Hi all,

What do you think is the difference between Enlightenment and knowledge?

Alex


_________________
Alex Rondini
Let's shed the darkness with the light of knowledge.

The former is the state of possessing the latter. Although "knowledge" tends to be information in general while "enlightenment" is often used to refer to spiritual knowledge in particular these days.

I suppose i would say that the difference between knowledge & enlightenment is...knowledge is to know or comprehend, while enlightenment is to understand...such as...a knowledgeable person would have a basic understanding of a certain point...where as an enlightened person would fully realize all aspects of the topic at hand...this is to say that...a person who has knowledge of a topic will have a basic understanding of the point while a person who is enlightened will have a deeper sense understanding of the subject.........this is only my interpretation of the differences between knowledge & enlightenment...should anyone have something to share on this topic i am intrigued in this subject & would enjoy discussing more...you may contact me at my email.

Edited to remove email. Spambots will find open links in forums, please use the button to prevent getting spammed relentlessly. SS



Last edited by Silversurfer on Wed Oct 08, 2008 8:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

You are enlightened with knowledge. You have knowledge.

it's about the moment. we hold knowledge all the time. enlightenment is something i'm usually unexpectedly tossed into when i am following my own bliss. so i think the difference is when we are simply in a state of knowledge we want to teach or just share this with others. some more ego based people want to just prance around showing off how smart they are though. but when i'm in that state of enlightenment i just tend to sit back and smile knowing ultimately everything is perfectly imperfect about me, life, and the universe. and all is going as planned. ;o)

IMHO, enlightenment is being knowledge. If you are present in the now, you become aware of everything going on around you and respond as you see fit.


_________________
Jane! Stop this crazy thing! ~ George Jetson

As I see it, enlightenment is being able to see & respect the dangers of knowledge - Knowledge can be gained from any book, classroom, web-site, etc. Enlightenment can only be achieved from true soul-searching...Blessings, NL


_________________
"With yesterday behind us, Tomorrow's yet to be - That leaves us here & now- It's up to you & me..."
-------------o(((((((> NL

Imo, knowledge is of the mind, a thing of mundane 3D. Enlightenment on the other hand is a process and state of the spirit. Kinda like the difference between shoes and gloves... both are protective coverings for the extremities, but they aren't interchangeable or easily confused.



Tiger


_________________
ignorance can be fixed, stupid is forever

alexr wrote:

What do you think is the difference between Enlightenment and knowledge?

Could it be that knowledge and wisdom are related and come as a result of enlightenment ?

And as we climb the ladder of enlightenment so our knowledge/wisdom increases and deepens ?

Graham


_________________
The only honour that man can pay his Creator is to seek Him.
Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business and eventually degenerates into a racket.

good point....depends how ya look at it,,,, remember back then they had no technology. so what one assumes is , that couldnt be answered back then...

now after thousands of years. one could put in perspective. with knowledge of science,mathematics,chemistry and physics...


IEnlightenment broadly means wisdom or understanding enabling clarity of perception.

so a Enlightenment knows how it is.....but doesnt know how its done ....

Graham wrote:

Could it be that knowledge and wisdom are related and come as a result of enlightenment ?
And as we climb the ladder of enlightenment so our knowledge/wisdom increases and deepens ?
Graham

Now, I think we're getting somewhere Knowledge gives us the information to perform an action (even if it's not in the best interests of all)... Wisdom makes us ponder that action & question the insights to the outcome (short-term & long-term)...Enlightenment gives us the true & correct answers to all of these actions...Blessings, NL


_________________
"With yesterday behind us, Tomorrow's yet to be - That leaves us here & now- It's up to you & me..."
-------------o(((((((> NL

Hi AlexR

I was curious as to what you think is the difference between enlightenment and knowledge. I glanced through this thread and did not see where you had stated your opinion.

Thanks,
dolphin


_________________
per ardua ad astra

BOBINH2OTOWN wrote:

IEnlightenment broadly means wisdom or understanding enabling clarity of perception.

so a Enlightenment knows how it is.....but doesnt know how its done ....

Very well put ........ or shall I say enlightening !!!

Graham


_________________
The only honour that man can pay his Creator is to seek Him.
Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business and eventually degenerates into a racket.

dolphin wrote:

Hi AlexR

I was curious as to what you think is the difference between enlightenment and knowledge. I glanced through this thread and did not see where you had stated your opinion.

Thanks,
dolphin

Hi Dolphin,

I don't really have an opinion on it yet. I posed the question because I was curious as to what people's thoughts on the two are. I'm mainly here to learn, not to impart.

Alex


_________________
Alex Rondini
Let's shed the darkness with the light of knowledge.

Enlightenment is knowledge.

