MASTERS OF DISTORTION
“All things are a mirage, a cloud castle, a dream, illusion,
without essence…” (Buddha)
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It may sound paradoxical, but it is not at all: in time people have gathered so much information but lost real knowledge. Most intellectuals, philosophers, scientists, and theologians did not know (and do not know) what they were (are) talking about. That is the main reason why we have so many different religions, religions within religions, philosophical schools, ideas, scientific theories… If those people had not understood everything one-sidedly, superficially, and wrongly, that would not have happened, would it?
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Diversity of religious thought is the finest proof that religious thought is not based on truth and knowledge. |
Only ignorance can sustain several (hundreds of) confronted “truths” at the same time.
So, how did it happen?
The majority of people have always learned about the world indirectly. At first, they listened to the stories and experiences of elders and travellers. After that, knowledge was obtained from books; and, finally, our teachers have become radio, television, the Internet… Even our knowledge about ourselves is largely a result of the same principle: we are told what we need to know and we think that is it.
Unlike most of us, the greatest minds of the world acquired their insights on their own, through practice, employing the existing information only as a lever which introduced them to the reality they personally experienced and understood. They described their findings by using terms and names, and that is all right, or very helpful, from the aspects of communication, learning, science…, but they forgot to notify us that the characteristics of terms/words are stillness and invariability. Their usage breaks and stops reality which is always whole and in motion. Therefore, it is impossible to describe reality with words. Once you say: “a tree”, you have already replaced that what you are looking at with a term, a name, and that particular, individual tree in front of your eyes is lost in everything that the term “tree” signifies, or is supposed to represent. It still exists, it is still there, but only as a general term – we do not really see it any more.
By the same token, you can write a 200-page-long book about red colour, full of explanations, quotes, information… but it will be a complete waste of time and paper. All you have to do is show a picture. And, this is exactly why you cannot describe red colour to a blind person.
Words are just an indication, not the representation of reality. That is the starting point of any search for knowledge. Once a seeker learns that lesson, he can go on with the best compass in his hands. It is all about being able to use the tool perfectly, not about knowing the names of tool parts.
Acquired knowledge is kept and passed on in the form of languages, but it also disappears when we tightly hold on to words and meanings. This explains why people are constantly bored, and why our childish curiosity and wonder are inevitably replaced with the state of indifference in which we often remain for the rest of our lives. We talk, explain, and generalize but actually do not see, hear, know, live… The more we describe something, the vaguer picture we get. We think or are convinced that we know something, because we repeat some(one else’s) words or sentences and follow certain rituals and traditions but, in fact, do not differ much from a parrot or a trained monkey which imitates what it sees.
The truth is, most of the stuff we learn in school or at home can help us live our everyday lives as an ordinary person, and, naturally, if we want to blend in (i.e. become a “distinguished member of society”) we have to think, or behave in a certain way, but if we really want to know something about life (as a natural phenomenon), consciousness, death, “god”... all that information we have gathered from books, other people... is of no use at all.
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Teachings of the wise men from the past and religions that came later are not one and the same thing. Teachings are all about work, and religions are mostly make-up and acting.