Knowledge Dissemination

It is human nature to share what one knows with others, and this is how one is initiated on the path of knowledge - by someone, most probably a teacher. There is a tendency to transmit what one knows. However, initially it can be shocking to discover that most people are not open or ready to receive.

Reactions to knowledge

One can fail in countless ways in one’s attempts to share what one knows. It is very entertaining as well as sad at the same time. Any of the following (or more) can happen:

1. No one wants it. There is a total lack of interest in general populace regarding spiritual knowledge or any kind of knowledge in general. People would rather prefer gossip and small talk.

2. Almost no one understands it. Some may try to listen, but as soon as you go one step deeper, which will eventually happen, it all bounces over their heads, and they will lose interest

3. You will be ridiculed. Knowledge is a strange thing for many. They have never encountered it before. As soon as you say something that seems strange and out there, which it will, many will ridicule you or trash your words as a joke.

4. You will be branded crazy. If you continue the strange talk, people will get concerned, and think extreme things about you instead of actually contemplating what you say.

5. They will be terrified. The knowledge seems otherworldly to the uninitiated. Some may assume you have joined a horrible cult. Some may think you are now practicing occult or witchcraft.

6. They will be angered. This is the most common occurrence. Your views will be taken as an attack on their fossilized personal beliefs, and their ego will flare up to protect it. People do not use rational faculties or logical thinking at all, they are totally closed to anything new, and are simply seeking a confirmation of their biases/beliefs/conditioning.

7. You will be insulted. Knowledge often reveals the ignorance of a person who lacks it. It makes them look stupid. It makes you look smarter than them. Egoic people do not like this at all. Attack is their best defense.

8. You will be doubted. Some may think you are trying to sell some religion or your "programs", courses or books, or are going to ask for a "donation" after your talk, which may sound like a typical preaching to them, and it will actually.

9. Usefulness of it will be questioned. A rare few will actually see what you are offering, but they will declare it useless. If your teachings do not offer any survival benefits, which they will not, it will be branded as a total waste of time.

10. Trivializing occurs. Some people will think you are a wise person even though whatever you say sounds like mumbo-jumbo to them, which it will, because that's what wise people say, and they will not lose an opportunity to ask for help on trivial stuff - like their office problems, family issues, what to eat in dinner, addictions or "how do I fix this other guy" thing.

11. Some do get it. Rarely though, you will find someone who is a real seeker material and he will actually get it. However, not all of it. Most of it will be ignored, thanks to the resistances in the mind and veiling power of Maya.

12. A few do come back for more. A rare few will actually contemplate on your words and will call you back for more, with a long list of questions.

13. You get followers. This takes special Guru training and oratory skills, and will not happen unless you are a big shot already. This is a one in ten million phenomenon. This is the only scenario where you will be able to disseminate knowledge on a mass scale.

14. You may simply give up. Gurus turn into mythical heroes very quickly. People have unrealistic expectations from them. Some followers declare themselves of their "lineage" and start a business, or a cult or a religion. Seeing these dangers, you may decide to give up and walk your path silently.

The above is only a short list of what can happen. It is not exhaustive. There are all kinds of people and hence all kinds of reactions.

Who is ready?

One who has the required qualities of a student (aka Skt. Mumukshu). When the flower blooms, honey bees arrive. When the student is ready, knowledge arrives. A student is ready when there is an extreme desire to know and is said to be worthy of knowledge. No one can stop him from gaining what he wants.

Do’s and don’ts of knowledge dissemination

If you wish to spread whatever you have learned, you will need to find someone who is ready to listen. A teacher feels lucky if he gets even one student who is worthy. There are no tricks or methods to sort out a worthy person from a crowd of worldly people. All you can do is - keep sharing, those who are ready will encounter some of it someday.

There are some do's and don't of knowledge dissemination so that it does not cause extreme reactions from those who are not ready yet. And, most importantly, would prevent any harm that undesired knowledge can cause to one who is not ready for it. These are as follows:

1. Drop hints. In the middle of a conversation, when you sense darkness and ignorance in your friends, you have three options - continue as if nothing happened, preach and argue, or just drop a tiny hint of light there. The third one works best. You will find that those who are curious, open minded and love learning new stuff will pick up the hint, and may want to know more.

2. Avoid arguments. Avoid pushing your view on to others at all costs. Even if you are absolutely right, it will backfire. An Ego does not like to be pushed. Even if it is something that can make it better, it cannot be rammed down their mind with force. This is human nature. If it were possible to enlighten people by force, they would have done it long ago. It is impossible.

