Knowledge is a tool and experience is a part of you. Experience is the basis of Behavior. Knowledge is a useful tool, but like all tools, being able to put the tool down is what makes it useful. sounds paradoxical?
The Tao Te Ching (a Chinese classic text) says, “profit comes from what is there. Usefulness comes from what is not there.” and as an example it says “Cut doors and windows in a room. It is the holes that make the room useful. Shape clay into a vessel. It is the space inside that makes it useful. Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub, it is the center hole that makes it useful.” The point about knowledge and usefulness and tools is that knowledge is only useful if you can let it go and are not attached to it.
The Tao Te Ching (a Chinese classic text) says, “profit comes from what is there. Usefulness comes from what is not there.” and as an example it says “Cut doors and windows in a room. It is the holes that make the room useful. Shape clay into a vessel. It is the space inside that makes it useful. Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub, it is the center hole that makes it useful.” The point about knowledge and usefulness and tools is that knowledge is only useful if you can let it go and are not attached to it.
We learn things and become attached to them. We think Knowledge has inherent value. IT DOES NOT. Knowledge HAS NO inherent value. It is a tool that only has the value we assign to it. If we have a hammer, we could build a home with it. That makes the hammer “good.” but we could also wait for someone in an alley and beat them over the head to steal their money. That makes the hammer “bad.” Really the hammer is neutral. It's neither. Really there is no good or bad.
The point is no tool is inherently positive or negative. They are what we do with them. Knowledge is exactly the same. Never pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge. This is what “intellectuals” do. Ever talked to an intellectual? They don't know how to listen. they are too busy thinking about what they are going to say next to actually listen to you. Their minds are so full of knowledge; they don’t know how to listen with fresh ears, to empty themselves and listen.
There’s a story in Joe Hyams’ “Zen in the martial arts” about a guy who had studied for a few years and then went to study with a Master. The Master started to describe his art and the guy interrupted and said “oh, yeah, I have studied that before, its like this…” then the master tried to show him something else and the guy interrupted again and said “Oh. ok, I know about that from another school I went to, its like this…” this went on for awhile. Finally the Master said, “Why don’t we have some tea?” So they went to have tea and the Master poured. He was pouring the guy’s cup until it was full and didn’t stop.
The tea started spilling all over the place and the Master still poured. The guy finally yelled, “hey! stop! you’re spilling the tea everywhere.” The Master kept pouring and said “and Why is that? Why is it spilling?” The guy said “Because the cup is full.” The Master said, “Yes. exactly. and you are the same way. Every time I try and teach you, you can’t learn because you’re so full of your own knowledge; you have no room for my teaching. You must empty your cup. Empty yourself and then you will be ready to learn.”
These are the traps of knowledge. Arrogant intellectualism and inability to grow or learn more. Remember though, that knowledge has its place. It is a useful tool. Knowledge obviously helps us live in so many ways. The development of the written word and recorded history is one of the biggest advancements our species has made thus far. The Tao Te ching says “Knowing ignorance is strength, but ignoring knowledge - is sickness.”
Author and Credits: J.A.P
Edited for easy understanding.
These are the traps of knowledge. Arrogant intellectualism and inability to grow or learn more. Remember though, that knowledge has its place. It is a useful tool. Knowledge obviously helps us live in so many ways. The development of the written word and recorded history is one of the biggest advancements our species has made thus far. The Tao Te ching says “Knowing ignorance is strength, but ignoring knowledge - is sickness.”
Author and Credits: J.A.P
Edited for easy understanding.