The Master said: "I have transmitted what was taught to me without making up anything of my own. I have been faithful to and loved the Ancients."
— Confucianism - Analects 7.1
There is a root from which all knowledge has emerged. Humanity has many names for it; we call it Gnosis.
Gnosis (-g·no·sis): From Greek γνῶσις. Knowledge.
The higher meaning of Gnosis is knowledge from experience, especially experience of divinity or that which is beyond the five senses. The word Gnosis does not refer to knowledge that we are told or believe in. Gnosis is conscious, experiential knowledge, not merely intellectual or conceptual knowledge, belief, or theory. This term is synonymous with the Hebrew דעת "da'ath," the Arabic ma'rifah, the Tibetan rigpa (knowing), and the Sanskrit "jna."
Gnosis can also refer to the tradition that embodies the core wisdom or knowledge of humanity, although in the physical world it has not been known by that name, but instead has adopted varying appearances according to culture, time, and place.
The Greek word Gnosis (γνῶσις) implies a type of knowledge that is derived from experience, and encompasses the whole of a person. That is, it is genuine knowledge of the truth. Reality, truth, does not fit neatly into a concept, dogma, or theory, thus genuine Gnosis must also be something that one must experience. Personal experience is not transmissible in conceptual terms; a concept is merely an idea, and experience is far more than an idea.
In other words, real Gnosis is an experience that defies conceptualization, belief, or any attempt to convey it. To understand it, one must experience it. This is why real spirituality is based on one's own effort to experience the truth, and the method to reach that experience is primarily practical.
Nonetheless, in order to understand what we experience, we must study the experiences of others. For this, we prefer to rely on those who have proven the qualities we wish to embody ourselves: profound love for all beings, brilliant intelligence, and radiant joy. As such, we rely on the greatest human beings and their legacies, in every field of understanding: philosophy, science, art, and religion.
"Truth is one; sages call it by various names — Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti."
— Rig Veda
The Greek word Gnosis refers to the knowledge acquired through the experience of the awakened consciousness, as opposed to knowledge that we are told or might believe. Genuine Gnosis is the knowledge universal to all humanity that frees the consciousness from suffering. Gnosis - by whatever name in history or culture - is conscious, experiential knowledge, not merely intellectual or conceptual knowledge, belief or theory. The Gnostic student seeks to acquire their own direct experience of the light (the Truth) by means of awakening the consciousness and eliminating obscurations to perception.
The method to accomplish this task has been called:
Gnosis (Greek) knowledge.
Jnana (Sanskrit): knowledge.
Daath (Hebrew): knowledge.
Dharma (Sanskrit): righteousness, law, truth, teaching.
Torah (Hebrew): teaching, instruction, law.
And many other names. By comparing all of these ancient teachings, we can see that all religious forms have in their heart a science of Gnosis: a method to arrive at personal knowledge of the Truth.
“Howsoever men approach Me, even so do I welcome them, for the path men take from every side is Mine.”
— Krishna (Christ), from the Bhagavad-gita
