Survival is the most fundamental drive of all living organisms — the instinct to preserve their own existence. On the path of knowledge, survival is recognised as the root cause of many human behaviours, beliefs and mental structures.

Knowledge as a survival mechanism

Knowledge itself evolved as a survival strategy. The organism needs to arrange its experiences of the surroundings — who is a predator, what is food, where is water, what happens when I jump from a tree or touch a hot rock. These interrelations govern the behaviour of the organism and are essential for survival. In humans this ability became highly refined, so that we now pursue knowledge not only for survival but for understanding itself.

The reward that nature produces when the organism knows something and puts it to use is experienced as pleasure. This reward mechanism reinforces the acquisition of knowledge.

Survival and ignorance

The survival instinct is also responsible for many forms of ignorance. A child follows whatever the grownups say because not doing so threatens survival. This gives rise to indoctrination — beliefs accepted uncritically because they came from those who control the means of survival. The same mechanism underlies tribal thinking, blind faith in authority, and the reluctance to question one's own conditioning.

Survival on the path

A seeker on the path of knowledge is one who has moved beyond mere survival. While the body and mind continue their survival activities, the seeker is no longer driven by them. The realisation that I am the experiencer, not this body-mind puts survival in its proper place — a function of the organism, not the self.

Those who seek knowledge only to apply it for survival, comfort or technology have a limited goal. The true seeker wants knowledge for its own sake, not for survival. As the path is a subtractive path, even the concern for survival is eventually seen through and let go.