Ignorance and knowledge

Ignorance and knowledge are taken aback when they discover that they have the same teacher: experience. Experience is the result of an act of ignorance or an act of knowledge, so how can experience be the teacher of ignorance and knowledge? When we do something wrong we have an experience; this is the result of a wrong action. When we do something right or divine, we also have an experience; this is the result of a good action. Experience is the result of one action, but it becomes the teacher of the next action. Experience is like a spiritual Master, a realised soul. It has gone through both ignorance and knowledge and is beyond both ignorance and knowledge. Experience leads ignorance and knowledge to a higher light.

In the Upanishads it is said,

> Vidyam cavidyam ca yas tad vedobhyam saha...

> He who knows and understands knowledge and ignorance as one, through ignorance passes beyond the domain of death, through knowledge attains to an eternal Life and drinks deep the Light of Immortality.

How can ignorance and knowledge study together? In this world of relativity it is very easy. At our spiritual Centre there are a few spiritually experienced and advanced seekers who started their spiritual journey in previous incarnations. There are also some who launched onto the spiritual path for the first time a few years ago. There are still others who started only six months or four months ago. And there are a few here today who have not yet entered onto the spiritual path, although they will eventually do so. In terms of spiritual achievement, where does each individual stand? One is undoubtedly by far the best and one is undoubtedly by far the worst. I am only one teacher; but when I speak, each of these seekers will receive light from my talk, from my presence and from my consciousness according to his individual capacity and receptivity.

God is the real experience; we receive Him according to our own capacity and receptivity. Receptivity is inside, capacity is outside. The more we can receive, the greater capacity we shall have to manifest His Light here on earth.

Ignorance does not see light and truth in everything. Knowledge does see light and truth in everything and in everyone. This light and truth one person may have in infinitesimal measure and another may have in infinite measure. Each human being is full of ignorance, but some have more than others. To free oneself from the meshes of ignorance is not an easy task. For that one has to enter into the spiritual life. Spirituality is the answer.

There comes a time when one has to go beyond duality, beyond both ignorance and knowledge. When one reaches the Highest, he sees that the Highest encompasses both darkness and light and, at the same time, transcends both darkness and light. The Highest is the ever-transcending Beyond.

From:Sri Chinmoy,A hundred years from now, Agni Press, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/hy