Knowledge and Enlightenment

By on June 15, 2011 in Spirituality

Question:

I have realized that one does not need to have any scientific or eastern knowledge first to gain true enlightenment. Why do some make that transition of alchemy sooner than later and for most – need the knowledge first?  We all know it’s just a matter of discovering what is already there.

Answer:

To attain enlightenment we need both direct experience and understanding.  But it is important that the experience comes first and the explanation or the knowledge comes afterward. If one accumulates too much intellectual knowledge beforehand, it will skew or bias the innocence of the natural experience of the self.  After the experience of Being it is important to stabilize that experience with spiritual understanding that resonates with you. It can be from any wisdom tradition as long as it speaks to the details of your personal experience. Matching the experiences of  past spiritual  travellers’ experiences to your own experience validates and stabilizes  your experiences. This is how it then becomes a functional reality in your everyday life.  Spiritual knowledge that isn’t tied directly to one’s immediate experience remains merely theoretical and doesn’t transform life.

When someone becomes enlightened has more to do with the limitations in  the depth of their experience, not their knowledge. Enlightenment is seeing what is already there, but to discover what is already there one needs to clean the windows of perception. If the mind and body are refined enough to maintain awareness of pure consciousness at all times, then the knowledge that establishes enlightenment will not be far away.

Love,

Deepak

deepakchopra.com

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Deepak Chopra

About Deepak Chopra

Time Magazine heralded Deepak Chopra as one of the 100 heroes and icons of the century, and credited him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine." Entertainment Weekly described Deepak Chopra as "Hollywood's man of the moment, one of publishing's best-selling and most prolific self-help authors." He is the author of more than 50 books and more than 100 audio, video and CD-Rom titles. He has been published on every continent and in dozens of languages. Fifteen of his books have landed on the New York Times Best-seller list. Toastmaster International recognized him as one of the top five outstanding speakers in the world. Through his over two decades of work since leaving his medical practice, Deepak continues to revolutionize common wisdom about the crucial connection between body, mind, spirit, and healing. His mission of "bridging the technological miracles of the west with the wisdom of the east" remains his thrust and provides the basis for his recognition as one of India's historically greatest ambassadors to the west. Chopra has been a keynote speaker at several academic institutions including Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, Harvard Divinity School, Kellogg School of Management, Stanford Business School and Wharton.His latest book is "Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul."
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8 Responses to Knowledge and Enlightenment

  1. heartphone June 15, 2011 at 8:49 am #

    Knowledge and Enlightenment————-

    two sides of one coin————-

    in the west knowledge came first—————-

    in the east enlightenment—————–

    so in the end————————

    it does not matter where one stands————————

    it is my believe that both can be achieved——————

    in one lifetime————-

    to be relieved——————

    of every burden believed

    just being happy ———

    with only ONE dime———–

    :)

  2. eugene June 15, 2011 at 1:50 pm #

    first i drink from the river. then i know if the water is good.

  3. heartphone June 15, 2011 at 2:31 pm #

    Then how did you catch that cold? :)

    I am my own feminine and masculine inspiration nowadays. But intuition is something else as checking out if the water is good………..

  4. Krista Cutter June 15, 2011 at 4:51 pm #

    Knowledge is ego driven, while Enlightenment is Spirit gifted. They certainly bond nicely together yet stem from separate koshas, and often exist independently. Awareness is the key.

  5. hunter1981 June 15, 2011 at 7:57 pm #

    Love it!

  6. heartphone June 16, 2011 at 6:58 am #

    The words awareness and consciousness have been used so much on the Internet these days that to me they only have become more confusing;

    The Ego and the Spirit combined with intuition——– seems to be my next step into evolution—-uniting the two as the masculine and feminine am starting to truly feel like an androgyn :)

  7. Lisa McTavis June 29, 2011 at 3:08 pm #

    How do we truly detach from seeing value in our world. This is so much easier said by stating I choose too. The belief systems for me seem to be hidden within the subconscious and have kinda funny times for peeking through. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other but if anyone has any special tips, please share.

  8. Confidence September 13, 2011 at 10:27 pm #

    I choose therefore I am. This is simply because a mere thought has no power to chose it takes something beyond thought to choose, say choosing the word "decide" instead.