Let go of all other desires, along with dissatisfaction and discontent.
This running cycle of the wheel of karma can be easily stopped. It is not possible to make the vast subject of 'The wheel of karma' any simpler in a few pages.
Let's make our attempts sincerely and wholeheartedly. Everything is possible!
Knowledge! Experience!
- Generally men have two views about wisdom:
- 1. Knowing about various matters (i.e.) Knowledge. 2. Experiential knowledge (i.e.) Experience.
- Real wisdom is beyond both these types of wisdom.
- Bliss is beyond knowledge and experience. This is the peak of joy. It is enlightenment.
A long time ago in China, a metal worker fashioned a mirror for the first time ever. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, this man said: 'Oh, my God! My father has descended from the heavens.'
On seeing her husband talking to himself, his wife peeped into the mirror. She saw her own face and screamed: 'Why are you talking to another woman?'
The husband replied: 'I was not talking to a woman, I was talking to my father!'
His wife was furious. She shouted: 'Not only are you talking with other women behind my back, but you are also lying about it. You must be having an affair!'
A preacher, who was passing by. heard the noise, stopped and looked at the mirror which started the quarrel. On looking at the mirror he was shocked. He shouted with fury: 'I am the only preacher in this area. Where did this monk come from?'
He flung the mirror on the ground and it broke into many pieces.
If he were a wise man, this would not have happened.
What is wisdom?
Wisdom is not Knowledge.
Knowledge is accumulated information. Wisdom is knowledge processed through experience and found to be true.
Fireflies emit light so that the male fireflies can locate each other. mate and multiply. That is the truth and wisdom. If someone observes fireflies emitting light, and from that observation concludes that the purpose is to light the way in the night, it is useless and misleading knowledge, as most of our knowledge is.
It is easy to gather knowledge. We fill our minds with knowledge by reading, watching TV, and listening to people. It is so easy. Most of such knowledge and information is useless. They only add to your ego.
Experience is born out of real hard labor. We cannot change knowledge into experience, as there is no connection between worldly knowledge and life experience!
Start by reducing the accumulation of knowledge which increases only the ego. Instead, internalize the knowledge you have and relate it to experiential wisdom. Let the breeze of joy blow in vour life.
Continue to be involved in spiritual practices. You will always be continuing to progress towards more and more wisdom.
The great philosopher Aldous Huxley divided the earth into East and West. The symbol of West is the brain. The symbol of East is the heart. When you say heart, it denotes love, compassion and affection. Fulton, Jaishin, Mark Twain and other philosophers also agreed on this.
Religions were born in the east. The Buddha was full of compassion. Light of Africa is flooded with his grace. Jesus is also overflowing with compassion. That is why his pictures in every country show him as not revealing his intellect but revealing his heart only. Wisdom that is experiential wisdom just springs from the heart.
Aldous Huxley points out two types of great philosophers. One type thinks within the boundaries of time. They are timely philosophers. The other type goes and thinks beyond the confines of time. They are eternal philosophers.
The second type includes those who first changed themselves and then went on thinking of changing others. Adi Sankara, Jesus Christ and The Buddha come under this category.
Those who do not change themselves first but try to change others, fall under the first category. They promote their own conceived philosophies.
Many amongst us think only within a time frame. We never have even an idea to change ourselves at any time. Even before that. we start correcting and changing the world. To make a change in ourselves, first of all, the knowledge needs to manifest as experiential wisdom.
One cannot reach God through money either: nor through education. Digging deep within oneself is the only way to reach God.
Today's education teaches us, for example, who the prime minister of Australia is. However, it does not teach us what type of fertilizer is suitable for a particular type of soil in a field or for growing a particular variety of crop.
Our farmers know much more than our agricultural scientists.
Our education produces only teachers. Its aim does not seem to be to produce men who can execute properly.
Our education, which gives great exercises for the intellect, does not at all give importance to creative things which come from the heart. That is why there are some professors in our society who teach the same lessons continuously for twenty-five years without any change.
We pay very meager wages to the wood-cutter who sweats all day long and work hard. Experience is born out of real hard labor. It is easy to gather wisdom. But it is rather difficult to enhance the experience. Mere knowledge will not give fulfillment. Experience only will give fulfillment to man.
If we try to change knowledge into experience, the truth will never be revealed. That is, there is no connection between worldly knowledge and life experience!
It is immaterial whether information, news and articles etc. which are of no use to real living, leave their impressions in our intellects or not.
Perhaps the weight of our heads may increase due to the richness and quantity of knowledge.
First of all, reduce the richness of knowledge which weighs our heads down and transform our knowledge to experiential wisdom. Let the breeze of joy blow in our life.
Let us continue to be involved in spiritual practices. We will always be continuing to progress towards more and more wisdom.
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