Osho : Knowledge Is Not Wisdom

An expert is not a wise man, says OSHO

The accumulation of information is not knowledge, according to the Upanishads. They call him a wise man who knows only one great element — Truth: that is, he who knows himself, because one who knows himself, knows all. When he knows himself, he becomes a mirror in which reflected images of all begin to appear. But, the fact that he knows all does not mean he must be a great mathematician or a famous chemist or a great scientist.

The only meaning is that through knowing himself he comes to know that Supreme, that purest, that occult element which is hidden within all. He knows the formula, the essence, whose play is all this.

The wise man knows that Supreme Law whose authority abides everywhere. He knows that Supreme Lord who is in everybody. He knows that Supreme Showman who holds in his hands the strings on which dance all the puppets!

Freedom From Grief

He is not an expert — he is not at all an expert. If you ask him about a particular thing, he may not know the answer. He knows the essential which is hidden in the entire Universe. He does not know each leaf, but he holds the root in his hand. He knows that deep and mysterious great life-force; and no sooner does he know that than he becomes free from grief and attachment.

This is the characteristic of the wise man, and it is a strange one. It is not his capacity to reply to your questions; it is not that he will be able to solve your problems. It is that he becomes free from the effects of grief and attachment.

A mathematician, however great an expert he may be, will not be free of grief and attachment. Let him be a great psychologist like Sigmund Freud — his mind will still be that of an ordinary man, even after learning a great deal about the mind.

It makes no difference; there is not the least transformation in his mind. He still becomes anxious, afraid, burning with anger and jealousy, and is as grieving and attached as any ordinary person.

Fund Of Knowledge

The paradoxical thing is that he has more theoretical knowledge about fear, about jealousy, than perhaps any other person in the world. He has a fund of knowledge about sexuality, but even in old age, it agitates his mind as much as it does anybody else’s mind.

The upanishads do not consider such a person learned. They do not even consider his knowledge as true knowledge. They call it a bundle of information. Such a person is an ‘expert’. Whatever is known about fear is known by him. He knows about fear, but not fear itself. If he had really known fear, he would be free of it. An expert in religious scriptures knows everything about religion, but does not know religion.

Swimming Lessons

The difference is like this — that a person knows everything about swimming but does not know how to swim. Nor is it necessary for a person who knows swimming to know all about swimming.

The entire theoretical knowledge of a person will not be of any use to him if his boat is sinking and his life is in danger. At such a time, the person who knows nothing about swimming but who knows swimming itself will be able to swim and save his life.

This is why sages point out the fundamental characteristics of the truly learned person. They are the learned, the wise, who see all animate and inanimate objects in themselves and see themselves in all animate and inanimate objects. Such people become free of grief and attachment.

Two Sides Of The Coin

Why has the sage grouped these two — grief and attachment — together? They are grouped together because these two are one; they are unavoidable, concomitant parts of the same mental state.

The Heartbeat Of The Absolute : Osho International Foundation, www.osho.com