One of the books that I’m currently reading is entitled The Yoga of Knowledge, Jnana Yoga, by Swami Vivekananda. From what I’ve discovered about Swami Vivekananda, he was an Indian monk who was a disciple of Ramakrishna and played an instrumental role in bringing the teachings of Vedanta and Yoga to the West. Here, I offer you the quote which inspired this article:

“Only the man [woman] who has actually perceived God and soul has religion.”

What was the great Swami Vivekananda attempting to communicate? Was he stating that only a few special Beings were worthy of knowing God? Not at all. The heart of the message that he was sharing is analogous to persons who state that they are swimmers…without ever having dipped their feet in the water. The point is that intellectual understanding of a subject is never the same as knowing. We can study a thousand books about religion; we can visit various ashrams, temples, synagogues, and cathedrals until we are turquoise in the face; but until a Being gets “wet” with the personal–direct–knowing of “The Water” it would be ludicrous to state that he or she is truly a swimmer. Ramesh S. Balsekar, who was a remarkable author and teacher of nonduality, stated the same principle this way:

“No amount of description can replace the taste of a mango.”

The word “religion” stems from the Latin verb religare, which means to “re-bind.” Its meaning is similar to that of the Sanskrit word “yoga,” which means “to yoke” or “unite.” True yoga, or religion, means to have direct experience of union with the Source of our Being. It’s not something that can be acquired through intellectual studies or a lifetime spend attending a place of worship. I’m not passing judgment on any of these activities (which definitely have benefits in their own right); I’m just stating that neither is the same as direct experience.

This is why the great sages and saints realized that in most–if not all–cases, silence speaks the loudest. So what’s “the way?” I humbly offer that we must go within to discover The Treasure that’s waiting to be discovered. It cannot be named; for any attempt to name It places a conceptual definition upon That which is Infinite, therefore limitless. What is that unchanging part of You that knows all experience? You descended from That; so logically it follows that the heart of you must be Thatness. Such is reflected in John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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