What exactly is “this knowledge”? (How does it affect our life)?
In the first lecture we had explored into what the term Eastern knowledge suggests or means. We had seen that we are specifically concerned about a particular discipline that has a direct bearing on each of us, which is the knowledge about ourselves-Self Knowledge.
In the second lecture we analyse the effects or result of the knowledge. What exactly is this knowledge and how it affects our life? This knowledge being knowledge is like any other form of knowledge, a thought, but a thought construct, which resolves the universal problem.
What is it that we want from life? Is it Happiness, Security, Knowledge, Contentment? Well, we can label the ends differently, but then, where is it? We keep blindly searching for these, hoping that one fine day we might somewhere and somehow catch it. We have not succeeded so far and when we see people around, all are sailing in the same boat. The generations that have passed by have seemingly left the next generation high and dry without any solutions regarding the problem. As of now, a good majority of us are not successful, but we live with the hopes that the morrow might be different, without which majority would have committed suicides.
Cases of mental depression are fast on the increase. We knew depression striking or affecting the older generation, but today we see it take on the younger generation at an alarming rate. Apart from the chemical imbalance that is supposed to cause depression, is there anything else? Well, why is it the imbalance is caused? Definitely being an effect, it must have a cause, but what is it? We should immediately address these questions.
Our expectations from the others and ourselves definitely cause elation and depression, which I am sure majority are aware? But asking for ending expectations is just meaningless, as it would be impossible, unless we expect that one fine day we would be able to live a life free from expectation. Well, have we done anything about expectation? We have only given new lease of life to it? Further, life without any expectation would mean being almost dead to the world. Every action-reaction pattern is governed by expectation and that helps one to become prepared to meet the situation. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. So, the solution is not in ending or even trying to end expectation, but is in something else.
Our very prejudiced – coloured thinking or expectation of/ from ourselves, people who are dear and near, the others with whom we are connected through work or whatever, that creates problems. Sometimes we may find ourselves in a peculiar situation where our thinking of objects can also bind us. All these have a cause, which is ignorance of who we actually are. This ignorance makes us view ourselves, the others and things differently, which is the coloured or distorted vision and from that stems our coloured thinking. We cannot remove this coloured thinking through any form of action. Knowledge is the only solution.
So, what do we gain from this knowledge? Not dollars, job, promotion, family or home, but definitely it removes the ignorance that causes this colouring that makes us not be at home with ourselves. Well, with this ‘at-homeness’ is born the new, positive and dynamically vibrant individual, who transacts from a totally different dimension. Majority of the failures in our life is primarily because of non-performance of appropriate and adequate actions. With this knowledge one gains this ‘at-homeness’ and as a by-product there would be performance of appropriate adequate actions but not action governed by impulses. As opposed to results gained through actions, which are always limited and subject to rolling away, that which we gain through knowledge is gained for good. They never roll away, which means this ‘at-homeness’ will never go away from us.
Through this knowledge one gains the purpose of life and becomes fulfilled.