3. Persist. Even though forced convincing will not work, persistence does. Keep repeating the words of wisdom whenever you see an opportunity, not every minute, that would be irritating. One fine day you will find a crack in the other, through which light can enter finally.

4. Give only when requested. Probably this sentence is the bottom line of this whole article. This is important. Never ever deliver any knowledge if not requested by the other person. Why? Where is the problem? You will know that through your own experience. A person who is asking a question is almost ready, one who does not have any questions at all is not. The cup is already full.

5. Encourage questions. Answers do not work well, but questions do. Ask questions politely and in a humorous way. Make them question. And make them answer their own questions. An Ego is more open to accept something that comes from its own mouth. The exact same thing, if spoken by you will be probably rejected.

6. Broadcast. Spread it in a non-personal way. Like a blog, or a YouTube video or a book. When an Ego encounters something that is not specifically directed towards it, its resistance is less. Now it is something that some random guy on the internet said. However, the mind has heard it, and now the seed has been sown.

7. Emulate ignorance. Now this is evil. What you do is - pretend that you are ignorant and then work through a loud thinking process while pretending that you are trying to enlighten yourself about that topic. The other person joins in and the light shines on him too.

8. Do not organize. Do not do that mistake. You can see the plight of organized schools of knowledge. Human nature ensures that it all gets corrupted. Dissemination has to be an unorganized and natural process. Do not make others in-charge of what you have to offer. Anyhow, a smart person will not join any organization or institutions. He wants to be free, an organized group is very restrictive. He may join it to get a taste of it, but will leave at the first chance. What you will be left with in the organization will be a bunch of spoiled Egos. Not a good outcome.

Transmission of knowledge is essentially a one to one process. From a teacher to a student. Do not make it anything else, it will fail.

9. Do not charge. Do not ask for money in return of knowledge. This is not merely an opinion. Knowledge needs to be free. A smart seeker, if he finds that your teachings are nothing but a money making scheme, will leave in an eye blink. You lose people who are worthy, and are left with a bunch of fools, who think they can buy knowledge.

10. Act alone. Do not associate yourself with any sect, institution, tradition or philosophy. Some people are repulsed by certain groups, even though they are worthy, they will shy away as soon as they hear that you are preaching something from a tradition they don't think is of any value. One needs to be absolutely pure and un-associated with anyone else.

11. Do not criticize. You cannot make a good impression on newcomer's minds if you simply criticize them or their beliefs. Also, criticizing or bad mouthing other traditions or philosophies makes the person look cheap. People, in general, upon hearing such treatment, close down even more. It is best to remain neutral concerning other belief systems or even science. Often someone will want to know your view on another teacher, and the best way is to send them to that teacher. If he is not alive or difficult to reach, it is best to not offer any comments.

12. Share unconditionally. It would be a mistake to expect anything in return of knowledge. Do not even expect that it will benefit the receiver in any way. Your job is to put things plainly and simply and move on. Trying to impress others or trying to make them happy is a sign that your own Ego is in command.

13. Don't just say it, show it. It is best to share things you can experience yourself and others can see it themselves. If you simply utter blank words or parrot a text, it may not have any effect at all. In case the experience cannot be transmitted, make it very clear that they need to get their own experience. Never ask anyone to believe you blindly. If you have knowledge, you must have experienced it, and that means it can be experienced by others too. Just show it.

14. Encourage experimentation. Where ever possible the receiver of knowledge should experiment on the teachings to find out the truth himself. Probably only a tiny fraction of them will actually experiment. Suggest an experiment, but do not take responsibilities, and make it very clear too. We do not know what people can do with the teachings. Only a Guru takes responsibility of his students. It does not work well when you are just sharing what you know.

15. Practices may not make them perfect. Many seekers already know that the spiritual practices are not a one size fits all matter. Do not recommend any practices casually, they may end up harming the practitioner. Instead, ask them to get an experienced Guru. However, if you are sure that a practice is very light and harmless, it can be suggested. You need to practice it yourself before recommending it. Needless to say, never recommend strange, risky or mantric/tantric/occult practices willy-nilly.

Sharing is caring

Dissemination of knowledge is a difficult task and it is a practice in itself, a learning experience. Initially it can seem awkward to share stuff which is alien for a majority of humanity. But once you know who can benefit from it most and how to reveal it to those who are worthy/ready, you will sail smoothly. It is the duty of every seeker to give back at least a bit, because we received it from someone who was kind enough to share. This is the endeavor here too.