Source of Knowledge
We are like a metal sphere with a shining core but rust on the surface. The inner shine represents our knowledge, while the outer rust symbolises ignorance. How much shine each person has within and how much rust outside?
In the book Practical Vedanta, Swami Vivekananda said, “All the knowledge that we have in this world, where did it come from? It was within us. What knowledge is outside? None. Knowledge was not in matter; it was in man all the time. Nobody ever created knowledge; man brings it from within. It is lying there.”
Gravity is an example of knowledge. It existed even before Newton discovered it. But where did this knowledge reside before it was discovered? It exists within consciousness. All knowledge exists in consciousness. However, we may or may not be aware of it.
Knowledge comes to our awareness through experience. The experience could be perception, inference, intuition or a combination. For Newton, the falling apple was an experience that brought the knowledge of gravity to his awareness. Similarly, when we read about gravity in a science book or hear about it from a teacher, we become aware of that knowledge. In this case, reading the book or listening to the teacher is the experience that brings the knowledge from our consciousness into our awareness.
How much knowledge is in our consciousness and how much knowledge is in our awareness? The knowledge in the consciousness is the shine of the metal sphere and the knowledge in our awareness is the exposed part of the shine after removing the rust. Our life experiences, including formal and informal learning, gradually chip away at our ignorance, bringing more knowledge from our consciousness into our awareness.
Each of us carries a different amount of rust (ignorance) around us. As we progress through life, we knock off some of this rust through our experiences. However, within each of us lies the same amount of shine—meaning we all possess the entirety of knowledge within us. We are omniscient within. We need the right experience to remove the rust and reveal our shine.
Will all the rust eventually disappear? Yes. Those who are enlightened have reached that state, where all knowledge is fully in their awareness—like a shining metal sphere with no rust left.
This is synonymous with saying that the all-knowing God is within us.