One can not be obtained without the other..


_________________
Lateral thinking is a way of using information in order to bring about creativity.

Edward de Bono

I know a great quote by a very enlightened source. "Enlightenment means to be in knowledge of." How I understand this is that when you are very knowledgeable you are enlightened. When you know how to know whatever you want you are completely enlightened.

Thanks for the answer, Alexr.


_________________
per ardua ad astra

I agree for how can you be enlightened if you don't have the knowledge to understand it?

kaje wrote:

I agree for how can you be enlightened if you don't have the knowledge to understand it?

Or perhaps ...... how can you be knowledge-able if you are not enlightened to understand it .....

Graham


_________________
The only honour that man can pay his Creator is to seek Him.
Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business and eventually degenerates into a racket.

Enlightenment is knowledge of everything.
Absolute,ultimate knowledge.

KNOWLEDGE

There are different types of "KNOWLEDGE." The terms "a priori" and "a posteriori" construct the characteristics the two types of knowledge: justifications or arguments. A priori knowledge or justification is notwithstanding of experience (for example 'All bachelors are unmarried'); a posteriori knowledge or justification is reliant on familiarity or empirical evidence (for example 'Some bachelors are very happy').

But knowledge is not necessarily truth. It is a construct which becomes a belief and those familiar with beliefs are sure to understand that not everything we believe is true. Hence knowledge becomes subjective via what is taught i.e. what we are told is truth and once we experience this “truth” it is now knowledge.

In the above examples: “'All bachelors are unmarried.” Is that a truth or is that a construct which you were taught to believe? Is a widower a bachelor as that person is now unmarried-----hence the construct. Is being a bachelors the pre-text for being happy? So is knowledge real or is it merely constructed according to perceptions and the reinforcing of teachings/ideas which can indeed be false and therefore not true knowledge (truth)....it is now both a priori and posteriori justification by argument. Whether by reading the above opinions of mine, or of others, or by formulating your own discoveries, according to my view it is not possible to have any real expertise in the matter of knowledge.

Enlightenment

For lack of time I will simply direct the reader to Plato’s ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE and will further expound given the interest-----

Quote:

Behold! Human beings living in an underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so they cannot move, and can see only before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. ……conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, that he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision,--what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them,--will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?

Therefore in the Allegory of The Cave, The shadows on the wall represent the notions (accepted) of things that people perceive in their minds, notions that are more or less closely related to the things of which they are just that, accepted wisdom. The puppets and objects from which the shadows are cast are reprehensive of what we is called real things and anything else that one encounters in the world. The things that the learner stumble upon outside the cave stand for thoughts, and in their entirety these ideas make up a new kind of world in which a learning person begins to feel at home. The cave symbolizes the world of the senses, while the outside world becomes the viewpoint for the world of theoretical ideas. The sun in Plato’s allegory stands for the idea of goodness or "the Good." An understanding of "the Good" is the necessary completion of a person's education because the mere knowledge of facts and concepts can still leave one at a loss. Hence Natural Law is the epiphany of Enlightenment whilst knowledge is the epiphany of human nature……Further more an ENLIGHTENED person is no longer bound to Earthly laws as they are now in tune with the law of the whole……the universal.

Just my two cents…..

Knowledge and Enlightenment(Avatar level not "guru") are two entirely different things. Its like comparing a bicycle to a Space craft.

Knowledge is gained through the mind in the form of understanding. The mind however cannot "know" anything, it can only "know about" it. It's the difference between "knowing" what its like to be chinese and "knowing about" china and its people. The mind cant in fact even "experience" knowlege -it only know about it. It takes the experience itself to move beyond knowlegde of to experiencial knowing of.

Enlightenment is a knowingness of All. Once in union with God(or whatever you prefer) what is there to gain knowledge about? All is known and self revealing as All.



Last edited by Rik on Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:19 pm; edited 1 time in total

Knowledge is the meaning. Enlightenment is the meaning behind the meaning.


_________________
Stop telling your God how big the storm is; start telling the storm how big your God is!

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life...
- Sandra Carey


_________________
"Every language is an old-growth forest of the mind, a watershed of thought, an ecosystem of spiritual possibilities." - Wade Davis

"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session." - Mark Twain

Knowledgable is to Well-Read as Enlightenment is to Epiphany.

I got this view from Imhotepsol in an e-mail from him:

................... wisdom comes from inside yourself, knowledge is the application of wisdom. Wisdom is about unlearning not learning more and more.


Graham


_________________
The only honour that man can pay his Creator is to seek Him.
Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business and eventually degenerates into a racket.

MediaMonkey wrote:

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life...
- Sandra Carey

Very very profound