Page 20 - All India Magazine Jan-2025

ness of the captains and instructors themselves.
*
Concentration before the classes
Sweet Mother, We have a minute of concentration before and af-
ter group every day. What should we try to do during this concen-
tration?

Before, make an offering to the Divine of what you are going to
do, so that it may be done in a spirit of consecration.
Afterwards, ask the Divine to increase the will for progress in
us, so that we may become instruments that are more and more
capable of serving Him.
You may also, before starting, offer yourselves to the Divine
in silence.
And at the end, give thanks to the Divine in silence.
I mean a movement of the heart without any words in the
head.
*
The cause of all difficulties
In human life the cause of all difficulties, all discords, all moral
sufferings, is the presence in everyone of the ego with its desires,
its likes and dislikes. Even in a disinterested work which consists
in helping others, until one has learned to overcome the ego and
its demands, until one can force it to keep calm and quiet in one
corner, the ego reacts to everything that displeases it, starts an
inner storm that rises to the surface and spoils all the work.
This work of overcoming the ego is long, slow and difficult;
it demands constant alertness and sustained effort. This effort is
easier for some and more difficult for others.
We are here in the Ashram to do this work together with the
help of Sri Aurobindo's knowledge and force, in an attempt to
realise a community that is more harmonious, more united, and
consequently much more effective in life.

20 All India Magazine, January 2025