Spiritual or self-help teaching is a slippery path to walk upon. Being a spiritual teacher comes with a danger that one can have a notion of knowing without knowing. For example, it is one thing to intellectually understand yoga is good for the healthy body but then doing it every day to keep the body healthy is an entirely different thing. Similarly, it is one thing to understand the benefit of practicing acceptance for the peace of mind then to living the acceptance. Let's expand upon it a bit. There are three kinds of understandings viz intellectual, experiential and existential. The first level of understanding is the intellectual understanding which is the most superficial one, like understanding of the mental phenomenon, methods of quietening the mind, and one can easily intellectually understand this knowledge or inner science which is very similar to the understanding of any other field like physics, chemistry, mathematics etc. Here the process mostly involves gathering new information and conceptualization of facts, many of these concepts might be relevant as while many might not be so. Now this is the first step and it is important.
Experiential understanding is little more deep. It happens when one applies the intellectual understanding into life situation, it can be physical or mental and immediately see the benefit and there is Aho..! moment. It is short lived and as the moment passes one move into old life patterns. Many a time intellectual understanding and experiential understanding happens at the same time but again the knowledge does not become our nature.
When knowledge becomes our nature, that is when we gain the existential understanding. The knowledge which we understood intellectually is part of us and we don't have to put any effort to live it. It has become the part of muscles, bones, and blood along with the much deeper level of our existence.
Many a time reading a book or listening to a discourse, one gains the intellectual understanding. Since most of the worldly knowledge only need intellectual understanding to reap its benefit, one can get stuck to the intellectual understanding of spiritual knowledge as the final destination due to the mental pattern. But the whole purpose of spiritual knowledge is to able to live it, and that need more work than mere intellectualizing the knowledge. One can fantasize the knowledge by intellectually chewing on it and reach nowhere.
So, how to break this pattern of getting stuck in the realm of intellectual understanding. First, by becoming aware of it. Second, see if there is greed to collect more knowledge, more concepts and information. Why it is the greed of knowledge because mind already has collected enough which it can't handle. Greed is nothing but the desire of having more than what one can handle whether materially or spiritually. Therefore, if you already got intellectual understanding and it's not become the part of your life, then tell the mind to stop being greedy and digest what already you had.
Scriptures and enlightened ones over the ages have prescribed simple process of spiritual progress which is nothing but moving from intellectual understanding to existential understanding. The process involves three steps
श्रवण Shravan (Listening)
मनन Manan (Reflection/deliberation)
निधिध्यास Nidhi-dhyasa (gaining the wealth of existential understanding)
Reading books, listening discourses, discussion with others and all other sources from where the information flows to us are the first step of listening. The only first step needs the outer, be it a teacher, book or your friend. But next two steps need only YOU and no one else. Sometimes enlightened one or Guru might give you a glimpse of experiential understanding and glimpse of existential understanding but you have to walk the path alone for any major progress to happen. That's why in all traditions across culture solitude has been considered important. Solitude gives us chance to be with oneself and reflect upon the knowledge.
You might have read many books, might have attended many knowledge sessions. Create time in your life to reflect upon the knowledge we gained from outside. We should have reflection zones and reflection hours when we cut all information inflow and just be with ourselves to reflect upon. That will help us go deeper and our quest will be real and our questions will be authentic. Do not be greedy for knowledge, let's digest what we already had.
Like for healthy body, a good digestion is an integral phenomenon and overeating disturb the body. Body should be able to digest what we put in. Similarly, spiritual health comes with digestion of knowledge. Eat less digest more is the mantra.
All Glory to Gurudev!
@dinesh4aol
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