Knowledge, Experience and fear

sadananda sada at ANVIL.NRL.NAVY.MIL
Sat Nov 9 06:56:51 CST 1996


                         Knowledge and experience

1. Experience is not knowledge - we experience  Brahman all the time - yet
we have no knowledge.

2. Experience can lead to knowledge - if it is supported by proper inquiry!

3. Knowledge can be contradictory to  experience - I experience dviata -
knowledge is that it is advaita.

4. Knowledge can resolve contradictions in the experiences - I am a rich
man in the waking state. I experience I am a beggar in the dream  and I
experience I am no where in the deep sleep - I am neither a waker, nor a
dreamer nor a deep sleeper. I am that supports all the states different
from the states.

5.(true) Knowledge can not be contradicted. - Conversely that alone is the
true knowledge

6. Knowledge with experience is what is called viJNaanam in contrast the
intellectual knowledge JNaanam.

                           Fear and Brahman:

Fear comes from duality.  Udara mantaram kurute adhasya bhayam bhavati -
Evan a little bit of difference can be cause of fear.

In the 11th  - Arjuna sees the vishvaruupa - he does not become one - The
difference between the seer and the seen causes him fear - fear of the ego.

  All differences - vijaati, sajaati and swagata bhedaas - differences
among different species, differences among  the same species and
differences within the species - are resolved in the realization of
Brahman.  Any fearful experience cannot be experience of Brahman- no matter
whose experience that is - Braham being aananda - there cannot be fear.
Fear is the fear of the ego since it is in the process of self distruction.
It can not be viJNaana as the experience with knowledge of Brahman.

If one is getting a fearful experience - stand apart and inquire, if one
can, who is the one that is experiencing that fear. Experiencer is
different from the experienced - Shift the attention from the fear to the
conscious entity who is aware of fear or no fear. That I alone I am that is
beyond the fear.

Hence fear is nothing to do with Brahman.  It is the ego's delusion.

Hope this helps.

Hari Om!
Sadananda

K. Sadananda
Code 6323
Naval Research Laboratory
Washington D.C. 20375
Voice (202)767-2117
Fax:(202)767-2623

______________________________________________________________________________
What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your
gift to Him: Swami Chinmayananda
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