• Table of Contents
  • What Is Knowledge by Swami Veda Bharati
  • Transformation of Thoughts by Swami Rama
  • October Seminar and Pilgrimage
  • Art of Shavasana by Svetlana Breus
  • TTP2 Retreat by Riemke de Groot
  • Online Satsangs by Namita Sinha
  • October Retreat with Bettina Bäumer
  • The Shavasana Retreat by Joanne Sullivan (Divya)
  • Dear Yoga Mentor, My Question Is…
  • Mindfulness in Ayurveda & Yoga by Gary Gran
  • Joyful at Death’s Threshold by Randall Krause
  • A Week of Silence by Dirk Gysels
  • 2017 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

What Is Knowledge

by Swami Veda Bharati

[This passage has been taken from the book Kundalini: Stilled or Stirred? by Swami Veda Bharati, published in 2013 by DK Print World, in association with AHYMSIN Publishers].

Always remember that there is a difference between information and knowledge. You have read something, that is information. You are debating about it in the mind. That is also based on information. Most people think that that information is knowledge and they say to themselves “I have read so much, so I know”. But that information is not knowledge. Knowledge is a personal experience.

That you have read about non-violence, that is not knowledge of non-violence. That you have experienced non-violence, practised it, that is the knowledge of non-violence. You have learned how to use non-violence in situations which will otherwise invoke violence. That is non-violence. You have read about advanced techniques of meditation, that is not knowledge. When you have the experience that those techniques give you, then even without the technique, you have knowledge. Your goal should be that knowledge.
You have read about God in many books, in many religions. That is not knowledge of God. You believe in God, that is not knowledge of God. That you know God personally, that is knowledge. So practice your meditation with that knowledge as your goal.

When you have that knowledge, it shows itself in you. It shows itself in how you look. Do you have a loving look on your face? That a stranger looks at you and feels loved, a complete stranger looks at you and feels loved? That is the knowledge of God.

Your knowledge shows in the way you speak. Does your voice soothe others when you speak, then you have knowledge of God. Does it calm others when you speak, that is knowledge of God.
The way you move your body, inspires in others and appreciation for grace. That is the knowledge of God. Or knowledge of Christ, or knowledge of Buddha, or knowledge of Tao. All these phrases mean the same thing.

Many people who sit in meditation look for many experiences. The only experience that you need to look for is a state of calmness inside you. You have read that in meditation one will see lights and one will hear sounds. Forget about that. Does your body become calm and still? Does your heart become free of disturbed emotions? Does your breath slow down? How long does your mind remain calm and undisturbed even after you have opened your eyes from meditation? That shows whether you are meditating or not. That is knowledge of God.

When you see God not only in your friend, when you see God in your enemy and you act accordingly – that is the knowledge of God. When you enter a state of meditation, what you call meditation at this time, that initial stage will be left behind. You will go further. You will go deeper. You will become even calmer and greater illumination will come to you. Knowledge will start coming to you from within you.