The Knowledge Matrix of Ultimate Knowledge

 Knowledge is a noun and knowing is a verb. The act of acquiring knowledge through study, association, experience and practice is called knowing. The next question is Knowing what? The answer is knowing a subject which one chooses.The subjects chosen relate to the secular field and the spiritual field. Pursuing knowledge which is secular relates to utilitarian knowledge which is conventionally acquired through education which in general term trains individuals to follow the mundane purpose of life. 

In the Universe at least as humans we believe that we are at the top of creation as we are blessed with an evolved apparatus of body, mind and with our intelligence we are able to conquer nature and live a comfortable life. We also have the power to discriminate between right and wrong through the intellect which can if exercised raise man to sublime heights. While this is an extremely comfortable thought, I feel that we can only perceive what our consciousness allows us to perceive and it is most likely that there may be more evolved human or superhuman creatures in the vast universe. While the physical and the metaphysical are always shrouded in mystery some of us are curious and strive to get knowledge which is beyond the evident knowledge. 

Over millennia and time immemorial teachers and Guru's from all walks of life have tried to crack this mystery. While the answers fundamentally are the same, the framing of the question along with level of intellectual development has resulted in emphasis on different aspects of life. There is always a cyclical rise and fall of human beings it is very often the belief of us senior guys that things are always worse than it was when we were younger. I personally feel that this is not fully correct and we harbour within us multitudes. 

In India, we are of the belief that we are in the dark ages which is called Kalayug. So the demoniac nature is predominant and the majority of us live a mechanical life without using our intellectual faculties. We are born and become slaves of desires and right from childhood we are encouraged to run after what we like and away from what we dislike. As children we run after toys, as adolescents after infatuations masquerading as love, as adults after name and fame and wealth and in old age we are left with disease and degeneration. The chimera of happiness eludes us. Most of us seem to believe that leading a spiritual life means giving up a secular life. This is far from the truth and is as natural as leaving our childhood desires for toys and trinkets and having a desire for something higher and more fulfilling in life. The quest for gaining the Self gives ultimate permanent happiness and peace. 

So, since millennia the quest for happiness has been the purpose of existence and we are trying to know how to attain the same. However, few among us decide that life is not to be lived mechanically but there is something beyond the mundane body mind intellect apparatus which pervades everything we experience, feel and think about. That something is the isness which is permanent and everlasting. This is the ultimate Knowledge of the Self. This is the only Knowledge we need to know and is the only thing that can help us navigate and negotiate all the situations we face in life. 

How is this done? This is the Knowledge Matrix. For those who have a  reflective nature the way of knowledge or Jnana Yoga is suitable. Here listening to scriptures, reflecting on the words and meditating on them by either silencing the mind and becoming finally one with your isness. Does that mean retiring from earthly activities? The answer is really no, as for all of us who live action and activity is inevitable, therefore we need to realise the Self by remaining on the earth and acting with an attitude of divinising all our actions. Actions are of three kinds Selfish ones which are the ones most of us indulge in all our routine lives where we fulfill our desires, unselfish actions for the welfare of our near and dear ones and finally Selfless actions in a spirit of giving. This is the path of Karma yoga. This too leads to knowledge of the real permanent Self which is beyond consciousness. The actions which are Selfless are performed without attachment to the results of the same. Such actions unlike worldly actions are without worries of the past and anxieties of the future. This way we achieve a state of calmness and serenity which allows us to reach a Self realised state described in the Gita as Stithapragnya in chapter 2. The path of action is easier than the path of knowledge for we physical men identify with the body mind intellect apparatus and find it difficult to believe in what is neither gross nor even subtle. Like children, adolescents, adults and elders we realize that toys and trinkets, infatuations and relationships, material wealth, name, name fame and power are extremely fickle and temporary and then we realize the joy of giving in the form of Selfless actions. But for some it is hard to do that too and for them the path of devotion is advocated where one surrenders everything to the Lord and thus steers one's thoughts away from the mundane to the divine. The least discussed path of gaining knowledge is Raja Yoga or the Yoga of discipline where the body is positioned and the breath is controlled and this in turn leads to quieting the mind and finally Self Realization. Divinisation of everything and gradually reaching the stages of Self Realization is therefore the final purpose of existence. The beauty of this approach is that even while seeming to act there is action lessness and even while seeming to be inactive there is action. Mahatma Gandhi is the example of the first and Ramanna Maharshi that of the second category. 

For those who set their hearts on me
And worship me with unfailing devotion and faith,
The way of love leads sure and swift to me.

Way of devotion is fast easy. 

Those who seek the transcendental Reality,
Unmanifested, without name or form,
Beyond the reach of feeling and of thought,
With their senses subdued and mind serene
And striving for the good of all beings,
They too will verily come unto me.

Way of knowledge is available too, seems easy but practically tough as described below. 

Yet hazardous
And slow is the path to the Unrevealed,
Difficult for physical man to tread.

But they for whom I am the goal supreme,
Who do all work renouncing self for me
And meditate on me with single-hearted
Devotion, these will I swiftly rescue
From the fragment’s cycle of birth and death
To fullness of eternal life in me.

The way of Selfless action is also liberating. 

Still your mind in me, still yourself in me,
And without doubt you shall be united with me,
Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.
But if you cannot still your mind in me,
Learn to do so through the practice of meditation.
If you lack the will for such self-discipline,
Engage yourself in selfless service of all around you,
For selfless service can lead you at last to me.
If you are unable to do even this,
Surrender yourself to me in love,
Receiving success and failure with equal calmness
As granted by me.

Advocate an approach where we can try all three from the tougher types to easier and use what suits you best. 

Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice.
Better than knowledge is meditation.
But better still is surrender in love,
Because there follows immediate peace.

This chapter advocates the way of devotion as it is easy and tends to bring more immediate results which we tend to favour. 

We can also learn from this passage and realize that we all have a chance to attain Self realization and ultimate knowledge which is permanent and infinite. 

  A leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even

Water, offered to me in devotion,
I will accept as the loving gift
Of a dedicated heart. Whatever you do,
Make it an offering to me –
The food you eat or worship you perform,
The help you give, even your suffering.
Thus will you be free from karma’s bondage,
From the results of action, good and bad.

Offer everything to Lord without condition and bondage of Karma. 

I am the same to all beings. My love
Is the same always. Nevertheless, those
Who meditate on me with devotion,
They dwell in me, and I shine forth in them.

All are equal in the eyes of Lord. 

Even the worst sinner becomes a saint
When he loves me with all his heart. This love
Will soon transform his personality
And fill his heart with peace profound.
O son of Kunti, this is my promise:
Those who love me, they shall never perish.
Even those who are handicapped by birth
Have reached the supreme goal in life
By taking refuge in me. How much more
The pure brahmins and royal sages who love me!
Give not your love to this transient world
Of suffering, but give all your love to me.
Give me your mind, your heart, all your worship.
Long for me always, live for me always,
And you shall be united with me.

So in conclusion the Purpose of life is to remove the veil of ignorance and gain the knowledge of Self and realize that we are capable of doing so and the approach to this must be multifactorial using a combination of methods that suits one's personality. This neat division seen in Hinduism and Vedanta seems practical, scientific and logical. I urge the readers to think with an open mind and not let the divisive non essential part of religion sway you away from this knowledge matrix. 

Vispi Jokhi