Simple word - deep meaning

Today, I began re-reading a book, and in the first sentence itself, a word arrested me. It's not a new word nor an unfamiliar one, but one that I've never paid attention to being used in that context before. 

The word was culture. That's a word I know, or at least in the context of social, intellectual, artistic culture. But this time, it came after physical and that made all the difference. 

Physical culture? What on earth is physical culture.

And just like that, I entered a rabbit hole, going deeper into the meaning of the word, but also, dipping myself in the ocean of Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's writings. Because the word in that context isn't something new in their writing. It's just that I have never quite seen it, paid attention to it nor spent time interpreting it till now.

The book I am reading is Sri Aurobindo and The Mother on Physical Education. Being a student of this education system, I have been taught and even learnt about why physical education is so important here. I know the higher purpose we should be or aim to be working towards. It's the fundamental teachings or essence of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy. And that is to transform our current physical self to a Divine Life and help realize a new Superhuman form on earth. 

So, when the line said "...the ultimate aim of physical culture" I was curious. Why culture? What's culture got to do with the physical? And why is that the ultimate aim?

I am not well-versed with Sri Aurobindo's writings. I have no reference point, no prior or deep seated knowledge of his teachings nor his passages. So, I couldn't access my memory for help, so switched to the closest help I had in my hand - chatGPT. 

I took a screenshot and started probing. 

And that's when it all started to make a little more sense.  

Culture is, in this context, used as a total conscious, active, holistic training, cultivation within oneself. It's not just activity towards something but conscious activity.

So physical culture is being conscious, inward preparation, training of the physical self. It's about preparing the body consciously to something higher.   

This is where the difference between 'development' and 'culture' start to matter. Physical development is an outward action for a means. Strength, endurance, skill, agility. But it could serve many goals - both good and bad. To beat up, to bully or to win races, to win championships. So development of the physical self is a outwardly physical change - and does nothing to the inward physical self. It doesn't change one's attitude, one's approach, one's reactions to circumstances that the physical body endures. Development enhances one's capacity, doesn't affect one's consciousness.

And that's where culture comes. Culture is more complete and more inward. It's a refinement. It's not an end per se, but a process. Much like physical, there's mental, and vital culture too. 

In Sri Aurobindo's teachings, the physical body can be educated, awakened, trained, refined and transformed. That's the process towards integral yoga. Without this body being transformed, the higher Divine life cannot live down on Earth. The body is not just a passive receiver but an active participator in the transformation. 

For a higher force to live within us, we need to make ourselves first receptive to it, be ready to imbibe it, live it. For which culture is needed. The pursuit for perfection within self. 

So development is the first step. But development can happen consciously - but also unconsciously - like growing up. Without effort. Culture on the other hand is conscious. It's purposeful. It is voluntary and towards a higher cause. And physical culture is always positive. Never negative. Because it's a conscious voluntary effort towards something greater. Culture demands attention and intention. 

The closest analogy I can think of is the difference between line and vector. A line is unending, directionless. It goes both extremes. Whereas a vector gives a line direction and magnitude. Same with development and culture. One can build culture without development too, but that's not easy. It's like trying to meditate without having sat still ever. 

One can be conscious of one's development. But that consciousness being used for a higher purpose is where culture comes in. 

Now, when I re-read that line, it all made sense. Sri Aurobindo talks about the need to attain perfection in the physical and for that to happen, culture is imperative. 

And all of this is important for the last stage of transformation that the physical self has to attain to bring down Divine Life on earth and live it.   

Now when I return to that line, it's not abstract anymore. I realize that I need to train, educate and awaken my body into consciousness. Be more aware. 

Physical culture demands the a certain readiness which I've never really focused on and need to now make an effort for.

One word, a simple, fairly familiar one, which I never knew had such deep meaning, depth and context.