by N. Sri Ram
What is wisdom? What is wisdom? Wisdom is a quality of the pure subject and lies in the way he sees and responds. This changes constantly, not in its own nature that is pure potentiality, but in its action due to its infinite flexibility and inexhaustible initiative. Wisdom, as the article indicates, is definitive, as an existing truth; It is objective in the sense that it is there, waiting to be perceived and understood. We could say that it is the wisdom of God; God as the last unknown subject beyond any idea, because each idea is a creation and, therefore, an object. We could also call it the wisdom or knowledge of the One Self that lies in it, or the wisdom or knowledge belonging to that I, which can be achieved. The wisdom of God is in His nature, and characterizes his methods or action. The nature of the one I and each I - both having the same quality, are essentially the same - is a different nature from how much can be the object of thought. The word I has the connotation of an identity, but it refers to a nature in which there is no identification with anything that is presented as an object or a record of the past. It is a center of action and knowledge, not involved with the past.
Wisdom and knowledge are not the same, but to know oneself as one is, is to be wise. At one time, all knowledge was divided into para (superior or supreme) and apara (inferior). The knowledge of all objects, arts and sciences is inferior. The knowledge of that for which everything else is known is the superior; it is the knowledge of the nature of the subject, of God, or the one I as presented in the individual, both being essentially identical. The knowledge of the I is wisdom, since the I contains the essence of everything known or to be known.
We know everything we always know within ourselves, because knowledge is a subjective phenomenon. In the deepest part of our being we are one, undivided. In us is the knowledge of all that we have come into contact with, but the essence of that knowledge that is only assimilable by the deepest nature of the I, merges into its unity. What is cast in unity is the truth reduced to a point. All expressions of that truth are in harmony with each other. Therefore, if the most beautiful and true thoughts present in all minds met at any time, they would form a perfect and wonderful unity.
The I in its purity can be considered as a point without dimension because it has a separate nature from what exists. But in its aspect consciousness is an extension, a circle without circumference that encompasses everything. Since this awareness is sensitivity in itself, the most sensitive of all sensitive things, it may contain a record of how much it encompasses. Any ray (or emanation of light) that makes an impact on it brings its own message, which is recorded on its indelible tape. And, possibly, emanating from each thing there are rays that go through the cosmos; Not all at a perceptible level. The possibility of all knowledge is present in the I, because it can awaken the knowledge of the soul, the deepest nature of everything and everything.
The wisdom of God is expressed in everything, big or small. He or That is present in everything: its nature penetrates everything; His purpose and intelligence governs everything.
Theosophy can be defined as the Wisdom that is in all things, individually and collectively. We may not be able to perceive it, but it is there.
We are open to that wisdom only when our heart is pure. The word heart is usually used to denote the nature of our feelings.
When it is pure, that is, when it has regained its original nature and is able to function with it, the heart responds with great beauty and depth. Go and love that beauty that constitutes the soul of everything.
All things are evolving in this evolving universe. In each one there is a design that is coming to light, which is growing, from our point of view. But there is also a scaffolding that confuses the plan; not in the Architect's mind, but in ours, that we see the building from the outside. However, in some things, the construction has reached a certain state of perfection. Things like, for example, a lotus, a rose, or any beautiful living form offers us an opening to the Designer's mind. From the theosophical point of view, all things are alive, although there are different degrees of life and action.
Wisdom is not knowledge, since our knowledge is only of forms. Wisdom is the knowledge of what is contained by form and that exists to express itself. We tend to judge the meaning of any form or thing, according to the utility it has for us. But that is an extremely limited, anthropocentric and individualistic vision. Everything in nature has a meaning in itself, contained in its own existence and functioning. Hence, the command not to kill, as much as possible. In each thing there is an innate quality that is in the process of manifestation, seeking to express itself.
That innate quality or nature of things is in your life or soul, which sustains it, not in the material of which it is composed, but in the inner life of the form that integrates and uses it. We see the difference in the case of the human body, although here we would call that inner life the soul. The word life transmits an impression of energy, health, action, expansion, beauty of form and movement; The word soul has a more subtle connotation, of love, of deep response, perception, beauty in the heart and in nature. But life and soul are not separated. They are equivalent to the violinist's energy and the melody he produces.
The form, we can suppose, corresponds roughly to the soul. The form is what it is, or what is in the process of becoming what it will be (that is, in an evolutionary process) due to the nature of its soul.
The wisdom of God, whose nature is in the soul, flows into the form through the life it manifests; the design of the form, its processes, all its nature, and even what it symbolizes, express something of the nature of that wisdom. We could include the symbolic suggestion because each natural phenomenon is a symbol or sign in Nature, which reflects an internal or archetypal idea.
The purpose of the existence of a thing may, of course, be the service it offers, its part in the evolutionary process, its action on all other things. Since everything that exists represents a certain flow of forces, each thing is supposed to help everyone else, directly or indirectly. This follows from the truth that all things are related.
But each individual thing also exists by itself as an expression of the life of God within itself, carrying out in its very existence part of the universal design. The highest end is always an end in itself. Existence has its purpose in eternity, if not in time.
