Theos-Talk Archives (December 1995 Message tl00024)

ET
To gain knowledge the first step is intellectual study. Then comes
a form of putting it all together using the intuition and prajna.
And one further deepens the knowledge *as one shares it*. An idea
is not truly one's own until it has been shared repeatedly with others.

RI
But to gain *spiritual* knowledge the first step is meditation the middle
step is meditation and the the last step is meditation. Intellectual study
is perhaps never more valuable than when its meager payoffs for happiness and
the adept conduct of private life prompts one to do even more meditation.
Intellectual study of theosophical ideas remains interesting nonetheless
because of all the different ways others have tried to articulate what one is
learning for oneself. It is doubtful however that one can actually
"deepen" spiritual knowledge by "repeatedly sharing" ideas which are
primarily the result of intellectual study--regardless of how much
"intuition" and "prajna" one feels has been used in putting the package
together. Ten minutes of reading ten hours of thought and ten days of
meditating is the recipe for producing the Wisdom you can't share but the
smile you can. . . .

Richard Ihle