Yoga Beyond Belief: Insights to Awaken and Deepen Your Practice

in the unending process of learning and growing in wisdom progresses, we must endeavor to keep a fresh context, a fresh attitude, a beginner’s mind. We must keep the content we acquire from hardening and clouding the context in which we hold information and experience. Our context, the ground of being with which we hold the information, should be kept open, flexible, and free.
    There is an ancient saying: “He who knows, knows not. And he who knows not, knows.” Or: “He who knows doesn’t say. And hewho says, doesn’t know.” One of the messages of this saying is that there is much more to wisdom and understanding than mere knowledge and information. Knowledge and information are limited, as there is always room for growth and change. One who thinks he
knows
doesn’t understand this limitation and has therefore a restricted perception. One who sees his or her own limitations, and the limits of knowledge, may actually see more clearly. The word
intelligence
, from
inter legere
, means to see between the lines. Intelligence is seeing between the hard lines of fixed information and knowledge, having the subtle, flexible perception that can see beyond the norm, beyond limited definition and formula. I once heard a very wise man discussing this concept and also what brings about a state of clear intelligence and penetrating perception. His inquiry revealed that the necessary ground for awakening intelligence is an open state of consciousness that begins with
not knowing
. Saying “I don’t know” is the beginning of the awakening intelligence. As this wise man was explaining this, he looked up at his questioner and said, “And you don’t know either!” pointing out that this type of seeing does not happen by looking to others to fill our void. The vulnerable state of humility, of saying “I really don’t know” opens one to discovery—but we must also be vigilant not to allow ourselves to become susceptible to those who would like to fill us with their dogmas and doctrines.

A Fresh Point of View
    A famous Zen story is told about a student coming to learn from a wise teacher. During the introductions the student tries to show his worthiness to the teacher by narrating a history and explanation of his studies. The teacher begins to pour the student a cup of tea while listening to the monologue. He fills the cup, then keeps pouring until it overflows onto the table and into the student’s lap, causing him to jump up and shout at the teacher, saying, “How could you! You’re supposedto be an aware person; can’t you see my cup is full?” The teacher replies, “Yes, your cup is full. You’re so full of yourself, in fact, that there’s no room for anything new. Please come back when your cup has some space in it.” This story points out that we must have inner space and receptivity to learn. But I have never heard this popular parable looked at from the perspective of the student. Spiritual teachers are usually assumed to have authority and higher knowledge. The story can be seen to cut both ways, however, and can also point to the teacher being so full of himself and what he has to offer that he devalues the student’s knowledge and chastises him.
    The idea of keeping a fresh, open context and not getting stuck in explanations, words, and descriptions resonates in the first verse of the honored, ancient text, the
Tao Te Ching
. Verse one of the Tao says, “The Tao that is explained is not the Tao. Now an explanation of the Tao.” With that opening paradox and contradiction, the teacher cautions that his explanation only points toward something—toward direct perception and revelation. We need to teach and educate each other, but we must be careful not to get stuck in the words we use to do so. We are cautioned in the beginning not to get stuck in the text, the words of the Tao that follow. Instead, we are urged to see beyond words, to see what the words are pointing toward.
    In Sanskrit, a
mahavakya
refers to a great saying or formula that should be contemplated.
Tat Twam Asi
, meaning Thou Art That, is considered by many to be one of the greatest mahavakyas. We see in many ancient Sanskrit texts the word
Tat
, or That, used to point toward the sacred, the immeasurable. The English word
that
comes from the Sanskrit word Tat. It is interesting and informative to note that this great saying uses the word
that
instead of a description, a specific name, or a less abstract word.
That
is a word used