We see this truth illustrated in an object of beauty. This exists as a revelation of its beauty, complete in itself. The highest purpose for what exists is to be what it is supposed to be; It does not need any other justification for its existence. The last beauty of something includes the way in which it acts on everything else; in a human being, it is the action that helps the ultimate good of every being. In the highest expression of beauty, that is, when the revelation is perfect, lies the highest transcendence, from every point of view.
Undoubtedly, Wisdom implies knowledge of the meaning of things; the meaning at a level of existence that includes the thing and its inherent meaning. The true meaning of something is found in the manifestation of its ultimate purpose. The deepest and most true purpose is one that is present from beginning to end, and only at the end is fully revealed.
There is a purpose in everything, a purpose in the whole and in the universal process. All secondary purposes appear from the original purpose, which can be described as the realization of Will one or Life one present in everything. When it is understood that this purpose is one's own, since it is innate both in one and in others, then there is wisdom. The realization always lies in the action; the action, whether correct or erroneous, according or not to that will, is a revelation of the acting nature. A knowledge of this nature is self-knowledge. We get to know ourselves only when we are aware of how we think, feel, and act.
Nature and action are correlative to each stage, and ultimately, when there is a condition of unity in oneself, they are synonymous. Action is always a flow of energy. If this does not exist or if the action takes an erroneous direction, it means that the nature surrounding the I is not its true nature; its expansion; It is a nature taken from what you are in contact with. The I, in its absolute state, is a center of energy whose nature can be known only through its action, and this knowledge is possible only for a ray of its own Intelligence. Therefore, self-knowledge is ultimately self-realization.
Wisdom is not a matter of study, but of life and action. We speak of Wisdom but it is of little value in our lives, except to the extent that its quality is evoked in us. Wisdom is not knowledge, but it lies in the use we make of knowledge. This appears when knowledge is guided by love. Because loving is a form of knowledge; the lover has a knowledge of his beloved, divine in essence, which is a state of fullness, an end in itself. To be in love with a person is to react completely and directly to him or her, without the obscuring effect of a self that interposes a barrier. To use knowledge with kindness is to make it shine with a timeless value, reflecting a quality of Eternity in time.
We all think that we know when it really isn't, or when we know but partially. The first step to get rid of the chains of this primary ignorance is to become aware of it. The more we know, the more we realize how little we know. The wider the circumference of the known, the more points of contact exist with the unknown. Who is wise is humble. It is not possible for any of us to possess all knowledge; there will always be gaps in our knowledge that can present a difficulty for thinking. One can carry a vast load of knowledge and yet be basically a fool. On the other hand, it is possible to be very wise even with little knowledge. A deeply mature soul in wisdom that takes the body of a child at birth, can be wise even in his teens. She will gain wisdom from every hint, from every little phenomenon and situation. Everything that comes to your knowledge will have the quality of prior knowledge in essence.
Wisdom lies less in what we learn and more in our reactions to that learning; less in the quantity and more in the quality of our knowledge; less in the accumulation of facts and nomenclature and more in the knowledge of the principles; less in the possession of ideas and more in the correct use of them; in a word, less in everything we gather and that must be discarded, and more in what we assimilate in the texture of that Being that is an immortal reflection of the universal Spirit.
The Wisdom of God, the universal Spirit, is an attribute of His nature. This is the principle of Wisdom in its highest sense, or Wisdom in the abstract, with an infinite potential to manifest itself in every possible way and on every level.
The nature of the non-I, when reordered with Wisdom, assimilates the Self. Order is the first law of heaven, a divine order that, when brought into existence, gathers heaven and earth.
When we think of the wisdom we find manifest in Nature, we think of an active creative or computer principle. This principle is feminine when it is reflected in the mother or in the form aspect, and constructs or models an order that will be appropriate for the quality in manifestation. Each form that has a meaning has a certain order of parts or elements, and an order in its operation, in time and space. Such an order in its beauty can be represented as a perfect curve, a curve that differs from another, following its own law. Law and order are, therefore, eternally connected. The law of the Divine Being that manifests itself in its expressions generates the Divine Order, in such a way, that in Buddhist thought, the Law takes the place of Being. We think of Being as an Individuality. When Individuality is perfect, the logic of its formation is complete and is the manifestation of a Law. Discovering the law of our own being, and living according to it, is true wisdom.
As with God, so it is with man. As man creates in the likeness of that Being that he is in eternity (the creation being possible only through an energy that is part of his being), he develops his wisdom. There is beauty in the law, and this beauty is seen when the law manifests itself.
Wisdom lies in the integrity of thought, when this is a natural integration. It is the flowering of the quality of the essence of Life that underlies, revealing His profound meaning. It is the unity and beauty of the whole reflected in the part. It is a movement of life that shows it in its exceptional and innate grace. It is a quality of thought free from all earthly stains, formed by a direct intonation from heaven. It is a divine ray that penetrates the heart and mind, and unifies them. It is the breath of God, whose warmth is life, and its light is love and beauty. It is an expression of the I in which there is no opposite force.
In the world, it is often believed that wisdom lies in caution. This notion arises from the conservation instinct. Wisdom may also be found in disregarding prudence. In reality, it lies in the sure action that rises above the opposites. It is wise that one who for a perfect life has found that instinct of righteousness that will guide him both in thought and in action; that center of balance that is always above its point of contact with circumstances. He is a man in whom Nature spills the wealth of all his instincts.
Published by The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, India, 1954.
