Theos-Talk Archives (December 1998 Message tl00021)

On 11/25/98, "M K Ramadoss <ramadoss@eden.com>" wrote:
> At 10:49 PM 11/24/1998 -0700, kymsmith@micron.net wrote:
> >Don't look at me, though.  I've not a clue to what "I" am or what the
> >"universe" is or what "Beness" is - probably just all words for the same
> >thing. . .as are ALL words, really.  Hmmm, Jerry's question number three???
> >
> >
> >Kym
>
> You are not alone.
>
> Looking for someone who knows about these things first hand and can be
> independently verified.

First hand knowledge is not good enough.  Crazy person has first hand
knowledge of being crazy but that does not make them therapist or
authority.  Quality of experience is also hierarchically graded.  Not just
any firsthand experience will do.  One must be guided to the right kind of
experience by teacher who was guided to it and so on.  Plato ranks
knowledge.  What many miss is that this knowledge is not just head
information but a form of participation in reality or experience.  In
otherwords, not all experiences, even firsthand, are equal.  So, the
question becomes, who has the right kind of first hand knowledge.
Otherwise, one may end up like poor Russian who developed a split
personality: his original one and new one.  They kept arguing with each
other about fine point in Russian Orthodox spirituality concerning sex and
hypnosis.  Since the poor Russian's original personality always lost the
argument, he mistakenly concluded his new personality must be a "higher
source."  His name was Rasputin.  Everyone likes big questions, as if they
are qualified, before they have mastered little questions or habits.
Reminds me of so-called great adept who was on lecture circuit lecturing on
big questions about nature of true self and self-mastery. Yet, he was in
very irritable mood because he had stupid McDonald's hamburger jingo
running through his mind all day.  Some self-mastery indeed.

Grigor Vahan Ananikian

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