Chapter 3

3. Know This!

1 sections

3. Know This!

If we go deep, delve deeply into any subject in academics we can become enlightened. Albert Einstein became enlightened studying Physics. Ouspensky became enlightened studying logic and mathematics.

Even if we do scientific research deeply to the very end, we can reach enlightenment. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM always says, 'If you are logically logical, you go beyond logic. That is enough.'

Ouspensky met his master George Gurdjieff in a casual way. At that time, Ouspensky was a world famous mathematician and Gurdjieff was a simple man. Some energy in Gurdjieff prompted Ouspensky to go up to him and say, 'I feel that you know something that I do not know; can you teach me?'

Gurdjieff replied, 'You are the author of the wonderful book Pentium Organ what can I teach you?' Ouspensky maintained that Gurdjieff had something that he could teach him.

Gurdjieff asked him to go to the next room and list all the things he knew and did not know so that he, Gurdjieff, could teach him the things he did not know. With pen in hand Ouspensky tried to make a list of the things he knew. He could not make the list no matter how long or how much he tried. He realized that all his knowledge was superficial and that he needed to search for a Master.

When we know that we do not know, we at least know that we do not know. When we don't know that we don't know, we don't even know that we don't know! When we don't know that we don't know, we don't search for a master. Only when we know that we don't know, we can start to know.

An enlightened Master takes us beyond logic. An enlightened Master leads us beyond words and into experience. That is the reason we search for a Master or spiritual teachings. If a man does not have a quest for spiritual teachings, we can be sure that he does not even know that he does not know. That shows that he is in deep darkness without even knowing that he is in darkness. If we have had a glimpse of light at least once, then we will know that we are in darkness. If we have not had even this glimpse, we will not even know that we live in darkness.

Only when we get a glimpse of light will we understand what type of darkness we are in. We will then start searching for a master or spiritual teachings. Be open to let the Master work on us.