The nature of true knowledge

The pursuit of knowledge is considered by some to be superior to the pursuit of wealth, because it cannot be stolen. We are also familiar with the saying 'Knowledge is power". The english dictionary defines knowledge as conversance, acquaintance of familiary with facts, truths, principles, information or even awareness. The concept of knowledge as information is quite different from the concept of knowledge as awareness. So, what knowledge is to be pursued? Is it awareness, information, or truth? Is the source of knowledge the mind, the senses, reason, or is the source external? Is truth objective or subjective? Is there an absolute truth? These definitions of knowledge are so diverse that they may even be considered contrary. Before one embarks on the pursuit of knowledge, it is important to have a clear understanding of what knowledge to pursue, and how to acquire this knowledge. Even before that, one should understand the true nature of knowledge, or the nature of 'true knowledge'.

The sum total of internalized knowledge governs action, and awareness during action internalizes knowledge. Knowledge as internalized cannot be lost or stolen or even forgotten. Internalized knowledge is automatically realized as it automatically governs action. It is not just stored in memory, accessed, retrieved, processed, and executed. It is realized automatically and spontaneously. There is a direct link between internalized knowledge and action. It does not go through the steps of storage, retrieval, processing etc unlike the non-internalized knowledge, which is related to information and data.

In the gita, Krishna says 'Childish and unwise is he who speaks of knowledge and action as two distinct paths. Know that he who is truly set in either one, obtains the fruits of both. The state obtained by the wise is also that achieved by those of selfless action. He who sees that both paths are the same, he truly sees" So the path of knowledge that Krishna refers to as the same as the path of action is the path of internalized knowledge, which is directly linked to action. Here, the path of knowledge is not the path of attainment of mere information storage, but of internalized knowledge directly linked to action. This knowledge is closer to wisdom than information. It is more of a state of being, than a state of having.

Knowledge is not a possession. It cannot be possessed. Attempts to possess knowledge come along with loss of peace of mind and loss of memory. Knowledge cannot be stolen. It can be shared willingly. If one person is willing to impart knowledge, but has expectations from the other person to whom he is imparting the knowledge, the knowledge is not fully acquired by the other person, until the first person's expectations are met. A great sacrifice that one can perform on the path of action, is to share knowledge freely without any expectations from others. Expectations bind not just the person who with whom the knowledge is shared, but also bind the person who shares the knowledge.