Letter 12: Various
29/05/07
Everyone,
Hello! How are you? Let us discuss these things:
The nature of realised knowledge
There are different kinds of knowledge that we have. One is intellectual knowledge, and another is intuitive knowledge that we have realised. Someone may understand intellectually that stealing is bad, but if that understanding is not backed up by anything in the heart, it is still perfectly likely that that person could still steal things. If someone understands intuitively, that is feels in their heart, that it is bad to steal, then that person is far less likely to do so. This voice from the heart speaks realised knowledge, and it always leads us towards oneness, selflessness and pure love. It is also much harder to ignore. Realised knowledge is far more valuable than intellectual knowledge. Someone may not be able to explain why it is bad to steal, and this is not such an easy thing to explain if faced with a long train of 'why' questions, as he does not have the knowledge developed on an intellectual level, but he may indeed have it in the heart on an intuitive one, and being very, very sure that it is bad to steal, will not do so.
Spiritual truths about the highest philosophy are also realised on the intuitive level. When someone has realised that he is not the body or the mind, or that he is Brahman, that knowledge is of the intuitive, realised type. That person will be very, very sure that he is correct, and, unlike the belief of someone with merely intellectual knowledge, his will never waver, just as your belief that it is bad to steal will not waver, just because someone tries very hard to persuade you that it is not bad to steal.
When something is learnt, the knowledge comes from outside, and is put into the intellect. This knowledge can be forgotten, and it may also be wrong. Realised knowledge, on the other hand, is always correct. That knowledge does not come from outside, but is within us all the time. We are Knowledge, we are Brahman, and lower realisations are manifestations of that Knowledge in Maya. Upon realisation, knowledge is merely uncovered, and once uncovered, it always remains uncovered. Falsehoods cannot be realised, as there is no falsehood in your true Self. Our nature is Truth, not falsehood. If you try to realise something that is false, you will never achieve it, as that "truth" is not present within you to be discovered.
Measuring spiritual development
A person's spiritual development may be measured by the amount of intuitive knowledge they have. We may sometimes observe in practical life that children can be significantly more developed than people fifty years older. When it comes to a more advanced level of spirituality, a way of measuring this is by taking a book of verses of spiritual knowledge that people realise when trying to achieve enlightenment, such as Vivekachudamani, and see which verses the heart says have so far been realised, and which not.
The power of Hare Krishna
Two weeks ago when I was doing very serious sadhanas, spiritual practices, I realised something of the tremendous power of the 'Hare Krishna' mantra. One day when the sensitivity is developed enough, it can be very clearly seen what the nature of the mind is. It is like several layers of mind, like cloud on cloud. We have to penetrate down through each cloud, but at times it is very difficult, even if the concentration is excellent, and there are no thoughts. Therefore, people normally need to spend decades or even lifetimes meditating to realise themselves. However, I have noticed that if I begin to chant Hare Krishna in such a situation, after a short time, the cloud disperses, and I go down a level. That is the power of Bhagavan that we invoke into our minds when we chant Hare Krishna. It is phenomenal.
With lots of love,
Hare Krishna,
Koji