deserved to be acted upon. In other words, spirituality has often served as a pretext for escapism and spawned sycophancy. Ironically, the same level of noble nonchalance is never adhered to when one’s self-interest is under threat.

Dignified dispassion and indifference are surely high ideals but resorting to them indiscriminately in an imperfect world can be counterproductive. Likewise, not to speak of the present situation in our day to day language and invoke the phraseology of Supramental and Psychic Being turns deceptive as well as self-defeating. Opposing immoral and illegal practices is the duty of every citizen and more so for avowed spiritual seekers. Hence, strict vigilance is needed against employing seductive language and slipping into simulated indolence. [TNM55]